Holidays!

So the fun all began a couple weeks before Christmas. Hank took time some time off work and so we took advantage of that. Here we are at Folsom Lake. We hiked around a portion of the lake caking our boots with mud as we went. Sam is sleeping on my back believe or not.

Our lunch time break. Right before we settled ourselves we saw a flock of geese take off and fly to the other side of the lake. It was the only noise we had heard for several minutes. It was beautiful. Sam's awe stayed with him even during lunch.

So much excitement! Sam needed a second piggyback nap.

This is at the Discovery Museum in Sacramento. The museum is tiny but still has some interesting exhibits. It was cold and rainy outside where a portion of the grounds were. We ventured out anyway and Sam enjoyed getting muddy in all the puddles. He was yelling really loud when this pictures was being taken.

I found another great place to exhaust Sam out. It's called Bounce-U. Basically it a big building full of inflatable gym equipment. It was bit old for Sam, don't ask him to admit it though.

Here we are on the grounds of the Maidu Indian Museum.  Sam just loves those puddles. Our tour guide was a Native American man who kept telling us how we don't appreciate the land or it's animals. No one can say that about Sam! Look at that expression. He's one with nature!

Finally it was time to travel to southern California to be with family for the Holidays. Here we are at the Cusowrth's famous annual Christmas eve party. We have relatives who travel two hours to be there every year, it's that fun!

The Christmas Eve PJs tradition carries on.

Christmas morning at my parents' house. The big hit of the morning was this wooden train my parents gave him. We had a great morning with my family. My sister's kids are at a great age for Christmas. That made the experience that much more magical. The only sad part was my sister Anna and her husband Mike were in Paris for Christmas and couldn't be a part of the festivities. Fun for them and sad for us. Good thing we do this Christmas thing every year I guess.

After my family's Christmas we headed over to Hank's Parents' house. Where Sam got this awesome tunnel play set. The whole time he was trying it out he kept saying "oooohhh".

The following week included a variety of fun activities. Here we are on a family hike. Our boots got that old mud cake thing again. Whenever I hike with my mom I learn all about the Chumash Indians and how they used the native plants. Someday I want to grind acorns and make mush bread from a  fire.

Sam's cousin Elliott is only 6 months older than Sam and the age gap is getting closer and closer. Apparently they are partners in crime. My mom told me she heard them in the bathroom flushing the toilet and laughing together. I think Sam might be the follower in this relationship. As you can tell from this picture he trying to follow orders but is obviously doing something wrong.

Avery is 5 and is a perfect older cousin to Sam. She lets him pick her nose and everything.

We had a lot of fun at Ventura Harbor. Maybe it's cheesy but I seriously can't get enough of this picture. Their little  sweet faces in pirate gear, it's just too funny!

Daniel, my brother, took a few quick family pictures with my camera. I think he did a great job considering our limitations.

Sam is so expressive now a days.

Over at the Florence household there wasn't the usual crowds of family members bustling around the house. For a variety of reasons the only people who were there for Christmas besides my little family was Mandy and her boyfriend or I should say finance!!! It was such a joy to get to know Richard and have him all to ourselves while we were down. He is a fun, delightful, sweet man and I couldn't be happier for Mandy.

After our SoCal trip we did our own little Christmas. Pancakes and eggs for breakfast, and then...

Presents! Sam at first would open a gift and play with it for a while before we could coax him into opening a another. By the end he got the idea and would grab presents out of my hand knowing there was something inside for him. The big present he got was a little tikes basketball hoop. Now a days you'll find Sam dunking a basketball in his hoop over and over and over and over. The present was a hit! Yeah!

One last hooray! the Sacramento Zoo. Apparently, I am finding these picture spots really funny. It's sad to say goodbye to all the fun, family and friends. We spend New Years with Hank's Uncle's family and I surprisingly don't have any pictures. We played games and then had a dance party at midnight. I guess life needs to move on and we can't party all the time. To be honest I feel like I DO party all the time because I am with Sam all the time. So really I have a lot to look forward to for the new year!