Sacred Heart Christmas Program

I forgot I had these in my camera. This is from our Christmas Program this year. Blake's class sang Domenique the Italian Christmas Donkey. I thought the costumes were right on! It was very cute!

Christmas 2009!

Well, what a difference a year makes! We had such a wonderful Christmas this year. All of the boys truly understood what was going on and it was so fun to once again live Christmas through the eyes of children. Santa was extremely good to all of the kiddos this year and mom and dad didn't disappoint either. Under the tree were new bikes, a new Wii, fishing poles, tackle boxes, baseball gloves, soccer balls, new helmets, leapster games, new dvd's, blocks, puzzles and much more. The one thing purposely left out was the clothes. Blake and Ryan made it perfectly clear that they did not want any clothes for Christmas this year! Boy do I need a little girl to dress up : )! Amy and Matt, my mom and dad, and Patrick's parents joined us for dinner. I decided to take it a little easy this year and for go the normal ham or prime rib and opted for an Italian themed feast...mom brought some absolutely delicious antipasta from an Italian deli, I made a fantastic cioppino full of fresh lobster, shrimp and Chilean Sea Bass, and we ended the meal with two homemade lasagna's. One traditional with Italian sausage and red sauce and the other was spinach and cremini mushrooms with a gorgonzola cream sauce topped with panko bread crumbs and parmigianno regianno. I found a great Chianti to pair and we even had bellini's before dinner. It was a fun change. Since Patrick had to work Christmas morning, we did the big Santa gifts and our presents on Christmas Eve. Christmas morning they got to open presents from grandma and grandpa and Matt and Amy. The only gift I did not get that I have been hoping for is a new niece or nephew....maybe next year! What a wonderful couple of days filled with family, laughter and love. We are truly blessed!

New Year's on the Central Coast

Me and the boys, met up with my mom and dad, and Amy and Matt for New Year's on the Central Coast. We all stayed on the golf course with Uncle Denis and Auntie Lulu. It was so nice to spend time with them. Even Anabay and Peter were home...an added treat! We had a delicious dinner New Year's Eve and Blake almost made it to midnight...poor guy crashed out less than ten minutes from New Years and I couldn't wake him up! Friday my mom and dad and I took the boys to one of my favorite spots in Avila to see the seals and have lunch at Fat Cat's Cafe...delicious! Uncle Denis spoiled the kiddos with a two hour hike around the golf course and trip to the park. The boys truly enjoyed their many walks around Cypress Ridge, feeding the ducks, playing at the two parks, visiting the seals and even taking a frigid dip in the ocean. We celebrated Ry's birthday with a slice of cake from the famous Madonna Inn, or as Ryan likes to call it, "the pink palace!" Saturday we celebrated Anabay's 30th birthday with a wonderful party with about 25 family members. Blake found a new best friend in Ruben and the authentic Santa Maria BBQ prepared by Jim and Ben was absolutely to die for. Those of you who have never had a true Santa Maria BBQ don't know what you are missing out on. All in all it was a wonderful trip with many new memories! It is always so hard to leave my beloved Central Coast and I can't wait to one day soon call it home once again. Thank you Auntie Lulu and Uncle Denis for the hospitality and happy birthday my sweet Anabay! Love you all.

Sacred Heart Christmas Luncheon

Blake with his best friend Robert...aren't they both the cutest?!

Blake with his 8th grade Heart Pal Paul...I think they look like brothers.

Even though Blake was in the back, I managed to get a shot during the performance.

Today was our annual Christmas Luncheon for Sacred Heart. Every year it is a tradition that the Kindergarten students perform with their 8th Grade Heart Pals. It was a wonderful afternoon, beautiful venue (thank you Rancho Las Palmas!), and so much fun to watch Blake on stage along with the rest of my kindergarten kiddos. They all did a great job and were a big success! Here are some pictures from the day. Let's hope we raised tons of money for the school! Thank you Mrs. Delaney and the rest of the mom's and dad's for all of your hard work! We are so blessed!

Christmas Time at the Forrest's

Well as most of you know, Christmas is one of my absolute favorite times of the year. I have even threatened to start decorating before Thanksgiving : )! I have had so much fun decorating our new home this year. I have added a new tree in my dining room and although the tree in the family room grew as we added ornaments and is now a little tight for it's spot, it is a beautiful tree. We cut it down from a Christmas tree farm near my sister's home in Elk Grove over Thanksgiving. I ended up going against the grain and did not get our typical noble fir. This year I got a cedar tree. I like it a lot, especially since it is in our living area. It is a bit softer... no needles and a bit more casual. It is so much fun to see the excitement in the kid's eyes as I continue to add new things around the house! It should be a very fun Christmas season this year! Enjoy the pics. Wishing all of you a very Merry Christmas!!