A Joyous Noel

We hope that you had a wonderful Christmas filled with family and friends, love and peace. Here are a few pictures of our Christmas. This was the first year that Karissa really understood what Christmas is all about. She loved every minute of the holiday season.

We have had a way too exciting 2008 and are looking forward to brighter days in 2009!

Karissa, Kelsey, Kayley, Ellie and Collin enjoying Matt (my brother) Churizo burritos on Christmas morning. YUM!
MMMM....Burritos

Karissa enjoying her gifts

The aftermath!

Sleeping beauty, please go back to sleep. Mommy and Daddy are way too tired!

Reindeer food and a cookie for Santa

A final squeeze on Christmas Eve

Karissa loving Auntie Nae-Nae and Zoe

Ready or Not .....Christmas is coming

Christmas is almost here and this year I am more ready than ever. We have a few more gifts to wrap as we prepare for the big day. Thus far we have had a great month filled with family, friends, parties and all that Christmas entails. Karissa learned a few new Christmas songs this year. I am pleased that she stopped adding "Poop" to each one. Although she just learned about Mr. Hankey at her Godparents home last weekend.

Thank you Aunt Lisa and Uncle Mark!

Addi and Natalia with Mark, Karissa's godfather

Addi - ready for the Arctic cold last Wednesday (the day that it snowed at Kayla's)

Gingerbread houses with Ellie and Kayley

I love the chaos that ensues when these girls get together!

Flour girl

7 Years of bliss - Happy Anniversary

On December 8 Matt and I celebrated our 7 year Wedding Anniversary. We had a lovely evening...Matt was taking his Torts class mid-term and I had dinner with Matt, Beth, Grandpa and a gaggle of girls! Once midterms are over, we plan to celebrate appropriately.
Karissa decided to hop in my gift bag and be a gift for me. This was right after she ran upstairs with my gift for Matt and announced, "Dad, we got you a really scary movie!" Matt just laughed and loved his Call of Duty game.

Santa and his elves

A little glamour always makes a girl feel SUPER sassy!
Las Posas Country Club Brunch with Santa. The girls had a great time. Thank you Nana for inviting us. Karissa was very brave sitting on Santa's lap. We had a boatload of tears on Friday night when she saw Santa at the Old Town Tree lighting ceremony. However she is all smiles here. I think it must have been the gift.

Anxiously awaiting Santa. Karissa, Kayley, Travis & Ellie!

We ran into my friend Kim Kitchen and her family. Kim's stepdad, Pete Faxon, "played" Santa.

Only because this was my Christmas nightgown when I was Karissa's age and I have a picture of me with the same curlers in my hair. Mom, I know that your smiling from above. Karissa is now a 3rd generation sponge curler girl!

Sweet little elf!

Thankful

Addi, always smiley!
Karissa and Ali coloring

The little cousins. Kiera, Marcos, Paisley, Karissa, Emma and Ali.

Addi and her buddy Natalia. Does this face remind you of Karissa. I don't know about you, but that's a little scary for me. Addi promised me that she will never be sassy!

Ah, a rare moment where Karissa is peacefully napping with Zoe.

OK, so Thanksgiving was only a week ago. We spent Thanksgiving with the Kinnons at Matt's Uncle Johnny's house in Redondo Beach. The little kids ran around screaming and chasing one another while the "big kids" hung out in the backyard and the parents of the screaming children stayed somewhere in the middle. Trying to revisit life prekids out back yet enjoying the hoopla indoors. Good food and good times. Isn't that what Turkey Day is all about?

Wicked.. Disney.. 6 month old

We saw Wicked last weekend, it was absolutely amazing! We went with my brother Matt and his wife Beth. (Thank you to my brother Matt for buying our tickets and taking us with you and Beth!) If you have not seen Wicked, you are missing out. It closes Jan. 11 in LA.

I won tickets at work for a special holiday preview of Disneyland hosted by the radio station, KOST 103.5. We had 4 hrs from 9pm to 1am to ride as many rides as possible. We raced through the park riding all the "big kid" rides and ended with Small World. It was a blast. Here we are with our friends/colleagues, George and David.

Thanks KOST!

Baby Addi just is now 6 months old. She is just moments away from crawling. Last weekend she got up on all fours and started rocking, I screamed, "NO!" I'm just not ready for her to grow-up. Look at these Chubby Cheeks!

Our sweet smiley girl!

See ya Simi.....Bienvenido Camarillo

Please excuse the dirty windshield. This was my view of the smoke on Sunday evening on my way home to Camarillo from Simi. What a terrible windy few days and the

firestorms were devastating.
Well, we did it. We moved to Camarillo. We are still unloading boxes and putting away items everyday. We have found homes for most and whatever is doesn't fit is being donated. I thought I pared down a lot before we moved. There just isn't room for all our junk! Here are the nice guys from Meathead Movers that moved us into our new house. Karissa was in love. Of course who wouldn't love these polite student athletes.
They actually jog between loads.

Here is the last shot of our family room at our old house in Simi. We are really going to miss that place and all our neighbors and friends.

Move, Move and MOVE!

It's been a crazy few weeks at the Kinnon household.

Move #1
On October 17, Matt got laid-off from Pleasant Holidays. He had worked for the company fourteen and a half years! And we have worked together for 12 of those years. It has been a rough couple weeks adjusting for him. He is now Mr. Mom during the day and still going to law school at night.

Move #2
Shortly after what we now refer to as black Friday at Pleasant Holidays, my job was changed and I now am part of the marketing team. I will still work with the same National Accounts that I have been for years. The change of department and desks became move #2 for us.

Move #3 - The hardest move
On October 11, we accepted an offer on our home that we had been trying to sell since early March. We are excited to be moving to Camarillo and to be close to my family and Matt's school. We have rented a house for now in Matt and Beth's old neighborhood. We are sad to be leaving all the incredible friends that we have made in Simi. We have the most amazing friends and the best ward in Simi, SSIII as well as best neighbors you could ask for. It is bittersweet to say the least.
Karissa doesn't quite understand why we have to leave our house, she keeps telling me that she really likes our house. When we took her to the new house this past weekend, she loved it. She especially loved the neighborhood pool and play area. We are hoping that will make the transition a little easier.

We will send out cards with our new address soon.

TRICK OR TREAT!!!

Linnae the Fairy Princess

Small Wonder Academy Halloween

Daddy-Paul the Pirate with Karissa and Addi.

Karissa and her 2 favorite boys, Ben and Bradon

It is supposed to be a Happy Halloween right? Karissa was tired of taking photos and was past the point of being ready to trick or treat!

Here are the treats!

Halloween parade at church!

Back to her school party. Karissa is obsessed with all things Halloween. Matt and I have a feeling that she will be goth at some point.

Addison is 5 months old!

Beware it's spider-baby!

Happy Addi is now 5 months old. She loves to laugh and squeal at her sister. Addi is the happiest baby on the block!

We've decided that her eyes are hazel. Her big eyes started out blue, turned army green and now that darn brown is coming through!

Fall Fun

Karissa clowning around at Sage's Kookie Krazy Birthday Party
I'm not into naked baby pictues..but I couldn't resist this photo op.

Karissa and Clarissa the Bride at Matt's cousin Paul's beautiful wedding in San Diego. Karissa was thrilled beyong words to have a chance to dance with a princess.

Pony Ride at Underwood Farms. We had a fun fall field trip with her school.

Here is Addi, Sage (the girls classmate) and Karissa cheese-in it up for the camera.

Khaotic Kinnons

A lovely lady that I work with gave me a bunch of old dance costumes her grand-daughters

wore for Karissa. Miss Priss loved them, especially because I let her wear her church

shoes with them.

On September 30, Miss Addison decided that she could officially roll over and there has been no turning back sense, pun intended!

Addi also started on rice cereal this week. She isn't too sure she likes it, but smiled for daddy.

We went to see Disney's Alice in Wonderland Jr. Karissa loved it.

The Queen of Hearts was her favorite and of course, Alice.

She also loved the Girls of the Golden Afternoon. They were fabulous!