Lake Tahoe Snow Day

 We drove up to Lake Tahoe to go sledding a couple days after Christmas.  We were a little disappointed though because there wasn't much snow.  On the positive side, the weather was great 50 degrees and Lake Tahoe is always beautiful so we decided to go for a little walk in the snow instead.  The kids were good sports about it and ended up having lots of fun throwing snowballs and exploring.  After a long walk and playing in the snow we headed home.  We stopped and got hot cocoa first and sipped it on our drive down the mountain back to 65 degrees and palm trees. 

Christmas 2013

We had a really nice Christmas this year.  On Christmas Eve we went for a hike around Folsom Lake.  The lake is really low, but it is still beautiful.

 Not sure what Sarah is doing in this picture.  :)

 Holly and Pine.  Someone decorated the forest for Christmas.

 We sat on a stone wall and ate some apples while looking out at the lake.

 Lily picked some Mistletoe.

 Looking down at the lake. 

 Lily and Alex hiking back to the car.

 After our hike we went back home and got ready for Mark and EJ to come.  We made lots of yummy treats for our dinner that night.  Mark and EJ brought lots of yummy food too. 

 It was nice to have them here and be with family.

 The classy corn dogs were for Alex to eat.  :)

 That night we acted out our nativity play.  Lily was an angel.  Alex, Sarah, and Daddy were shepherds.  Uncle Mark and Aunt EJ were Joseph and Mary.  Mommy got to be the narrator this year. 

 After our nativity, we sang lots of Christmas songs until everyone was tired.  It wasn't long before the kids were tired and wanted to go to bed, so Christmas Morning would come. 

 Christmas morning was fun.  The kids all liked opening their presents and then playing with them afterwards.  Lily loved her teddy bear. She named him Cozy Lozy.  

 That was all she asked Santa for this year. 

 Uncle Mark enjoying a new book and Sarah playing on the Apple (ipad).

 Lily, Sarah, and Alex in front of the tree.

Lily spent several hours just like this.  Playing in her new doll house.  Merry Christmas!

Playing in Marin Headlands

One of the days during our Thanksgiving break we went to Marin Headlands and did some hiking.  We first hiked up to Hawk Hill and looked out at the view of Golden Gate Bridge and San Francisco.  It was really pretty up on Hawk Hill, but foggy in Pirates Cove.

So we found a beach we had never been to and hiked there instead.  It wasn't as foggy and it was fun to play in the sand and explore.  The kids hiked up on some big rocks.  Mommy watched from below.  The sand was black and a little more coarse than other beaches we had been to in that area.  It was really interesting. After playing for a long time we decided to hike back out and go find some dinner. 

Daddy had seen a restaurant on our drive called Black Bear Diner, so we decided to give it a try.  It was really fun.  A good family restaurant that had lots of yummy (probably not healthy) food.  But after a day of hiking and exploring the kids ate really good and then fell asleep on the drive home. 

Family Christmas Picture

This years family Christmas picture was pretty painless.  We decided to take it in the backyard by the palm tree.  It took a few tries, but we got one where everyone was looking at the camera.  Mommy also took some pictures of the kids.  Merry Christmas!

Family Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  In the morning we set up the Christmas Trees while the turkey was cooking.  We also went for our own Family Turkey Trot on the cross country track behind the high school.  Mommy picked some flowers and lemons from the garden to put in the cornucopia on the table. Then we ate a delicious feast.   We were stuffed afterwards.  It was fun to be together and have a few days off from work and school. 

The Johnsons visit!

Scerinda and her kids came for a visit this past week.  Uncle Ken flew in on Friday to meet them, and Uncle Mark and Aunt EJ came up on Saturday.  It was a fun and busy week.

Their visit started of a little rough.  We thought we were over the stomach flu from the week before, but on Wednesday night Mom (Tauna)  and Catherine both got sick.  Then Tommy the next night.  We were still able to squeeze in lots of fun activities, and we were all recovered by the time Uncle Ken, Uncle Mark, and Aunt EJ came.  Here are some pictures from all of the fun things we did.


Buying fresh Mandarins from the Mandarin farm.

Exploring Sutter's Mill

Hiked on the Western States Trail.

Finding the bridge that is usually underwater in Folsom Lake.

Yummy Dinner together.

Mom took the Johnson and Walnut Creek Sanderson's family portraits before Church.  These are her two favorites.


We were so happy to have our cousins and family here.  It was nice to visit and explore together.  The kids all played together really well.  We were sad to say goodbye at the end of the week!  We hope they come back soon.