Cuties on vacation

We went to the beach last weekend...good times with two demanding kids! Well, it wasn't so bad. We had a wonderful, warm day on the beach - you'll see the proof below in Declan's close up. I love doing these family trips, I truly do, but man alive if they aren't exhausting...I need a vacation from my vacation!

Trip to the snow

Annika asked us a while ago if we could visit the snow to make snow angels. I have a thing about not being cold, so we waited until we could make a trek to the Tahoe/Truckee area to enjoy some spring snow. That's my favorite kind - enough so that you can play with it, and warm enough so it's not an uncomfortable experience. Everyone's a winner!

Our dear friends Lisa and Gabs let us stay at their house for the short weekend, so we had all four kids under one roof. Not as hard as I thought it might be, but it's probably wise to point out that we had a 1:1 ratio of children to adults. Annika and Nico (4) had an amazing time - they didn't fight once and clearly enjoyed each other's company. Dario (15 months) and Declan sort of sniffed around each other like dogs.







Annika said her favorite part of the snow was building a snowman and sledding (I have video of that, no pictures). She said that snow angels "were boring - you just lay there and move back and forth." Fair enough.

Disneyland wrap-up

My parents, my brother and I moved to California when I was 10 (yes, about 19 years ago) and we happened to move to a city within 20 minutes of Disneyland. I know we went as a family at least once, though my mother swears we went one other time, but to be clear...we didn't really go a lot as kids. That changed when I started to drive and I went a whole bunch (that's a very specific number) and basically I consider myself sort of an expert. (In related news, I also consider myself an expert in apple fritters, handbags, the number 48, amber ales and Grey's Anatomy). However, the whole expert thing took on a whole new meaning when I took my firstborn to The "Big D".

As predicted, she was a big fan. Some things were fun (Teacups, 'Pinocchio's Daring Journey', churros and 'Star Tours'), some things were scary (the little kid roller coaster in Toontown, parts of 'Haunted Mansion' and the drops in 'Pirates of the Caribbean') and some things were overwhelming (nursing a cold the whole day, shopping for Mickey ears in the Princess shop and cream-cheese filled pretzels). But of course, the whole experience was a success. Now I can truly consider myself an expert since I saw Disneyland through the eyes of my baby girl.* Thanks Walt!





* Declan did not attend the festivities. Instead, he got the royal treatment at the grandparents' abode. From all reports, he was an angel. Of course, two hours of Yo Gabba Gabba never hurt anyone...This is exactly how we found him: (Thanks Pop!!)

Yes, we went to Disneyland

...and yes, I almost lost it on the Teacups.

San Diego is a "wonderful place"

Before we went to Hawaii last year, there was a debacle with an airline going under, and as a result, we were issued vouchers to Southwest Airlines. Just so happens that we don't travel too much and they expire on April 28.

I told Chris to go to Vegas with Uncle Ben, but Chris is way too loyal or something, so he declined. So I said we needed to use them and use them fast....before I expired.

So we went to San Diego the first weekend in February with pretty much the sole goal of going to Legoland. From what I could tell online is that it's pretty geared towards toddlers. And it was. Also, because we are lucky people, it rained that whole weekend...in San Diego. Where it never rains.

We weren't there very long, just for a day, so it was a quick trip - but Annika had the time of her life. The rain turned out to be a blessing of sorts since we hardly ever waited in line and Annika had a stylish rain jacket to keep her dry. We stayed at a really nice hotel where we didn't feel crowded and by the end of the trip, Annika asked "why are we leaving this wonderful place?!"

Maui No Ka 'Oi

The first vacation that Chris and I ever took together was to Oahu, Hawaii and it was the first time I had ever been to our 50th state and I couldn't get enough. Warm days, sunshine all the time and the most beautiful beaches I had ever seen.

Since then, we've been to Kauai (where we were engaged) and the Big Island together (along with our very good friends), so Hawaii has always been special to me & Chris. I really wanted to share that with Annika, so I decided that WE WERE GOING TO HAWAII THIS YEAR.

Chris always told me that Maui was probably his favorite island, so I was pretty set on going there. We invited my parents to come along because we travel well together and I'm always looking for a way to have Annika spend time with her maternal grandparents.

I spent about a month researching the best condo, best area of the island, best plane tickets, etc. I love research. I love the Internets. Anyway, we got a fabulous condo on the West side of the island. We also got some pretty good airfare deals from Southwest which of course turned out to be a disaster so we had to re-book the whole thing on United, which was ok. I had to mention that part because it was not cool.

Annika thought that all of Hawaii would be a large sandbox, since she asked as we were landing "We're not in Hawaii...where's the sand?". Her time on the beach was amazing - when we could get her there. She really does not like the ocean. And she does not like the wind. Which turns out not to be a good combination on a tropical island. Annika's favorite question would be each evening "Does the restaurant we're going to have walls?"

Despite those obstacles, she really had fun. She is an excellent traveler and really rolls with the punches and with less sleep. She spent a full night with her grandparents while Chris and I had dinner which she loooved because she had devoted attention for 3 hours from people who want nothing more than to please her. Who wouldn't dig that? She was able to see fish and go shopping for SpongeBob Crocs and spend a full week with her parents. That last part was more exciting for me because it has been too long since we've really focused on our family as we've continued to adjust to the house remodel and our busy work schedules.

Now we're ready for the next vacation.

Quick & dirty & cold update

We went to Six Flags Discovery Kingdom over Memorial Day weekend then drove up to Tahoe. Tony & Laura joined us and we all managed to have fun despite the nasty weather. It was pretty cold and a little rainy while we perused the amusement park, and colder and rainier in Tahoe. In fact, it snowed in Tahoe on our drive home. You can imagine my white knuckles.

Annika had an awesome time although she did throw a couple of toddler temper tantrums. I think we might have scared Tony & Laura out of kids for good this time.

The holidays in brief

What Annika Says is Her Favorite Present: Baby Jaguar.

Her Real Favorite Present: Car ramp.

How Many Hours it Took to Get to Grandma & Pop's House: (not including layover in Santa Monica) 9.

How Many Hours it Took to Get Home: 6.

How Many Presents Annika Opened: Too many to count.

How Many Presents We Bought Her: 5.

How Many Cookies Did Annika Put Out for Santa: 3.

How Many Carrots for the Reindeer: 3.

Who Actually Ate Said Cookies & Carrots: It was a group effort.

Most Memorable Moment: Watching Annika take in all the presents under the tree on Christmas morning.

Second Most Memorable Moment: When she begged me to remove her "itchy" (yet perfect) holiday dress.

Best Playmate: Joshua Henry.

Most Exhausted Playmate: Daddy. 

I'd like to thank my parents for hosting us and spoiling us, my brother and his new wife for being the "fun" aunt & uncle, my husband for driving all over creation and my baby for going with the flow, not (yet) showing signs of over-spoiling and being too cute.

Traveling shoes

Annika is a good traveler. We took her to North Carolina last week to visit her GG (Great Grandma) and Uncle Erik (Chris's good friend from college). She powered through a 16-hour travel day getting to the East Coast (losing those three hours is painful), infrequent naps and nothing but Cheerios for three days. But she was awesome. Her GG thought so too. We aren't able to get out there very often and GG doesn't want to travel too far these days (can't say I blame her, traveling is rough!) so this was a special time for Annika to get to know her GG.

Uncle Erik has two adorable (and big!) dogs that Annika quickly befriended. They fell in love with her immediately and if they ever sensed she was in trouble (i.e. complaining because Chris refused her second request for a candy bar) they rushed to her side and barked at the offender. Awesome. We also got to spend some quality time with Erik's wife of one year, Sophia, who makes me wish we lived closer to them. They were wonderful hosts and it's just lame that we live 3,000 miles away from each other.

Also found out that Annika is essentially "between" sizes in Crocs which are a key part of her wardrobe. Never fear - we still cram her feet into the smaller pair she owns. She's ok with that because they're yellow and her favorite color.

Best weekend ever

This post won't be all about Annika. So proceed at your own risk.

Last Wednesday (February 14 for those who are keeping track) Chris and I exchanged presents. I gave him "semi-private" golf lessons since he has an awesome set of golf clubs that he never uses, and he is hesitant to play because he doesn't think he's very good. The "semi-private" part comes in where his wife gets in the way and takes a lesson with him. I know you're thinking "Let the man have something to himself!" but really - I promise - he actually wants me there. Isn't that great?

Chris came to have lunch with me at work that Wednesday and arrived with red roses. I was shocked at how beautiful they were since well, it was Valentine's Day and roses aren't usually of the highest quality. They were awesome, lasted quite a while and turned a few heads at work. Yes, I am spoiled, I know...and I still haven't got to the best part.

Wednesday night we exchanged those presents. Annika loves presents so she was there while we opened. I also gave her a little something (a tiny pink purse with red hearts) that she opened with gusto. Then her daddy handed her something and told her to give it to me. It was a wrapped set of papers an she hurried over to hand it to me. She said, "Open, please!" I was surprised that there was something else beyond the lunch and the flowers...but I wasn't complaining.

Chris had booked a two-night stay at the Ritz Carlton Half Moon Bay. I have literally talked about going there for 4 years. And it was as awesome as I expected. The weather was perfect there (surprising, because Half Moon Bay is known for being much colder than the rest of the Bay area) and we had a coastal view room with a window seat! I love window seats! We went to a fancy dinner and went to downtown Half Moon Bay and just hung out and relaxed. So yes, Annika wasn't invited and though we talked about her about 98% of the time, I think it was long overdue. One of the many things people forget to tell you when you have kids is that it's pretty darn hard to find time to be with your spouse. Half Moon Bay was just what the doctor ordered.

So you may be asking, what did I do to deserve this? Absolutely nothing. All I did was pick the perfect guy.