Here are some pictures from our holiday season. We had such a great Christmas with the visit of Poppy, grandma Becky, Julie, Beau, and Jacob. Beau and his girlfriend, Amy, are still with us, but we were sad to see everyone else go! We got lots of great family time with the Jewkes and the Sedgwicks, and we ate way too much!
If this isn’t enough, you can find a lot more pictures here. :)
… on my long runs or rides. I know. Don’t laugh. I’m usually alone on these sessions for anywhere from 1 to 2.5 hours and I easily get lost into my thoughts and whatever I’m listening to.
A couple of my favorite podcasts to listen to are from NPR: This American Life and The Story.
Thanksgiving morning I hit the road at 5:45 for a 45 mile ride To camp pendleton. As the sun rose, I heard a moving story that caused me to ‘lose it’ during my ride (luckily I had the road to myself). It beautifully captures the spirit of Christmas. It’s about 19 minutes. Listen but try not to cry and make a fool of yourself.
Click here and then skip ahead to the 31 minute mark.
Dick Gordon, Host of The Story
Jess posted below about Thanksgiving day. I wanted to record a couple thoughts/photos from the following days.
We jumped right into Christmas decorating the next day and that brought out an amazingly festive mood in the kids. Jess and I scratched our heads as we saw Madi, Caleb, and Lucy dancing together to Christmas music, decorating each other, decorating the house and going a whole day without any arguing – the first Christmas miracle of the season.
Since Madi and Lucy have been sick, Caleb and I went exploring Dana Point’s coastline in search of caves and we found some. During my Father/Son time with Caleb I had a couple of close calls …
- Dad, how does the baby come out?
- Umm, what do you mean? (stalling)
- You know, when the baby comes out … how does it come out?
- Well, the doctor takes it out. (still stalling and now praying for an intervention)
- I know, but how? Where?
- (Truly worried about what to say … I pause with a long ‘ummmmm …’)
- Dad! Turn it up!
- What?
- Dad! It’s the Chipmunks Christmas song! Turn it up!
- Oh. You bet. (Once the song was over, he forgot to ask again … Christmas miracle #2!)
During our hike along the coast, I asked Caleb if he had ever thought about what he wants to be when he grows up …
- Yeah. But, I forgot.
- Well, what do you think?
- Probably a scientist or what you do.
- What I do?
- Yeah. You know, a doctor.
- I’m not a doctor, son.
- I know. I mean a nurse.
- Well, I’m not a nurse either, Caleb.
- I know. I mean you work at a hospital.
- Oh. Right. Well, I’m a businessman, son.
- I know. That.
I love kids’ perspectives on life (their innocence, their understanding for what matters most, and their confidence). Here’s some pics from the weekend:
Posted in Family, Holiday, Pictures, Update
Tagged Christmas, Dana Point, Hiking, Thanksgiving
