Winter Break

 All three kids are on their break from school. They went downtown this morning to see some of the Christmas decorations.

 The Christmas village is back at a local hotel that has been missing for the past couple of years.

Kaana and DaddyQuique had to carry the twins in some parts of the village so they could get a good look.

 There was a new playground downtown and it's just what Navi wanted, "I want to go to a NEW playground," he said last night when asked what he wanted to do on his break.

 It was a beautiful day to be downtown and the crispness in the air made everyone get in the holiday cheer.

 Merry Christmas everyone.

Pizza in the Castro after a long outing.

School Field Trip

 At the beginning of the week the twins visited the SF Zoo with their classmates.

 They were both so excite to see all their friends outside of school.

 They got to see the penguins being fed.

 The class got to see most of the zoo, it was a long day with a lot of walking.

Everyone did so great and the docent said they were the best behaved class she has seen in a while.

Sunday Holiday Parties

Elio and Ave joined the twins Sunday morning at their school's holiday party.

 Navi was thrilled that there was a playground outside the venue.

 BaboNatale (Italian Santa Claus) made an appearance. Ada and her good friend Bea had a fun time trying to take a good picture.

It was a fun afternoon.  For the school picture Ada (look for the yellow arrow) was more than happy to sit down right next to her friends, but Navi refused to be in the picture.

 Later that evening there was the neighborhood progressive holiday party.  The party started at one home for drinks and appetizers.

 Then the party moved on to another home for a more filling meal.

 And ended at a final house for lots and lots of desserts. Another night the twins got to stay up late and stuff themselves with cookies and sweets.

Christmas Caroling

 Saturday night, after the gingerbread houses, the Lopezjones' and a few of the Adrianis attended a neighbor's Christmas party.

 There was a lot of food and many cookies and sweets.

 There was even a violin and piano concert from some of the children before everyone went out caroling in the neighborhood.

Ada, Elio and Navi had so much fun.  Elio seemed to be the only really interested in the singing party, he was at the front of the group at every house when the caroling started. They got to eat a lot of cookies and stay up really late. Lucky kids.

Gingerbread Houses

 It was that time of year again for decorating gingerbread houses.

Navi this year reached for the sky and had the tallest house on the block (table).

 Elio ate most of his decorations, but did manage to get a few on to his house.

 Ada was very maticulious in choosing her candy and was very pround of her home.

 Kaana focused on the curb appeal and design until she was reminded that eventually she would be eating the house so she put a little more 'edible friendly' decorations towards the end. The secret, choose the candy you want to eat.

Thank you Grandma Anni, AuntyShane and AuntyKendra.

Salinas: Outing

 While in Salinas there was a plan to go hiking at Pt. Lobos State Reserve, but due to the extreme cold weather (temperatures were in the 40's) it was decided to take a drive on the scenic 17 Mile drive in Pebble Beach.

 It was cold, but a few stops were made to see the views out of the car.

And they were amazing.

A sea otter was spotted and everyone watched as it used a rock to crack open shellfish on its belly for lunch, what great luck.

 It was a wonderful afternoon and a great time was had by all.

For those who love golf, here's Navi at the Pebble Beach 18th hole.

Salinas: Food

 The Lopezjones' headed to Salinas for an overnight.  Ada was excited about picking fruit from the garden and lucky for her Abuelito saved the very last fruits on trees for the kids to pick.

 Persimmons, pomegranates, walnuts, almonds and figs.

 Even Kaana enjoyed picking a piece of fruit right from the tree to eat.

 There was plenty of food prepared by the grandparents.  Abuelito got in a little bit of trouble for constantly sneaking treats and desserts to all three kids.

Thank you Abue and Abuelito.  The food was even fun for Navi.

Getting Into The Holiday Spirit

 The kids began to decorate the Christmas tree this afternoon. Ada and Navi started with hot chocolate and candycane marshmallows as they waited for Kaana to come home from school.

 Everyone had so much fun looking at all the different ornaments, DaddyQuique explained the story of each one.

All three kids did an excellent job decorating the tree. This year's tree measured over 10ft. tall, but was cut down to 9.25 feet to accommodate it near the window.

Family Game Night

 The other evening the twins had a little bit of extra time before going to bed.  They were fed, bathed and in good spirits. So PapaJason broke out the board game.

After one game there was still some time for another, Mexican Lottery.  Kaana read out the cards, her Spanish was quite good.

Weekend Hike

 The Lopezjones decided to go on a family hike south of San Francisco.

 The first attempt at a hike brought them to a quick end at the beach.

 The second attempt turned out to be a 'personnel only' road which dead ended just after a short walk.

Finally on the third attempt, after a stop at the Half Moon Bay visitor's center, PapaJason had a map with a perfect hiking trail for a picnic.

The Countdown Begins

The twins opened the first door to their adventskalender today. Thanks to Magnus' family this year's advent calendars came straight from Germany. Danke schön.