Happy Holidays from sunny San Diego!

What a year this has been! It feels like we always say that - but this year was definitely filled with changes for our family.

The biggest change being our recent move to Southern California.

After spending four years at Electronic Arts and finally shipping The Sims 3, Patrick interviewed – just for fun – with a new company. The first interview took place in Redwood City, right next door to EA. Patrick was really interested in the company and the games they were working on, but there didn't seem to be a good fit at the Northern California studio. When they suggested San Diego, we were both really excited about the possibility of moving. A week on the beach in nearby Oceanside was all it took to convince us that we would love living here. So when Trion made an offer, Patrick happily accepted. He moved to San Diego in early October to start his new job – and the rest of the family (Mama, Sammy and Charlie) joined him a few weeks later.

Patrick loves his job and is very excited to be working on a challenging new project.

Our new home is a Spanish style bungalow on a quiet street in San Diego.

We feel lucky to live in such a nice neighborhood – within walking distance of two parks, a library and a cute café. We're having a great time exploring our new neighborhood and our new city. San Diego has so much to offer! Sam's favorite place so far is the model railroad museum in Balboa Park. Our little boy is officially crazy for trains!!

Sam is really enjoying his new home! The second day we were here, I pulled up to the house after running errands and Sam said – “we're home!” (I guess home is where your hound dog is). He and Charlie are both doing really well. They have a huge backyard to run around in – and our neighborhood is full of families with kids and dogs.

Although our location has changed, my job is the same. I am still very blessed and happy to stay at home and care for Sam full-time. We fill our days by taking walks with Charlie, going for bike rides, or hanging out with new friends at the park. When the weather warms up a little, I hope our daily routine will include going to the beach!!

Thanksgiving Day 2009

In a nutshell, that's what we've been up to for the last couple of months. Before that, things were equally exciting, although not in such life-altering ways.

The best part of our year was watching Sam grow into a full-blown walking, talking, running, singing, hanging upside down by his toes, look out world-here I come, toddler! Here are a few pictures of our little guy in action.

In April, we enjoyed a visit from Mima and Pipa (Sam's pet name for his grandma and grandpa Cavender) We spent a relaxing week together in Bolinas, a funky little town north of San Francisco. We had a wonderful time, talking walks, checking out the tide pools, and playing at Stinson Beach.

We also spent a day wandering through the trees in Muir Woods.

And a day exploring the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

In May, Sam celebrated his second birthday with friends and family at Cuesta Park in Mountain View. His favorite present was a water table – or giant water dish for Charlie. (Thank you Mima and Pipa!)

Another highlight of the summer, was a trip to Children's Fairyland in Oakland.

At the end of the summer, we had an opportunity to spend a week at the beach in Southern California. We had an amazing time playing in the ocean, building sand castles and watching the sunset. We also spent a day at the San Diego Zoo.

San Deigo Zoo


View from our cabin at Camp Pendleton

It was during this vacation that Patrick interviewed with Trion – and well, you know the rest of that story!

Before we left the San Francisco bay area, we spent a really fun day at one of our favorite places – the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk.

And yes, this rollercoaster was FAST and SCARY!! Not a baby rollercoaster at all!!

Hmmm… kind of like our lives this past year!! Fast, scary… but fun! It's been quite a ride!! We can't wait to see what's in store for the new year!

With lots of love and warm holiday wishes from our family to yours!

Peace, Michelle, Patrick, Sam and Charlie