Christmas Eve

Christmas Eve was a mellow day. Brandon had to work all day so he could take Friday off. So, Bailey and I had a pretty normal relaxed day. I had all the Christmas shopping, wrapping, and baking finished so I could enjoy the day.

I was really happy to spend some great quality time with two of my best friends Jenny and Leann the night before Christmas Eve. We did however hang-out until 3 am so a lot of my Christmas Eve was napping with Bailey. I have not stayed up that late in like a year but the three of us have not spent time together in a long time so it was great having some quality bonding time.

That night we all went to my parent's house for dinner. It was a nice evening of yummy appetizers and tamales. Unfortunately, half of my family is sick with colds so everyone was feeling pretty sleepy and mellow but it was still a nice evening.

Christmas Train

Irvine Park has an annual tradition of decorating their train and the trail which leads to Santa Clause. The little train winds through the trees which are covered in lights and then you are dropped off at "Santa's Village" where there is hot chocolate and many more decorations. It is pretty exciting and being in the middle of a cold, dark, forest makes seeing Santa a bit more exciting; like a fairy tale.

Bailey was in awe of all the lights and children. She especially liked the glowing candy-canes.

Bailey was so brave with Santa this time around. I warned Santa that she screamed her head-off last time so he recommended that I turn around and back her up into his lap so she does not notice who is holding her. Then the elves shook some bells that caught her attention right away and my parent's snapped some pictures. Santa was great. He had the Kris Kringle "accent" and was very sweet.

We took some fun family shots as well. Can you tell we are related?

9 Months

Our small fry is still growing up much too quickly. She is learning so fast that she surprises me at least once a week. She crawls on her knees, stands in her crib, feeds herself finger-foods, dances (my favorite talent of hers), points, babbles like crazy, loves dogs and anything Christmas.

We take Bailey on walks after dark every day because she gets so ecstatic over the Christmas lights. She flaps her arms and legs, squeals, and points to them while looking over at you as if she is saying, "don't you see how cool that is!" It is so cute.

This is Bailey getting all cozy for her evening walk.

Poor baby has "impetigo" on her chin. It's a common infection babies can get from drooling, teething- all that fun stuff.

Bailey continues to be a fun, happy, and a very enjoyable little companion to have through out our daily lives. She loves it when Brandon gets home and they sing the routine "happy baby song." Bailey not only flaps her arms now but grooves to the beat by moving her head, shoulders, stomach-she's got rhythm.

Oh Christmas Tree

Brandon and I were really excited to get a tree this year because we did not get one last year and we knew Bailey would love it.
We went to Home Depot and picked out a beautiful 4 foot, $20 Noble Fir.





We strapped the tree to the top of the sturdy red Escort (even though it would have fit in the trunk); we wanted the whole experience.














Bailey was very "helpful" when decorating. She was mesmerized by the tree the first few days. She loved to touch the lights and ornaments but thankfully she is now over-it for the most part.














We had fun stringing popcorn and drinking hot chocolate.

Milestones

It was a big day for Bailey. I went in to check on her when she was supposed to be napping and I found her standing in her crib all smiles. She was so excited with her new discovery that she would not take a nap because she kept wanting to stand up. I understood her excitement so I brought her out to play and she went straight to the window and got up high on her knees.

When Brandon got home he was doing his usual singing and dancing to entertain Bailey and she started dancing to his singing! And she even shows off her clapping skills. She used to clap with her fists and on thanksgiving she started to clap correctly with her hands open and she does it all day long now.

Double Dos of Santa

Tustin has a yearly tradition put on by the Police Department of having a Santa in a car made to look like a sleigh with reindeer, come visit a different street every night and give out candy canes to the kids.

Bailey got a candy cane last night from my parent's street and tonight from ours.

Last Night

Michael, Tawnia, Caden, Ryan, Brie, and my parent's were there. Sadly Brandon was in class.

Tonight Bailey was not so happy to see Santa.

She was a classic baby hating Santa Clause.

To the Mountains

Over the weekend we visited Brandon's family. They live in the San Bernadino Mountains (near Lake Arrowhead). This was Bailey's first trip to the Mountains and we were so excited to take her. Brandon's dad and his wife Shawn are now living in Hesperia so we first visited them on Friday. It was great to spend a few hours with them and catch up. They are living in Brandon's late grandparent's house and the home is full of fond memories for Brandon.

Bailey playing drums with Papa Roy.

Once Bailey was out for the night we drove up the back-side of the moutain which is dark, steep, narrow, and really fun. I love moutain trips with Brandon-some of our best memories.

When we arrived we got Bailey settled and then talked with his mom, his step-dad Mike, and his brother Kenny until pretty late.

In the morning we were up early and with Kenny we went to Jensen's to get coffee and breakfast and then went on a hike to Strawberry Peak.

This is one of the highest points in the Moutnain range and it has an amazing view. There is a ranger tower which we climbed and a ranger stays in the very top to scout for fires. The guy was really nice and we talked with him for a while. On a clear day you can see Catalina, but it was early in the morning so the marine layer was still thick.

This is Kenny. We love spending time with him.

Brandon looking like a true moutain man.





Bailey's moutain roots coming out. She looks so funny-if you can't see, her spaced teeth and drool really helped the effect.





When we left on Saturday afternoon we went to down-town Redlands and got lunch with Chip and Courtney. I had never walked around the down-town area before - it was so cute and I really enjoyed it. We also went to our friend's Chad and Erica's coffee shop called Augie's. It is on 5th street and it is so cute and has a great atmosphere. And, they have great iced coffee with white mocha. So, if you are ever in Redlands, go to Augies, on 5th.