On Christmas Eve morning, Joey wanted to go surfing so Jack and I decided to join him. It was sunny and warm and it seemed like a nice day for the beach. Plus it had been awhile since I had been there with Jack so I thought he might have fun playing in the sand. It turned out to be a better idea in theory. It took all of 10 seconds for Jack to crawl off the blanket into the sand and stick a big handful in his mouth. Yuck.
Right after a mouthful of sand
While Joey was surfing, I spent about 20 minutes trying to let him play in the sand but hovering right over him to make sure he didn't eat it. He was a slobbery sandy mess and I finally gave up. It was too bad because he was enjoying crawling around in it and feeling it in his hands and on his feet.
Sand is fun!
I moved the blanket to a grassy area and it didn't get much easier. He of course did not want to play on the blanket with his toys and immediately went right for all the nasty stuff in the grass and tried to put it in his mouth. I resorted to pulling out the Cheerios and he spent the rest of the hour munching on those. That was also a sticky slobbery mess.
Mmm Cheerios
Finally Joey came out of the water and we could head home. I don't think I'll be taking Jack back to the beach for a while unless I figure out how to prevent him from eating sand! (Tips anyone??)
Surfer daddy and baby
That night back at home (after a thorough bath for Jack) we Skyped with my mom and brother's family in Georgia to watch them open their presents (no picture :( ) and then got ready for our cheese fondue dinner, per our family tradition. Unfortunately Jack couldn't partake and had to settle for bananas.
Gotta wear the santa hats on Christmas Eve!
Jack wants cheese fondue!
After dinner we each opened one present. Jack was a natural and immediately ripped the wrapping paper.
Jack's first present!
Helping daddy open his present
We let Jack play with his new toys and the boxes for a bit and then called it a night.
CHRISTMAS DAY
Christmas morning started bright and early for us, as does everyday thanks to our cute little alarm clock. I made cinnamon rolls in an attempt to start a new Christmas morning tradition but they weren't very good since I was lazy and just used the can. Next year I'll have to step it up a notch. We tried to take festive pictures of Jack but he wouldn't sit still so we had to use the Cheerios again.
Reindeer Jack loves Cheerios!
After breakfast, it was time to open gifts. We had a surprising number under the tree thanks to all our loving family who sent us things!
It's present time!
Jack's first Christmas ornament!
Opening presents sure is difficult with a baby!
Jack climbing on his present while unwrapping. Don't worry, it wasn't fragile!
Trying to take a picture of Jack's presents (as he destroys the boxes)
Oooh, a Curious George book! Exciting!
Joey and I started to open some of our presents but Jack was getting into everything and was starting to get fussy.
Joey's present from his parents
So much stuff to play with!
Trying to pose with some of my presents
We took a little break to put Mr. Fusspot down for a nap and then finished opening the gifts in peace.
Surfing gear from Tim & Lauren
Joey got me a lap desk with a whiteboard. I love whiteboards!
When Jack woke up, we Skyped with Joey's parents and sister's family in Georgia and watched them open some of their presents from us. It felt like we were there. Technology is awesome.
Yay Skype!
Later that day, I made another attempt to start a food tradition and made a ham dinner with au gratin potatoes (that I sliced with my new food processor - Thanks Jan!) and some broccoli. Our friend Fabian came over to join us.
Joey slicing the ham
Christmas dinner
I didn't think it turned out that well but I didn't get any complaints from the guys. After dinner we just spent the evening relaxing and playing with Jack.
Little climber!
Uncle Fabian loves little Jackpot
The guys
First family Christmas!
We LOVE our Jackpot!
It was nice to be home for Christmas!
DAY AFTER CHRISTMAS
Joey had the next day off too so we decided to finally try out the Safari Park about 30 minutes north. Admission is free with our zoo memberships and we had been meaning to go for a while. Our west coast family member Fabian joined us as well. It was another hot and sunny day so we all had to lather up in sunscreen. It was hard to believe it was December!
Putting a little lotion on Jackpot
At the entrance
The park scenery was beautiful. It was essentially just a zoo but out in the middle of nowhere so you could see mountains for miles.
What a great view!
One of the main attractions of the park is the Africa tram - a little trolley that takes you around the African exhibit to see the animals up close and personal (well, kind of.)
Standing in line for the tram
On the tram
Rhino in the distance!
Nice views!
Jack was not so interested
The ride was about 30 minutes and it was nice to see the animals in a more natural habitat. Plus the scenery was awesome (have I mentioned that yet?) We spent the rest of the morning walking around and exploring the rest of the park.
Family pic
Me expressing my love for the cactus garden
For some reason Jack was fighting napping like a champ. He was up for almost 5 hours before he crashed - and then slept for only 40 minutes. He was SO tired that day.
Tired baby
We debated calling it a day around lunchtime but we decided to fuel up and keep going.
Jack eating a squeezy package
And then some Cheerios...
Big kid Fabian was SO excited to feed the ducks. He insisted it was to entertain Jack but we knew better.
Feeding the ducks
Jack semi-interested
I was still a little low on energy so we stopped for a churro. Mmm, churros!
Jack going for the churro
We kept going and saw the entire park. Whew!
Jack's royal highness getting carried around the park
Animal viewing
Air action shot!
It was a great end to our little holiday stay-cation. We hope you had a great Christmas too!
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