Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Gardens

So as part of Christmas this year I wanted to do something more for Brian besides the presents that he chose and was already aware of. Thanks to pinterest I had the idea to do 25 Days of Christmas for him. Most of the days consist of compliments, things that I love about him, but some of the days are activities that I have planned for us that cost little/no money. December 2nd we made our first outing. It was to Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden for their Holiday Open House. We have driven past these gardens several times since moving here and I have been curious about what it has to offer. Luckily for us the open house was free so we didn't have to spend a dime to enjoy its beauty. There was a light drizzle going on that day, but not so bad as to make us change our minds. Here are some of the pictures we took at the gardens:

When we first walked in we saw this cute little bunny.

Enjoying the cactus plants.

Crazy looking plant.

This tree was awesome. Because of the wetness from the rain it was this really pretty vibrant red color.

Here is another one of the vibrant red trees.

The base of this tree was huge.

See....it even looks huge next to my baby bump.

Pretty leaf.

The entire bush that this leaf was from was covered with water droplets. 

The pod coming out from this plant was so tall, at least 10 ft.

Funny squirrel with a huge bushy tail.

The leaves from this tree were so vibrant.

Blossoms on the top of the cacti. 

This is the beaver tail cactus.

The rain made the bark on this tree turn to camouflage.

There were only a few bushes of poppies,  and even fewer blossoms, but I love the way the rain sits on this one.

I enjoyed our trip to the gardens. When we were still living in Idaho we would often go on walks to gardens on campus and it was always a nice way to rewind from the week. I am glad we took the time to check out these gardens, it will be nice to check them out during different parts of the year and see how the plants change. I definitely can't wait to go back during a time that flowers are blossoming. It will be really beautiful. I think it will be fun to take Chloe on walks here once she arrives.