New Years in Orange County

I have to start with a few photos that I found on my camera but had forgotten about.  I had images on my camera from before Thanksgiving - somehow I didn't do a post about that holiday.  Anyway, I learned that hide-and-go-seek is more of a game of let's-all-hide-in-the-same-spot when you play it with three year olds. 

 While we were in Utah for Christmas, we ate at Noodles & Company.  Emma was so cute but did NOT want to try any noodles.  She is kind of a picky eater.

 Playing with Emma in Jennie's living room.

 Emma may not look it, but she was captivated by the photos of her family in Jennie's scrapbooks.

Orange County

We flew back to San Jose after Christmas so that we could both go back to work.  But on Thursday night we hopped onto another plane and flew down to Irvine to spend New Years with my friend Carrie and her husband and son.  We had such a fun time at their house.  Carrie has the cutest three year old son who is full of energy and we had a lot of fun getting to know him and Carrie's husband, Charlie. 

For some reason, I kept forgetting to pull out my camera and take photos, so I don't have pictures from our beautiful morning walk along the beach.  But I do have a photo from the next morning when their dachsund, Cracker, came into the room we were staying in to say good morning to Paul. 

 We went to the most gorgeous mall that is practically right on the beach.  Apparently the tree at Fashion Island Mall is the largest in the U.S., or at least it used to always be the largest.  Carrie and Charlie said that it was smaller this year than it has been in the past, but it still seemed awfully large to me.

 Isaac, Carrie's son, played on the ornamental gift boxes.

 Afterwards, we went and got Sprinkles cupcakes, which I have been wanting to try for a long time.  I'm not saying that they weren't delicious, but I promise that I can make a strawberry cupcake just as good as Sprinkles.  I can't attest to the other cupcakes though, so I will have to go back to try Lemon, Marble, Vanilla, ....  :)

 Isaac getting ready to attack his chocolate cupcake with sprinkles imported from France.  Why it matters that the sprinkles come from France, I'm really not sure.  But to be fair, I am not much of a chocolate cupcake with chocolate frosting with chocolate sprinkles kind of a person.

 But Paul sure is. 

 I think I will always remember Isaac cheering on whoever was driving by saying "race that black car" or "race that truck" anytime we were on the road.  Or, "go faster, faster, faster!" 

Such a fun kid.

 I also didn't get photos from New Year's Eve, but we had a very special dinner at Las Brisas restaurant in Laguna Beach then went home and watched the ball drop on TV.  But I do have photos from New Year's Day when we had a beach bonfire.  There were a number of groups at the beach lighting their dried out Christmas trees on fire, which was awfully exciting, especially for Isaac who wanted to join their bonfire instead of ours. 

We had hot dogs and s'mores and laughed and talked until we burned up the wood we had brought and started to get too cold to stay any longer.  It was the perfect way to spend the first night of 2011. 

Warming my fingers by the fire while somebody roasts a hot dog.

 Carrie - don't hate me for posting this photo.  It is the only one I have of both of us from our trip.

 We had such a great time and the Woods were so awesome to us.  I should also mention the amazing chicken pot pie that Carrie made for Sunday dinner from the Pioneer Woman Cookbook.  It was fantastic.  Thanks Charlie and Carrie and Isaac and Cracker for having us down to visit you for New Years.  We had a blast!