Christmas Eve day we went into Lake Arrowhead Village to look around. There are just a few little shops, a couple of restaurants and a very nice grocery store. Here we are at lunch, where Milo got the biggest hot dog we have ever seen. He ate most of it and then split a chocolate sundae with me!
Christmas morning in the cabin was super fun! We had such a nice pile of gifts, we didn't even miss the tree. Milo kept saying something like, "I can't under-believe it." The best part was watching him discover his stocking. We were all in our stockings, and he wanted to get to the wrapped gifts. Kelly told him to look in his, and when he picked it up to toss it aside, he felt the weight of it and let out this, "Oh" sound that I will forever regret not having on film.
Milo's new T-ball from Daddy which has resulted from several time outs for hitting things other than the ball on the T.
Opening one of many new Thomas engines.
A snuggle with Auntie and new car from Grandpa Lyman.
Christmas day was too exciting for Milo. I expect a kid to meltdown during their birthday parties, but I wasn't ready for Christmas. He was more than ready for his nap, and we ALL enjoyed it.
Nap time started with mimosas on the patio.
and ended with a delicious, adult Christmas dinner. Lyman and Kelly did most of the cooking of course. Yum!
About two weeks ago there was a lot of rain in the city below, and thus a lot of snow in the mountains above. This was, at first, very exciting, and then anxiety provoking when we had to consider snow chains and driving delays. By the time we arrived, the roads we mostly snow and ice free and there was enough snow on the ground to please us. K and M have no shortage of the white stuff, and a little is all Milo needs to get out the ordinary concrete jungle where he lives.
This is our cosy little cabin. However, for every little cosy dwelling, there are 10 huge homes with tall gates and elaborate wood carvings. It was very quiet on the mountain top. We were all a little confused why someone with a mountain home would not choose to spend Christmas there; maybe their other home is even more spectacular?
The last morning in the cabin was spent eating whatever leftovers would do for breakfast, cleaning-up, packing and taking some last pictures on the patio. It was a great little adventure in the mountains!
These pictures were taken on a look out spot along the curvy mountain cliff road. Living in LA, it was great to get up to the top of what I drive below all the time. K spent most of the drive home scheming how we can buy a cabin of our own. While that is not likely soon, I do hope we can go back someday!
I think you all have received our card by now. (If you didn't get one, sorry, and Merry Christmas!) These are the pictures that didn't make the cut. Actually, I did design a card with all these, but I think the blog is a better place for displaying them! Milo is usually a very happy model, but not the day we took our picture. Luckily, our friend Vinnie has a lot of patience and editing skill to make the beautiful card we shared. 
Saturday we met our friends at the Zoo to sit with Santa and visit his reindeer. Maddie happily jumped up to see Santa, but her model Santa protocol did not inspire Milo or Sophie who didn't want anything to do with him.
After seeing Santa, the kids picked up some antlers, but the craft station was too crowded to stay and decorate them. So we saw a few animals and headed home. I know most of you will be appreciating the sunshine and light clothing!
We are lucky to have our best friends to spend many holidays together. We saw them Thanksgiving weekend for some food, football and games. I overheard Maddie tell Milo, it's not your turn, Sophie is winning. Later Milo drooled on the game board, and she brought it to me to disinfect since she knew he had been sick. He ran a 24 hour fever with no other symptoms. Now Lyman and I are feeling ill, but with mostly sinus/allergy discomfort. I hate bring sick, but I guess I'm happier to be sick now then at Christmas 3 weeks from now.
This last picture is M at a birthday party a few weeks ago. He loves his conductor hat!
Milo and I met our friends M & J (M and I went to high school together!) at the Pumpkin Patch last Friday evening. Milo had a great time pushing and pulling the wagons, learning the names of the pumpkins, taking a train ride through the city farm and playing with his buddy. Milo has really great interpersonal skills; he knows all his friends names, their pets names and details from them homes where we have had playdates. It's a great skill to have; I hope he keeps it as his world gets bigger.
Here is happy Milo on his new bed (our old, but not that old, queen bed). After 5 long weeks of sleep issues, things took a big turn in a positive direction last week. After a trip to the pediatrician and new strategies, Milo now sleeps alone all night in his own big boy bed. I (Lyman has had very few, like 3, work-free evenings the past 5 weeks) have to start the night with him sitting in the chair (that I moved up from the living room. It's comfy enough to fall asleep in, somthing I have done a lot the past two weeks, but separate from his bed, where I will no longer lie. Sometimes he still wakes in the night, but is satisfied enough with an explanation that it's still sleepy time, and goes back to sleep.
Cute right? You have work a lot harder and pay a lot more money for adorable boy stuff, but it's worth it.
Today Milo and I went to The Skirball Cultural Center to visit the Noah's Ark exhibit. I have been to this museum before with 8th graders, and they do a wonderful job with adolescent fieldtrips; their talents certainly extent to children as well! This was a remarkable adventure that everyone living in or visiting the LA area should check out. While the exhibit was called "Noah's Ark" the experts there have made it very multicultural. They explained, in a soothing rain stick intro, that almost every culture has a flood story. Throughout the many gallery rooms of activities there were arks from all over the globe on display more museum like, everything else could be touched and played with.
Milo cooking in the kitchen.
Milo could pick out animal shapes from this net...
plug them into the conveyor belt....
an then this little guy cranked them up and into the ark- two by two.
This place really is remarkable! Many of the animals have been repurposed from other objects, and Milo was fantastic at identifying them. For example, when I asked him what this alligator's tongue was made of, he called out, bass! Close enough Daddy? don't know if you can tell from the picture, but the head holding the eyes, is a ladies leather glove.
Like the Lion King, this fox was a puppet of sorts that one of the museum guides walked around.
Naturally the ark would be dirty with plenty of droppings, but it was a little gross to watch the kids scoop up the fake poop.
