So Christmas was eventful as usual in our house. We were not only getting ready for Santa to come but also packing and getting ready for our vacation to California to see Jerry's family. Christmas Eve is always spent at my mom's house and the kids had fun as usual. Matthew got his Indiana Jones Lego Set that he asked for and Bianca got Rock Band and a Coach purse.
Santa made an unusual early stop at our house while we were at my mom's. He knew we had to get up early for our trip so he stopped by and brought all their gifts about 9PM :-)
We then headed off at 4AM to Los Angeles! We had so much fun! Some of the hilights were:
Climbing Mount Rubidoux
This is a mountain in the heart of Riverside California. It overlooks all the city. We were lucky that there was no smog and you could see all of Riverside and San Bernadino mountains which were covered in snow. The kids climbed it twice while we were there. Jerry and I did only once (that was enough) for me; however, I did my exercise in while I was there! However eating that In and Out Burger beforehand pretty much cancelled out the exercise!
Hollywood
We went to Griffith Observatory in Hollywood and took pictures of the city. Again, it was a beautiful because it was so clear with no smog! We then headed down Hollywood Blvd and then to Sunset Blvd to tour Beverly Hills. Of course I had to stop at the original Sprinkles cupcake store while there. We were lucky the line was not too long. One of the locals said it is usually 70-80 people deep, boy did we luck out! Then we went down Rodeo drive and I window shopped, LOL :-) Next we headed down Santa Monica Blvd to the pier. We got there right at sunset and it was a beautiful picture on the beach. The kids rode the roller coater and then the Ferris wheel (well Bianca did not, she got too scared).
Visiting Friends
Monday we spent visiting one of Jerry's best friends from elementary to high School Sam. We had lunch and then headed over to Sam's parent's house Jim and Mary Lou. They were kind to feed us Tamales, YUM!
Knotts Berry Farm
I had not been since I was really little girl and dont remember much about it. It was a lot of fun if you like thrill rides which Matthew does; however, he was a bit too small to get on most of the big ones. He did ride the Sidewinder about 8 times, LOL. Maybe next time Matthew!
Lancaster
Jerry's Aunts and grandparents live in Lancaster so we made the 2 hour drive to the desert to see the family. There was ice in their back yard and Matthew and Bianca were ice skating. We took lots of family photos with his grandparents and one special picture of 4 generations of Monter's!
New Years Eve
We basically just chilled at Jerry's parent's house. We had some family and friends over. I swear I was still on Texas time. I was ready for bed at 10PM but still had to stay awake 2 more hours! This was the day Matthew climbed Mount Rubidoux for the second time. He fell asleep at 8PM and never woke up, LOL. He was refreshed for the next day though which was Disneyland!
Disneyland
Everybody knows I'm a Disney freak so we could not pay a visit to LA without going. It was crowded I have to say, but I've seen DW more crowded the big difference is we were doing it all in one day as compared to a total Disney vacation in Florida for a week. I will never do it like that again. If we do not have a good 2-3 days to spend there and stay at one of the hotels I will not do it again. Way too exhausting! But is was fun of course and the kids had a blast. We only rode about 10 rides but did see the parade, Fantasmic and the fireworks. We were there for 14 hours straight!
Finally we just spent the final day resting and visiting some old friends of ours. I had lunch with Carmen which was a joy and then Jerry and I had dinner with Matt and Terry. Matt is Jerry's best friend from High School. We love you guys! :-)
We got back early Sunday Morning and we are still trying to recover. We are so tired. I think my next vacation will be on beach drinking margaritas!
As for the new year I have made only 1 resolution and that is to get all my pictures organized. If I get caught up in scrapbooking then ok but I'll settle for organized for now!
Happy 2009 Everybody!
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