Holidays at the Campbells

Enjoying the Japanese New Year's food called Osechi
With Amy on the New Year's Day

The food was tightly packed and all of it weighed about 5lbs!

Kids playing with new toys

Sean was so excited to open all the presents

Saya, too!

Sean with BSU Bronco's cap

Sean with new food toy

The twins with new toys

Aly plotting something...

Aly plotting somethig II

Sean with giant water slug

Sean and tiger -- Sean does this face when we say "Cheese!"

Saya was still warming up to Grandma

Sea of presents -- ridiculous, I know...

Noah cuddling with Grandma

Aly and her cupcake

Saya in her tiny bath

Happy New Year everyone!

We, the Campbells, want to wish you a fruitful and joyous new year~

My Mom arrived on the Christmas Eve in the morning and we have been having non-stop fun since her arrival. We started out by attending a beautiful service at our church on the eve where we all vowed to try our hardest to make 2010 the best year ever.

The Christmas morning was a little insane, kids being overwhelmed by all the presents they got, but we got through it and had busy kids immersed in all the new toys they got in the end. I think we'll buy less toys next time... A better planning would do all of us good! I think the winner though was me. I got all the nice things from my lovely family amongst it was Canon EOS SRL camera with built in HD Video Recorder. I can take professional grade picture with this one. Obviously I need to practice and read the manual, but pictures posted above are much better. I am really excited about taking nice pics of the kids. Mike got Wii from me and he was all teary when he found out. He is 35 years old but I think he believed in Christmas miracles!

Mike took Sean to Tacoma Zoo and Aquarium on Tuesday and I took my Mom to see an old friend in Lacy near Olympia. I've never been to Olympia before, so it was a fun road trip. I want to take my family to the Olympic Peninsula and I saw a glimpse of what it looks like. It's very beautiful. (Olympic Peninsula is a home to Forks, the town in Twilight Saga series...)

The New Year's Eve was a looong day for us as Mike, I and grandma stayed up passed midnight, but it was interesting. We decided to attend the neighborhood progressive New Year's Eve party and visited two houses. We went to the second and the last house and met many many neighbors. The last house we went is situated diagonal to our house in the woods and we never expected to be the way it was. The house is hiding behind thick woods and cannot see it from the street. It was a very old log house built in 1930s and they made addition to it as the original structure was small. Inside the house was what I imagine it would be like in some cabins in Yosemite. It was quaint and effortlessly comfy looking with a moose head and crackling fireplace. We cheered for the New Year with a bunch of new friends (some drunk) and we had a lot of fun!

We've been enjoying the Japanese New Year's special cuisine called Osechi, since the 1st. We get it from I Love Sushi in Bellevue every year. It's $200, but worth every penny! We also have nightly competitions on Wii, grandma included, and having a good time. I think we had the best Holiday ever this year. I am so thankful for the good health of all my family the most. The kids lit up our Holiday experience with all four cute faces and I cannot ask for more. Our new friend in the log house said (we decided that Bob should meet him as he's a big fly fishing guy) that he would trade anything to go back to the time when his four children were little. I thought I would keep that in my mind because I know I would be thinking the same thing 20 years later.

Happy New Year everyone!!