California: Part II

Part II of our California Christmas vacation 2008 was jam packed with fun, fun, and more fun.

We had dinner with the ever-growing Luna family. Oh how I wish Mateo could grow up with these boys.


A sleepover with the Gahuman cousins.


And another with the Quinals. JJ and Darcy hosted a "Thanksgiving" style dinner with turkey, ham, and all the fixins'.


We exchanged gifts, played games, and laughed so hard I almost peed in my pants.



The highlight of the night were definitely the Christmas games. R is for "reath" and U is for Unicorn. But my all time favorite was G is for Green Christmas tree because (duh!) there are white ones! I guess you had to be there to understand.

The next day we were off to the Dalmacio's mountain cabin retreat.


This had to be one of Mateo's favorite days while in Cali. Can't you tell by the huge cheesy smile on his face? Ha! He was having so much fun he probably wouldn't have noticed if his hands fell off from frostbite.


We also ventured out to LA. Had lunch in Chinatown.


Rode a bus. I know it doesn't look like it in the picture but Mateo was ecstatic! He was so overwhelmed by the how cool it was he didn't know what to do with himself.


Finally, we ended up exploring at the Disney Concert Hall.


The next day the fun started early in the morning with brunch with Ate Liza.


Then, we headed straight to a play date with the usual crew. The funny thing is that the usual crew is multiplying. It's just crazy to think about how many kids there are. Here's Peyton. She was the littlest one there to play.


Now here's the rest of them. Actually, this is just a small fraction but we did our best and learned to take pictures at the beginning and not the end.


New Years Eve was all of a sudden upon us and we were partying it up at the 3rd annual. Our dessert bar was as delicious as can be but what really made the night special was all our family. Uncle Phil was even there. Thanks iChat!



Then, before we knew it we were back on a plane looking out the window saying "Bye!" to California.


We are so grateful for all the fun times. Even though we may seem rushed with our days so packed when we come to visit, we truly treasure each and every moment. Thank you Lord for blessing us with trips like these but more importantly for the family and friends who share it with us.