The Sky is Falling! The Sky is Falling!

Last week in Southern California this was not just hype. Well, not all just hype. Everyone got very excited about the storms and the amount of rainfall we had here, day after day. Granted, any one of these days on its own would have been quite impressive, but we had five days in a row of heavy thunderstorms, some complete with thunder and lightening, and at least one Tornado Warning. I don't have a rainfall total number, but take into consideration that last year between the months of probably March and November there wasn't even really one day of rain, this was a Big Deal.

For the most part our family loved it. Of course we didn't have to deal with flooding or mudslides or overturned boats in the harbor like many others did, but it did mean that every single sports practice, as well as church Activity Days, was cancelled. Schools were cancelled in some places and people were urged to stay home and off the streets. I'm sure that makes those of you in Utah, the mid-West and the East just roll your eyes, but we really enjoyed our taste of winter. We just stayed home and hunkered down, made a fire in the fireplace every evening and roasted marshmallows.

Here are some photos of one of the heavier storms one afternoon. There was thunder and lightening and it sounded like the rain couldn't fall fast enough or hard enough.

our courtyard quickly becomes a lake fed by the roof waterfall

rapids in the gutter

view from our garage

saturated front lawn and gutter river

These next photos were taken and sent to me by a friend of mine who lives in "The Woods" which is the neighborhood just down the street from us behind La Madera Elementary School. It is the "forest" in Lake Forest, and has a pleasant little stream that runs along a gully with walking trails that criss-cross the stream through a grove of Eucalyptus trees. The stream became a raging river which flooded the trails and swept across the bridges.

On one of the last evenings of the storms, around 10 p.m. there was a strong storm that consisted of thunder and lightening and eventually hail! Only the second time I've seen hail in Southern California. Sue blogged about the storm that evening here.

We roasted hot dogs one night, but those didn't turn out great, I ended up microwaving them in the end. We did do marshmallows and s'mores some nights, and they were yummy. Jack and some of his friends also had the bright idea to roast starburst, which makes them warm and chewy, but also left a bit of a drippy mess on the hearth.

We'll miss this when its warm again!

Day after New Year's Day and the First Lost Tooth

Late afternoon the day after New Year's Day we get together with family for a delicious brunch and belated Christmas gift exchange. Dave grills some burgers and Sue makes a delicious pulled pork salad with the Cafe Rio Recipe salad dressing (on coincidentally the same day the first Cafe Rio in Southern California opens right here in Lake Forest). We also enjoy a couple of bottles of sparkling grape juice and some delicious Marie Calendar pies courtesy of Grandpa John.

Porter refreshes Pete's drink

Our girls show off their various admission wristbands from

various holiday activities. Harriet's is from our night out

ice skating in Utah, and I think Abbie's and Kenzie's may have

been from the thrift store stake dance they attended the night before.

Family favorite French Silk pie

After dinner we open some presents from grandpa and grandma who of course always give us

the best books!! Jack & Porter got their favorite reference books which include Ripley's Believe it or Not and the Guinness Book of World Records. Harriet got a fun book called Lemon Tart which is billed as "A Culinary Mystery" and includes recipes! Henry added to his growing Ready, Freddy! library, and Jed received a great book called Charlie Cook's Favorite Book which he has since read and submitted a book report on to his first grade.

Jed on the elliptical machine Santa brought the Coes

Now Jed has had a pesky front loose tooth (his first!) for the past few days. It is really bothering him (and quite frankly ready to come out) so Pete tries to take a look at it.

The Horror!

This is the drama that ensued as Pete tried to even pull back Jed's lip for a peek at his tooth.

Later in the evening the tooth finally comes out, I can't remember the actually mode of extraction but I think Pete must have helped out somehow.

Here's dad and Jed with Jed's first lost tooth!!

new hole in Jed's head

When Jed went back to school Monday after winter break he was happy to be the first name on the Lost Tooth chart in his class. He was presented with a ribbon sticker, and because I happened to be in the classroom getting ready to help the kids go to library I was able to get a picture with my iPhone.

It's going to be a great year!

If this isn't in your Google Reader, it should be:

Cake Wrecks

December, Remembered - wrap up

One night in Utah CD and I take the kids ice skating. We researched available rinks in the area, and had wanted to take the kids to downtown Salt Lake to skate on the lovely, scenic, seasonal outdoor rink at the Gallivan Center. However upon hearing those plans the kids rebelled and insisted they only wanted to go skating indoors.

I have to say, this was the first time while visiting Utah during the winter that I felt the weather really affected the kids, especially Harriet, and me. It was just cold. And going outside was cold. And we didn't want to get cold. It's nice and cozy inside with a fire in the fireplace and our warm jammies and slippers on, but trying to go out and about is a process of bundling up and rushing about in the cold air. And my kids don't even want to wear long pants, let alone get bundled up in parkas and such. Sledding and snow play is fun, but when it was time to head home to warmer pastures I have to say my kids were more than ready. I will always love the drastic change of seasons that the Utah winters present, but being that both the drive up and the drive home were snowy and a bit treacherous, I think this trip was a bit more weather stressful than in times past.

CD and I ended up taking the kids to indoor skate for a couple of hours at a nearby rec center where it was appropriately chilly, but in no ways cold. The kids did great, Harriet and Jack have been skating this year at the Irvine Spectrum's outdoor rink, but it was a first for Jed and Henry. It took Henry a bit longer to find his groove, but with his most awesomely amazing auntie CD skating with him, he could not have been happier. CD, will you please come live next door to us?!

CD and Henry (who really wanted to wear the

helmet they offered along with the skate rental)

Jack and Harriet

Jed perfected the art of "ice walking" but

he was soon gliding around a bit, falling only occasionally

For Family Home Evening Grandpa Bob took ALL of us

out for dinner at Five Guys Burgers and Fries,

which Pete rates far above his native state's In-n-Out Burger

Harriet left this note on the cork message board

5 Guys = Best FHE Ever Thanks G'pa!

we manage to spend another night playing with sweet kitty

before our vacation is over and its time to go home

Wednesday morning we head out of town even though the weather isn't the greatest.

The kids want to be home in time for New Year's Eve parties, and we didn't want it to get any worse and delay our trip home. As I mentioned before I - 15 was a bit hairy on the

road to St. George, and we passed right by this crash at Beaver. Scary stuff.

We spent the night in rainy St. George and made it home to CA the next day.

For New Year's Eve our family went our separate ways for a bit.

Our bishop and his wife were hosting a party for families which

I took the boys to. Harriet went to her twin friend's to sleep over

and Papa just stayed home to fully recuperate from the trip.

hanging out and chatting with friends

playing some lively rounds of Scum

(our bishop winning in the "president's" marvin the martian roman soldier hat)

the boys jumped on the trampoline, among many

other rowdy activities

getting the Martinelli's ready for midnight

(and notice the green jello is almost gone!)

Eric and Alicia our awesome hosts and friends,

as well as Lake Forest ward's "First Couple"

counting down to midnight

at midnight there were bottle rockets shot into the sky

Happy New Year 2010!

December, Remembered - Sled Heads

Sledding on grandpa's back hill is definitely the kids' most favorite winter activity when we visit Utah. It really made me smile on Christmas morning, when not long after all of the new gifts had been unwrapped and explored, all the kids excitedly said "Let's go out in the snow!!" That is definitely where they spend the majority of their time here, and I'm quite sure it is where they are the happiest. I love that they get such a good dose of outdoor winter culture, and that it literally exhausts them to sled and play in the snow, that they fall in bed at night so ready to just go to sleep.

Grandpa's hill got a brand new coat of snow just as we arrived, and it was perfect for day after day of snow play. But a couple of time during our visit we would bundle up the kids and then load up the car with sleds and head over to my alma mater Churchill Jr. High where the serious sledding hill is. It's long and steep enough that the kids get a good run, but it is also not so big that the climb back up to the top is too daunting. Also, the bottom of the hill spreads out into a field, so that you go for another 30 feet or so of sledding on flat ground when you get there.

Uncle Spence helped us build a

cool horseshoe-shaped jump in the backyard

Spence also likes to go sledding with us

Churchill Sledding:

Harriet taking a run on the thunder tube

There's a good jump at Churchill, too

wipe-out at the bottom

Sledding calls for some live action video.

Here's some from Churchill:

"Jack that was sweet!"

There was also a strip of pure ice that ran the whole length of the hill at Churchill. My kids abandoned their sleds and started sliding down the ice on just their snowpant bottoms. There was also a little jump in the ice streak which was so funny to watch them go over sans sled.

Here they are sliding down the ice streak in a bit of a train:

December, Remembered - Christmas Day

We wake up Christmas morning to find that sure enough Santa once again knew where to find us! There are stockings full of loot and wrapped presents for us all under grandma's three trees. We are happy that Carol-Diane, Spence and Sarah join us to open gifts as well. Santa always seems to know what we want, and it would seem that the evidence would show we were all pretty nice this year. Here's a look at a few of our gifts. Thanks everyone!

With stockings and loot before digging in

Yes, the twins both got "Snuggies" this year.

Harriet is currently curled up asleep in hers in

her bed as I write this.

A mini marshmallow shooter and a

Playmobil skate park for Jed -

Henry behind him also received very similar gifts -

a mini marshmallow shooter

(because really what fun is it if you can't battle with them?)

and a bike & ramp portion to the skate park

Want a cheap, novelty gift that makes homework funner?

That was easy.

Santa went green for Jack this year

This was the final gift and for the whole family.

It received a very warm welcome from my kids.

Christmas breakfast = egg sausage casserole and ebelskivers.

Yum!

The rest of the day was really devoted to Rock Band.

Grandma gave the kids Lego Rock Band which has more

kid-friendly songs including their favorite "Kung-fu Fighting"

Henry on guitar - notice Spence's feet on the back of the couch-

he took many, better photographs.

I wish I had some of them here.

By evening Sarah & CD and the kids have completed an

awesome Yellowstone puzzle in memory of our

family reunion vacation this past summer.

Merry Christmas 2009!