our christmas part 2

well, with it being the eve of new years eve i could think of no better time to share with you the rest of our christmas photos. L and i began christmas eve in true california form & shared a coconut. i wasn't sure how lu would feel about it since he is so picky these days, but he more than liked it and gulped it down like water, slurping up every last drop. i practically had to pry it out of his hands.

^^i'm not sure what kind of sugar a coconut comes equipped with, but it was enough to keep luca up far past his nap time & after climbing on pretty much every piece of furniture, including our microwave, he finally crashed ^^

^^we are simply obsessed with the 'black ice' moccasins by freshly picked. they go with absolutely everything and have subtle, yet just enough, detail to add a little bit of pizzazz to any outfit--Not to mention, how easy and practical the moccs are to slip on when we need to get going quick as in right this minute now which is far to often than i'd like to admit.^^

^^while lulu slept, miles did some work on his computer & i began mixing up some pancake batter to make some fun pancakes inspired by the one & only, everybody's favorite, pinterest^^

^^have you ever tried making pancakes with a pancake pen? it's so much fun because you can make fun shapes & it makes cleaning up a cinch. we found ours at world market, but i've seen them at crate & barrel as well, and if you aren't near either of those stores, try amazon^^

^^santa claus is just a classic circular pancake snazzed up with whip cream for his hair and beard, bananas and cherries for his eyes, strawberries cut into halves to make his hat, and a strawberry with the stem cut off for his nose^^

^^i also made a snowman (not pictured) & this christmas tree with bananas, whipped cream, and strawberries. the pancakes were so sweet and yummy with the fruit and whipped cream they didn't even need syrup, although i'm sure they would be all the more delicious that way. I was feeling way too fat from pigging out everywhere else so i opted out, but don't let me be the one make you feel guilty,..you lather those puppies up, it's christmas!!!^^

^^this was one of the most fun  things i did this season, sewed up a baby apron for luca. i didn't follow a pattern & i didn't measure him either (although i would have liked to, but he wasn't in any mood to let me) i just guesstimated, and as the best projects go, i just went for it! and i was so pleased with the turnout!^^

 ^^after breakfast we got around to making sugar cookies for santa with lu's godmother "auntie em," and lu was in hog heaven getting to lend a helping hand^^

 ^^it's a good thing his toys weren't on the counter or he would have thrown those in too^^

 ^^the stand up mixer is so essential for big baking projects. i am by no means sponsored by kitchen-aide, but i love mine. I do know a few different brands make them and they come in all different colors, so if you are going to invest in one, shop around. mine was a hand me down from my grandmother who didn't use it enough, so i was lucky in that sense, but really, i would have bought one myself because they are that good^^

 ^^and then out came my extensive collection of cookie cutters. slightly embarrassed, slightly proud...^^

 ^^miles insisted we take this photo with our heart cutouts. of course, mine's the bigger one!^^

i'm part hispanic, so we celebrate christmas on that side of my family on christmas eve at my aunt's house. mile's dad, greg, came out to join us, and even stayed the night. he helped me put together the basketball hoop santa brought lu for christmas. in our household, santa doesn't wrap his gifts and rarely does he put them together. so greg was a huge help and of course we love his company. wait...is santa ikea?! 

 ^^i made homemade monkey bread (pull-apart cinnamon rolls) which was broken out on christmas morning after hours of slaving away to the homemade dough in the kitchen (next time, i'll plan things out in terms of timeliness a little better, but they were a hit & no one complained about the wait)^^

my family & i hope you had a joyous christmas and a have an even more wonderful new year. i can't believe how fast the time is flying by & even more than that I cannot wait to see what this year will bring. 

happy holidays from my family to yours, the wood family
Miles, Chelsie & Luca
xo