Christmas in California- Day 4

Monday was Christmas Eve and it was such a beautiful day! We headed up to King's Canyon to see the giant Sequoia trees. We walked around a little bit, saw some deer, and then headed back to the cabin for lunch. 

We found blue sky once we were above the clouds!

Getting ready to walk through this tree that fell down years and years ago!

It's nearly impossible to get a good family picture!

Back at the cabin, we ate lunch and then went for a short walk. 

So many trees have been killed by disease; they are piled up all over.

You can't really tell from this picture, but Papa Jay made this stump into a family tree! 

Christmas in California- Days 2 and 3

On Saturday, we started off our day with a tour of Papa Jay and Grandma's new house! We've seen lots of pictures along the way, but it was so fun to get a tour and see it in person. 

After lunch, Jay's cousin Melinda came over for a quick visit. She brought her granddaughter, Hannah, with her and the girls had fun coloring and playing games together. 

Saturday night, Kyle and I were planning on going out on a date; unfortunately, Kyle wasn't feeling very well and hardly had a voice so we ended up just grabbing dinner in Reedley and going for a short walk before coming back home. 

On Sunday, we headed up to Fresno to pick up Momma Joan. We hadn't been to her place since she moved to Fresno, so we were able to see her apartment and she was able to show us all around the complex. We grabbed some coffee and hot chocolate at the little coffee shop and then headed back home. It is an amazing place! Nice restaurants, lots of activities, a gym, and plenty of space to walk around outside! Plus, right now they had Christmas decorations everywhere!

This little lady didn't want anything to do with her hot chocolate! 

This one is a little blurry...but I love how much fun everyone is having!

Quick nap on the drive home.

While the girls were off picking on Momma Joan, Kyle and Papa Jay went and picked up a motorhome that they parked right next to the house for Momma Joan to sleep in. It gave her her own space and a little peace and quiet from the chaos of three little girls! I didn't get a picture of it, but it worked out really well (especially once the heater started working!) 

Christmas in California...Day 1

We spent a week in California for Christmas this year! It's not very often that I am able to get this much time off work during the holidays, so we took full advantage of it! We left home about 3:30am on Friday morning for a 7:00 flight from Seattle. By 10:00, we had all our luggage and were on our way to Papa Jay and Grandma's house in California! We were all tired and had to take afternoon naps, but it was great to start the trip with a full day. 

Friday night we met up with Jon, Sarah and the boys at the Fresno Zoo for the zoo lights display. We started out with a visit to see Santa, followed by dinner and roaming around the zoo to see all the lights. Going to the zoo at night is definitely a different experience! It was all about the light displays (which were amazing!) and not about the animals...I think the only ones we could see were the flamingos!

Telling Santa what she wants for Christmas

The bridge leading to the giraffes

Can you see the flamingos in the background?

Check our Papa Jay and Lydia in the background:) 

It was pretty chilly out, so we headed indoors to the reptiles!

Annaliese was all ready for her picture...her sisters were less cooperative.

Seven

(I wrote this post several weeks ago...somehow I just never got around to adding pictures and posting it until now!)

Annaliese is seven...it's not hard to believe that, she reminds me on a regular basis! But it's been hard to figure out how to describe her, to figure out her 'favorites' and to find the words to explain what life is like with a 7-year-old in the house! She is smart and inquisitive, loves reading and everything about school and is constantly amazing me with her Spanish. At times, she seems much older and more responsible, and then with the flip of a switch, she is moody, screaming, and throwing a fit. She has a hard time taking criticism, being told no, or being asked to do something she doesn't want to do (that actually sounds fairly normal as I type it, but her reactions always seem so dramatic and over the top!)

For example, she climbed into the car after school today in a great mood and then found out that we were going to go do a craft at the local toy store with Mallory and Owen. She was so excited and kept saying, "This day is so spectacular. It's just spectacular!" On our way home, we swung by the grocery store to pick up our groceries (online ordering=best thing ever!) Once home, I told the girls they could watch a show while I put everything away and made dinner. All was well in the world...until she asked if they could watch another show (the answer was no) and the whole world fell apart. There were tears, screaming, yelling, running around the house etc. for over 20 minutes!! When she finally calmed down, she climbed onto the chair in the kitchen and said, "I'm having such a hard day." Dramatic. From spectacular to hard simply because she couldn't watch ANOTHER show.

Sometimes it's hard to deal with. Thankfully, she has a big heart, a good smile, and is helpful and happy more often than not. She's probably a typical 7-year-old, learning to navigate school, friends, a new church, and a new Bible Study small group!

So what does life look like right now?

Bedtime is still around 7:30, but she and Haleigh usually get to read books in their room for a little while. She still sleeps with her blanket and can still be found sucking her thumb on occasion. She has started putting on a little glove to help deter her from sucking on it! She wakes up around 7:00am and likes to get dressed and ready for the day right away!

Clothing: It is really hard to find clothes that fit well! She likes to wear her 5T stretchy pants, but they are all too short. We tried to get her size 6 jeans for her birthday and they were way too big; it's very much dependent on the clothing item now! Most of her shirts are still 5T or girls small. It's probably time for the 5T things to move on, but I just haven't really gotten around to it. Honestly, most of the time she wears dresses and leggings anyways! She loves dresses! It's hard to say what size feet she has too...her running shoes are 13, her new rain boots are 11/12.

Teeth: Both of her top front teeth are mostly in, her bottom two permanent teeth are taking their sweet time and I think she said she has one loose tooth at the moment. Going to the dentist is one of her favorite things to do and she can't wait for her next appointment (which isn't until March!)

Activities: Annaliese loves going to school, having playdates with her friends, reading books, and coloring/drawing pictures (mostly of rainbows, butterflies, and castles.)