Now get off the internets and enjoy your family. Slow down, unplug and take it all in.

Much love,
The Wagners

Driving down the 5 as I type this on my phone because I left the laptop in our bags at the back of the van that I re-packed & rearranged after my hubby packed it. Yes, he asked me if I wanted to do it and I said no. Until I looked at how he had packed it. It was atrocious people, seriously.

Anyway..still need to get some gifts together- as in make them, print cards and get frames. Yikes!

While I would love to have our own house decked out for the holidays and even get a tree, we are forgoing it this year since we will be spending the holidays down in Los Angeles with our families. I hope to get a tree though next year and start a tradition with picking out a tree, just like we did when we were kids, except my dad would have us wait till the very last minute (like on his birthday - the 23rd!) so we can get the best deals. Much to the chagrin of my mom.

The houses above are from a neighborhood in Alameda, CA. Jax kept asking if we were going to go inside each of the houses. It was a nice memory for me, especially since this particular day (Sunday night, dreading that Monday was just around the corner) I was in a bit of a mood and funk. I couldn't will myself to get motivated to do much of anything. Thankfully, Charlie convinced me to get outside for a walk around our block - and by the time we were all outside, the kids bundled up and in their footed jammies, I said - well, we're all ready to go, might as well get in the a car and go to see the lights. And so we did.

I remember, as a kid, our parents taking us out for a drive to visit neighborhoods that would get all decked out for the holidays. It was one of our family traditions. So I guess, this means this can be one of our traditions too.

I had a better post in my head planned out for today but I didn't get around to scanning some old school photos of my childhood. Sorry. I hope to still get around to it, but this week is going to be a short & hectic week for us since we will be gearing up to make the almost 400 mile trip back down to LA. I know I should count myself lucky having both my husband's family and mine be in the same region and that it isn't too far from us so we don't have to fly, though it would be much quicker to.

As a kid, I grew up doing (ok so I was a passive participant..but you know, it still counts) lots of road trips and camping trips, so being in the car was second nature, well that and I grew up in LA - land of many freeways, where you often need to take at least 2 freeways to get where you are going. Anyway, I hope to instill the same love of the road on my kids so they can put up with our frequent visits down to Southern California as well as future annual trips to the Pacific Northwest and especially camping. I love camping!

So here it is, Monday again..I am working today since I need to be in LA by Friday morning, so I switched my furlough day..I hope you all have a great start of your week. Here is my Monday playlist, hope you enjoy it, as I wish I could while I am at work :( (btw, Raima's favorite track is #10, it really gets her moving/dancing- even when she's nursing!).

Have you guys started your holiday shopping? Did you partake on any of the crazy sales?

This year, like previous years, I hope to make most, if not all, of our gifts but I will probably succumb to a few gift cards here and there. We try to emphasize the importance of the meaning of the holiday season, rather than the material aspect that this season is also known for. That often, giving is sometimes much more rewarding than receiving and that family is what matters.

What about you guys? Do you have any family traditions? Are any of you doing the advent calendar with your kids? How about that weird and sort of creepy elf on the shelf thing-y? And oh my goodness its DECEMBER people!

And don't forget to head on over to the GFC Collective blog hop, it is Monday, after all!