merry christmas

christmas morning stocking smack-down.

t-rex photo shoot.

kale as brontosaurus toe-jam.

parting is such sweet sorrow.

happy christmukah from our tie-dye family to yours.

annual trip to boomers arcade with special craig.

this time minus the floaties.

synchronized, floaty-assisted, bellyflopping.

the real miracle is that no one burned their fingers during the nightly menorah lighting.

dreidel, dreidel, dreidel i made it out of clay.

what kind of visit from nama would it be if we didn't get our tie-dye on?

in an unsurprising turn of events, nama is an excellent sea monster.

possibly my favorite photo ever. did you even know they made beach balls that big?

poolside pancakes? don't mind if i do.

two peas in a watery pod.

i think the real question is who doesn't like a limestone cave?

it's like a giant just threw a bunch of boulders around higgledy piggledy.

run, forest, run. is that joke still funny? was it ever funny? i don't know.

maxing and also relaxing.

surprisingly cold but amazingly beautiful at joshua tree this year.

dinnertime.

glamorama

happy hanukah.

group shot in the petting zoo.

would you believe me if i told you i'm not even including all the shots of them riding animal sculptures at the zoo? what can i say there were a lot of animal sculptures.

also petting nubian dwarf goats.

and riding warthog statues.

what better way to spend the one cloudy day of our trip than getting up close and personal with the giraffes at the living desert zoo.

'welcome to palm springs, nama. wanna try one of these grape looking palm tree growths?'

mobile device hangies with special craig.

there is no traffic here so the street functions as an extra large paved yard.

hilarious reject from our poolside christmas card photo shoot.

this is our first time renting the same house which meant we could revisit all our favorite features right away.

and here one of our party is literally jumping for joy after arriving in sunny southern california

this is what we look like standing in the endless airport security line...

sometimes even experienced wrestlers need to stop during a match and clarify the rules.

boots and riley are suitably impressed by kale's party yoga tricks.

what kind of office-warming/holiday party would it be if you didn't get to climb out the window?

saturday morning cartoons in the dark. that's what we get for living so far north that the sun doesn't rise til after 8.

turns out art is more engrossing when it's on a screen.

orgami is not easy.

checking out mr.'s tsunami installation at the asian art museum.

kale cannot believe the size of the puddle outside of school. also i love the student in the sequined uggs taking the high road.

riley is in sweaty heaven during a playdate with the twins (the go to different schools this year so there are just not enough hangies).

diy hair cuts and squinting: family traits.

first candlelight vigil.

parallel play.

homework waits for no person.

you might have noticed a blogging hiatus... well katrina and rania were busy visiting india and swimming in the arabian sea. the kids stayed with dean and calvin but there are no photos because they can't find their camera. they also spent a week in portland with the mogielnicki-bernsteins and there are a few guest photos on their cousin eli's blog http://twovegetables.blogspot.com/