Sydney got a letter in the mail last week from a secret admirer, inviting her on a special Valentine's date. She was so excited, bouncing around the house and trying to guess who it could be all week. She thought it might be her beloved cousin, Mason (who lives 4 states away), or Santa. We weren't sure what her reaction would be when her daddy knocked on the door. But her reaction melted my heart.

Waiting for her date. She picked out her outfit - my skirt and necklace (the skirt fell down to her feet during the date, so maybe next time I'll choose her outfit). ;)

She was beaming and felt like such a big girl. Tommy took her to a fancy restaurant, and when the waiter asked if Sydney wanted a kid coloring sheet, she said no. She was on a real date, after all.

My sister, Malinda, started the Valentine's Day tea party tradition, and we carry it on her name. In fact, as I was laying out the place settings and goodies, Sydney said, "I wish Malinda made this!" ;) Maybe crackers and Cheese Whiz wasn't the kind of fancy Sydney had hoped for. But we enjoyed it just the same.

Noah serenaded us with the accordion while Max danced the jig.

Noah hasn't quite mastered the art of drinking out of a cup. 

We are loving the 70 degree February! I think we will eat all our meals outside.

Our first Christmas in California. The Christmas magic is alive and well here, just like it was in Utah. We did miss the pretty snowfall on Christmas morning, but we enjoyed being able to play with the toys outside after opening them. :)

Santa brought Sydney a little tree house and Calico Critter families

Noah was surprised with a stuffed zebra and a Cozy Coupe (with a mustache, which he and Max especially adore)

Santa found the cookie plate

Max found a plasma car and a remote control car, and Sydney got an EZ-Rider.

We wondered where Santa would place the stockings, with the new layout of the house. We found them upstairs in the loft as the kids came out of their bedrooms. 

Sydney says she and Max waited in their rooms "until it wasn't so early", which was 7:30am. We appreciated them not waking us before dawn. :) Noah was sick, so we waited for him to wake up before bringing him out to join the festivities. 

Luckily Noah didn't wait too long before wanting to join in on the fun. He just wasn't quite ready to put on a happy face until he woke up all the way.

Racing downstairs to see what Santa brought

Noah hugged his zebra the whole day

Max has begged for froggy boots for a long time. Our muddy hills in our yard call for constant boots.

the first time I made the traditional Christmas breakfast casserole that both Tommy and I grew up with. It didn't disappoint!

Max's favorite gift was the remote control car. We had to peel him away from it to open more presents.

a Rainbow Loom kit finally! Sydney has been using a make-shift set of straws and a ziplock bag to create her bracelet bands. 

a box of boy dress-up, which we've been needing to add to the huge pile of princess dresses. This was the boy's second favorite gift.

Left: Max's gun   -   Right: Sydney got a sweet knitted Princess and the Pea doll with a wooden bed and cushions.

even I got some nice rainboots for the yard. Noah thought they were for him.

Sydney, opening her hammock that will hang in the tree. She fell in love with hammocks since she was a teeny one, spending all her time in my parent's hammock on the porch.

As the morning came to a close and the presents were all opened, Sydney pulled out the gift for us that she had hidden in the tree all December. She read her special card, and we found the cutest ornament she made at school (below).

After we were finished, we found three little boxes hidden in the tree from Santa. Max's was a set of winnie the pooh dress-up trinkets, just like his beloved tiny winnie the pooh gnome from my Mom that he carries around everywhere for the past year. How did Santa know?!

Noah found tiny animal treasures like Sydney and Max have had, but Noah was always too little. Now he has joined the ranks of the big kids.

Sydney found a little matchbox mouse - a girl, this time, to match her little boy mouse from a couple Christmases ago.

I love that these kids love tiny treasures.

later that afternoon, we went to play with the cousins. They shared their speedy car with us around the cul-de-sac and park.

Noah was overstimulated and still feeling sick. But that didn't stop him from dragging around his backpack filled with his new Shaun the Sheep stuffed animals.

Such an amazing Christmas season!