Girly Girls

The last couple days were filled with girl time. Maya's good buddy Mia came over on her birthday for a little pizza celebration. The next day some mommy friends and kids got together with us for a morning run, a trip to the farmer's market, some dress up time and lunch at a great restaurant near the ocean. We are so blessed to have found such a good group of friends to play, laugh and throw tantrums with:)

Watchout world....I'm 3 today!!!

Today we celebrate little Maya on her 3rd year of life! She got her 1st birthday phone call this morning from Nana & Papa before opening a couple of birthday surprises then headed off to share some blueberry muffins with her friends at "school". She trotted into preschool announcing "I'm three, I'm three" with such excitement. She is so excited for her party and her highly anticipated "jumper". I can't quite describe the joy she gives me or how dynamic her personality is. All I can say is that she's full of sunshine & spunk all at the same time and I am so very grateful for every day with her.

Gloomy...Sunny...Delicious...Perfection!

Gloomy day to start the weekend

Sun peeked out (visit with cousin Mike)

Delish breakfast with my wonder-man & supergirls

Perfect beauty (if you look closely, you can see the wings)

Our week in photos...

My new family heirloom teacup from my wonderful mum-in-law

Maya & Great-grandma Irene

Another great beach day

So..... I married Napoleon Dynamite

Grandparent's day

Things can get ugly at our house with 2 ladies and a bucket of soapy water

Hope your week was happy

xoxo

Mothering, it's not just a job...

Since I had my first daughter at age 18, I have never really known any part of my adult life that I wasn't parenting. It has made me strong. It has made me weak. It has exhausted me. It has taught me courage, patience (still working on that one), and responsibility. It makes me laugh. It makes me cry. It makes me feel so deeply for another's pain, joy, frustrations. It has taught me that I am a role model at all times (not always a great one). It has made my heart and soul full with love which I never would have known existed otherwise. It has taught me respect and appreciation for my own mother and all the mothers I know. Mothering has molded me into the person I am and continues to create me and guide me to what I hope to be. It is a gift like no other that I am truly grateful for.

Race Day!

Mama & monkey stretching out after the run

my swingers

amazing oaks

Our beautiful country room

So I've been training for a half marathon for several months now although I had sprained my ankle about a month ago. Since my running has ceased for the past 4 weeks I decided to do only half of the half (only 6 miles) and though it wasn't quite the accomplishment I was hoping for - it still felt great to stretch my legs and run in a real race!

The night before the race we stayed at my cousin's beautiful ranch house surrounded by rolling hills and glorious oaks. The house has the original ranch feel and lots of great old and new touches including the large antler chandelier, the cowhide framed mirror in the bathroom and the little cowboy room as a guest bedroom. It is an amazing place that was enjoyed by the whole family. Thanks G for your gracious hospitality and for making everyone feel so comfortable!

xoxo

Mama visits

Just wanted to post a few pics of the girls that have made my life what it is. My mama came down for a visit and hung in there pretty well with all of the tasks I had going during her stay. Probably the hightlight of her trip though is seeing her fun and frisky granddaughters dancing around. We had an eventful visit with the Cystic Fibrosis walk, a cousin's wedding, and lunch to prepare for 20 teachers. Don't worry mom...I'm slowing down now....whew, thank goodness!

Great Strides

Yesterday Matt, my mom, Brianna, Andi and our little ones joined me for our Cystic Fibrosis fundraising 10k. It was a great turnout and I loved being able to support a cause that I truly believe in. I even got to run a couple of miles to test out how my sprained ankle is healing. Luckily all is well with it, so I can start running again this week.....YAY!!! Thanks to all of my friends and family who made donations to the cause. You guys are awesome!

~xoxo~

Island Adventures

I failed to get a single photo of the bridal shower, rehearsal dinner or wedding of our friend's that I so wanted to capture for the blog (and myself) and am hoping to update the blog with some of those when pictures become available......hint, hint~JD. What I did get photos of was our mini vacation/camping trip out to the Channel Islands last week. It was a fun trip all in all, but tiring to drag a teen & toddler along for a one night camp over.

The trip started out beautifully with our friends Andi, Ed & Mia. We all boarded the boat with excited toddlers awaiting the ride. Not long after we set out to sea their smiling faces turned pale and less joyful by the minute. The swell in the channel was pretty large causing quite a bit of motion sickness among the passengers. Maya ended up barfing twice all over the boat, her infamous "can't leave home without it" blanket, and of course her heroic daddy (who almost lost his cookies after her second round of spewing breakfast). Thanks for taking one for the team daddy!

Still excited

Going, going....

Gone!

On the way out the captain spotted an enormous creature that seemed just as curious about us as we were about her. A gorgeous blue whale circled the boat showing off her long shiny body and gave us a lengthy show. Soon after the blue whale sighting we spotted a mother and baby humback whale duo. Needless to say, the ride out to the island was an eventful & exciting journey.

Once we got off the boat, we had a little lunch and took off on a hike. Maya loved running around rather than being stuck in the backpack.

Bri, on the other hand decided she couldn't manage another step (after feeling the effects of the Dramamnine she took) and planted herself right down in the middle of the trail for a short nap while we explored a little further.

It was a beautiful sight..........

The camping was fun and it was nice to get away from the demands of every day life. We pretty much had the campground to ourselves thankfully and I absolutely loved going to bed at dusk.....when do we ever get the chance to do that at home??? I was up at sunrise for a beautiful walk out on the beach to watch the sea lions playing and the pelicans gliding along the water. If there's one thing that I love to see when I'm on vacation in a beautiful place, it's the sun rising to greet me. Hands down, there's no better time of day. Everything is so still and quiet giving me a peaceful time to reflect and start fresh.