Happy Holidays

It's my favorite time of the year. Also the busiest, so forgive me that I haven't written in a while. We had a wonderful time in Ohio visiting Shannon and Chad. They live outside of Columbus in a beautiful house in a very nice neighborhood. The houses are so big and so inexpensive compared to Southern Ca. It was tempting us to relocate. It was fun to bundle up for a week. However, coming home really made me realize how much I like our weather. We went to the Columbus Zoo, Art Museum, Kid's Science Museum, The Bodies Exhibit, and did lots of shopping. The mall that Shan works at is really nice. We played games and hung out in Shan and Chad's theater (their basement that we called the "man cave". They have a projector and movie screen, bar, pool table, and computer). That is where Bill hung out the whole time. It was great to spend time with Shan but soooo hard to say goodbye. Alyssa was a bit of a challenge on the plane. It's hard to keep a 2 year old entertained for 5 hours. We bought Brianna a Leapster and she was a perfect angel. Now it's back to the real world. Brianna went back to school on Monday after being off for a month. It's been a little hard readjusting and she has gotten in trouble- No TV for a week. Great news with Alyssa- she is officially potty trained!! Almost 2 weeks ago she turned 2 1/2 so we decided it was time to put her in panties. She had 3 accidents the first day, then 1 accident the next couple of days and then no more. She's been doing so good. What a relief! I'm so glad to be done with that. It can be so frustrating. Tomorrow we are going for family portraits. Wish us luck. That can also be a frustrating thing. Now that Alyssa is getting a little older, it should be OK. Last year was a bit of a challenge. Bill and the girls spent Thanksgiving in San Diego with his parents. I had to work that night so I went to my cousin Susan's in Corona. My parents, Sheri, Grandma, Aunt and Uncle and cousins were there. Why does the food have to be so good? Bill and I are hoping to get some kind of exercise equipment for Christmas for each other...Treadmill, Eliptical or Bike. Any suggestions would be great. Well, Alyssa is climbing all over me so I better giver her some attention. Remember: Jesus is the Reason for the Season!!