socal christmas

i dashed straight from school on friday the 20th to the airport and hopped on a plane to san diego. the timing of my visit coincided with both christmas and my brother noah’s family’s move up the coast to orange county. i was so glad i could be there to take the four kids on some adventures while noah, kristi and the movers got things in the truck and to help unpack lots and lots of boxes!

i have to say i think we did a pretty good job setting up christmas in a brand new house in three days flat. we got out the decorations on sunday, bought the tree and trimmed it all pretty and sparkly on monday, and did all our shopping on tuesday (christmas eve) – organizing things and putting together furniture and wrangling small children in between. we also went to see the movie frozen, celebrated kristi’s brithday with homemade cards and banners and cake, got to know some new neighbors, and i babysat while noah and kristi went on an overnight date (we read christmas books under the tree and watched home alone).

our brother josh came in from arizona on christmas eve morning. that night we had an eyre-family-traditional jerusalem supper. i’ve observed this christmas ritual every single year of my life – we eat middle-eastern(ish) food and take on character roles to pretend we are guests at the last meal mary and joseph share with loved ones before they leave for bethlehem. this year we even had the donkey at the table! – lyla was hee-hawing all evening. other attendees included elizabeth and zacharias, wise mak from the east, and a shepherd named olof.

we opened dollar store gifts after acting out the nativity and singing some songs together. this exchange was so much fun. the kids were so excited to receive and especially to give. josh and i slept in the same room with the three older kids that night – we were packed in tight!

gosh, there’s nothing like christmas morning, is there?!

^^i know my face is slightly embarrassing, but i also think it is pretty awesome. i was excited!^^
 
^^we had our eyre-family-traditional eggs benedict christmas breakfast – mmmboy!^^

after some time playing with new toys, we headed out to the beach! it was the most gorgeous christmas day i think i’ve ever experienced – 82 and sunny and blue. tablerock beach in laguna was soooo outrageously pretty under the yuletide sky.

 

on the day after christmas, we made ice cream in noah and kristi’s new ice cream maker and flew the remote-control helicopter and brushed the new american girl doll’s hair and built with legos and molded play dough. then, we witnessed a huge milestone – five-and-a-half-year-old lyla’s very first haircut!

   

we went to the pool and then checked out balboa island on our way to the airport. we saw lots of christmas lights along the harbor, ate pizza and frozen bananas, and rode the ferris wheel!

holy moley i sure love that noah and kristi and mckay and lyla and cubby and bennett (and baby girl in kristi’s belly!) (and josh – so glad he came even if just for 30 hours!). it was a very memorable and magical christmas.

and most of all, more than anything, i love the baby jesus. i know the babe of bethlehem is the saviour of the world, and he lives. his power is the realest realest magic.