January 2016

Train Ride and Ice Skating!  We have thrown around the idea of taking the Amtrak train to Sacramento for several years now, but it has such a goofy schedule on the weekends that in the past with kids still napping we haven't wanted to do it.  Well we finally got to go, and it turned out to be a very fun day - "Who even planned this day?? This was the best day of my life!", said Caleb.
Nana Gigi, Aunt Aly, Tess, Beau, Wren, Caleb, Landon, and I all rode the train to Sacramento, while Uncle Joey and Jimmy drove up separate cars to meet us.  Gigi and our family went ice skating at a little outdoor rink in Downtown Sac - first time for the boys and they had such a great time.

There was a little mini lesson before the skate session began in which they taught the kids some basics of ice skating, which were really simple but helpful tips.  They taught them how to catch their balance if they felt themselves starting to fall, how to push off the ice to make themselves go, and even how to make yourself spin.  The boys wanted to hold our hands while they skated a lot of the time, but they actually skated far better when they let go of us, simply because it didn't pull their balance to one side holding our hands.  Caleb did especially well for his first time!

And an added surprise - I ran into an old friend, Rachelle, whom I haven't seen in years.

I Spy....little Landon's hiding....under the clean clothes pile, and fully asleep napping with his entire body and head tightly tucked under his blanket.

January 10, 2016: Big moment in the life of this 4-year-old (or at least as far as his mommy is concerned...) : this guy FINALLY let me use the hair clippers on him after two years of absolute meltdowns at barber shops and only scissor cutting it myself (with no training whatsoever)! I'm very excited that we may be rounding this corner... ‪

Can't get this picture to rotate the right direction, but its still very fun - painting with shaving cream at preschool with his friend, Otto. Don't you just want to jump in and join them??

You can always count on Mr. Drouin to be in costume for any sort of dress up days, which the kids of course love.  This was pajama day :)

Downed tree at Lodi Lake - this is the underside of what was left of the tree roots - looks mostly hollow inside so you can imagine how it tipped easily up and out of the ground.