Christmas 2013 was a happy whirlwind. Luke's whole family was able to be together, including all seven Winterings all the way from North Carolina. It was such a blessing to be able to spend some nice quality time with all of the aunts and uncles and cousins. I've said it before, and I'll say it again: my children are so lucky to have such an amazing extended family who makes them feel so loved and cherished. I've said this before, too, and at the risk of sounding like a broken record, I'll say it again: I wish I took more pictures.
Two days after Christmas, we packed up the car and set off for the California coast. It was Grandma Marceen's 90th birthday, so the whole Speier clan gathered to celebrate.
Most of the family are based in Santa Barbara, a beautiful spot which I wish we could have had more time to explore. Uncle Kurt and Aunt Jan gave us a tour of their church, St. Athanasius. Getting to see their beautiful icons and was a highlight of the trip for me. It was amazing to see so much beauty tucked away in an unassuming building. Their community is moving to a new space, and I hope one day we can visit there as well.
We had a great time catching up with all the extended family, although we missed Aunt Brit and the Winterings.
We took a little walk on the pier before Grandma's party, and the girls tried to make a new friend.
Kateri's flip flop flew off of her foot and into the drink, a minor tragedy which caused a few tears from Kateri and me to clutch my wiggly toddler a little tighter. After the weekend festivities, we drove down to the Newport area.
Here is Isaiah at Little Corona. This beach is amazing. If you go at low tide, you can see so many gorgeous and interesting creatures in the tide pools. We saw sea hares, bright lavender sea urchins, starfish, anemones, and little opaleye fish. Then, after we hiked back up to the street and were chatting with Uncle Justin, Uncle Travis, and Aunt Stephanie, a little girl standing nearby pointed out a whale spouting just beyond the kelp line. The wildlife in the Pacific never ceases to amaze me...it would seem like the population density of Southern California would drive all the creatures away, but no.
All in all, the trip was a big success, and a great way to close out the year. Here's to a great 2014!
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