marc and michelle

Christmas
Dec. 22-26, 2011

                                         

For Christmas this year we decided to stick around here.  We invited Marc's parents to join us and had our first Christmas at home.  It was a lot of fun to stay here and just enjoy what the area has to offer.  There is so much around us to do and explore, but because Marc is so busy with school, we tend to not do it and then during a break we leave town, so it was fun to be here to do some of it.  The few day leading up to Christmas we had fun hanging out at home at trip to Solvang and a trip to the Santa Monica Pier.  We rode the ferris wheel at the pier, something that we had never done before and walked along the beach.

Christmas Eve we had Marc's Sister's family around and Marc's parents.  We mainly just hung out all day.  Then in the evening we had dinner at our Community Center and the kids acted out the nativity.  The kids had fun being together and running wild in the Community Center.  After all the fun we came back up to our apartment and let the kids open up PJ's that we had gotten for them.  We said goodbye to cousins and then Jackson and Bennett set out a plate and note for Santa.  Along with some lettuce for the reindeer.  We need to get reindeer dust from Tyler and Susie (The boys kept asking for it.  It is something we have done with them in the past).   

Christmas Morning we woke up and opened presents.  Santa brought Bennett a Bike and Jackson a Knights Tower/Fortress and Stella got a few new books.  We quickly got ready after opening presents and then  headed to church.  After church we came home and just relaxed and enjoyed the day.  The next morning Marc's parents left to go back to Utah.