Joy and Magic

That is what our holiday greeting card wished for everyone - the joy and magic of the season. And just like I try to instill in the kids the idea of being thankful all year round, I also try to instill in them a sense of kindness, thoughtfulness and giving, which although at its height during the holiday season, should be carried on into and throughout the new year, each and every year. I think of the holidays as a time to simply celebrate it. I also hope that I can lead by example and practice what I try to teach to the kids. However, it is a journey, not a destination. And I am still very much on that journey. These are my thoughts as we approach the cumulation of holiday season, with Santa visiting tonight and 2010 quickly coming to a close.

And here are the best of the best from our 2010 holiday photo shoot. Last year we captured the beauty of the desert by taking our family photos in Joshua Tree National Park. This year, we went somewhere also located here in the basin but it is the one place you can go and briefly forget that you are in the desert because the landscape is SO different than what you typically see up here. It is one of my favorite places to take the kids to run around on the trails and it is also one of my favorite places to take company when they come to visit - The Big Morongo Canyon Preserve.

And a big shout out to my dear friend Rose, who took family pictures for us two years in a row and really "got" what I was hoping to get.

Happy Holidays!