Christmas 2013 - New Years Eve (December 31, 2013)

Here are a few shots of New Years Eve morning. The last day of 2013. The girls were actually looking at this very blog, ooOoOoOo spooky, on a night just like this ... exactly one year ago ... and he had a hook for a hand!!! ... anyways, they were cracking up looking at the photos of Robert, Kevin and Chloe and the silly faces they were making together.

... and then Lily was helping grandpa build new furniture for her room. She really likes building things

... and then eventually the fun building has to stop because we get tired and need an early nap.

... and then we read a story to Lily, called the Gruffalo ... and here he is!

... then after a nice three hour nap, it was time to see the Kriscunases. Jack, who is almost exactly six months older than Lily, was running around and talking up a storm.

... they loved all the vehicles in the house. Here they are watching the train go around the tracks ...

... and they played with helicopters and tractors ...

... and Jack was climbing on everything

... and Katie, would you believe it, we first met when we were both around 15 or 16 years old and worked together at the Aptos twin movie theater? Oh boy, we have some good stories from that era. Then we worked together again while in college when we were about 21 years old at Video USA (a few stores away) ... and THEN while working together at Video USA, she met my best friend Paul at a party with me and ended up marrying him and I met (or remet) Lauren one day when she came to rent a movie with her family  (story below)... wow how our lives would have been different if we didn't like movies and work together at those two places 

So even crazier, is that the first date Lauren and I went on was with Katie and a bum. A nice homeless man (maybe a little creepy, but nice) always visited Video USA and asked Katie to come up and see him at the dive bar the WindJammer. She always avoided it, but it just so happened this one Saturday night Richard (the bum) pushed kinda hard and Katie said, "Oh, well if Brendan goes I'll go" thinking I would be her easy way out, to which I laughed and said "OK, I don't have anything to do after work. We'll be there Richard! It's a date!" haha. She gave me one of those crazy eyes silent glare which was priceless. Lauren come in about an hour later with her parents and just threw herself at me (kind of inappropriate at my workplace, geeze Lauren, haha). I asked her, "Hey what are you doing tonight? Want to come to the WindJammer with Katie and I and a bum?" Lauren took me up on the offer (true story). She always tells me that when I called her at 10:30ish on a Saturday night, to go to a dive bar with a stranger and a bum ... she was in sweats, lying in bed, and almost didn't answer ... and for Lauren to go out at 10:30pm after she is in sweats and in bed ... that is crazy enough ... and boy would our lives be different if she hadn't picked up the phone ...

We went to the bar, Lauren and I flirted and laughed while the bum awkwardly hit on Katie and did things like "oh that necklace is pretty" and touchy touchy touchy neck time, while Lauren and I laughed and laughed and pointed and laughed ... then we told Lauren (who went to school with me the same year and everything) that Katie was dating Paul, who she knew from high school ... so after the bar we went to an after party at Paul's at around midnight or later and it was like a high school reunion. We saw people, had laughs, and then I walked Lauren out to her car. I'll always remember I told her that I would give her my number and if she was interested, she could call me. She called me the very next day and then rest as they say, is history. What a first date!

Petie Pablo

... oh boy, time for a big smooch. Here is Jack coming in for the big kiss, and Lily waiting excitedly ...

... gotta stretch out and get really ready!

Awwwwwwww

... and best friends for YEARS ... and now we are raising kids together

 ... awww, and a nice family photo of our friends ... what an awesome threesome (soon to be foursome!) they are. We're glad to count them as friends.