All I want for Christmas is...

Tatum's preschool offered a Christmas party for families last Thursday afternoon.  Each of the four classrooms offered a special holiday craft project.  Tatum's room, the Bunny room, was the most popular of all, because that is the room where Santa was giving out gifts. 

Tatum in her Glendale Preschool T-Shirt sitting happy on Santa's Lap

About a two weeks prior to the party, the school asked that parents provide a wrapped book for $5 or less to give to another child during Santa's visit.  We totally spaced the gift exchange, so after Andrew called me at work to remind me on the last day, I stopped by the grocery store and purchased a book.  Now, please note, I am not a totally space cadet parent.  Actually I ordered a book online, and when it failed to come in time, I failed to remember the book exchange all together.  Nevertheless, I got the book, wrapped it in green paper, and dropped in by the school before the party.  Tatum saw that I provided a green present for the school.  So when asked later by Santa what she wanted for Christmas, she replied simply "a green present."  You got it kid, that Santa can do!

Tis the Season

Tis the season indeed.  We have made the monster move into our new home and could not be more thankful for the additional space, water pressure, and direct light throughout the day.  Wow - what a difference these three things make on our daily life. So the holiday spirit has hit home in Montrose.  Our downtown is lined with white lights throughout the main business corridor making it a sparkling tunnel of cheer as you drive down it at night.   We enjoyed our first Montrose Christmas parade on December 5th.  We were tipped off by our local car repair shop owner Harry, who has resided in Montrose for over 60 years, that the locals choose their spots for the parade at the beginning of the day by leaving out chairs on the sidewalk.  No one will touch them, every one does it, and it guarantees a good spot.  So we reserved our spot with our three camping chairs and sure enough, our spot was saved when we returned later for the parade. 

Downtown also offers free carriage rides throughout the holiday season.  We jumped aboard and enjoyed the travel up and down Honolulu Street while Tatum entertained us with "Jingle Bells" and her own signature classic "Twinkle Twinkle Traffic Light" (I'll work to get this on film and post). 

The bigger kitchen has inspired the dormant chef in me to reawaken with a new inspired need to bake and cook.  Tatum is the main beneficiary of my inspiration as she has joined me in making (and eating) many Christmas cookies.  We baked a whole tray of reindeer cookies for her preschool class, which she took to school to share at snack time. 

Thankful for Family

Thanksgiving has always been a favorite holiday of mine because it was the one time of year that we are guaranteed to spend the day with family. Since moving to California eight years (8!) ago, we have spent the holiday at Andrew's cousin's home in San Diego. Mark, Jeannie, Liesel, and Max welcome us every year on this day, and we spend our time together like most families, watching football, eating, visiting, and playing guitar hero! This year Tatum got into the action.

Coming and Going - NC Holiday Trip



Tatum insists on lugging her luggage through LAX

 
This year we headed home for our annual NC holiday trip a bit early due to the pregnancy.  To prepare for the trip we packed a bag full of goodies to keep Tatum entertained and occupied - Little People Lift the Flap book, suckers, a new Yo Gabba Gabba DVD, favorite books, and the usual snacks. 

Tatam made quite the impression on the jet setters that day as she paraded through the airport carrying her own luggage.

Our first stop was to see Andrew's family: Mimi and Boo, Aunt Julie, Uncle Craig, Cousin Sophia and Cousin Nicolas.  Tatum LOVED playing with her cousins.  It is always a special time to come together as family since we don't get to see each other but twice a year.  Tatum continues to ask to play with them now that we have long returned home. 



Next we headed up to Asheville to visit our friends and enjoy the beauty of the mountains.  LaLa and I treated Andrew and I to a very special night out with our friends while they had a sleep over with Tatum in their hotel. 

Next we drove up to Burnsville to pick up GG (Grandma Great) who were visiting my cousin Amy & Kyle and their two sons James and Henry.  We were treated to a hot lunch amidst a sick and crying Tatum who developed an ear ache on the trip.  

 We ended the trip at Aunt Jen and Uncle Andy's house with our silly twin cousins Drew and Ethan who celebrated their 6th birthday on November 20th. GG, LaLa, A, and Uncle Jarrod were all there for the celebration.

 

The flight home was made bearable by Yo Gabba Gabba!

Moving on Up

It is with incredible excitement that I announce that the SHEARERS ARE MOVING!  For those of you who have visited our humble home and found yourself wondering where the new baby was going to go without our sanity going as well, wonder no more.  Last week was filled with a lot of great fortune that resulted in a new home in Montrose (a neighborhood of Glendale located in the Verdugo Mountain foothills).  If you are interested (and I know you are Mimi and LaLa), check out the video below of our new digs!

Two block north of us is the historic downtown community filled with boutique shops, yearly festivals, and weekly farmers' markets.  Two blocks south is a great elementary school.  Right it the middle is our new found paradise.  We sign the lease on Sunday and we move in Thanksgiving weekend.  Dreams do come true!