Christmas Sunshine and Smiles

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You know what's better than a rainy and cold Christmas in Seattle? A sunny, seventy-five degree Christmas in L.A. Add a house full of family, 9 adults and 4 kids, and you have a recipe for a fabulous and crazy holiday. It is a rare treat to have all of Josh's family together and we thoroughly enjoyed the few days we had when everyone was there.

Christmas Eve

The Masons on Christmas morning

Christy, Jereme, and baby Conley (coming Feb 2014)

Somehow we didn't get a picture of Josh's parents or sister, Lauren, on Christmas morning. Obviously, our photo documentation skills could use some work. 

The day after Christmas we went to the park at Point Vicente to take family pictures. The sky was so clear, more clear than I have ever seen. It was absolutely beautiful. 

Beach at Point Vicente

Cliffs and lighthouse on the point. Catalina Island is in the background.  

 Sometimes Eli prefers to be upside down

The weather was lovely so we spent lots of time outside in the yard enjoying the sun. 

Eli practicing walking

Watching the airplanes

Love this guy!

More airplane watching

Sour face! He is holding a carrot but the face is from residual tart raspberry juice on his hands.

Josh's cousin Michelle brought her two boys, Sam and Nate, for a visit.

Dan, Ashley, and their girls had to leave a few days after Christmas and Lauren was working most days. That left us, Josh's parents, Jereme, and Christy around during the day. We spent one day exploring the mission in San Juan Capistrano.

Ruin of what was once the main cathedral at the mission. (Destroyed by an earthquake 7 years after completion)



Grandma, Grandpa, Josh and Eli in front of the koi pond

We had a few beach days during our stay. I wasn't sure how Eli would feel about the sand but he really liked it. He liked it so much that he couldn't keep from eating it. Mmm, beach sand. 


Enjoying the beach with Nana and Papa 


SHARK! Just kidding. We saw dolphins on several occasions during our stay.


So big!

Nana is way more fun than a regular swing. 


One of our last outings was going to the aquarium in Long Beach. Eli seemed to really enjoy all the fish. No great pictures though. As previously mentioned, our photo documentation needs work. 

View of Long beach marina from the top of the aquarium parking garage. 

We had a fantastic time and hope you all had a wonderful holiday season and best wishes for the new year! 

Comments

  1. KatyJanuary 8, 2014 at 11:47 PM

    What a fun trip! You are so beautiful Karissa I loved see all the pictures. And your little man is amazingly ADORABLE! I hope we get to meat eachothers families some day. I miss You.

    ReplyDelete
  2. RebeccaJanuary 10, 2014 at 1:20 PM

    It was truly a wonderful time with everyone together. We sure miss everyone! Thanks for coming :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. AngieJanuary 22, 2014 at 8:42 PM

    What a fun trip! Are those pictures taken with Josh's new camera? If so, they're awesome! You've always taken great pictures but those seem even better than normal. I'm glad you could enjoy some sun! Elijah is getting so big. I'm so glad we live close enough to see him grow up.

    ReplyDelete

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