Reason to Celebrate

Today marks another year of celebrating Clara’s Special Day. It’s the anniversary of Leah’s first cancer surgery when she was five months pregnant. Both mom and baby were under for three and half long hours on the operating table. In post-op, Clara’s heartbeat and kicks came back from the anesthesia in amazing form— strong, playful and steady. Every year since our little family has made this a special day.

Why do we celebrate?

Why do we remember?

Why now, when both mom and baby are healthy and strong?

It’s a way to acknowledge the blessings that come out of really hard and scary times.

It gives us a chance to show our daughter in a meaningful way that she is strong and she is loved. 

It remind our kids (and us) that we will do all that’s within our power to protect them and will hold them close when pain has to be endured that is outside of our control.

We get to eat cake with chocolate frosting and dance with glow sticks.

It’s part of her story, part of our story, and stories need to be told, cherished and passed down. The funny, the heartbreaking, the miraculous, the ordinary— these are our treasures.

Here’s to you, Clara Elizabeth Grace. Our strong, playful, steady amazing girl. 

You are loved. 

We Love (Nerdy) LA

Armed with a place to stay (thank you, LB!), our reciprocal membership card from the S.B. Natural History Museum and plenty of snacks we set off on a thirty-six hour LA adventure.

We hit the La Brea Tar Pits, LACMA, California Science Center and the LA Natural History Museum.

We discovered new treasures (wooly mammoths are cool!), fueled old passions (dinosaurs for Clara and space travel for Mark), got lost/turned around/someone had the directions wrong (Mark and Leah auto bickering is grand entertainment) and managed to sneak in a trip to Target (come to Santa Barbara already, will you?).

It was a whirlwind trip and admittedly a bit of a nerd fest, but we had the best time. We’re aware that this is a magic season of family togetherness— we can actually do thing with the kids and we're still their favorite people. That combination doesn’t last forever, folks.

But while it’s here we are going to squeeze out every fossil discovery, ice cream sandwich break, cool sculpture admiring, space shuttle gazing, holding-our-hands-for- no-reason moment we can. 

Superman

Since way back in the dating days Leah has called Mark her Clark Kent. Especially when his hair was a little darker and his glasses a little more square, Mark was true doppelganger material. 

He has become our Superman. The strength of his love, determination and fight for our family is the stuff of action heroes. Well, action heroes who have mad percussion and laundry folding skills, deep theological insight, the ability to warm the coldest of toes and Rusty’s Pizza on speed dial. For his birthday this year we celebrated Mr. Kent by surrounding him with his favorite things— great burgers, good beer, hot fudge pudding cake, Peet’s coffee and us. 

Happy Birthday, we love you and good luck finding a phone booth. XOXO

Clara with the birthday boy pretending to be "mommy in the morning."

Christmas Snapshots (Lots)

December was busy with Christmas cheer and enjoying our first Santa Barbara holiday season settled into our own little home— we managed to fit two trees in 1200 square feet!

Celebrating advent together is beginning to hold deeper meaning as the kids can understand and interact with the true meaning of Christmas. Ben enthusiastically and seriously accepted the responsibility of lighting the first advent candle of the season, the candle of Hope. 

Santa’s cutest gift wrapping elf, she uses just as much tape as her mama.

Before David and Judy headed to Santa Fe we celebrated “Sassy Christmas” together with presents, hot fudge sundaes and general silliness. 

We took over “the deck” to watch the boat parade and fireworks over the water. This is our second year of this hot chocolate laden tradition and it’s a favorite.

The kids made salt dough ornaments this year to adorn the little Christmas tree at the cemetery for Erik and Jordyn Kester. We are humbled to be entrusted with this task and the chance to show our love for this special family.

In true “Auntie” DeLayne fashion, she sent us a box filled with fun treats. These are special 3-D glasses that when you look at Christmas lights you see a hundred 3-D “Jingle Bells.” These came in handy for our night out to see Christmas lights…

…the evening began with a stop at Rusty’s Pizza, of course. As the kids like to say, “Rusty’s is pizza paradise!”.

Clara hosted a pajama party for all the animals under the Christmas tree.

We made special deliveries for our annual Hands of Grace day.

Christmas Eve kids.

 Christmas morning kids.

On Christmas afternoon, our dear friends Lauren and Jules came for a visit (yay!). Running around on the beach was the perfect way to burn off some of that Christmas morning buzzy energy.

We then took a trip up north to Merced and Sacramento to see Leah’s parents and a few close friends. The chief photographer of the family got sick which means hardly any pictures (a clear indicator of how bad I was feeling). But it was a great time with Pop-Pop, seeing cousins, visiting Nana Zipper and Papa Steve, catching-up with both Katie and Ben and Darla. 

Clara obviously wasn't in the mood for pictures, too.

Merry and bright. Thankful hearts.