Summer Funsies Recap

Summer blew by us this year, as we were still adjusting to life as a family of four!  As we head into Fall, here's a quick recap of what we were able to accomplish from our list (first introduced here and mentioned again here).  Not too shabby with a newborn, if you ask me!  Highlights for Tess were anything involving water play, and the highlight for Mom and Dad was definitely potty training!  We put the finishing touches on that just in time for Tess's third birthday, and the girl won't even wear pull-ups at night -- we are accident-free!

Next Summer will definitely boast a few repeats and hopefully some of the adventures we didn't get to. These lists are a fun way to make sure we're making memories and doing meaningful things together as a family, so I intend to create lists for Fall and the Holidays, too.  (I'll put that on my list...to make a list...)

Summer Funsies!

Our Summer FUN list is posted and ready to go!  We'll see how many of these we can check off before Daddy goes back to school in August.  Looking forward to making lots of family memories over the next couple of months!

 

Beating The Heat!

It's been a HOT summer!  Here's a few fun things we've been doing to beat the heat....



Spending time at the "splash park" near our house.

Chuck E. Cheese!  Tess's new favorite hangout.

Tess loves exploring the games with Daddy.

Swimming with friends!  She loved climbing up
the rock but of course didn't jump off.....instead she
got onto her belly, scooted off the edge, and
dropped herself into Daddy's waiting arms. 

Much braver with the inner tube!

Tahoe Vacation 2013

We spent the first week in August up in Tahoe with friends.  It was a great vacation!  Highlights include:

 

-A FULL WEEK with our dearest friends, the Sullivans, and their adorable kiddos.

-A long weekend with our local close friends, the McDonalds, and their four precious daughters.

-Having 2 of our favorite families together with us!

-7 beautiful kids under one roof.

-Beautiful walks around the Northstar neighborhoods and golf course.

-2 full days of relaxing on the beach.

-Riding a ski lift up to gorgeous views of the Tahoe mountains.

-A fun day trip to Heavenly Village at South Shore.

-A full day of outlet shopping.

-Finishing a couple books.

-Wave runners, paddle boats, and PARASAILING on the gorgeous blue water of Lake Tahoe.

-A much-needed adults night out (triple date FUN!).

-A quick trip to the casino with some unexpected wins at the slot machines.

 

We are so blessed to have the family we do (with a beautiful home to vacation in) and the friends we do.  Grateful for such an easy and relaxing getaway! 

So-Cal Mini Vacay

Last weekend we took a mini-vacay down to Southern California to see a variety of family, and have a little early birthday celebration for our Tess. 

We arrived at the Suich home late Friday night and had a very low-key day on Saturday, starting with a long walk around the CSU Fullerton campus and its Arboretum.  In the afternoon we attended a church picnic and stopped to play at a gorgeous park in the area, while capturing some really adorable pictures of Tess.  Chad and I also got to sneak in a great dinner date (sushi) thanks to Grandma & Grandpa's willingness to babysit! 

Sunday we took Tess for a stroll around our favorite mall (we spent lots of time hanging out there when we were young and kid-free!), and spent the afternoon getting ready for a big family dinner/early birthday party for Tess.  Grandma Meg coordinated all the decorations and cake for a Bubble Guppies-themed evening, which Tess just loved! 

On Monday we had a nice family outing to the Santa Ana Zoo.  Since we are Fresno zoo members, our admission was just $5.00!  We had a light lunch, played in their park area, and then looked at the small selection of animals (mostly monkeys) and visited the petting zoo. 

We headed out from Fullerton on Tuesday morning...our destination was Oxnard, where our other parental unit (the Unruhs) were at Channel Islands Harbor with their 24-foot sailboat.  The goal was to take Tess on her first sail, which didn't pan out like we thought it would.  She was all smiles when we got to the boat, and enjoyed investigating the cabin and cockpit, but once we put the lifejacket on her, things got dicey....and then she went into meltdown.  This resulted in some "time out" with Mommy down below, after which we FINALLY got under way, only to have Tess pass out from exhaustion in the cabin.  We had a WONDERFUL sail (complete with a dolphin escort as we returned to the harbor),  but she slept through the entire thing.  She woke up as we were docked and tidying up from the outing, in time to have a light lunch before we hit the road for Fresno.  Oh well!  She had a good sleep, and I know from personal experience that boat naps are some of the best. 

Below are some pictures of our fun weekend, complete with birthday, zoo, and sailing adventures.  Enjoy!

The Bestie Visits

After attending the big Origami Owl convention in Phoenix, Lindsey was able to hop on a plane for a quick trip to Fresno.  We had a glorious 3 days together doing what we do best: eating, shopping, and talking!  While Lindsey was here, we also hosted a housewarming party for our new place -- which meant that local family and friends got to have a quick visit with her, as well.  And on her last day here, we took a day trip to Gilroy Gardens with Tess and our little friends Emma and Sarah.  We are so grateful for ANY time we get to spend together!  We're looking forward to a week-long family vacation with the Sullivans in August!

Girls' Night With A Twist

Sometimes you just need a girls' night...

 

I didn't know how badly I needed one until my little friend Sarah (pictured right) made me keep my promise of having her stay night at our house "sometime in the month of June."  So on the 27th, we made it happen!  We went all-out: homemade pizzas, two girly movies (Marley & Me, Aquamarine), sleeping downstairs in front of the TV (her sleeping, me getting kicked -- oh well, there were some snuggles, too!), lazy breakfast, painting, lunch out at Applebees, and making sugar cookies. 

 

I realized when she left that we had done all the things I only wish I could do, but don't have a good excuse to (on my own, at least)...because grownup responsibilities keep getting in the way.  But I had a BLAST, and this is one outstanding, sweet, smart, and FUN kid to spend time with.  I couldn't help but wonder how Tess will be at 8 years old, and it made me excited about the quality time we'll spend together and the memories we'll make.  And maybe, just maybe, she will think I'm as fun and cool as Sarah does. 

 

PS....Thank you to Sarah for the inspiration and creative outlet.  My little 4x5 masterpiece hangs proudly in our guest bathroom!

Yosemite & Friends

This blog post is about some really GOOD STUFF that only happens every couple of years....getting together with 2 of my best friends AND having our beautiful families with us, too!



The Besties! Me, Kim, Stacy.

Last weekend my dear friend Stacy and her family came to visit us for a quick overnight stay, since they had to be in Fresno for a family wedding.  On Saturday night, our friend Kim came over and it was just like old times!  Well, minus youthful college exuberance, three husbands, five children, and a handful of mortgages.  Still, it was wonderful to be together. 

 

On Sunday, the Haydens and the Coyles ventured up to Yosemite National Park for the day, along with Stacy's parents -- our dear family friends, Rod and Carolyn.  What an exhausting day adventure!  It was the first Yosemite trip for Tess, Jason, Ethan, and Dominic.  I learned a couple things.... 1) don't take a toddler to Yosemite; 2) if you must, don't do it on a 97-degree day; 3) if you must do 1 and 2, take a swimsuit so she can cool off; 4) take plenty of changes of clothing for the water and dirt she will get into; 5) take a first aid kit for the inevitable tumbles off rocks and downhill pathways; 6) don't assume that if she's tired, she'll nap -- not when there is so much nature to explore!  

 

All in all, we made fantastic family and friend memories.  We're so grateful to have the grandeur of Yosemite so close, and to have the treasure of lifelong friends who are like family.  

 

Here are some pictures from our trip, and a silly video I took of Tess to show off her talking skills at 22+ months.

Family photo!

Our Mommy hearts melted, watching the
two babies play with each other and take
care of each other.  =)

Zoo Trip!

One of the best things about this Summer has been the opportunity to spend entire days together as a family.  We managed to get in this little zoo trip on a day that wasn't too hot.  We have been enjoying using our Chaffee Zoo membership even more now that Tess is old enough to be entertained by the animals. 

If you hadn't notice, this girl is ALL ABOUT DADDY!

Here are some pics and video from our trip...enjoy!

Labor Day Weekend Fun

How did you spend your HOT Labor Day Weekend?  We had some fun little adventures with our Tess, while enjoying the extended weekend together as a family.

On Sunday we visited the local Todd Beamer Park with our friends The Myers.  Todd Beamer Park has a fantastic water play area that kiddos just LOVE to splash around in!  This was Tess's first time at the park being able to walk, and she seemed to have a lot of fun playing in the various fountains:

Here's a cute video:

Then on Monday, we teamed up with The Myers family again to take all the kiddos to the Fresno Chaffee Zoo.  We wanted to see the new "Sea Lion Cove" exhibit that had opened the week before, and we also wanted to become Zoo members!  We had a fun day, complete with a picnic lunch on the grass, despite the massive crowds!

Birthday Dreaming...

Out of the blue, instead of fretting over what to do for Tess's first birthday, the ideas started exploding in my brain like fireworks and I've spent the past 3-4 days obsessing planning.  I'm getting so excited, and it's a nice break from feeling a little bummed that she's growing up so quickly.  I was also a little worried that I didn't have it in me to get creative and crafty, but what do you know -- it's all starting to come together and I'm not intimidated by it after all! 

We're also so happy to use her first birthday as a venue for her baby dedication.  We're planning a short little ceremony, led by my cousin Andy (associate pastor at The Legacy Church) at the beginning of the party and then -- food, swimming, and fun!

The graphic to the right is a sneak peek of what I've got in mind for the theme!

Summer Home Improvement

Summer has flown by, and we have (of course) been very busy with getting our house and life ready for baby to arrive!  Chad tackled the coordination of 3 big projects (and also some little ones) in July while I was finishing up work at PrideStaff in preparation for maternity leave....

Air Conditioning!

Believe it or not, we have spent 9 years in this house with no AC, only a super-efficient swamp cooler.  It didn't seem to be that much of an inconvenience with both of us working and spending the hottest part of the day in an air-conditioned office/classroom.  There were only a few days/evenings out of the year that ever felt unbearable.  However, with a baby on the way, we both agreed this project needed to happen and FAST.  And so it did, just in time for my final 6 weeks or so of pregnancy.  It feels wonderful to bask in the cold air and not worry about guests getting too hot.  All for the low, low price of $9,974.00! 

Oh, and while they were at it they put in central heat, thus the removal of our very trendy wall furnace -- see the second pic below.  Thankfully they closed up the giant hole in the wall; now we are in need of having it textured and painted.



Back Patio Cover

We enlisted the help of one of our friends to build us an arbor over our back patio.  He did a great job -- see artistic photo below, shot thru the panes of the back door -- this is because it's 100+ degrees out and I'm not about to go out there with this new AC keeping me cool!

We are definitely making progress on our backyard -- our table and chairs also has a new umbrella and new cushions, and we're enjoying spending cool evenings outside.  Chad is also (currently) working on a new side gate.  After that we need to find the right canvas shade to go over the arbor, get some outdoor lighting installed, paint the back of the house, plant trees, etc.  Eventually I would love a vegetable garden on the side of the house and Chad wants to install a fountain.  We'll have lots to do in Spring, once we are settled into our new life as Mommy & Daddy.

 

Baby's Room Construction

We decided that, due to lack of closet space in our very small home, we needed a serious storage solution for the baby's room since babies are notorious for requiring lots of STUFF.  So we hired a guy to help with a built-in wall unit against the north side of the room.  Below are pics of the finished product, which we love!  At this point the nursery is almost completely done, and so I will post a variety of pics separately as soon as I can.  Call these a teaser!

In addition to the cabinetry, Chad coordinated the painting and has worked hard to install the ceiling fan, blinds, curtain rods, etc.  Next up is assembling the crib! 

 

Other Misc House Stuff

We've been working on a minor "face lift" for our bathroom over the past 6-9 months or so, which has included new paint, new fixtures, a new cabinet, and new blinds.  I think we are how done with this project, minus a few paint touch-ups that still need to be done.  I would love to post before and after pics but I don't have any of the "before" handy, and, well, I am 39 weeks pregnant so not very motivated to search for them.  I will update this post with an "after" pic (maybe) the next time the bathroom is presentable enough to photograph. 

We also spent last Saturday FINALLY cleaning the garage.  We have not had a car in it since the baby's room project got started, when all the furniture had to come out of our guest room.  Add to that all the boxes and gifts from 3 baby showers, plus anything else we needed out of the way while so much was "in transition" -- it got to the point where I could not walk through it with this giant belly.  It was fantastic to take a huge load to Goodwill and get everything else situated, cleaned, swept, etc.  My car is BACK IN! 



Summer Home Improvement

This summer we decided to forgo a more extravagant vacation in order to invest in some home improvement. Lately we've been spending more time with our fun and friendly neighbors, Tom and Niki, hanging out on their back patio -- drinking, eating, playing cards or lawn games, and spending time with their adorable doggies. It's been just what we (I) needed to finally feel motivated to put in a backyard.

We've lived at our place almost 8 years and our back has been dirt and weeds the whole time. For shame! We told ourselves, "Why spend money on a backyard when we're eventually going to add on to the house?" But the addition isn't happening... yet. (Guess we're waiting for the right time and the motivation we needed to get going on the backyard!) And we're seeing how much fun it is to spend evenings outside with friends or loved ones. So we decided to invest in a basic backyard plan that will not require undoing any expensive structure/ landscaping when we finally do make the addition to our house.

Our first step was clearing the ultimate white trash scene from the yard. We had a beat-up, old brown pickup that wouldn't run hiding among the tall weeds, an old/ dead mulberry tree, and so much brush it was a fire hazard. I neglected to take a "before" picture, which is okay because I would probably be too ashamed to post it. So below you can see the blank canvas we're left with after spending $1,000 to get the old truck running/smogged/registered/ insured (holy cow!) and $825 on tree/weed removal (who knew?!).

Next steps: putting in a French door from our dining room out to the new backyard patio (along with the electrical work for a porch light), having a 16'x23' patio poured (we're thinking stamped cement), putting in sprinklers, and planting grass/trees and flowers/garden. We'll see if we can stay relatively close to our budget and time frame... The goal is to get everything done but planting the grass and flowers/garden before Chad goes back to school. We also need to figure out what kind of temporary patio covering and patio furniture we want. And I'm determined to have a fire pit of some kind!

And of course I say "we" like I've ever done a day of yard work in my life. But I'm a great motivator and cheerleader, and I'll keep the cold beers coming for all the guys who have offered to help!

Also on tap for summer home improvement: re-grouting the kitchen and bathroom tile, and repainting the bathroom! We'll continue to post pics as projects commence/progress!

San Francisco & Napa With The Sullivans

We've just returned from 5 days in Napa Valley with our dearest friends, Randy & Lindsey Sullivan (they flew in from Austin, Texas). We had a fantastic first day and night in San Francisco, and then spent 4 days visiting no less than 16 wineries along Highway 29 and the Silverado Trail. We ate, we drank, we shopped, we laughed, we cried (well, the girls did), and we loved every moment together!

We took a different approach to wine tasting this time, since tasting is different (aka more expensive) in Napa Valley than in Paso Robles. We focused on wines that are waaaay out of our price range ($80-$200 a bottle), using the tasting as an opportunity to try expensive wines we would never buy. We also visited the wineries that won recognition in the 1976 "Judgment of Paris" that was featured in the movie Bottle Shock -- Stags Leap & Chateau Montelena. We also had an unexpected opportunity to meet Bo Barrett, the winemaker who was portrayed by Chris Pine in the movie.

"Wine to me is passion. It's family and friends. It's warmth of heart and generosity of spirit. Wine is art. It's culture. It's the essence of civilization and the art of living." ~ Robert Mondavi

Day Trip To Santa Cruz!

This past Saturday, my girlfriend Andreana and I took a day trip to the Santa Cruz Beach Boardwalk. This has become a summer tradition for us -- hanging out at the beach, riding some rides, shopping downtown, and dinner at Kianti's. Since Andreana is getting into video editing, she used some of our photos and footage to put together this short feature of our time there. How fun! We had a great time and now we have a great souvenir!

San Diego Holiday

Over the 4th of July weekend we traveled to San Diego to visit our dear friends Brian & Colette Lord. Isn't it great to have friends who live in fun cities? (Pior to San Diego, they lived in San Francisco!)

We had a great time, eating out...visiting the San Diego Zoo on Saturday... eating out... playing ping-pong in the backyard... relaxing... reading... watching movies... more eating out... more relaxing... The weather was gorgeous -- we couldn't have asked for better!

Brian and Chad have been friends since the first grade. Brian is from Clovis, and met Colette (from San Diego) at UCSB. Actually, Chad met her first when they both worked in food services! Brian works as a research scientist for Johnson & Johnson, and Colette is a psychologist, currently working as the director for a clinic in downtown San Diego. Last year they bought a home and did an extensive remodeling project. It was great to finally see their new place!

P.S...Thanks to my friend Sarah (Boldwyn) Pedersen for helping me make my blog slideshows more viewer-friendly!

Weekend At Pebble Beach

We spent a lovely weekend in Pebble Beach this past Friday to Sunday, thanks to our dear friends Troy & Carrie Cutlip. Carrie's extended family shares a home on the 6th hole of the Monterey Peninsula Country Club, and occasionally she and Troy are able to schedule a few days out of town there. The house is less than a mile from the beautiful Seventeen-Mile Drive and minutes from downtown Carmel. We had some fantastic dinners out (accompanied by some remarkable bottles of wine!), the guys golfed at Rancho Cananda, and Carrie and I shopped and went to see "The Proposal." The house was so cozy and we got in some good TV time watching the U.S. Open, too. Sprinkled into the weekend was some great conversation and the knowledge that we are so blessed to have friends that are as close as (possibly closer than!) family.

Troy and Chad went to high school and junior college togther, and played on the same golf team. When we got married, we wanted Troy to be part of our wedding party, but he was scheduled to graduate from Fresno State on the same day. However, Chad got to be Troy's "Best Man" when he and Carrie got married. I knew Carrie (formerly Carrie Mullins) when she attended Fresno Pacific University for our freshman year; then she finished her degree at Westmont. It was fun to reconnect when she started dating Troy. They have 2 little boys, Caden (age 5) and Ryder (age 3), who are entirely adorable! They're the sort of friends we can truly be ourselves around and share openly with. Even when we don't see each other for a few months, we can pick up right where things left off.

We're so grateful they invited us to share a weekend with them at one of the most beautiful places around!

A "Memorial" 10th Anniversary!

This past Memorial Day weekend we celebrated 10 years of marriage! We felt so fortunate that our special day landed on a holiday weekend so we could have an extra day off work. The 3 days turned out to be a good mix of fun and productivity.

Friday night we had a GREAT dinner at our favorite restaurant, Fleming's. After celebrating anniversaries and birthdays there for about 3 years now, we know exactly what we love to order and that we won't be disappointed. Not only was the food and service wonderful, we were blessed when our dear friends the Martinezes and the Vasends showed up unexpectedly and paid for our dinner! On Saturday we ventured to the Santa Cruz Boardwalk and enjoyed dinner and shopping in the downtown area. One reason we were anxious to get out of town was to take a drive in our brand new, 2010 Mazda 3!

Along with all the chores and to-do's included in the weekend (cleaning the house, tidying the garage, etc.) Chad scored a new barbecue just in time for summer grilling, and we spent some quality time with our friends Brian & Colette Lord (pictured below). Brian and Chad have been best buds since kindergarten. He and Colette live in San Diego, but do a good job of visiting Brian's family in Clovis a few times a year. We're excited about visiting them in San Diego over the long 4th of July weekend.

Time flies when you're having FUN! We couldn't feel more blessed to be together and surrounded by wonderful family and friends. This summer will be a busy and FUN one for us -- we're off to Europe for 2.5 weeks in July, taking a few weekend trips, and will be seeing 2 great concerts in August. Stay tuned for plenty of updates!

Summer Vacation ~ Napa & Ashland

After not taking any vacation in 2007, we were in desperate need of a getaway this Summer! During the first week in July we drove north to Ashland, Oregon for the annual Shakespeare Festival, with stops in Sonoma and San Francisco along the way.

Our trip started out with 2 nights at the Trojan Horse Inn in lovely Sonoma, CA. We managed to visit several wineries in the Napa/Sonoma area: Ravenswood, Sebastiani, V. Sattui, Sterling, Cheateau St. Jean, and Ledson. We found Sonoma to be peaceful and charming with many quaint restaurants and shops (including a great used bookstore)... and it was even a little more low-key than we expected for being such a famous area for wine lovers.

On our way to Ashland, north of Napa in a little town called Sebastopol, we stumbled upon Ledson. I recognized their tasting room (aka "chateau") from a picture my coworker had taken while on vacation in the area. This last-minute wine tasting turned out to be our best experience of the trip; so much so that we joined their wine club! They had an "old vine" zinfandel and "ancient vine" zinfandel that were superb, and you can't buy this wine in stores -- it's available to wine club members only.

The drive to Ashland was somewhat of an ordeal....we thought we'd take the 101 to maximize the northern CA coastal scenery. Woops! All it did was add 2 hours to the trip, which included only about 15 minutes of ocean view and all sorts of windy mountain roads going into Oregon. We rolled into Ashland super late, but grateful for our 4 nights at the Mountain House B&B.

We'd been trying to get to Ashland for several years and were excited to have tickets for 3 plays: A Midsummer Night's Dream, Othello, and Coriolanus. All 3 were in different theaters with equally different settings and interpretations. Our favorite was the very fun, modern, and musical "A Midsummer Night's Dream." We spent our daylight hours in Ashland hanging out at the B&B reading and resting, exploring downtown Ashland shops and restaurants, and celebrating July 4th with the locals.

We broke up our the drive home with a stop to see the Sundial Bridge near Redding, CA and an overnight stay in San Francisco at the Omni Hotel. While in SF we saw a great exhibit at the MOMA on the famous model-turned-photojournalist (and first female ware correspondent during WWII) Lee Miller -- what a coup for a former reporter and aspiring photographer like me! We also had dinner at one of our favorite sushi restaurants, and spent some time bumming around the city on Sunday before returning to Clovis.

It was restful and different than our other vacations...we were grateful for the time away and new experiences. But we're ready to go back to Europe!