Beach Photos 2012

Home Sweet Home

Not really, I'd much rather still be on vacation but since that isn't an option I'll just deal with looking at pictures and wishing I wasn't home.  Feel free to join me.

I'm missing my morning walks.  Monterey is like a mecca for morning walks.  The weather is perfect.  The views are perfect.  The company is perfect.  Walking at sea level is perfect.  It's amazing how much harder you can work out at sea level.

I'm really missing April.  She always takes over my kids and lets me have a nice break.  I love it.  The kids love it.  I hope April loves it.  I really wish we lived closer so we could see her more often.

  Pais is really missing Nini's kitchen.  At any given time you could find her pulling everything out of the bread drawer.  It was her favorite area of the house.

While we are in California Huntley likes to take things easy and is always relaxing.  Her wardrobe matches that fact.

We went to Big Sur for the morning and were planning on going for a hike through the Redwoods.  We made it walking through a redwood before Huntley decided that hiking was a little too much work for her.

You can tell that even flowers couldn't convince her to continue on down the trail.

Too bad her and Pais couldn't switch places.  Paisley was more than happy about exploring Big Sur and the stains in the knees of her pants prove it.

During our trip Paisley figured out how many licks it takes to get to the center of a tootsie pop.  Unfortunately she can't speak to let us know so it will still remain a mystery.

I'm really missing seeing family all of the time.  Dinner with Auntie Viv & Gin, breakfasts with Poppy, I wish they could be a regular occurence instead of just a twice a year thing.

Of course we couldn't leave Nini's house without a picture of Huntley and Molly.  BFF's forever!

Our whole trip wasn't just a vacation.  Chris brought home some bacon, literally.  The pictures of this were a little disturbing so I figured I'd post a picture of the view from his pig hunting location.  No Wilbur will not be getting a friend.

 

Like all good things, our vacation did come to an end.  Chris and I spent quality time driving through Nevada during the middle of the night.  The girlies slept the whole time yet when we got home this was how they acted for the next few hours.  You would think they were the ones driving through the middle of the night. 

Until next time Monterey.  Hopefully sooner rather than later!

Thankful {day 23}

The girlies are thankful for balloon animals. I actually am not a big fan of balloon animals and refused to hold Pais while she was holding hers. The scratchy screechy sound of your child squeezing the life out of their ballon and knowing its going to pop any minute just about sends me over the edge. The girls on the other hand loved them and had the biggest grins I've ever seen in their lives. As a bonus we got the best family picture ever. I really do love it. Everything about it cracks me up.

Thankful {day 22}

Yesterday I asked Huntley what she was thankful for so we could make a thanksgiving turkey full of feathers with all of the things she was thankful for. She told me she was thankful for dogs. When I tried to get more items to full out the turkey she proceeded to tell me the names of all the dogs she was thankful for. Apparent she really loves dogs. So after a lot of persistence on my part we finally got the following list:

Dogs
Huntley
Dollies
Paisley
Mommy
Nini

Thankful {day 21}

I'm Thankful for vacations! Yesterday I didn't do much. It was rainy and cold which isn't ideal for a vacation but was also really nice to just sit around and watch Pocahontas four times. I think we were all a little exhausted from the drive. I didn't even take one picture the whole day but I'm really thankful to be with Chris's family and relax the next few days!

Thankful {day 20}

I'm thankful I survived yesterday!

We started off with the preschool Thanksgiving party at our house. 6 four year olds making paper bag vests, turkey apples, and having quite a feast was quite the busy two hours.

After that we were confined to the car for the next 14 hours on a marathon drive to Nini's house. We decided to try a new route and since it turned dark really early and I didn't know where we were it took forever and I felt lost the whole time. In reality we only got lost once which led us to a gas station that had the same price of gas as we paid at home. That never happens so it was worth getting lost. Now on to celebrating Thanksgiving in paradise!

Thankful {day 19}

I'm thankful for dollies.

Baby dolls are seen everywhere around our house. They are the first thing both my girls want when they wake up and the last thing they see when they go to sleep. It's my go to toy when either girl is sad, bored, upset, or just needs somebody to love.

The girlies are definitely good little mamas and love their babies very much. This is evidenced by the amount of times my mom has patched and stitched up owies our dolls have received. Hopefully Santa can bring some replacements because ours are starting to resemble that creepy baby off of Toy Story.

Thankful {day 18}

I'm thankful for quiet Sundays. Or attempts at quiet Sundays.

This afternoon Chris and I were going through our closets pulling out clothes we weren't wearing anymore, and getting ready to go to California. The girls were entertaining themselves playing with toys and watching movies. At least we thought they were.

Chris went to take some stuff to the basement and rounded the corner to find Huntley on the counter eating marshmallows and Pais right behind her. Apparently we are raising starving little monkeys and I'm just glad we were able to end the day quietly instead of in the emergency room.

Thankful {day 17}

I'm thankful for my girls and the chance I have to be a mom.

Sometimes I get so caught up in the day to day tasks of life that I don't even take time to really appreciate the blessing I have of being a mom to two amazing girls. I've been trying to do better at actually spending time and focusing on them.

They are funny, smart, caring, and sweet. I love watching them take care of their babies and each other. Hunt always helps Pais with snacks and toys and when it's time to leave the house Paisley is usually seen trying to help Huntley get on her coat and shoes. I'm so thankful for them in my life and being able to watch them grow and learn and keep changing into the most amazing people I know.

Thankful {day 16}

I'm thankful I now have a dog/child proof garden. Chris finished my happy place today and now I just have to wait until spring to start moving in. Big shout out to him for doing this for me. Now on to the rest of my list :)

Thankful {day 15}

I'm thankful for sleep.

Last year I was more on top of this thankful thing but I attribute that to Pais still being in her newborn phase and I blogged during her middle of the night feedings. For the most part I'm not experiencing those any more so I tend to miss a day here and there. I'm fine with being behind because I'd much rather sleep through the night instead.

In other news yesterday we tried out the new stroller. It was everything I've dreamed about and I can't wait to put lots of miles on it this winter.

Thankful {day 14}

I'm thankful for imaginations.

Today I had a tea part with a princess and a pumpkin. A pumpkin who was very adamant on wearing a necklace with her ensemble. As we were sitting down to eat the princess realized we forgot to invite Nini to our party and told me to call her.

When I called Nini was at work but when the princess called Nini rushed right over and joined the party. She sat down and joined right in on our fun. Luckily it was imaginary Nini because Huntley served us turkey and French fries and our real Nini is a vegetarian. Afterwards Nini hopped in her car and was back at the office in California real fast

I'm thankful Hunt has a great imagination and doesn't let things like distance limit her on the relationship she has with her grandparents.

Thankful {day 13}

I'm thankful I was able to walk out the door for YW tonight and be able to just worry about YW. During the summer I'm usually in a frantic rush trying to get the girls to a babysitter along with everything else I need to do for my activity. Then afterwards I'm coming home late and dealing with crazy children who are way overstimulated and should have been in bed an hour ago. It's hard but I really do love being in YW so I deal with it.

Tonight I was able to do everything I needed to do to get ready and in the meantime dishes were done, children bathed, and I walked out the door with a backwards glance of Chris and the girls reading books. Even better was getting home and they were snug in their beds. The next month Tuesday nights are going to be awesome. And then school starts and it's back to chaos. I'll be thankful for the easy nights while I've got it.

Thankful {day 12}

I'm thankful for Norwegians.

4 years ago (I'd link back to it but I'm not smart enough to do that on my phone) I posted about a stroller I wanted that had skis instead of wheels. It was awesome and I looked at that little beauty everyday since at the the time we were living on the mountain and it would have fit perfect into mountain life. Unfortunately it was way out of my price range so that little fantasy never happened.

Leave it up to the Norwegians to make the same idea, only better. Not only does the stroller they made switch out to skies but it also hooks up to your bike and can turn into a hard trailer to pack stuff. Plus it's cheaper than the American version but still out of my price range, until yesterday.

Chris was doing his daily search of ksl and came upon a used one. We had to go check it out and it was as awesome in person as it was online. I fell in love immediately and it is now mine. Now I just need life to slow down or enough snow by my house so I can try it out. My poor children don't know what's in store for them!

Thankful {day 11}

I'm thankful for one'o'clock church. I know. I know. Normally all I do is whine about church so late but because of it today we were able to have a little wholesome recreational family time before we went off to worship. Both my girls are afraid of the sled. Must be their California blood because that definitely did not come from me.

Thankful {day 10}

I love making crafty things, especially when I get to do it with my girls. Why I don't make it happen more often is beyond me but thanks to a relief society activity today it did. Hunt and I painted to our hearts content and Pais had fun eating cereal at our feet. I'm thankful we were able to spend quality time together and have lots of fun. Plus looking at the holy family riding in the front seat next to me on the way home and knowing we were one step closer to being ready for Christmas was pretty nice too.

Thankful {day 9}

Today it snowed. Hunt was thrilled and couldn't wait to go play in it. She had her gear ready and was begging to go out but at the same time I was making dinner and Pais was demanding to be fed. Tough decision on my part, make Hunts day or face the wrath of a hungry Pais. Luckily Chris got home at the perfect time. and we were able to tag team the girls. I'm thankful I'm not single-moming it during the winter.

Thankful {day 8}

I'm thankful for Paisley and how easy going she is. Yesterday was a great day but poor Pais spent the entire time rotating between the carseat, backpack, and exersaucer. I don't think she crawled at all the entire day. She did awesome though and as long as we had graham crackers handy she was good to go. I'm thankful she is willing to endure all our adventures without so much as a peep. Lucky for her with the storm coming in she won't have to take naps on the go anymore.

Thankful {day 7}

I'm thankful for fish. (Doesn't that sound like a sunbeam lesson). I really am though. Today we went fishing and we didn't catch a thing but it was a great day. After sitting on a shore for an hour or so without any bites we decided to spend the day taking back roads. We asked Hunt were she wanted to go and she picked Strawberry. She soon became our tour guide of the fish hatchery and navigator of all dirt roads. That's now going to be her new job since every road she picked had elk down it. She was really into looking for elk and watching her copy Chris trying to spot elk with binoculars was the cutest thing I've ever seen. It was the best day ever and if it wasn't for fish this day and our family wouldn't have happened. So I'm very thankful for fish.

Thankful {day 6}

I'm obviously a day late. Last night I was glued to CNBC and biting my fingernails the whole night. Afterwards I wasn't really in the mood to blog about being thankful which is probably a good thing since instead of blogging I went a little kamakazi on Chris instead of on the blog. Lucky for me Chris just listened, apologized, and swore to do better. I was looking for a fight and didn't even get one. I'm married to a good man and I'm thankful for that. I'm glad I am able to express my thoughts and that after we can work together to make our marriage better even though there is give and take.

I'm also thankful that I live in a country where I have the freedom to have my opinions and that I get a say in what can happen. Sometimes the outcome isn't what I wanted but everything happens for a reason and the only thing that I can change is me and my attitude. So I'm thankful I can wake up everyday and be free and stand for what I believe in.

Thankful {day 5}

I'm thankful for my washer and dryer. Today we had to go to the laundromat to wash sleeping bags. The girlies thought it was pretty entertaining and loved walking the wall of washers and looking in all of them. The time actually went by pretty fast but if that was part if my weekly routine I think I'd go crazy. I'm glad I can throw a load in the wash whenever I want and then be able to move on to other things.

thankful {days 1,2,3 & 4}

It's that time of year again.  The wonderful time of year where I post every single day about all the randomness that I'm thankful for.  Obviously I'm a little late which leads us to thankful number one.  

 Day 1:  I'm thankful that fire season is over!  We finally have the freedom to go and do whatever we want, whenever we want, wherever we want and so we did.  The past few days we've been camping and spending some quality family time together. 

 Day 2:  I'm thankful for Chris.  I'm thankful he works so hard to take care of our family and thinks of fun ways to do it.  I'm thankful we love to do the same things so instead of celebrating like others on his crew and enjoying some time sitting on a beach we went camping.  It was quite the trip and I loved being able to spend quality time with him and my girls.  Although next year I wouldn't complain if he took me to a beach.

 Day 3: I'm thankful for trees.  Thanks to trees or the destruction of trees Chris has a job and we have income.  They also are pretty handy when you decide to take your family camping at 9000 feet in November and ensure that you don't get hypothermia.

Day 4:  I'm thankful for toilets.  Yes this is a picture of a public restroom but after not having a toilet for four days and having to help a little girl squat every time she had to go I've never been so happy to see a toilet in my life.