I was fortunate to win tickets to the Christmas train at Irvine Park. We have been to the park several times, but have never done the Christmas activities. 
First family selfie! (D and I now have iPhones, but that is the subject for a different post.) 
The park was glittering with lights! 
We caught a glimpse of Santa, who was at the midway stop along the the train ride. 
The light tunnel is the highlight of the ride. 
We were given activity tickets, so the kids tried their hand at “ice fishing”. They each won a small stuffed elf (given to everyone who tried). 
They also used tickets to decorate cookies. The sign said “These cookies have come in contact with peanuts…”, which is a little disconcerting as a parent of kids with nut allergies. However, I’m pretty sure they were just trying to waive all possible liability. 
Overall, it was a fun evening. I am glad I won the tickets, though, since the prices are pretty steep! ($12 per train ticket, $5 per activity ticket).
WPC Christmas Program
We attended our church’s annual Christmas program. This year there was bbq from The Newport Rib Company. 
The Nichigo Choir (Japanese-speaking) sang. 
k and n sang with the children’s choir.
k also made her debut with the keiki hula team! They presented “Silent Night”.
8 Is Great!
k turned 8 today. Each birthday of hers feels a little harder to accept. On Amazon, one of the age divisions for toys is “8-13 years old”. That would make her a tween, but she does not act like a tween, so we will hold off on that label for as long as possible!
Today we dropped of n at a karate birthday party at Zen Dojos in San Juan Capistrano. 
While we were waiting, we walked around the historic district and park a bit. I took the opportunity to take some “This is 8” pictures. 
k, The Baller
So, k officially started her first basketball season. She seems to really be enjoying it so far. I think the coaches/teammates are the perfect fit for her. We have been to two games, and they’re pretty exciting! k scored two baskets during the second game, including one shot that tied the game with a minute to go. Unfortunately, the other team scored at the last second–oh well. Score is not officially kept at this age level, anyway. We have also come to realize that although k is tall for her age, there are some REALLY tall second grade girls out there! 
Notice n sitting in on the post-game de-briefing. He also enjoyed some of the extra team snacks!
Christmas Concerts
We were fortunate to be able to attend two Christmas concerts this year. The first one was at Salvation Army Church, which we attended with my parents. The Salvation Army band played, and the choir sang. There was also a play portion, which was The Gift of the Magi. k really looks forward to this production every year. 
The other performance was The Magic of Christmas, featuring The Young Americans. My dad won tickets from the OC Register and let us use them. It was in La Mirada, and it was on a weeknight, so traffic was pretty bad. However, this concert was definitely worth it! The singers/dancers had so much energy and lots of talent. The sets and costumes all added to the “magic”. Too bad we had to leave during intermission, as it was a school night, after all. Someone even followed us out into the parking lot to make sure we knew there were two acts! 🙂 There were traditional songs, as well as some new ones. My personal favorite was the “Boy Bands Holiday Medley”. Photography was not allowed during the performance, so I had to settle for some pre-show pics: 
Santa @ The Pool
I thought we would have to miss Santa’s visit to our community pool this year due to k’s basketball game. Luckily, we made it just in time. Neither child could name one single thing that they wanted when Santa asked.
Illuminocean
Last weekend we went to Dana Point to see its new holiday light show, Illuminocean.
We thought we would have to park at Doheney Beach, but we ended up being able to park for free in the parking lot by Harpoon Henry’s, just off of Golden Lantern. We were greeted by this lit up crustacean, “Sandy Claws”.
The shops have special glasses that they will give out for free (1 per child, 1 per two adults). The glasses make the lights appear somewhat 3D, which is pretty cool. We obtained ours from the coffee/ice cream shop at the bottom of the stairs. 
It was a little chilly, but it was nice to walk along the harbor and breathe in the cool night air. Some of the boats were decorated too. 
This event was fun and unique. We’ll probably visit again in a few more years, since they are planning to improve it to make it even better.
Giving Thanks
We had a nice, low-key Thanksgiving dinner at my parents’ house. We ate relatively early, so I had time to hit a couple of stores afterward. Does that make me a bad person? I felt a little guilty, but it was way better than waking up super early the next morning. 
This is how n eats his pumpkin pie–haha. 
My mom and grandma! 
I made a corn salad, brussel sprout salad and sweet potato soup. My mom has perfected the turkey. I’m really not sure what I will do when the day comes that I have to make it!
ChocXO
A new chocolate factory called ChocXO recently opened in Irvine. We went to the open house to check it out. 
It’s kind of hard to believe that this claim is true! 
There was a menu of chocolates, and each person was allowed to pick three pieces. There was also hot chocolate, made with “real” chocolate.
We did not stay for the front of the house tour, but there were large windows where you could see all of the equipment. I read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory to the kids, but I think they (at least n) would be too scared to see the movie!
A Kindergarten Thanksgiving
I was able to volunteer in n’s class for their Thanksgiving celebration. They had chicken nuggets, corn on the cob, juice and pumpkin pie (which the class made at school the day before). It was really cute. 
n’s friend wanted me to take a picture of them. 🙂 
They also decorated picture frames. I think we’ll be laughing about this pilgrim picture for years to come!
