It Was a Good One

Santa was good to all of us.

And just a few more shots from Monterey...

Monterey

We just enjoyed a night away in Monterey. Here we all are in the very spot we exchanged our vows. We talked about our wedding and Haley said, "I don't remember it because I was in your tummy."

We enjoyed the aquarium in two parts. Went for a bit, went and got lunch and then went back for more. This is an example of when it's nice that Ryan doesn't nap anymore. Nothing was rushed.
The jellyfish have always been my favorite but I must say that the seahorse exhibit gives it a run for the money.
We have been enjoying our days off together after a rocky first day of break) let's just say that Ry was relentless). It was great to get away right off the bat and be so relaxed in the midst of the holiday madness. We are spending time playing and catching up with friends. Got to see some cousins I haven't seen in close to 25 years last night and got to catch up with the Kobels tonight.

We look forward to more relaxation and togetherness. Love the holidays.

December...so far

We've been baking.
Here are the boys cooking matza ball soup for Hanukkah.
We got to see Shrek the Musical- FABULOUS show!

The Challenge of Laughing

Ryan cracks us up. Us, meaning ALL of us. He is at the age when he is full of questions and "why?" follows every answer you give. He is JUST like Josh in that he always goes for the laugh. Once you give it to him you can be sure he will do or say whatever it was over and over again.

The other night we were in his bed reading books. He had one of those weird hiccups at the same time as the swallow things. The noise that came from his throat made both of us laugh hard. "Mama! Dat funny!" He was repeatedly able to create a similar sound in his throat and needless to say, we were in stitches. Haley got out of her bed to come in and see what the ruckus was about. Then Ry called Josh in too. Yesterday I got stern with him and he responded with a "Mama, watch this, watch this...(throaty sound here)." I knew I couldn't laugh because I wanted to stay firm with the situation at hand, but seriously? That is funny! He fully tried to avoid being disciplined by pulling one out of his hat!

Sometimes the expectations from parents are crazy. I have always loved to laugh and am always the one to provoke the behavior that gets me cracking up. Laughter is the best thing. Then, all of the sudden I am an adult and can't laugh at inappropriate things in front of anyone I want? This was realized my first year teaching and then again when I became a mom. Sometimes I can't help it and have to pay the price for laughing when I shouldn't. But, really, it's like one of those contests when someone says, "I bet I can make you laugh" and you try everything to keep a straight face while they do anything to break you. I am a sucker. I last only seconds. This is just another example of the challenges of being a parent. You're the, um, adult. sigh...
Cheers to laughing (at the appropriate times, of course)!