Search This Blog

31 October 2012

Our California Adventure, Part 5 {The Central Coast Edition}

Can you guys believe that I'm still blogging about our trip that happened at the beginning of this month and today is actually the last day of the month?  Y'all, I'm so behind.

I've got so many pictures to post from our time in the central coast.  It was so great to go back and visit our favorite people and allow Olivia to spend some time with friends she has known since she was nine months old.  We bounced around to three different houses and are beyond grateful to have such wonderful friends who let us come in and take over their houses!

The first night, we met up with two of my favorite Sarahs and their kiddos for dinner at our favorite SLO restaurant {Firestone} and a quick walk through the Farmers Market to see our special vendor, Maria.  Olivia was so excited to see Kendall and Jacob and I was so happy to hang out with their mamas.


Love this shot of Olivia, Kendall and Katelyn.

When did they get so old?!

We stayed the night with Sarah and Kendall that night and the girls got to have their very own slumber party!  Olivia was thrilled to be able to sleep in Kendall's room and Sarah saw them cuddling on the video monitor that night.  So cute.  {And, look at them in the matching jammies!}




Sarah is seriously Mom of the Year.  Her house is always clean {even after the girls wrecked it the next day} and she is always so put together.  She got up with the girls in the morning and made banana pancakes for everyone before letting us tag along with her to Avila Valley Barn.  We definitely wanted to hit up the barn while we were in town and since Sarah's girls had a field trip there, it worked out perfectly for us to go with them.  It was great being able to see even more of our friends and their kiddos at one of our favorite spots.  {Remember our pumpkin patch field trip there two years ago?  Same kiddos!} {Cue a gazillion pumpkin patch pictures...}


I love these girls and I hope they are friends forever!


These last two pictures crack.me.up!  Do you think they are OVER having a camera in 
their face all the time?!  Ha ha.


Hay maze.

I feel like I mention this every time Macy is in a picture with Olivia, but these two girls were born one day apart at the same hospital.  AND, Macy's mom and dad were in our birthing class.  So, basically, these girls have kind of known each other since before they were born.  

So we celebrated their reunion with ice cream.  

You may have noticed that a sweet little pumpkin was missing from all of our pictures. Poor Sydney must have had a case of allergies because her little nose was running the entire time we were on the central coast and she seemed to be pretty miserable.  Fortunately, she slept most of the field trip in the Ergo, but sadly she didn't get to be in any of the pictures.

After visiting with Sarah and the girls, we went to stay with our neighbors down in Nipomo.  It was so great hanging out with them and we are so grateful that they literally let us make ourselves at home.  David cleaned out and reorganized the back of the car taking over their entire driveway and pretty much the second we got there, we put the girls in the bathtub.  It's so nice to have such great friends!

The only picture I got of that visit was this one at a local pumpkin patch.

We left Saturday afternoon to meet back up with Sarah and her boys at the playground at Avila and then hit up the beach!  Despite Sydney's runny nose, she thoroughly LOVED getting in the ocean.  Olivia was right at home too.  It was fun catching up with the Riley's...my girls sure love those boys! {Can you blame them?!}










After getting covered in sand, we cleaned ourselves off and headed up to San Luis Obispo to walk around town for a few minutes before meeting up with Ken and Katie.  For old times sake, we got together for pizza and Dexter and stayed at their new house up in Paso Robles.  

Sweet Lucy!  Olivia took this picture with her camera!  Great capture.

Olivia's little "fort" inside the closet.  She loved it!

Ken and Katie had to leave for work on Sunday, so before we took off for Palo Alto, we made a pitstop at Meridian Vineyards where David and I were married.  We were a little bummed to see that they had changed the name to Cellar 360, but the place was still the same.  And, we were happy to learn that they were still going to be selling Meridian wine with the traditional label in the grocery stores.  That is always exciting for us to see a bottle of wine from where we were married.  One of the gentlemen inside remembered us and gave us a bottle of wine from 2008 {the year we were married} for us to have as a keepsake.  That was so kind of him to do!  It was fun to show the girls where we were married.  David and Olivia went to the actual spot of our ceremony and waited as Sydney and I took the same path that I walked on our wedding day.  It was very surreal.  So blessed to have a wonderful husband and two beautiful girls!




Best family picture I could get.  4 1/2 years of being a family!
Be still my heart!

Phew.  Are you guys still with me?  Only one more part to chronicle -- our time in Palo Alto.  I'll be back as soon as possible with those pictures.  I'm sure you all are chomping at the bit to read about our adventures there.  :)








29 October 2012

Fourteen Months

Fourteen months of this sweet baby girl and I still cannot seem to get enough of her.  She is just the best little baby and she brings such JOY into our lives!  I am so blessed to have such a great little snuggler since it is one of my favorite things to do.  If she is across the room from us and we squat down and stretch out our arms, she will come running into our arms to give us a big bear hug.  She is walking like crazy and doesn't want to be carried if there is a place for her to roam.  She is a pretty good eater {as you can tell from those scrumptious cheeks} and her favorites are eggs, yogurt and peas {just not at the same time}.

I tried to do a little photo shoot with the girls the other night during the "golden hour" and of course we were rushed getting out of the house.  As we got to the park, a lady walking her dog wanted to stop and chat and show off her pup as I was trying to snap pictures.  I was not impressed.  I still think I got a few good pictures.  {Please note, I do not in any way, shape or form think I am a good photographer who knows much about photo shoots or golden hours.  I'm just a mom who likes to take pictures of my girls.}









Monkey see, monkey do.






Happy 14 month Birthday, Sweet Girl.
I love you so much.

27 October 2012

That's What's Happenin', Man!

Even though I am not even close to being done blogging about our California Adventure, life doesn't stop happening around here.  So, here's a quick recap of what we've been up to around here.

+ Lots of Halloween crafts!  Including one with stickers that Olivia is doing right now.  The Haunted House literally took all afternoon...between prep time, creating and clean up...but it was worth it.  {Please note, the tree lasted until that night.  Now a bunch of pumpkins sit in its place. But, really, who eats those pumpkins anyway?!}






+  Peyton was visiting us for a little bit while my brother went on a few work trips.  I'm trying to be more on the ball this year, so I got started on the yearly Peyton calendar with a few costume pictures.  Poor guy hated every single second of it!  


These two....

+  Liv had her first on-site field trip with a visit from the local fire station.  Olivia loved getting locked up in the back of the police car and sitting up in front of the fire truck.  She learned about Stop, Drop and Roll, but got a little scared when one of the firefighters put on her gear.  In the middle of the presentation she yelled out, "Don't put on the helmet!!"  


Please say this is the last time she gets in the back of a police car.
But, remember this time?




+  With the weather finally steadying into the 80s {please don't jinx it}, we are spending more and more of our time outside.  We headed off to the zoo on Friday with Mom and had a great time.  I even got on the back of a camel and went for a ride.  Let's just say it was the most uncomfortable $8 and 30 seconds of my life.


Baby zebra!!!!





We bought the unlimited ride pass and she rode different animals 5x in a row.  
It should be known that these rides make me sick.

+  This weekend we have plans to visit not one, but two pumpkin patches.  Stay tuned for lots more pictures!  Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend.