The Baby Herbs First Christmas

We had the best Christmas ever! It was our first one with our little baby blessings, and we are so grateful for these sweet guys. Wednesday morning we got on the road only a half-hour late heading to California. We felt pretty proud of ourselves, given the amount of stuff we had to pack, getting the little ones and ourselves ready, etc.

First, we stopped at the Miller Road exit to meet with our new condo renter to get his paperwork. We're so happy to have the condo rented for Christmas! Then, we drove to Rancho Mirage, where we stopped in to have lunch with Nana and Papa. They were happy to see Matt and Thomas, and it was a great break for us in the drive.

Then, we got back on the road and arrived in Oceanside for dinner with Granny and Gramps. The little dudes were troopers and did great the entire way. We were exhausted and checked into our hotel by about 7 pm. We stayed at a brand new Residence Inn in Oceanside, where I had enough Marriott points to stay 2 nights free! They brought in two cribs for us, and the room had a kitchen, so it worked out just fine.

Christmas morning we went to Granny and Gramps and enjoyed a wonderful day. Great Grandpa was there, too, and we had a yummy dinner, opened presents, and watched basketball--unfortunately, the Suns lost at the buzzer to San Antonio. Stefanie, Francisco, and baby Cisco also stopped in to visit, and it was such a treat to see them! They had presents for the babies, and we're looking forward to playing with some fun new toys. Baby Francisco is already 13 months and is walking.

The day after Christmas, more family came to Granny and Gramps--Great Grandpa, Staci, Chris, & Stella, Pam & Paul, Auntie Barbara, Auntie Maureen, Uncle Bill, & River. River is 9 months now, a month older than our guys, and he's already crawling like crazy and pulling himself up to stand. Stella is 3 1/2 and is such a sweet little girl. She had some fun toys and books to play with, and she loved the little boys.

That afternoon, we loaded up and headed back out to the desert to be with Nana and Papa. Shari made us a delicious dinner, and we relaxed for the evening; it was a nice way to break up the trip.

Saturday, we enjoyed the morning with Nana and Papa and then went to visit Bob and Charlene Murray. We had lunch and headed back home. The drive was a little bit rough, with Thomas screaming for about the last hour of the trip. They were so tired and were happy to have dinner and get into their own beds for a long night's sleep.

I hear them waking up now . . .

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone!!

Love, j&c, m&t

A Happy First Thanksgiving with Babies!

Chris's parents and my mom came to Avondale for Thanksgiving this year. Mom stayed almost a week here in our guest room; Frank stayed 4 days, and Kathy stayed for 11 days. They stayed in our condo in Litchfield Park, and Kathy caught a flight home this morning. The babies were so lucky to have their grandparents to hold them, feed them, and play with them. We enjoyed a delicious Thanksgiving dinner--with turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, green beans, rutabagas, cranberry sauce, and stuffing. The babies just had their regular food, but they got to try their first chicken this week. Pureed chicken may not sound too appealing, but they like it mixed into their baby rice cereal!

I went back to work on Wednesday, and it was wonderful to have Granny here to take care of the little dudes. They loved it! And, Chris was able to get out of the house to pursue his new goal--becoming a physical therapy assistant. He has to do 40 hours of volunteer work and then he starts some on-line classes at the end of January. His program will begin in late spring through Gateway College.

That's all for now! xo, j&c, m&t