Rocking New Year's Eve

For the second year in the row we joined my friend Kelley and her husband Mike (a.k.a. "Ballzini") at her parents' place for good friends, good food and a jam session. We came with different musical backgrounds and abilities to play, sing, dance, and shake our booties. The celebration to ring in 2010 was bittersweet as we were also remembering Kelley's sweet grandmother who had passed away the day before.

Daniel was a little party animal. When we first got to the house he wouldn't let go of Brian, but before we knew it he was running at top speed around the hallways with his new best friends- two sets of older boy twins. Of course we left way before midnight but we did make it until after 9:00 p.m. (which is like the toddler's equivalent to midnight!)

 

 

 

 

 

 

Baking Cookies

Daniel baked cookies for the first time. His favorite part of baking was grabbing pieces of the dough and stuffing them into his mouth before Grandma could stop him and decorating the cookies with sprinkles.Oh, and of course, eating the finished product.

 

Time with Tai Tai

My PoPo (grandmother) has been having some heath problems lately, but she's one strong lady and we were so fortunate to have her join us from Laguna Beach for Christmas. Although Daniel doesn't see his Tai Tai as often as he'd like to, he seems to remember her. Amazingly, this normally active boy seems content just to sit and cuddle when she is around.

Snacking on delicious stollen bread on Christmas morning.

Day after Christmas. 

Daniel climbed up on the couch to snuggle up to his Tai Tai.

New Year's Eve Day. Daniel talking to Tai Tai on the phone. 

He started crying when he had to hang up.

Merry Christmas!

"For a child will be born to us, a son will be given to us;

And the government will rest on His shoulders;

And his name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,

Eternal Father, Prince of Peace."

Isaiah 9:6

Do you think Daniel was on Santa's "Nice" list?

 

 

Daniel finds "Lightning McQueen"- his gift from us.

 

 

Brian surprised Daniel by putting up his old electric train set around the tree.

 

Christmas Eve

Because we both have our families in town, when Brian and I were first married we would spend Christmas Eve and Christmas Day shuttling back and forth between his parents' house, my parents' house, his grandparents' house, and my uncle and aunt's place. After Christmas we were left with full bellies but were very exhausted. After a few years of doing this, we decided to designate Christmas Eve to spend with his family, and Christmas Day with my family.

This Christmas Eve with Brian's family was special because his sister's family was also in town to celebrate (after a two year absence when they were living in Boston and France).

Daniel and his cousin Ariana.

A hug from his cousin.

After a delicious ham dinner, we headed off to church for the candlelight Christmas Eve Service. We changed Daniel into his pajamas at church, took a few detours on the ride home to see the Christmas lights, read "Twas the Night Before Christmas" and tucked Daniel in bed.

Our family at the Christmas Eve Service.

Cozy Christmas

Just add a bright, roaring fire in the fireplace...somehow I forgot to take a photo on all the nights we did use the fireplace!

Now just imagine some beautifully wrapped gifts presents hastily thrown into gift bags under the tree. And there you have it- a Switzer Ohana Christmas!

Playdates, Music, and Trains

One of many great things about our new house is the increased amount of space. This means LOTS of room for Daniel to romp around with his buddies during playdates. The hardwood floor (can I call laminate floor 'hardwood' even though technically it doesn't contain any wood?) is ideal for racing cars and trains too.

Daniel helping Caleb maneuver Thomas the Tank Engine across the floor.

I took Daniel on a whim to the Goleta Library because I had heard they had a 'Pre-School Storytime'. I was a little unsure if Daniel was old enough to enjoy storytime and was anticipating he might try to sit on the storyteller's lap or throw a tantrum when he realized that the story wasn't about trains or Santa Claus (currently his two favorite literary subjects). When we arrived at the library, we discovered that instead of storytime a music teacher was holding an intro class. Although Daniel was a little shy at first (read: clinging onto my leg for dear life), he quickly warmed up and ended up having a blast! He was dancing, hopping, skipping and laughing.

Okay, so maybe you can't tell from this photo that Daniel is having an awesome time at music class, but I assure you, he was!

After music class, we spotted trains in the display case in the library's lobby. Daniel was so excited he ran for the trains and straight into the display glass- ooops! Neither Daniel or the glass sustained any injuries.

Free gift with baby wipes purchase

Holday at the Ranch

This past weekend Daniel and I headed out to "Holiday at the Ranch" at Stow House. Daniel wasn't quite sure what he thought of the "rein-goats" (goats wearing Christmas jackets and jingle bells), although he did pet their heads and also made an attempt to pull a rein-goat's tail before I intervened. We toured the historic Stow House which was decorated for Christmas. Daniel fell in love with the electric train circling the Christmas tree in the living room. He sat spellbound watching the train for nearly a half hour and made me take him back later during our visit to watch it again. Daniel also sat on Santa Claus' lap but I think he was confused because prior to this, he had only seen his Grandpa dressed as Santa.

Hanukkah, Hanukkah, Festival of Lights

Our friends the McClures hosted a Hanukkah party this past weekend. We loved eating the delicious food (mmmm...potato latkes with applesauce) and visiting with friends. Daniel had a great time playing with all of Mason's super cool toys and hanging out with his buddies.

O, Tannenbaum!

We managed to get our Christmas tree just before the rain hit us. Daniel loved helping Brian pick out the tree.

Surf Check

With rumors of the 40-year swell hitting our coast this week, we found Daniel at the computer checking the stats on "Surfline". Hmmm, I wonder what Brian was doing this week?

Are we there yet?

This year was Santa Barbara's inaugural marathon. While running 26.2 miles is a little out of our comfort zone, my sister and I decided to coerce our husbands into participating in the relay. Waking up before the sun rose in the freezing cold had us questioning our sanity but we ended up having an awesome time. The best part for me was seeing so many familiar faces participating either by running or spectating. It was a big race but it had a small-town feel to it especially since much of the course was in Goleta.

Santa Claus looks a lot like Grandpa!

Traditionally, my dad dresses up like Santa Claus for the computer science department's annual holiday party. Last December, my parents bought Daniel his very own Santa Claus suit so he could join in the fun. To our surprise and delight, the costume fits Daniel even better this year. So, Daniel once again got to join his grandpa and pass out candy canes. Now when we read the books with illustrations of Santa Claus, Daniel gets really excited because he thinks it's his Grandpa! I've been telling him that Grandpa is one of Santa's special helpers.