Christmas in L.A.

We had our annual Christmas trip down to L.A. on Dec. 19 - 22 this year. We were all sick, but didn't want to miss out on celebrating with Ansell's family. We didn't have any trouble passing through the Grapevine (which can be snowy & icy), but there was snow all around for our viewing pleasure! The boys want to go to the snow, so maybe next year when we're not so sick. (We've had a hard time adjusting to flu season up north, as well as Cody starting pre-school!)

We had a really nice visit with Ansell's family.
Here is Tanner, Ansell's sister Lani, and our niece Carissa. Lani and Carissa are playing Mario Kart on the Wii. Tanner is making mental notes.

Hanging out with Grandma by the tree...where's Grandpa?

Like I mentioned before, we eat a LOT while we are in L.A.
Here is a platter of lobster noodles, filet mignon, sweet potatoes, sticky rice, fish, sauteed mushrooms...oh, and Carissa isn't drinking wine, it's sparkling grape juice!

One of the things Cody and Tanner's Uncle Terry (Ansell's brother) and Carissa gave the boys was Spike the Dinosaur! Cody was so happy, while Tanner was a little scared at first (this picture says it all!). Cody had told us he wanted it, but I took a look at the price and said, "Sorry, we could never afford that!" Cody claimed he could use the money in his piggy bank (which reads $2.54 right now!). Lucky for them they have Uncle Terry, who is also psychic because we never even mentioned that he wanted Spike! hah! Everyone was much too generous, and with all the good stuff they opened on "L.A. Christmas", I was worried that Santa might disappoint when we got back home! HAHAHA!

TMI

This may be TMI (too much information) for some of you, but a few of you know that I had to have a D & C done yesterday. Some of you don't know because before we could even share the good news with everyone, my doctor kind of knew that something wasn't quite right with my pregnancy. I kind of knew too, since I wasn't nauseous when I should have been, and I felt a little different than the other times.

Here's my roller coaster last month and a half...
Oct. 24 - took a pregnancy test, and then another- both positive!
Oct. 29 - had my yearly ob/gyn. appt. that turned into a prenatal visit.
Nov. 14th - ultrasound reveals an empty sac, and my doctor thinks it's not a viable pregnancy.
Nov. 20th - another ultrasound - kind of saw something, but not sure what. My doctor sends me to the main hospital for a stronger ultrasound on the 24th.
Nov. 24th - Ultrasound tech says she can't give up any info, I need to talk to my doctor. Later that night, my doctor calls and says they found a heartbeat, but it is slow.
Dec. 4th - Yet another ultrasound. We can't see a heartbeat, or much of anything else, and she thinks the fetus has started to dissolve. We schedule a D & C for Dec. 15th.
Dec. 10 - I start spotting.
Dec. 13 - I start bleeding.
Dec. 14 - I should've been 12 weeks, but I don't feel pregnant at all anymore.
Dec. 15 - Right before the D&C, I pass three huge clots. The last being quite large. She checks to see if I need to still have the procedure. I still have some sac tissue left. I opt to have the procedure anyway, to avoid coming back if it didn't pass naturally. Boy, did it HURT, but I am relieved that I had it done, since it had already started to pass naturally. My doctor says we can start trying again in 1 to 2 months. eek! TMI again!

Christmas Card Rejects

Here are some of our "Christmas Card Rejects" from years past...Keep in mind, there are at least 20 to 30 other rejects of each session! Thank goodness for digital cameras!

Cody in 2004 (7 months old)

Cody (19 mon.) and newly arrived Tanner (2 wks.) in 2005...

The screaming infant started hurting all of our ears...

2006 session (Cody, 2-1/2yrs. and Tanner 1 yr.)
Mommy's "great idea" of giving lollipops to keep them still...

still a 2006 session...
There are about 8 shots in a row of Cody in the very same position...what the heck?

STILL 2006, but one from this batch made the cut!

2007 (Cody 3-1/2 yrs. and Tanner 2 yrs.)
We envisioned a nice, warm enchanting photo by the tree...

Still 2007
No one was hurt during the filming of this photo. That's just Tanner throwing a fit! He likes to throw his legs up so he can slam them down for extra emphasis during a tantrum.

List of the Day - Breakfast

I love breakfast. Going out or staying in, I love it all.
Here is a list of my favorite breakfasts (I favor the savory, more than the sweet):

1. Eggs Benedict with hash browns
2. spinach, cheddar, and bacon omelet
3. bacon, tater tots, and an egg over easy
4. The Bagel Cafe! or even just toasted bagel with cream cheese
5. chicken fried steak and country biscuits
6. bagel breakfast sandwich (toasted bagel, bacon, egg, tomato & cheese)
7. pancakes at home (bisquick) I never usually order them at a restaurant...
8. any kind of breakfast casserole
9. linguica and eggs (even though I might get a tummy ache)
10. a bowl of Life cereal with sourdough toast

And with all of these I like to have a big steaming cup of coffee (with a packet of cocoa mixed in) MMMMM!!! No wonder I'm overweight...