Big Trees State Park

Along the trail we were hiking, there were some particularly big trees and instead of admiring them, Olivia insisted that she hit each one.

When Olivia got tired of walking, she rode in the sled with either Mom or Godmom

We're inside a partially hollowed out fallen tree

Standing on a giant tree stump

Playing at the Snow Park

The entire week leading up to this trip and the entire car ride, all Olivia could talk about was how she was going to build a big snowman and eat snow. We didn't actually build the snowman in the picture, but she thought this one was cool enough that we didn't have to build one of our own. And yes, she does have her head back and is feeding herself snow as fast as she can.

These two pictures are from the night we arrived. Godmom and Olivia got a lot of wonderful bonding time, especially reading bedtime stories. The house we stayed at is right on a golf course so we of course took a stroll around sunset and got to see a lot of deer (Olivia thought they were reindeer) and Olivia got to play with the keep off signs on the greens.

Our Snow Trip

After Christmas we went on one of the best vacations ever. Olivia's Godmom invited us up to her family's vacation house just outside the Stanislaus National Forest where we got to play around in the snow and do some great hiking in Big Trees State Park. It was an awesome trip the entire way through.

Merry Christmas

Olivia's picture of some goats

Playing with her new bubbles

Getting Ready for Christmas

Making Christmas Cookies for Friends and Neighbors

Checking out some of the Spectacular Lights in Wildhorse

Decorating a Gingerbread House

The entire front fell off the house

A Nice Day- Finally

Olivia and her Sticks

Merry Christmas God-dad and Auntie Jen

Olivia on her way and very excited

One of the most exciting parts of the trip was a visit from Santa Claus. He came driving through the neighborhood on a very decorated fire truck and had helpers passing out candy canes.

On the ride back home, Olivia put all her new stickers in her hair.

Sequin Mess

I'm spinning

Redecorating the Tree

Every morning since the tree was put up, Olivia has added new things to gussy it up even more. One of the first mornings she added her blanket and the bell for the door and this morning we found a football, a basketball, some gift tags, and once again the bell for the door. Everything from wadded up paper to dirty laundry has been on this tree since Thanksgiving and every morning we wait to see what new treasures Olivia will find.

Here Comes Christmas

Part of our Thanksgiving weekend traditions is the decorating of the house for Christmas. Olivia was particularly excited about all the decorations this year and kept yelling, "Christmas is here!" "Christmas is over there!" and "It's Christmas in baby's house!" One of our favorite comments was one she made right after Niki finished assembling the tree. As soon as she caught sight of the tree (she was busy rummaging through boxes) she ran behind it and then started crawling around under it yelling, "I'm hiding in the bushes."

Our beautifully decorated tree with all the ornaments only about two feet up.