Procrastination

It seems like with every New Year celebration... we blink our eyes and suddenly it's February! Well, this year was certainly no different. After spending the Holidays in Florida and spending an absolutely remarkable and amazing two weeks with the Etheridge "Pod"... Jeilene, Allen and I came back to California with one big hangover! But it wasn't from too much alcohol, but that of too much love, joy and happiness. We got home and we were like lost little puppy dogs. It was pretty pathetic, and needless to say, it took us a lot longer than expected to get back to life as we know it here in SoCal.  

So here we are well over a month removed from out last blog post... and I'm sure it isn't just Moe-Joe who's been wondering why we haven't put anything up in so long and hounding me about a new post already! Well, I can offer no excuses... but can only say, sometimes life just gets in the way.  Once Mandi, Jason and the boys arrived for the Holidays, uploading, updating and blogging went straight to the bottom of our priority list. So with no time to post in Florida... surely there would be plenty of time to post once we got back home in January, but oddly enough, that really wasn't the case. Once we got home I immediately had to work ten days straight, Jei & Allen got sick, I underwent minor toe surgery, we experienced computer problems, house projects took priority, sorting & editing through almost a thousand pictures takes time, and then admitedly add in a little bit of procrastination... and suddenly it's no longer January! So like I said, life just kind of gets in the way sometimes.    

Naturally, we apologize for going missing for so long, especially knowing that a lot of fun & memorable moments were had while in Florida that didn't get posted... so even though it's kind of old news, we didn't think we could continue on without blogging about our entire trip to Florida! It's a little long with tons of pictures, so get comfortable and enjoy.

Christmas Eve was a lazy day spent hanging out at home eagerly awaiting the arrival of the High-Ridges! Moe-Joe and Jei spent part of their day in the kitchen preparing dinner which somehow ended up being Mexican food of all things. Moe-Joe made her special black-eyed pea dip and Jei made some delicious salsa and guacamole... and for dinner she made her sister-in-law Idely's yummy tortilla soup. Once Mandi & the Boyz finally arrived, our "Pod" was complete and we were all happy as could be and super excited to start our Christmas celebration!

Forget all those neatly wrapped presents underneath the tree...

Allen was much more interested in the pretty lights & decorations!

Three crazy little boys... together at last!

"Who are you again?"

The girls in the kitchen holding dinner hostage, and the boys at the bar demanding to eat! Who's gonna break first?

 The apple doesn't fall far from the tree, that's for sure!
The boys loved playing with all my old Legos.

I laugh out loud every time I see this picture!

Dad-Oh loved reading from his favorite book to his youngest Grandson!

It just doesn't get any cuter than little Cousins in matching PJ's!

With all their Grandchildren there for Christmas, you could say that Moe-Joe & Dad-Oh were easily the happiest people ever!

All ready for the big day!

Christmas morning arrived and apparently,
our little boy and his Cousins were on Santa's nice list.

Sammy & Hampton passed out all the gifts...

and the excitement & madness began!

The Nerf guns were a big hit... and speaking of which, 

we tried our best not to get hit by the other team!

As per Etheridge tradition...

the stockings were the last to open.

Who needs gifts when you've got Dad-Oh's lap and Chuggington on demand?!

"Thank you Hamp & Sam for agreeing to meet me here on such short notice. Let's first enjoy our meal and then we'll discuss our plans for world domination!"

Winter in Florida... ya gotta love it!

"Don't worry Allen, it won't be long until you're in there playing too!"

If there was one thing we weren't short of...

it was happy smiling faces!

A late night 'Just Dance' competition, playtime on the bed, and then story-time capped off a pretty perfect evening together!

The following days leading up to New Year's Eve

were without a doubt relaxing and fun!

Believe it or not... that used to be my favorite toy when I was Allen's age. Amazing!

Allen couldn't ask for a more loving, spastic, silly & crazy Cousin!

Moe-Joe's neighbor's 'Surrey' was a big hit...

and was probably Allen's favorite thing to ride in!

We drew straws each night to see who would bathe Moe, Larry & Curley... and as it turned out, Moe-Joe would win every time! Personally, I think it was rigged!

Yes, I know... very random. But Allen got to meet his very first horse when we went for a walk by our favorite breakfast place and loved it!

Sammy thought he was slick sneaking Allen off for a little joy ride around the market... but we knew exactly where to find them: the milk section, where else?!?

Allen waves goodbye as he ventures off into his toy room,

while the rest of us play some family fun games!

A grown man and still obsessed with Legos... how sad!

Moe-Joe & Sammy taking Allen out

for a stroll around the neighborhood. 

Sammy loved making orange juice from fresh cut oranges, and

Allen loved sucking on the squeezed halves. They made a good team!

The weather didn't exactly cooperate... but that didn't stop the Capital One Bowl Parade from marching on, nor did it stop us from thoroughly enjoying it.

We might not look intimidating... but step foot in our neighborhood and our biker gang will show you how we roll!

It took a lot of arm-twisting & convincing...
but we finally caved in to Allen's request to play some mini-golf.

A friendly game of football at the park... 

...with Allen cheering for whomever had the ball.

Once again, we had to do whatever Allen wanted to do... and of course whatever Allen wanted to do was exactly what Hampton & Sammy wanted to do... so New Year's Eve afternoon was spent having lots of fun playing at the park!

And for New Year's Eve dinner, we all got fancied-up and enjoyed an amazing meal at a local Japanese steakhouse.

Some handsome men along with their beautiful wives...

just as happy as could be!

Hamp & Sam were no match

when it came to playing 'Rock - Paper - Siccors' with Allen!

New Year's Eve was spent at home...

but there was plenty of silliness & partying to go around!

On New Year's Day we all woke up early and went to the Capital One Bowl game in downtown Orlando (an Etheridge family tradition), where Moe-Joe's Bulldogs played (and beat!) the Nebraska Cornhuskers! And if you liked football... it was pretty much the perfect day! Great weather, fun tailgating, fantastic atmosphere, and a really good game! 

"Go Dawgs!"

The day before our departure, we made sure our 'Pod' enjoyed one last day of adventure together... so Dad-Oh took us on a boat ride on the St. John's for a picnic at Blue Springs State Park. And not only did we have a fantastic time, but we also got to see some really cool wildlife too, which made Allen really excited!

We are truly blessed to have such a fun and loving family. Thank you Moe-Joe & Dad-Oh for hosting and for making the Holidays so very merry, happy and fun! Hope to do it all again in 2014!