West Coast Family

While we are missing our East Coast family and friends, we are grateful to have some time with our West Coast family. We have been doing things with them that are impossible to do when you live on opposite ends of the country. Lucy and I got to go to Mahalia's Thanksgiving Feast at preschool and then we checked Monkey out for the afternoon and the three of us the Children's Museum in Stockton. It is absolutely wonderful. It is also a different experience to be a child without their siblings. Time is usually so limited with them that I don't get to chance to have them in smaller numbers, let alone one-on-one.

Because we had such a good time, I asked Novalynn to come for a sleepover for her birthday. The three of us all went to Santa Breakfast at their school, did a little thrift store shopping and then brought Novalynn back to Berkeley with us. Lucy is getting to spend so much special time with her cousins, aunt and uncle. She is absolutely spoiled rotten by them and soaks in all the time. The girls are so loving and caring toward Lucy and it is a special relationship that I am sure will continue to grow.

In addition to celebrating Halloween with the Hosker crew, we also went to their house for Thanksgiving and Christmas. My sister fed us one of the best Thanksgiving meals I have ever had and I organized and made crafts with my daughter and nieces while she worked away in the kitchen. It was relaxed and lovely. I have missed all of these special times with my ladybugs and I am completely enjoying the time I get to spend with them now.

We did not do a lot as a family of three for Christmas (well, we packed up and went to Joshua Tree for nine days, but that is worthy of its own entry), but Christmas with cousins is always more fun. This year, the sisters included Lucy in on their sister swap and turned it into a cousin gift swap. Caleigha picked out the most perfect set of stacking/nesting blocks for Lucy and was so proud to see Lucy enjoying them. I am not sure what Christmas traditions we will end up with a family, but it was really fun to a part of the excitement with the Hoskers.