Oh December, you wonderfully busy month. We have survived the first 12 days of our December-ganza, and are ready to hit the second half running. So far we've celebrated my birthday with a trip to Cambria, completed our annual Christmas walk (dubbed the Balboa Walk by the regulars) which consists of cocktails (or sparkling water in my case) and snacks at our house followed by a tour of the Christmas lights on Balboa Island. This year the group seemed to multiply and we loved it! The Sunday following the Balboa Walk was spent at Oma's house celebrating St. Nicholas, a Dutch tradition that typically takes place over the first weekend of the month, but one that the Van Klaveren's have kindly postponed to allow Willem and me to celebrate our (shared) birthday as we please. I think it's safe to say that we both appreciate the accommodation. Before we could do any of the celebrating, however, we had to buy a tree and decorate the house.
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| Clare is looking for Chip and Dale hiding in the tree |
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| Helping dad pick out a winner |
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| Perhaps our "winner" was a bit larger than we realized |
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| Yup, it's definitely a big one! |
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| Adding some Clare decoration to the tree |
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| The stockings are hung and we're waiting for Christmas |
The walk was fantastic and included more kids than in any year past - a trend we love to see since the lights are really more fun when viewed through the eyes of the little ones. The food and company were great, but the opportunity to spend time with new friends and family as well as old served as a reminder of what this time of year is really about.
St. Nicholas was equally wonderful and we were blessed with a surprise visit from Deborah and Cora who were able to join us from Las Vegas this year. This is the first St. Nicholas in about 5 or so years that they have had the opportunity to attend - a treat that made the time as a family even sweeter! As more young children join the family and we have the opportunity to watch the generations before them grow into young adults (now I FEEL as old as I am...), we can't help but reflect on how fortunate we all are to have each other and to be a family.
There's a whole lot more to come. Next weekend brings our getaway to Santa Barbara. This annual event promises to be relaxing at times, chaotic (with two little ones under two and two rambunctious dogs) at others, but is always a great opportunity to take a deep breath and enjoy the time spent together. After that Christmas is upon us! Mom will be coming down to celebrate the big day with us and we can't wait to visit Grandma and Grandpa to wish them a very Merry Christmas as a family. And through it all...I continue to grow, a sign that the little one is happily baking away and enjoying the holiday festivities.
Stay tuned....
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