Wabi Sabi

Before we left CA to return to cold PA, we all went to Wabi Sabi, a Japanese Hibachi restaurant. Leah was too cute - covered her ears when the chef started the fire and began to cook. Luke was really into it - tried to catch bites of food the chef launched in his direction. It was another fun dining experience for a couple like us who rarely go out to eat!

Wildlife at home

This week I saw a great blue heron in the backyard. Not sure what brought him to our yard, since we do not have any water nearby.

A day at the beach

Before coming back to cold, freezing, brrrry PA, we spent a gorgeous day at Newport Beach by the Bilboa Pier. We started with lunch at Rudy's Diner on the pier and then sat by the ocean to watch the kids play in the sand. What a great activity for Christmas week!

Griffith Park and Observatory

On Thursday we drove into Los Angeles and visited the Griffith Park and Observatory. We took in a planetarium show and enjoyed a beautiful day in the park.

After the planetarium show we went to Glendale to re-visit Gauchos Village. This Brazilian steak house has waiters dressed as gauchos who bring huge chunks of meat to your table on a spear. They slice off a piece which you take with tongs to place on your plate. The side dishes are good as well, but the meat is especially well prepared. Since we were there at lunch time we missed the music and the crowds, but it was still a fun place to eat.

Christmas in CA

We had a wonderful family time with Laurel, Lars, Luke and Leah from December 22 through December 31. When we arrived the weather was beautiful - in the upper 60's and lower 70's the entire time we were there. Our first day we rested from the journey and took the kids to the park to play.

Christmas eve was busy with preparations - wrapping gifts, preparing food, playing with the kids, enjoying being with family. We went to a nearby church for a Christmas eve service and Lars made a traditional lasagna for dinner.

Christmas morning began by opening stocking gifts. Luke and Leah were excited about each and every gift, so it was a lot of fun.






Lars had Luke's help to open his stocking and found money inside!



Then it was on to the pile of gifts beneath the tree. The kids wanted to stop and play with each gift as it was opened. We could have been at it all day!

The umbrellas were definitely a hit!

Another super fun gift was from Daniel for Luke - a rocket launcher. The kids played with it inside, then moved outside with it. After losing a few rockets to the neighboring yards, they found the perfect launch site - the front porch. Note Leah's astronaut attire - a princess dress and snow boots!

Leah got some bandaids in her stocking, so later in the day she "fixed" Pop-pop's hand with a princess bandaid. He looks like he feels so much better!