Good day....thank you!

Man, there is nothing like a birthday to make ya feel special...set apart...my "Laura-ness" emphasized. In a season of my life where my identity tends to be tied to motherhood, good or bad, the love and attention of friends and family who know me--pre-kids--and appreciate me for ME just really means a lot. So thank you for acknowledging my birthday everyone! I have a renewed desire to share my appreciation for others on their birthday because it means so much to me on my special day!

We woke up to birds chirping, sun shining, and the distant sound of a lawn mower. LOVE IT!!! I opened all the windows upstairs to let the fresh breeze blow throughout the house. Ahhhh.... I made yummy cranberry, walnut pancakes and Indian tea, and then the four of us went out to "play" in the backyard. Believe it or not, the one thing I wanted to do on my birthday was clean up the backyard. While Deep worked on sweeping the pool, I pulled weeds, planted flowers, trimmed bushes, and soaked up as much sun as I could!! It was so fun to watch Ari frolic around, her little curls bouncing whenever she moved... hahaha my little "helper". And Cubby...poor little guy...can't walk yet and crawls around like a mad-man in search of something...anything...And when he finds it it's promptly pulled from his grubby little hands (or mouth if I'm not fast enough) which frustrates him to no end (and needless to say I was more than happy to put him down for his morning nap). Overall productive--always feels good!!

During the kids' afternoon naps my sweet brother came to the house and Deep took me out for a coffee date. We found a renowned bakery so I could get the German chocolate cake I'd been craving, and we took it to one of my favorite coffee shops and people watched. It was so fun to get dressed up and have a sweet little date with my hubs--not worrying if Cabe was putting something in his mouth. I felt pretty, carefree, special...and as funny as it sounds, young (that might be because this is the first birthday in three years I have not either been pregnant or breastfeeding). We then grabbed burgers and fries and headed home to spend the rest of the evening together, the four of us, in our jammies, max'n and relax'n.

As I think back...the special things Deep did for me throughout the day, the many texts, videos, phone calls, and Facebook messages I received from friends/family, my bro's kindness, and Ari's little voice calling out periodically "Hoppy birday mommy" just puts the biggest smile on my face right now. Good day!...and good night!

Our Little Overnight Getaway...with the kids ;)

Toward the end of last week Deep took a couple days off work and we took the kids to the beach. While Ari has a love/hate relationship with the waves, she talks about them non-stop and all of her toys in all her scenarios go to the "beach and the ocean".

This is before his mouth hit the sand...

 

A beach 45 minutes from our house
...new favorite "playground"

After our day at the beach and nap time/coffee date in the car, we went to a quaint little barbecue joint that was about as 'country' as they come, but served up some incredible ribs, pulled pork, and potato salad (and root beer in a bottle...my favorite ;)

  

By the way...this was probably the only moment Caleb sat still the entire meal.  He ended up, of course,  crawling on the floor so I could take a bite of my barbecue... (and no, as gross as it was, he didn't die)

  We stayed in a hotel that night (and just fyi, my children DO NOT sleep well away from home...why we did it??...not really sure.... :/ ) The next morning we found a fun, local coffee shop and had a delicious piece of raspberry coffee cake and triple shot lattes--that got me goin' ;) We ventured over to the Monterey Aquarium and had a blast...seriously! Cabe was content and cooing as long as he could crawl, and Ari was captivated by all the loud, obnoxious kids...probably even more than the fish. I learned a lot about ordering fish in a way that is good for the environment and our health, and felt an overwhelming curiosity and appreciation for things I know so little about--like that world...under the sea :) It was a great experience.

Thankfully at this point Cubby was happily nestled in his stroller keeping warm!

 At one point we went outside to get some fresh air and let Ari run around. We snagged her every once in a while and tried to capture a pic with her...Deep got the best one!

Finally, before we headed back we had the most creamy, hearty bread bowl of clam chowder. Sorry... didn't last long enough for pictures. Perfect way to end an almost perfect day ;) 

Overall smooth, playful, honest time with my family. Lots of driving which gave me and Deep some undistracted time to talk. I'm thankful for these little outings and a job that allows my hubs to get away like this. But its funny, with kids, "adventures" are taxing and so while I anticipate them with excitement, I find the 'during' and 'finale' to be a bit stressful/messy at times (for instance, I didn't think we would ever get sand out of our...everything!). So while I appreciate these getaways, I am also reminded (as I sit here in my pjs while my kids play together with their toys) how much I enjoy being home...comfortable, in control of my family's environment/food etc..., and in a routine. 

I really love my pjs :)