Home At Last

Hello! What a whirlwind of month we had in December. We started with our Christmas Open House...and the rest is a blur. Sorry it has been so long. I have been barely keeping up with real life, without throwing cyber life into the mix.

We had a great time in California. We arrived in Los Angeles, drove to Orange County, where we stayed for four nights, then drove up to Fresno, where we stayed four nights, then back to Orange County for the duration of our trip. All was going quite smooth, until Phoebe ended up with a bacterial infection, which led to bronchitis and an ear infection. Poor thing was sick for a good chunk of our trip.

Phoebe is fine now, and thankfully her yucky days were sandwiched by great days before and after. We are happy to be home. Between the packing and flying, the family events, the sick kid, and the task of boxing up Christmas after our return, I am still it a bit of a haze.

I am about to post a ton of pictures from our trip. Enjoy!


It had been a while since Phoebe played with her cousins. I always try to catch the three of them smiling, but they move so quick...this is as close as it gets.

Phoebe and Angelina got right down to business. Within minutes of our arrival, these two were decked out in princess gear, from their heads to their toes!

Phoebe and Nani were such great little helpers in the kitchen, preparing for the big feast at Grandma and Grandpa's house.

Grandma and Grandpa hosted an early Christmas gathering (since Xee had to be back at work on the 26th). Phoebe's aunties had her pose with as many relatives as she would, so we can look at these pictures and remember what a big, loving family we have back in Fresno. These are just a few of them.

With cousin Lisa.


With cousin Dale.


With cousin Simon.



Her and Auntie Chie.


And Uncle Pao...


Now with great Auntie and Grandma.

With Uncle James.

This cute little guy and Phoebe spent some time chatting like old friends...funny thing is, he only speaks Hmong and Phoebe only speaks English. So sweet.


Phoebe with Auntie Khou, cousin Lisa, and Auntie Mao.


And here she is with her Grandpa.


Xee takes a pic with some of the "men" of the family.


It turned out to be a White Christmas for us. We had a blast up at Shaver Lake! This was Phoebe's first time seeing real snow.



Say, "cheese!"

Nani is ready for a sled ride.


Nani snuggles up with Mommy!


Auntie Khou takes Phoebe for a ride...


It was a little bumpy at the end!


Xee seems to enjoy this as much as Angelina!


Khou climbs up to the top of the hill for quite a slick ride...this is the look of fear!

Lawrence, being silly.

Khou and Lawrence go down tandem and wipe out.


Phoebe thought the snow looked a lot like "shave ice", a local favorite in Hawaii.


Fun with Mommy!


Me and my guy!!


Auntie Chie gets started on a snowman...kind of looks like an angel, huh?


It turned out to be more like a snow gal...we took turns posing with her.


Here she is in all her glory!

The night before we left, Phoebe and Angelina got to decorate cookies...so much fun.


The finished product...awesome cookies girls! If you ask Phoebe what her favorite part of the entire trip was, she will say, "making cookies with Auntie Mao!"


After leaving Fresno, we headed back to southern Cal to spend Christmas Eve with more family. Here I am with the ladies.

My nephew, Matt, with his beautiful daughter, Cadence. Cadence is just a little older than my sister's youngest, Madison in the next picture...which makes Madison Cadence's aunt. We get a kick out of that one.

Adorable Madison. Don't you just want to squeeze her?

A big squeeze for great Aunt Sharon, for her favorite gift...


You cannot go wrong when you give Phoebe a ballerina doll.

For the last nine and a half years of our marriage, Xee has been notorious for taking "bad" pictures of me...sneaking up on me when I first wake up, when I am mid-sentence, or even when I am mad. So I am including this picture to document the rare occasion when Xee captures a decent shot...on purpose!


Christmas morning, at the Eisleben home. Xee and I arranged presents under a little tree that Phoebe had decorated...


Whether it was that the novelty of opening presents had worn off (is that even possible with a 3 year old?), or the fact that she was suddenly feeling very sick (that must have been it), this was not quite the response we were hoping for!

I reenacted it for Xee, with a little more enthusiasm, so he would feel better...




Just click your Fancy Nancy heels together and we'll be back in Hawaii with Daddy!

Travel Hangover

Hey all! I'm totally exhausted...be back soon, I promise.

Happy New Year!!

Let Us Adore HIM!

Simply Christmas

If you haven't seen this elsewhere, now you have seen it here...



MERRY CHRISTMAS!

It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like....

CHRISTMAS!!

Tea tights in origami Lilly pads (red, reminiscent of poinsettias) lined the walkway to our Open House last Friday night.

The regal reindeer graces us with his presence again this year.

Giant origami snowman!

Xee and I don't have an established Christmas tree tradition. Some years it was up just days before Christmas and was left for the entire month of January. Timing has varied, but we have not ever put it up before Thanksgiving....until this year.

Xee was a little anxious to get the tree up early this year. He was bugging me to put it up the first week of November! I finally caved in two days before Thanksgiving. I had come home from my Pilates class to a magical surprise of being surrounded by snowflakes. While I was busy exercising, Xee and Phoebe had been busy snipping away with their scissors to create our own little winter wonderland.

So I couldn't resist. I told Xee to go ahead and get out the tree. (Of course, it sat there for two days before I got the gumption to start the trimming.) Now, over the years I have been bothered by the increasing commercialism of Christmas and the decorations popping up at department stores as early as October. But maybe the excitement and anticipation of going back to California got us all into the spirit a bit early this year. And since we had plans to jump on a plane mid-December, I was happy to oblige Xee's request.

Phoebe and I hit the beach for one last day in the sun this afternoon. Phoebe said, "Mommy, the beach is going to miss us." Yes, we will miss you too! But we are so exited about being home for Christmas and it may even turn out to be white (if we can get there, it will be Phoebe's first time seeing snow). Since my sister moved back to California, it will be the first time in years that we will be together for the holiday. Though it will surely not go unnoticed that we are almost all there.

With our busy lives and the distance, Christmas was usually the one time we were sure to see my Dad. As the day approaches, I am already missing his strong affection for eggnog, his totally infectious laugh, the way he oohed and awed over my mom's desserts...still, all these years after they divorced. And most of all, the look on his face as he took it all in, cherishing each moment with us, loving those around him, joy shining through in his eyes.

My dad had a few nervous habits. Most of you know that he smoked. He also jingled his change and his keys in his pocket. He moved around a lot. They are just quirky little things that made him...well, him. I will feel their absence as well. It will be wonderful, but it won't be the same.

We leave at 6:30 tomorrow morning. We are packed and ready for our trip. I don't know how much I will chime in here in blogland, if at all. Things will be super busy. We will be visiting family and friends in Orange County, then heading up to Fresno for a few days, and back to Orange County again. For those of you who don't know, they are about a 5 hour drive apart...and I still have to address and send out our cards!

So in case I don't get back soon, we wish you all a very Merry Christmas and we pray that you will be keeping Christ at the center of your Christmas celebration. For He truly is the Reason for the Season!

Oh boy, I'd better get some sleep...

It's a Honu Miracle!

Neither Xee or I have ever collected stuffed animals as adults. But on our "last hurrah" together, pre-Phoebe, we were staying here in Ko Olina (where we now live). I was pregnant at the time. We were walking by a little shop at the Marriott, when an adorable turtle caught Xee's eye. He went into that store as if this little guy was calling his name. I had never really seen Xee so excited about a child's toy.

I think something happens to us when we become parents. Something magical turns on inside and we are able to tap into, if only a wee little bit, that child-like quality that still resides in us all.

Needless to say, we bought the turtle. Xee wouldn't have left the store without him. He named him Honu, which means "green sea turtle" in Hawaiian. Honu has been with us ever since. He was at the hospital when Phoebe arrived, on the plane ride when we moved here. He's part of the family.

Recently Honu went missing. I figured we would find him in a day or two...I found myself panicing a little when I had checked the car, Phoebe's toy closet, under the sofas, under Phoebe's bed. Honu was nowhere to be found!

Have you ever lost something meaningful? Something that in itself, has little value, but is quite important to you?

I began to remember this one very special item that still haunts me today. A card. Not just any card. THE card. The one that sparked it all between Xee and I. He had written a lovely card to me the day after our first date, and when I moved out of my apartment and into our home together after we got married, that card disappeared. I went on a crazy rampage looking for it for months...to no avail. I still look for it. I pray it will show up one day. How could it go missing? How could I have let it happen. It was just a thing. But it meant so very much to me...

And now Honu was missing! Okay, not at all the same when you weigh the two against one another. The amazing card on one hand...the stuffed toy on the other? Regardless, I was worried. And I wasn't the only one. Xee and Phoebe were distressed as well.

I had looked in every possible place for our little turtle with the adorable smile. Oh boy, maybe he's gone. Maybe he fell out of the car without our knowing. Maybe he got run over by a car!

(So dramatic)

Then the other day I was putting away clothes in Phoebe's room, when I was suddenly compelled to look for Honu in a spot I knew I had already checked several times, up and down, and all around. Under the bed.

I lifted the skirt on Phoebe's little bed, and who was lying there, in plain view, just hangin' ? Unbelievable...our very own little Honu miracle!

I am telling you people...I had searched under that bed! Where did he come from?

Well, we are just glad to have our little guy back, safe and sound.

THE END