Summer 2015

It's been one heck of a summer. 

Went to Seaworld
Went to Disneyland
Traveled to Palm Springs for our annual family stay-cation.
Went to our annual family Angel's baseball game
Drove tractors (no really, drove tractors)
Had many beach days
Went to our annual trip to the Ravine Waterpark with my parents
.....and so many other fun things....blueberry picking, swimming pools, birthday parties, family visitors, a trip to Palm Springs with my best friend, weekends working on our new house, and maybe even 1 or 2 date nights with the hubby in there.

Catching Up

Celebrated birthdays.
Bought a house.
Drove to Arizona for a family vacation.
Went to Disneyland.
Had family pictures taken.

Palm Springs

We took a little 4 night get away and jetted off to Palm Springs.  It was our first trip as a family of four and we had the BEST time.  Tim and I go to Palm Springs at least once a year and it's been our guilty pleasure.  We love going in the summer time because it's hot; perfect weather for pools, drinks and warm nights. 

We stayed at the Marriott Desert Springs Villas and we can't wait to go back. It was super kid friendly.  They had multiple pools, activities (movies by the pool, ice cream socials) and we met lots of other families who had kids.  We cooked every single night and took advantage of our huge kitchen.  We also went over the the Marriott Desert Springs hotel and took the boat tour with Jillian and hung out with the flamingos. 

Jillian is a total water kid. See those water wings? We first used them while we were in Hawaii last year when she was just 18 months.  She's been wearing them whenever we go swimming ever since then. Catch is; they create a sense of false confidence.  On our last day there, we were packing up our things heading back to our room, so we took them off of her.  Not one minute later Jillian was standing at the deep end of the pool and decided to just dive in.  I was holding Weston, so I screamed to Tim, "GET HER!!"  Tim was on it, dived in and pulled her up. I think the whole ordeal was 15 seconds, nothing serious, but enough to scare the beejeesus out of us.  Jillian on the other hand wasn't phased, and was back in the pool later that night for some night swimming. I held her a little longer that day and gave her extra kisses.  

Despite this small hiccup, we are already talking about going back next year, can't wait!

Pure Excitement

Jillian and I spent a day at the Long Beach Aquarium and I LOVED every bit of her excitement.

I took a ton of pictures but nothing captures the moment better than this one:

I can't get enough of this girl.  She LOVED the sea otters and the sharks, and while she was telling me all week she wanted to see the Dolphins she didn't mind that the aquarium didn't have any.  All the other fish were just fine:)

Oh and we introduced the movie NEMO to Jillian just a couple weeks before this trip, so everything was look mom, NEMO!!

Hawaii Vacation 2012

Hawaii was amazing.  We spent 9 beautiful days soaking up the sun, laying on the beach, and eating a ton of great food.

Half our trip included Tim's parents. It was so wonderful having them around to spend quality time with Jillian.  We ate dinner each night together, and spent the days relaxing on the beach.  They babysat twice - one evening so Tim and I could escape to a romantic dinner and one full day so we could take a day trip snorkeling.  In turn they got to know Jillian a lot more and Jillian got to know them.  By the end of the trip she was in love.  She just could not get enough of "Papa."  He would throw her around and toss her up in the air.  He would tickle her chest with his chin and tickle her until she was crying.  It was great to see everyone having such a peaceful, relaxing time.

Our entire goal for this trip was to pick a place that didn't require a lot of site seeing. Since Tim and I go to Maui at least every 3 years, we knew we weren't going to feel rushed to see the sites.  We stayed in our favorite area of Maui, Napili Bay.  Our hotel is right on the beach, so every single day we would venture out to the water and play in the sand.  Usually by the mid-morning we would try to go swimming, or go on a hunt for lizards and birdies.  Napili Bay also has tide pools close by, so we would climb the rocks in search of shells or fish, and sometimes spot a tutle.  Nap time was blissful...Jillian slept for 3 hours every single day, and while she would sleep, we would pull out a book and read on our balcony, or head to the pool to soak up some sun. Tim would sometimes snorkel.  When Jillian would wake up, we would have a quick snack and head back outside.  On some days we would drive to Kaanapali Beach and shop, or we would head into Lahaina and grab an early dinner. Most evenings we spent BBQ'ing and making dinner, and then after Jillian was fast asleep for the night, we would all stay up having more conversation and drinks.

It was probably the most perfect vacation I can remember. Having Jillian there made our lives feel so complete.  I know it's healthy to travel without your children, but in the next few years we plan to take a vacation every single year with our family.  The key is managing expectations.  We knew Maui was going to be easy going. Some days we didn't even get in our car.  We stayed at our resort and got to run around barefoot soaking up the beauty of our surroundings.

Tim and I both felt so re-charged when we returned home.  It was definitely a vacation that brought the three of us together.

I can't wait for next year!

Well, hey there Mr. Easter Bunny

Jillian participated in her first official hunt for Easter Eggs this year!

The public Easter egg hunt was somewhat of a disaster in that it was scheduled during Jillian's nap time. So we had a pretty fussy baby on our hands. Once the whistle blew, she just took off, wanting to run around; paying no attention to the sparkly eggs. But we worked through that, and got her interested. All of this is on video by the way, and at the end, she was going up to groups of kids and taking eggs out of their basket! Oh joy!

The next day, Mr Easter Bunny really spoiled our girl. We woke up to three Easter baskets, and a ridiculously perfect day for an Easter egg hunt. The warm weather called for no shoes with her adorable Easter dress, which was fine by us and Jillian. The grass between our toes and sun on our face was the ideal setting for the egg hunt.

"Mr. Easter bunny" hid penny's in all the eggs, and Tim joked we needed to put all of them towards Jillian's college fund. Jillian collected all of her eggs and neatly placed them in the bag.

But the eggs were not the highlight!! Oh no. Grandma outdid the Easter bunny, and got her a princess pack that included a wand, a crown, necklace, earrings, and play rings!

As a momma, I sat back and enjoyed every second with my family. It was the best day I have had all year. I got to watch my daughter partake in a family tradition and watch her grin from ear to ear. She is such an incredible joy, I am at a loss for words. I love her so much.