America: Hot Dogs for Every Man, Woman and Child (2)

And some pix on the golf course. Some people had a snow cone machine and were happily handing them out to any children passing by (i.e., Dillon and Quinn). If you want to see some pix from years past, look here and here.

Free range children.

Quinn was not a willing participant.

Annual wild animal photo.

Snow cones!

December is the Time (for Ho Ho Ho) Part 4

To wrap up our yuletide festivities, our annual holiday hike:

Little slow poke.

Family selfie!

Sissies.

I've also wanted to make a buche de noel for years, but it looked too intimidating. This year, I finally made it and I think it turned out pretty good!

That's right, it's a cake that looks like a log.

Finally, what would Christmas be without Chinese food?

Waiting for shumai.

Perusing the menu.

Playing with the menu.

Eating cotton candy burritos.

Either eating or taking a nap.

December is the Time (for Ho Ho Ho) Part 1

I know it's springtime and I'm just getting around to the holiday posts...but here we go! Dillon joined choir in the fall which means there was a singing bonanza come holiday time! Here's a video mash-up of some of her performances. She's easy enough to spot in the first and last clips. For "Frosty the Snowman" where she's on stage with a hundred other kids, she's the short one in the first row!

Dillon met the big guy after her show.

We also drove deep into the forest (El Cajon) to pick out a tree. Craig found a beauty and I think it's my favorite so far!

Family tree farm selfie.

Dillon and Craig shoulder the tree.

Finally, we spent a lovely evening with our friends, Tom and Curt, at their annual holiday party.

There is a lot of plaid in this picture.

Craig won a crate o' wine.

Quinn ate a lot o' bread.

They loved this bright green tree.

Wordless Wednesdays (105)

Taken 4/22/2017

America: Try Not to Panic

It is officially a tradition: back to the Aviara to celebrate Independence Day with our friends. The only thing that changes is that the kids keep growing!

Quinn is having a jewelry situation.

The one photo we take as a family every year.

Kids times infinity.

Sissies.

Silent (and Blind) Auction Portrait

So Dillon's ballet school had a silent auction and flipping through the items I saw there were a few portrait sessions to bid on. I thought it would be nice since we didn't have any formal pictures of the family since Quinn arrived, but I'm afraid I didn't investigate closely, because it turned out the session was in Orange County (!) and involved a very stylistic oil portraiture. Which if you've been to our house you'll realize is not nearly fancy enough for such a thing. But we kept an open mind and the end result is actually quite lovely. Dillon looks so beautiful in the photo and Craig and I both still fit into our wedding clothes! Quinn didn't cry and that's the most you can really ask of a baby. In a funny twist, Quinn's hair is now much longer and Dillon's much shorter. This is the longest blog post I've ever written.

Run Tree MC

Remember last year when we decided to live like our ancestors and chop down our own Christmas tree? Well, we went back for more. This time Quinn was old enough to quasi-participate too!

Golden glow.

Tree farm selfie.

Craig, Quinn and trees.

Kisses!

Success!

An Apple a Day...

We drove up to Julian one day to pick some apples. It was nice to be out in the country, away from the hustle and bustle of the city...along with 1,000 other people who had the exact same idea. In other words, it was crowded! But still fun. Dillon ate A LOT of apples that day. A LOT.

Must be something interesting on the ground.

Apple 5 of 25.

Where's Craig's hat?

Pretty countryside.

Serious about food, as always.

Hugs!

A Year in Photos

It seems like it was simultaneously a really long time ago and only yesterday, but when Dillon turned one, I made a little video compilation of her first year. Now it's Quinny's turn. Swapped out John Mayer for The Who, but a lot of the toys and clothes will look very familiar! The pictures of Dillon and Quinn together are my favorites. They love each other so.

Happy Birthday Quinn -- and America! (Part 2)

No surprise here, we were back at the Aviara for picnics, wagon rides and fireworks.

Bubblicious.

Family time.

This group keeps on growing. We are reaching critical mass!

Birthday bundt cake!

The Graduate (Part 2)

Here are some more pix of the graduation festivities, including what I think are the first pictures of us as a family of four!

Class of 2016

We're outta here!

Family.

How cute are these kids?

Here is also a graduation art project. We actually gave this to Loretta--and she cried! Dillon now states she wants to be a hair stylist...for princesses!

Stylist to the stars.

That Was Then / This Is Now (17)

To go along with the previous Independence Day-themed post, here is a look back on our previous family photos:

2012

2013

2014

2015