Dreams of Iowa

Allison has shown a real interest in playing soccer at the University of Iowa.  Yes it is a few years away, but her coach reminds the girls that it is never too early to get under the coach's radar.  Allison wrote a letter to the college women's coach, had her coach edit it, made the changes and mailed it off today.  Coaches aren't allowed to reach out to players at this age, but it will be good practice for the years to come!  I'm proud of her motivation!

Christmas in Danville

We did a quick trip up to Danville, arriving Wednesday afternoon.  We had chili at the house for dinner and Taylor went with Papa to look at Christmas lights in Diablo and Round Hill.  

 We had a Thursday morning visit from the Mascardo's for bagels and muffins (forgot to take pictures) and a very nice late lunch at Piatti's.

Then a quick trip to Starbucks before 5:00 Christmas Eve mass at St. Isadore's.  

 Christmas morning, my dad and I picked up Starbucks for everyone, the girls opened their stockings and we all ate breakfast together before opening gifts.  

 The only picture I remembered to take was Kaia opening the gift she has been sniffing under our tree for the past few weeks.  We were all spoiled, as usual.  Taylor loved her clothes, CDs, gym membership, gift cards and lots of lotions and perfumes.  Allison got her own FitBit, lots of new Nike gear, shower speaker and tickets to the US Women's soccer game in January.

Mike and Joannie joined us for the afternoon and for Christmas dinner.  Allison was a big help to Grandma in the kitchen the whole time we were there.  She helped make the breakfast egg bake, pumpkin pie, scalloped potatoes and enjoyed her time with Grandma.  Taylor set a very nice table and did a lot to help clean up.  She also really loved looking through all of our family history books put together by my mom's Aunt Darlene.  The detail and stories were amazing!  It was a quick trip, but we packed a lot in and enjoyed the family time!

Photos with Gigi

Gigi asked for an updated photo of the girls as one of her Christmas presents.  We decided it would be better to get some photos with her while she was here.  It was a pretty day today so we headed out to Wilson Creek Winery and Southcoast for a photo shoot.

 We had a nice afternoon touring the wineries and their grounds and getting a few good pics along the way!

We appreciate Gigi coming out to spend the week with us.  We ate lots of good food and did some shopping in Old Town and the mall.  She got to watch Taylor play a little bit of soccer and did some baking with Allison.  Unfortunately Kaia never really warmed up to her, but we sure enjoyed the visit!

White Elephant

 We have been enjoying our week with Gigi and had our early Christmas gift exchange with her today before the White Elephant party since she is leaving before Christmas.  She spoiled us with some nice gifts and a gift card for skiing up at Big Bear!  

 We can't wait to use it!

 All of the families and crazy gifts started arriving for our annual party.

 We had an asian-themed dinner…orange chicken, sweet and sour chicken, pancit, chinese chicken salad, fried rice, edamame, etc…YUM!

 We drew #s 1-26 and got the exchanging started.  We had some good ones, as usual.

 Santa knit cap with beard attachment

 Toilet foot rest (Matt ended up stealing this and we are the proud owners!)

 Arrow headband (Hank stole this from Taylor)

 Dying plant with used gift cards attached (funny money tree)

 Rubber poop on the end of a pencil (#2 pencil) and genital sanitizer…gross!

 Oversized tshirt and bandana

 Chewbacca Snuggie

 Stuffed owls of different sizes

 Hot guys with Kittens book.  There were lots of trades and many other gifts I didn't capture with my camera, but it was a fun night filled with good friends and lots of laughs.

The kids finished the night with a game of Spoons and LCR.

Bell Ringers

Andrew and Taylor are both in Interact, a community service club at school that partners with the Rotary Club of Temecula.  Today, they were Salvation Army bell ringers in front of Hobby Lobby as part of their holiday community service.  They had a great time and loved seeing the generosity of our community!

Ice Skating at Hotel Del

 Andrew promised Taylor a day full of surprises to celebrate her birthday.  Since they were both gone over Thanksgiving break, they set today aside for a fun day.  He blindfolded her until they reached the Coronado Bridge

 and had a fun afternoon ice skating on the beach by the Hotel Del.  

Then they ate pizza in town and drove to the US Midway and sat along the grass overlooking the ship. That is where their prom was held 6 months ago so it was a nice way to celebrate their 6 month anniversary too!

OC Tour

The Varsity team had a tournament this weekend in Irvine.  They took the bus after school on Friday and then I took Taylor today to watch 2 games.  With only 13 girls on the roster for the weekend, Taylor got a lot of playing time.  She scored one and played well, although the team didn't advance.

 The highlight of the day was lunch at Fashion Island and a nice nap at Corona Del Mar beach. 

 Hard to believe it is December!

 We were able to watch the sun start to go down on the beach

and the sun set at the field before the second game at 6:30.

Norte Dame vs. Stanford

One of Matt's bucket list items was to see a "big time" college football game.  When he saw that Norte Dame would be playing at Stanford while we were in the Bay Area, he couldn't resist tickets.  

 We got to the area a little early to see the town and tour the campus.

 We ate lunch at this cute little spot and walked around some of the shops on University Ave.

 Then we parked the car in one of the residential neighborhoods to avoid the parking fee and make it easier to leave after the game tonight.  I just loved this house!

 The campus was so lively with tailgating parties everywhere, the band playing, a Norte Dame BBQ and lots of families walking and biking around campus.

 We walked to Hoover Hall…the tallest building on campus

 and saw some of the beautiful architecture.  The campus is so clean

 and this church was absolutely spectacular.

Then it was on to the stadium to find our seats. 

 We were seated with a lot of very passionate Norte Dame fans and a few Stanford fans, but everyone was on their best behavior.

 It was Senior Night, so all of the seniors from Stanford were recognized individually before the game.

 We had a great seats and the game was so good…high scoring and a continuous back and forth battle.

 It was about 40 degrees, but luckily we came prepared.

 Stanford scored a winning field goal with 6 seconds left!  It was so cool being there in person and seeing all of the fans storm the field.  We definitely got our money's worth!

These fans sure know how to tailgate!  Before the game, we saw full hard liquor displays, bottles of wine, large screen tvs and amazing displays of food.  After the game was no different.  Stringed lights, bonfire pits and dessert to end a fun night!