Vacation (Days 1-3)

We just got back from what was possibly the first real vacation of our married life. Normally our vacations consists of visiting family in Utah (not that there's anything wrong with that, we love you Utah family!). My parents were kind enough to invite us on their annual vacation when they found out my brothers wouldn't be able to go. We are so, so, SO grateful to them for taking us along. We had an absolute blast!

Day 1
This day consisted of driving to California. We stopped along the route to visit my sister Christy who recently moved to Riverside.

The kids did amazing on the 13 hour drive. I still can't believe how wonderful they were. (No benadryl either). Our final destination for Day 1 was my grandparent's ranch in Tepusquet canyon, outside of Santa Maria.

Both of my grandparent's have passed away and the ranch house itself is undergoing a major makeover right now, but my uncles were kind enough to allow us to pitch our trailers in the driveway.

We were all happier when we got out into beautiful 60 degree weather.

We were treated that night to a wonderful BBQ courtesy of my Uncle Bill and my Aunt Bonnie. I don't have any pictures of that because I was too busy shoving meat into my mouth to think of anything else.

Day 2
In the morning we enjoyed some of the Ranch's sites. The kids got to feed horses, chickens, cats, & dogs. And then we took a ride to the top of the mountain.

After this we headed to a little town called Solvang. A true to life Danish village in the middle of California. David and I actually came here on our honeymoon. This picture of the kids shows them outside of the little cafe we ate at 8 years ago. We did a lot of sightseeing here and bought a LOT of Danish pastry.


The we headed to my uncle John's house for another BBQ. Yum-o! I did manage to get a picture of this one. :-)


Day 3
This was moving day as we headed up the coast to our new campsite in Santa Cruz. On the way we stopped to do some sightseeing. Half of us visited Hearst Castle and the other half went to the beach. We didn't get a whole lot of pictures on this day. This one is of the indoor pool at Hearst Castle.

After our sightseeing we headed up the beautiful and terrifying Highway 1 to our first KOA.

It was absolutely beautiful there! Between 50-55 degrees the whole time and so close to the ocean you could see it from the trailer. Our site was right next to the playground, which the kids adored, and there was also an amazing hot tub which the parents adored.

Stay tuned for days 4-11. :-)

Emma's 7th Birthday!

We celebrated Emma's birthday on Saturday. This was Emma's very first 'friend party' so we went all out and took her to Chuck E Cheese. We had a blast! The kids ran around like crazy, ate a ton of pizza, and generally had an awesome time. Emma kept saying over and over that it was the best birthday over and we already have requests to go back next year. Check out Emma's cake that David and I collaborated on. I think it turned out cute.

Sunday Shot

Maylee was still asleep when we got home so we just popped her up there in her carseat.

3 years

3 years ago I held my daughter in my arms for a very short time. Daisy Grace, we love and miss you. You'll live in our hearts forever.

Turning of a Page

My grandmother passed away yesterday. She had a stroke a week ago and slowly faded away. I was lucky enough to be in Utah just a couple weeks ago and I was able to take my kids to go see my grandparents. When I was at their house I watched as my Grandpa spoon-fed my Grandma her meals, wiped her chin, and tucked her into bed. I thought about how hard this must be on him and wondered if he wished it was over. After all was the woman he loved even there anymore? Really? Then as I was talking to him he was telling me how wonderful she was and what an amazing person she was and how much he loved her...and I felt ashamed. His love for her was so beautiful and pure, despite any physical impediments. It wasn't a burden to take care of her. To him it was a gift, a blessing, and an honor. I learned something about love that day. Grandma Rookhuyzen you will be missed. Until we meet again.

Maylee's new duds

I have been cloth diapering Maylee for about 6 weeks now and I am loving it! For about $150 I got enough diapers to take Maylee through potty training and will still be good for the next baby. It's so much easier than I thought it would be and so stinkin cute!
That last one is the inside of the pink diaper. We also have purple, green, and blue.

Best present ever!

Yesterday Maylee gave David the best Father's Day gift ever! She said, "Dada" for the very first time! While he was with us! Because of his work schedule he so often misses her milestones. I'm so happy he was there for that one. :-)