Christmas in California.

We were really lucky to spend

a lot of time together as a little
family
during this Christmas season.
We started our California holiday by
heading to the beach.
I really didn't think the girls would enjoy
the sand and cold water,
but both of them loved every second of it.
Every time Vanessa would trip and fall in the sand,
she'd just finish falling by laying down and
spreading her arms out to play.
Savvy jumped in the waves with her daddy--
and wasn't even phased by one wave that tackled her.
I think that the beach can become a regular activity.

Christmas Eve was spent with
my parents and brother.
With all of the recent chaos in our lives,
I'm not sure the girls fully understood
the reason for celebration,
but they could feel the excitement.Their new pajamas were a hit!
As soon as they put them on
they wanted to go to bed.
We let them.
The girls were filled with excitement
on Christmas morning.
We opened each present slowly,
letting the girls play with each one
until they were ready to open another.
Their favorite was probably the
dress up box
and the additional 'Tiana' dress.Savannah now spends every waking second
dressed as a princess
wearing a hat or crown
and frolicking around in princess high heels.

The holiday got even better when
more family began arriving.
We all enjoyed playing with
brothers, sisters and cousins.
The princesses spent most of their days
dancing at the ball, looking for monsters to fight,
or dragging around their prince (boy) cousins.Eric stayed late at church and missed
the 'family picture' opportunity
before nap time.
The pictures didn't go over very well anyways,
oh well.