Christmas time is here.

I will tell you something: if it’s not my computer’s broken screen causing problems (and now it isn’t, thank you, Isaac), it’s the power cord deciding to spontaneously quit charging.  The old girl is determinedly committing suicide and I can’t seem to keep up with her numerous ailments. 

ANYWAY.  We are in California! 

Here are some pictures!

Don’t judge me because this is my favorite view from the whole 9 hours to California.

We stayed in Vegas and got lucky enough to spend the night in a fancy New York-New York  suite. 

And we ate some decidedly unfancy cheap pizza.

And this is the picture where I come to the realization that she is way too big for me to be holding her that way.  Or to be holding her at all.

It was all really fun until I started to feel like I’d been hit by each of those semi-trucks that we’d passed earlier in the day. Aching head, throat, chills, sore limbs. It was the grossest. 

But at least I had the opportunity to sleep on the softest bed ever to grace to surface of our green and blue earth, and for that I thank you, New York-New York people. 

There were some spectacular winds the rest of the drive.  The dusty fields lining the roads were generous with their loose dirt, gusting gigantic gritty sheets, rocking our car to and fro, and soundly impressing/terrifying Olivia. 

We did make it alive.  And we were awfully happy to see this pretty face when we arrived. (Her dad and sister hadn’t arrived from London yet.)  They named themselves ‘Pinkerbell’ and ‘Purplebell’. 

Please enjoy their amazing dance moves:

And then Rylee arrived and the non-stop cousin parties began in earnest. (This picture was taken in the early morning, which means I hadn’t yet become motivated enough to get Olivia dressed.)

Zesting oranges with Nana.

Watching Elf.  Which is maybe on the tv as I type.  But twice in three days isn’t really excessive because it’s the greatest movie of all time.  And anyway, don’t you think Zooey Deschanel is barely recognizable in it?  The blonde hair really makes her look different.  And are you the type of person who types ‘blond’ or ‘blonde’?  I choose the ‘e’ version because it looks totally naked without it.

Tonight’s spaghetti (in dress ups) was a great big, gigantic, amazing success.

But nothing was better than the simultaneous bath-taking. 

4 days ‘til Christmas!