December at the beach

Because we were lucky enough to have dry weather while we were visiting Garibaldi, we decided to spend some time down at the beach. Maddie had never been there, so I was eager to let her run with Moxie and Packer. She ran and ran and ran.

Jamie, Moxie and Packer went stick hunting while Maddie ran.

And then she got the concept of chasing a stick.


Stick hunting again.

Because Maddie likes to chase birds, I was hoping she'd see some at the beach. We only found them in the parking lot though, so no gull chasing this time.

You can view our last visit to the beach in December HERE.

Christmastime in Garibaldi

Because my parents were in Arizona last Christmas, we wanted to make sure we got to spend some time with them this year. So, we headed to Garibaldi for a few days before Christmas. A few years ago, my mom has decided that she wasn't going to get a Christmas tree anymore. She does put a few decorations out though, but I think it's just so I don't call her a humbug.

After dinner one night, we unwrapped presents.

And after a few drinks, Rudy likes to show off his tattoo and brag about the Green Bay Packers.

I love how my mom left me a little note on a box she used to wrap Jamie's gift in.

Jamie received some of The Big G Moonshine. Take my word for this: it.is.strong.stuff!

As you can see, Moxie wasn't very impressed with my goodies.

Then, one afternoon, Makena and Hailee made Christmas cupcakes. (And a mess...)


The last time we had Christmas in Garibaldi, we spent time with my family at my Aunt Tami and Uncle Kent's house. You can view that post HERE - I still remember laughing all night. We also unwrapped presents at my parent's house and you can view that post HERE.

Christmas brunch at Grandma's

There are always several gatherings to attend every year around the holidays. You have parties at friends' house, gifts to exchange and food to eat. You have parties at your family's house, gifts to exchange and food to eat. You have parties at your house, gifts to exchange and food to eat.

This all adds up to a lot of food people.

And then you have in-laws and step-parents and friends of friends. The list could go on and someone could become overwhelmed. But this year, we weren't overwhelmed at all.

Because we were out of town, we missed the annual Christmas party at the Flaherty's house. This made me sad. We also, for the first time ever, missed Kylah's birthday party that is held the same day. This made me very sad.

But we enjoyed a wonderful brunch and time with family at my Grandmother's house the weekend before Christmas. It's often difficult to get everyone together, so I'm happy when it all works out. And I know it makes my Grandmother happy to have her house full. Especially when there are grandchildren and great-grandchildren to spoil.