I want to go back on Vacation...

Please, please, please can I go back to Monterey???? I woke up this morning at 7 am to the pitter patter of little feet in the carpet next to me. I opened my eyes to a little face staring at me, about 3 inches from my nose. She was cute, but had some pretty rank morning breath. I had to get showered, and dressed, milk sippy's full and "heated up in the microwave", suitcases and travel bags unpacked, and breakfast made before 9am. I also had to make up a shopping list, and figure out what this weeks meal plan will be. Got the kids loaded in the car, backed out of the driveway, and headed off to the store. 2 minutes later, I rear ended someone at the stoplight....
Between my tears, and Brynn asking me why I crashed into that man, I managed to forget to get all of his info, but gave him practically every piece of info about me minus my SSN. When I realized that, I cried some more, and headed off to the grocery store.
My grocery bill was outrageous (we are talking 2x as much as normal). I purposely waited until I was in control of my emotions to call Rich and tell him what happened, but apparently I should have waited a little bit longer. The minute I heard his voice, I started to cry again. I got home, called my sister in law to ask her some insurance questions, and she had to sit patiently while I cried through another phone call. Needless to say, my eyes are still puffy and swollen and its been about 4 hours since I cried last.
Here is the dumb part. Our car, doesn't have a scratch on it, and I don't even know if the other guy is going to do anything, since it was a company vehicle. We are talking minor accident here....
Please, please, please can I go back on vacation and just float in a heated pool for a few more days? I guess that I will just have to be happy with eating a bowl of generic cookie dough ice cream, settling down with my library book, and climbing back into my unmade bed.

Monterey

Rich and I had the opportunity to go away for 2 whole nights to Monterey, Ca. We dropped the kids off at my moms at 9:30 am on Monday, and didn't have to be parents again until 6:30 pm on Wednesday. It was GREAT!!!!
We went with our close friends Sara and Marlin, and we couldn't have asked for better travel partners. They are as laid back as we are, so anything is fun. I guess that the worst part is getting anyone to actually make a decision about something...
We swam in the hotel pool and hot tub(Monterey Bay Lodge - I would highly recommend it to everyone...), ate yummy food at "adult" restaurants, biked all around Monterey and Pacific Grove, went ocean kayaking, enjoyed a movie, had intellectual conversations, and consumed alcohol. It was truly a vacation.
Meals out with-out kids were amazing. I forgot that you can really enjoy food when you don't have to feed everyone else first, or worry about who is putting what up their nose. Ocean Kayaking was fun, but too intense for me. We were in dry suits (or not-so-dry-suits as we called them...) so it helped to keep us warm on the 60 degree foggy day. We paddled out past the Monterey Bay Aquarium, through beds of thick kelp, and saw sea otters frolicking in the freezing cold waves, as well as one curious seal. My surfer husband kept aiming our tiny, tipsy, two-person kayak for oncoming waves, never wanting to miss the perfect one, but with my pleas for safety he let me miss out on "riding the perfect wave into the shore". We even had a chance to go see a movie (Evan Almighty - I give it 3.5 stars out of 5) after dinner.
On our way home, Rich and I stopped at the Winchester Mystery House and did the whole tour thing. It was cool to see once, but I don't know if I would go back. The lady was crazy, and the house was so overwhelming. 160 rooms that were built and remodeled over and over again. I was dizzy the whole time we were inside because nothing lined up, and floors were slanted, etc. By the end of the tour (and of course I made him stay extra long so that we could see all that they offered) Rich had turned from my fun loving hubby, to a crazed tourist who has seen enough and just wants to go home. At one point I asked him to take a picture of me sitting in front of the house. He quickly masked the dirty look that he wanted to give me, grabbed the camera, aimed it in my general direction and snapped a shot. I could tell that it was now time to go home.
I am truly blessed to have spent some time with friends and my husband getting refreshed and rejuvenated on our little retreat.

Proof that we have friends...Marlin, Sara and Us.

Ocean Kayaking


The guys went snorkeling in the Bay...BBRRRRR!


Having a Blast!


Last Stop, Winchester Mystery House

Family Pictures

Took some nice family pics yesterday out at my parents for Fathers Day. I think they came out pretty well.

Proud Daddy, Big Sister Brynn, and Mini-daddy Cannon.


Group Shot, slightly off center....


Just the Girls..

Happy Fathers Day

Today I get to brag about my husband and my dad. Both of these men have played a tremendous role in my life. My father is a kind, generous man of integrity who has never failed to impress on me Godly, moral values. The time he spent teaching me, working with me and disciplining me showed me how much he loved me, and I can't thank him enough for that.
My husband also shares many of the same traits as my dad. He is a patient, honest man who never tires of his kids or wife. He never fails to have the right words of wisdom in any situation, and has been a leader in our family from day one. He inspires me to learn more about God, the bible and my faith. He treats me like the lady I deserve to be. He encourages me to do the things that I dream of, and speaks the truth about the things in which I am going to fail. He takes the time to play with his kids, and teach them God's truths. He is willing to be silly or stern, depending on the circumstance. He is leading by example in my family, with my son and daughter. He works more than a full time job so that I can stay home and raise our children. Without him I could never be the woman that I am today. I thank God for giving me a man like him to spend the rest of my life with.
To both of these men in my life, I say a big "Thank you!!!" Thank you for loving me, and being there for me. Thank you for never doubting me, or giving up on me. Thank you for choosing to love Christ, and truly showing me what God's love is.
Happy Fathers Day.

Oh Boy

Dear Son,
Besides my dad, there were always girls in my family. I have one sister and both of my cousins are girls. We even only had female pets. (My poor dad...) You will have to forgive me, but this whole "boy" thing is really a change. I feel like everyday I am going to get hurt. So far this week you have:
1. Headbutted me on the forehead
2. Headbutted me on the eye
3. Headbutted me on the lip
4. Slapped me on the face
5. and tackled my legs
Sometimes I flinch when you start throwing things, and I think to myself, is this normal??? At this point you are only a 23 lb - 1 year old. What damage will you do to me by the time you are 10? I fully expected some "boyish" behaviors, but I don't know if I will survive these next few years. I get more hurt holding you in the supermarket than most people get in a weekend softball game. Your "dancing" managed to bring tears to my eyes, but I think it was because you slammed your arm into my nose. I almost lost an ear piercing while I was changing your diaper, and I am still not sure how that happened. I know that your dad encourages "body slams" and "pink belly's" but I am so scared every time I lay down on the floor that I might not be able to get up again. Please try not to throw yourself around so much until your dad gets home, because I don't know if I can handle too much more....
Broken and Bleeding,
Your Mom

So fun!

When I was little there was a seesaw in one of the playgrounds that I used to play in. I remember loving the feeling of the motion, and always wanting to be on it when we were there. Nowdays they don't seem to have seesaws anymore due to some slight safety reasons...
The kids have a rocking horse that they both love to climb and rock on. Usually I have to monitor them a little, cause it ends up being a shoving war, and then someone gets hurts, and there are tears, etc. The other day, I heard them laughing in Cannon's room and found them like this. I am not sure how they did it, but it sure looked fun!

It's a Mystery!

A mystery was solved the other day at the Andre' house. Cannon, who has always been a heavy eater, has begun to eat even more than he used to. Our dog Treks, seems to have packed on a few extra pounds, without touching his dog food in the garage. I happened to be sitting at a different spot at the table and caught a glimpse of this...well, check it out!

Typical Mealtime Happiness


Whats this? Some table-side love...


Sneaky dog, under the table, taking ANYTHING that was handed to him!


Happy Cannon, who has cleaned off his tray, and is ready to be excused.


Well, Treks will eat almost anything...


Kid eats more + Dog getting fatter + no dog food eaten + grocery bill rising = kid feeding dog at the table

MYSTERY SOLVED!!!!