Road Trip Part 3

I've lost my steam on these road trip blogs, but that doesn't mean the third leg was any less exciting. We spent the remainder of the trip (4 days) in San Diego. We had images of building sand castles on the beach and lying around the pool drinking fruity beverages, but the weather didn't exactly cooperate. Fortunately, we had a couple sunny days, but Knute was extremely disappointed to have had food poisoning for one of them. It was terrible. I felt horrible for him. He felt horrible for himself. Ellie and I spent the day at the San Diego Zoo while he remained prisoner in the hotel room. After a quick recovery, we were able to enjoy the last day of our trip in La Jolla walking along the beaches, eating (at least on my part), and getting in a little shopping (but there are only so many fine jewelry stores you can drool over). It was a great way to end the trip. We enjoyed a wonderful vacation with our little family of three (for now).

Road Trip Part 2

We left Santa Monica and headed to Anaheim, home to the happiest place on earth. Yes, Disneyland! There must be something they pump into the air because everything makes you feel, well, happy. I couldn't believe the effect it had on my husband. Is there a name for this? He couldn't stop grinning from ear to ear. He couldn't stop talking about Churros. I had to make him leave the Disney store when it became too hard to contain himself. He was one of those types. You know the kind. The best part of all was watching how much fun Ellie had. We thought she might be too young, but she wasn't. She got caught up in all the excitement with everyone else. A Disney experience of this magnitude is truly priceless (at least Knute would argue so).

Dancing for the parade.

She just kept on going!

Mickey Mouse was standing right there as soon as we entered the gates in the morning.

This wasn't my idea.

Her favorite ride

Road Trip Part 1

We packed up our bags and headed out on a little eight day Southern California excursion. Sounds simple enough, right? It actually involved a tremendous amount of planning and preparation, which is part of the joy in traveling with an almost two year old. Of course it was all well worth it in the end. Our first stop was to visit my brother in the beautiful city of Santa Monica. Like any vacation, we seemed to eat our way through the day with sightseeing and a trip to the Boardwalk in between. Then we enjoyed an afternoon at the incredible Getty museum. What kid doesn't appreciate a masterpiece by Van Gogh? Well, at least we did. Dane, thanks for playing tour guide and showing us such a great time (I know it took a little practice in patience for you)!

An example of Dane practicing patience.

New Life

This is the little person that has literally been sucking the life out of me for the last several weeks. Yes, we are excited to welcome a new baby into the family this November (around the 17th)! I am thirteen weeks pregnant and still very tired. I am hoping to get a 2nd trimester surge of energy soon. Other then that, I have been feeling pretty good.

Ellie really has no understanding of the life changes that will soon be coming her way. It will be interesting to see how she reacts to a new baby residing in our house and never leaving. She may not like it at first, but I know she eventually will. My most precious childhood memories involve my younger brother. A sibling really is one of life's greatest gifts.

Mothers

Thank God for Mothers, Grandmothers, Godmothers, Aunts, and all the incredible, nurturing women who help shape the people we are. It's not an easy job, but it's a rewarding one. Happy Mother's Day!