Christmas Day: Happy Birthday Jesus!

12/25/09

We celebrated the birth of Jesus at our house this year with a Christmas breakfast of Honeybaked ham & eggs, and beef tamales. Shortly after breakfast, we gathered around the Christmas tree to open gifts. What a joy it was to see little Vivian open all of her presents! It was one of the first times that she had unwrapped gifts by herself since she was old enough to appreciate opening and playing with her new toys. Some of those toys included a wooden hand-made pony and baby potty (from grandparents Gonzalo and Maria) and a doll stroller and Elmo toy guitar and book (from grandmother Lenore). The first present that she opened was a pink "popcorn-popper" lawnmower. Then I received the coveted pink Coach clutch that my mom had bought...totally cute! The gift cards were also in abundance: Target, Outback & Elephant Bar, Starbucks, Blue Water Day Spa & Nails Max and of course, movie tickets! The dinner and entertainment won't cost us a dime for the next couple of weeks :) Lenore received a beautiful "Grandchildren" frame from Maria and Gonzalo and a Target gift card and coin/bill holders for her collections from Ben and me. Vivian continued to help with the unwrapping of the gifts while my dad opened a digital frame and my mom unwrapped a palm theme rug & curtain bath set. Benny also got a digital frame (but his was in the shape of a golf ball) and a cool yellow Laker zip-up sweater, all from yours truly. My parents gave each other JC Penny gift cards and a bluetooth set for my mom's phone. Finally, Vivian helped mommy to unwrap some cute Christmas hand towels from Lenore. Of course the most important gift of all was the gift that was sent to us from God: The birth of His son Jesus. Happy Birthday Jesus~

Christmas Eve Service

12/24/09

The Gandara and Rowley families got together and attended the 5 p.m. Christmas Eve service at our church. Afterwards, we took photos in front of the two Christmas trees at the church then had dinner at the Rowley residence. It was a wonderful night!

Cleaning up for Christmas Company

12/24/09

Ben and I were like a whirlwind trying to get the house cleaned up before the relatives came to visit. Vivian must have seen Ben sweeping the floors because soon after he was done using the broom, she grabbed it and started waving it around as if to sweep the ground. Now that's what I call a domestic diva!

Around the Christmas Tree

12/18/09

The Rowley family posed for some snapshots around the Christmas tree. We had to tickle Vivian to try to get her to smile or laugh since it was close to her bedtime and she was fussing while we tried to take the photos. The first shot was the one we used for our Christmas cards this year. We can't believe how big Vivian is getting; she is starting to look more and more like a little girl as oppossed to a baby!

Vivian & the Christmas Lights!

12/18/09

Vivian "lent a hand" when we put the Christmas lights on our tree this year. Lenore helped us with much of the tree decorating, and as you can see, Vivian loved playing with the lights!

The 4 Wheeler

12/17/2009

This month Vivian learned how to ride a 4 wheeler on her own. Here she is getting on by herself and trying to run over mommy!

Face Time!

Saturday, December 12, 2009

Here is Vivian & Mommy (Susy) hanging out in the car while the rain comes down outside. Mommy was tickling Vivian and making her laugh and both were just enjoying each other's company after returning from a double Quinceanera/Sweet 16 church ceremony for three of my students. Ben and Susy cannot imagine that Vivian will be that age someday!

What's in the Fridge?

Friday, December 11, 2009

Vivian enjoys re-organizing the items in the refrigerator. Every time we open the door, she starts pulling out the salad dressings, the pancake syrup and the Tapatio! She also likes to "chill out" on the bottom shelf of the fridge while she does her sorting. Here are some pics of her in action.

"Here Comes Santa Claus..."

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Here we are, Lenore, Vivian and me, at the local mall waiting to take a photo with Santa Claus. We were not prepared for the meltdown that was to come because when I tried to put Vivian on Santa's lap, she practically launched herself out of the old man's arms and started crying uncontrollably. Needless to say, mommy had to hold Vivian while we took the photo with Santa! It was definitely a memorable experience, to say the least.