Christmas 2009

We did something different this year and spent Christmas up in the mountains. Our days were full of activities like skiing, snowboarding, cross country skiing and a cold day of fishing (Mike). The temps were usually around 5 degrees when we woke up. A few days of 0. Very cold. We also lost power all day on Christmas due to a power outage, which we all decided it would make one of the most memorable Christmases to date. Thanks to the gas fireplace we all survived. Anna proved to love the snow as much as we do, no real surprise there. We had planned on taking her skiing but only made it to the sledding hill. I don't know who had more fun, Mike or Anna. Happy 2010!

Fourth of July? Really??

This has got to be the most common question (slightly rhetorical) in reference to our blog. For those of you still following, I thought I'd add a couple just to become somewhat current, and yes, change that fourth of July posting. Here is Anna on our front porch. I just love this picture. It really looks like her. The next picture is from Hermosa Beach. Mike's old stomping grounds. Mike took her down to the water and she was immediately knocked over by a wave. A little shocking to me, but Anna loved it. She has been loving the water for quite a while now so this was the ultimate. Mike just returned from an incredible fishing trip in Alaska and he is anxious to post lots of pictures. Those will be up soon.

Anna and her new favorite friend 'moo moo'

A cool day at the beach

4th of July Block Party with the Vans (and everyone else on 14th street)

I'm pretty sure I can say that I was never really interested in 'block parties' (especially the kind with a thousand kids running all over the place) until now. Anna was in the trenches. She was smack in the middle of the parade, feeding kids fruit (see below) and in general, just being a kid. Don't get me wrong, to the right of this picture was a margarita machine keeping the parents happy, I mean, life does go on. But it sure is fun with Anna.....

J.D., Anna and Harrison in the parade


Anna 'sharing'

No doubt this kid is part Texan. At the end of the day, she was so tired she had to lay down to enjoy her rib. This is seriously funny to us because the only time Anna slows down is to sleep.

Mike, Anna, Travis and Harrison

Anna (18mo.) and Harrison Van (11mo.)

The Rothschilds in town!!

Two years ago when Joey and Cathy came out to visit, we went wine tasting in Napa. We ended up at Plumpjack. Here we are again last month. This time with two new additions. Anna, and baby Rothschild who is due in the fall. This winery has a great picnic table up above the vineyards. Both trips we bought a bottle, sat at the table and enjoyed the day. I hope this is a tradition for many years. Here are a few shots.

In the tasting room at Plumpjack. We all loved the Sauvignon Blanc!

At our favorite picnic table above the vineyards

Anna and Joey finishing a glass of wine.

Parents to be. Cathy was a good sport about being pregnant in Napa. I've been there. It's tough.

Easter 2009 - Thunderbird

Easter in Rancho Mirage has been a family tradition for Cara's family for decades. This year was especially exciting because Anna was into the egg hunt and the petting zoo. Below are a few pictures from out great trip.

Anna and her Easter basket.

The 'Fam'.

Anna loved the petting zoo. I was worried that the goat was going to kick her; but she managed to navigate the area quite well.

She loved petting the bunnies.

This was my favorite rooster - he reminded me of my Dad.

Cara, Anna and Aunt Cat. For those of you that were at our wedding this is where we had our reception.

My favorite picture from the weekend.

Friends

We were so excited when the Mckee's told us they were coming out for a visit. The weekend flew by and we all had so much fun. We headed up to Tahoe for a night and the kids had a great time playing in the snow. Allyson and Anna are only about 6 months apart so they were great buddies by the end of the weekend. So cute together!

Anna and Allyson

Hunt and a little 'red'

Megan and Luke (the expert skateboarder who made some new friends in California and perfected a couple new tricks- he'll be sponsored one day)

Elliot, Mike, Anna and Allyson getting ready for bed.

Who doesn't love a bathtub shot!

A day at the park

We have a great little playground near our house and Anna is finally old enough to enjoy, so we head up to the park at least three times a week. I think Anna loves the swing the best, but always wants to go down the slide. The first few times we held on to her, but then she insisted on going down alone. Big girl.

All the camellia trees are in bloom right now. Pink, red and white all over our backyard. I think this is a great shot.

Sun Valley

Looks like we have a little girl who likes the mountains as much as we do. Mike and I just got home from a week in Sun Valley. The weather was very cold so it made for great snow. A few days of snowboarding and a few days of cross country skiing was sure to create some sore legs, and it did, so we took a day off to go sledding with Anna. She had the funniest look on her face and we had a hard time not falling apart laughing. What a perfect Valentine's Day/President's Day weekend.

Walking on the bike path in front of the house and waving to Mimi and Papa.
Anna thought this was some kind of animal (which it was at one point) because she kept petting it and giving it some love. awwww.

Anna's 1st Birthday!!

On January 12th, Anna turned one! Jon-Paul and Jessica were here for a few days so it was so much fun for Anna to share her birthday with her cousin Justin. Anna demolished her cupcake and we all demolished carnitas and margaritas. Mimi and Papa and Aunt Cat were also there. It was a small celebration but lots of fun. Here, Anna is showing off her 'touchdown!' which was mastered just in time for the national championships. Anna has been so much fun. She has quite the personality and is walking all over the place. True entertainment nightly. Just went to the doctor. New stats in: 21lbs and 30 in. long. Anna is almost ready for baseball season, watch out Pages, were coming to AZ to getcha!

Time for a little catch up...

The end of 2008 and the beginning of 2009 have been wonderful. It is hard to believe that Christmas has already come and gone and it's mid January. Mike decided it was time that we have a 'real' camera so went out and purchased something that would not only visually record our memories but, unfortunately, keep all of our pictures locked in the camera. The only problem with the digital world. Well, we have finally put all our pictures on the computer and are ready to share. Here are a few shots from December and January. This was Anna's first Christmas so it was extra special to us and then we rolled right into her birthday January 12. What a ride. With the new year comes a zealous promise of active blogging! Here we go....

Mike and Susan came for a visit just before Christmas. Anna gave Susan lots of love.

Anna's Christmas outfit complete with her own 'faux' fur shrug.

Christmas morning

We took Gigi out to dinner right before Christmas. Anna had a hard time deciding so she ordered the osso buco. Good choice.

I think Anna actually forgot this bow was on her head.

It's been a while...

We are slacker bloggers. I'm not sure anyone is even reading this anymore, but just in case, here are some new pictures. This is the most recent picture of Anna. She is actually starting to look like a little girl. My mom said to Mike that there is no denying that she is his daughter, on the other hand, so many people say she looks just like me. I don't know, but she sure looks cute. And that is the smallest hair clip in the world. Perfect for holding 5 strands of hair. The pictures following include lots of team spirit since the longhorns have had an exciting year. Every Saturday we represent in our shirts and the Texas flag has been hanging out front all season. Mike says there is still a shot at the National Championships, but OU has to win (just by a little) this weekend. It is hard to believe that next weekend is Thanksgiving. It is such a cliche, but time sure does fly. Miss you all.

A little over 10 months old.




Last weekend getting ready for the big game! My mom says she has our 'sorority' smile already.

banana face


Vegas baby! I celebrated my first weekend away by seeing Madonna in Vegas. Kim, Kristen, CJ and I had planned this for months. Resplendent in so many ways, Champagne lunch, lots of gambling, and spending time with three of my favorites. I have a feeling I will always like Vegas.

Anna goes to Texas!

Last week, Mike and I took Anna back to Texas. There were many stops across that huge state but all in all it was a great trip. San Antonio was the first stop to see Anna's Momo (Mike's mom) and James. They are in a beautiful spot out in the hill country. Lots of space and deer that come right up to the gate to eat. It was so much fun to see Emily, Aunt Mary, Aunt Debbie and Tom. Next we headed to Austin to stay with the Rothschilds. Austin is so much fun and Mike couldn't wait to take Anna to campus. Congratulations to Ashli and Casey, Ashli's pregnant! And so much fun to see Scott and Leigh too. We miss you guys. Next we headed south to Hunt's ranch to hang with the Mckee's, Jeff and Jarrett. The guys went dove hunting and then we ended the night sitting around the fire. Good times. Anna and Mike at the University of Texas tower.
playing in San Antonio
Momo's new house out in the hill country. I'll have to admit, Texas has the most beautiful sunsets. This gate is where all the deer would wander up to eat.
Anna and Ally
Mike, Hunt and Jeff. These guys have been hunting and playing at this ranch since they were little boys. It's a beautiful spot in the south part of the state just north of Corpus Christi. They actually did come back with some quail.