The Party

We had Gwen's party last night.  Grandma and Grandpa came for dinner and then Gwen's little friend, Malia came over for cake and ice cream.  Gwenners LOVED the attention and had so much fun opening her presents.  When she opened each of her presents, she would hold them up in the air and yell, "ohhhhhhh"!  So funny and so, so cute.  We sure love our Gwenners.

Happy 2nd Birthday, Gwen!

Today is Miss Gwenners birthday.  I can't believe my baby is 2!  Elle and I came downstairs to find Daddy and Gwen eating donuts.  This morning Jon woke up early, snatched Gwen out of her crib and headed out for donuts with her for her special day.  They returned home with rainbow sprinkle donuts (of course), orange juice and three balloons...this is a HUGE deal.  She dies over these little balloons and begs for them every time we are at the grocery store.  Well, today was her lucky day and daddy let her pick out as many as she wanted.  Jon has a sales meeting today and can't be with us so this was his special way of celebrating with her before he had to leave.  What a good daddy!  I love, love, love being your mommy, Gwen.  Happy Birthday Sweet Girl!

xoxo

Birthday Fun

Sunday was my official birthday.  The night before my friends took me to a nice dinner.  It is so fun to sit and chat without having to worry about entertaining a child or cutting their food up for them etc.  We just talked and laughed and ate.  So fun!  The next day Jon's parents gave me the best gift I could ever ask for.  They came to our house and cooked dinner.  They brought all the food, cooked, set the table, did the dishes...it ws the best!  Jon's mom is an amazing cook so it is an extra special treat to have her cook in our kitchen.  Syd and Shea joined us and I just relaxed.  We had a delicious dinner with family and then headed off to see Santa's Train.  Each year Amtrac decorates the train and they stop down by the pier for a Christmas performance.  Elle and Gwen were soooo excited when they heard the train whistles blowing and saw the decorated train coming down the track.  It stopped right at the pier and they put on an adorable performance.  Santa was there along with Frosty the Snowman and dancing Elves.  Gwen was on Grandpa's shoulders and could not stop laughing at the singing reindeer.  A perfect ending to a wonderful birthday.  Now we just need to gear up for Miss Gwenners...just 4 days away!

It must be love when...

your husband goes with you to a Celine Dion concert!  For my 34th birthday Jon surprised me and got 4 tickets for us to see her show at the Staples Center.  We went with our friends the Ords and had amazing seats.  I loved every single minute of it.  Jon and Jonathan were REALLY good sports.  They definitely deserved these kisses after having to sway back and forth with us to the Titanic Ballad while Stacey and I were all choked-up.  Hilarious!  We have a Celine Dion concert recorded on our TV and Elle and Gwen LOVE to dance to it...it is a daily occurence at our home.  Seriously.  We got Elle a concert tee and she wears it for a nightshirt.  When I drove Elle's preschool carpool the day after I made the kids listen to my Celine CD extra loud the whole ride home.  And you thought you knew me...

O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum

We headed out to the Christmas tree lot tonight.  It brought back so many childhood memories for both Jon and me.  The girls played hide-n-seek in the rows of trees and sucked on candy canes.  The magic has officially begun at our house.  Decorations are going up and memories are being made.  The girls are at such an amazing age and are so excited about every light and decoration they see.  Jon and I went round and round about which tree to decide on.  I think we picked a beauty.  We tied it to the roof of our car and set off for home.  We all can't wait to see it all lit up and Elle is beyond excited about getting to put the star on top.

Pure Joy

Jeep Ride

These 2 sisters had the time of their lives in this little jeep.  Elle kept it floored and Gwen was waving to everyone and everything they passed.  Too cute.

Thanksgiving: The Feast

My sister, Megan, and her family hosted Thanksgiving this year.  All 5 of us 'West kids' were there with our families along with Jon's brother Syd and his wife Shea.  The dinner was delicious and the company was even better.  Each Thanksgiving we go around the table and say something we are grateful for.  It was unanimous that each of us was grateful that we could all be together.  I feel truly blessed to not only count these amazing people as my best friends but also as my family.   

Thanksgiving: The Festivities

The main highlight of the weekend for me was watching all of these little cousins playing together.  They all camped out in the same room each night and were inseperable during the day. Their days were filled with swimming, playing dress-up, riding bikes and running around the house.  We as adults played a lot too.  We went to a huge warehouse that had wall to wall trampolines, swam, shopped, had a kicking contest (which I clearly dominated), the dads took all the "big kids" to see Madagascar 2 at the Imax, and last but not least we had a dance-off.

We called it the "Turkey Trot".  Each couple had to come prepared with a dance choreographed to music complete with a costume.  We made it a "safe-zone" and PROMISED no pictures or videos would end up on any blogs.  I am keeping my word, but boy do I wish I could post those photos!  All I can say is that I haven't laughed that hard in a LONG time.  It was an amazing weekend and I can't wait until we can all be together again.  I sure love All Of You!  XOXO

Family Pictures

One of my best (and favorite) friends, Elizabeth, is an amazing photographer.  I asked her to take our family photos this year.  I love that she captured this magical time in our little girls' lives.  Here is a sampling of a few of my favorites (the family shot I am saving for our Christmas card).  She has an amazing talent and I am so grateful she shared it with us!