Monday, August 22, 2011

Much needed time off

Victor and I haven't taken a vacation since last summer for just a few days when we went to Pismo beach. We needed a break BIG time. Since he started his job 3 months ago he's been working crazy amounts of hours 6 days a week. So I lost my stay at home partner, which I was super bummed about but we are so happy and thankful for Victor to have the amazing job he has. We both have been so busy lately and just going and going.... Finally a break for us. A few months ago we booked a camping trip. When I was younger my family (all aunts and uncles and cousins) all went to Campland on the Bay. All my life I heard about it, they did this, they did that, they had the best time ever... blah, blah, blah. Apparently I went there when I was still in diapers which of course I don't remember and I don't have one picture or evidence of me being there. So my cousin Chrissy and I decided to just book it and go! My sister Julie had bought a motor home a few months ago and said we could use it. Of course I didn't believe that she would ever really let me use it. You know, people say yes but then don't actually let you. Not that I would blame her at ALL because it's an expensive vehicle to borrow!! I can't thank Julie and Brian enough for letting us borrow it though. I had a long few weeks, waiting and waiting for our camping trip to come. I needed a break badly!

Tuesday night this showed up in my driveway!!!!! I was so excited!!!
Since Julie and Brian just got this a few months ago they "kind of" showed me how to use it as best as they knew. We booked a campsite with all the hook-ups which they have never done themselves before so they told me what they knew. Packing the Motor home was time consuming for sure! If you used it in your house I figured you needed it in the RV too right? Bathroom, shower, kitchen, bedroom. I packed everything and then some!! Everything but the kitchen sink, well, cause it already had one for us to use!!

Thursday came and we loaded up the bikes, extra chairs and anything else that would fit in and closed it up and got on the road to San Diego!
With the road in our rear view mirror, a full tank of gas and a husband doing a GREAT job at driving this monster... we were off!!!


Alana thought it was super cool that we were driving in this house and going to be staying in this house. And also thought it was cool that she could hang out on the couch with me on the way!

Check in was 2 and we were there by 1:30. Here was the fun part.... hooking up everything for the first time. We had no clue (nor did Julie and Brian) that we needed the hoses for the hook-ups. So after we got our space we had to buy a sewer hose and a regular garden hose. Hooking everything up wasn't the hard part. The hard part was figuring out how it all worked. It took us almost 2 hours to get it down so that everything worked. In the meantime Miss. Rosie was getting very impatient and wanted to go to the beach. Because that's all we'd been talking about for days! Since our campsite was right next to the pool we decided to head there first!


After a few hours of swimming we went over to the beach to check it out. It was beautiful and not at all the beach I was expecting! I don't go into the water at the beach because one, it's yucky but two, because the waves. I don't do waves very well. Alana won't even barely near the water at the beach because of the waves. To my surprise it was more like a Bay! No big crashing waves! I was sooooo happy to see this bay as our beach!!!


We hung out and Alana collected shells as the day turned into the evening and I couldn't wait to come back tomorrow to try lay on the beach and go in the bay!



We played around at camp for awhile and went to the market to buy a few things. It was nice to have the Motor home for the comfort but it was cool that they had a market, restrooms and showers all really close to us! That's the BEST camping ever!!!

Spending some time on the beach and just relaxing was just what we needed!


It finally felt like the break we deserved!


The beautiful evening feel into a beautiful first night at camp. It was just the 3 of us the first night and Chrissy and Kali would join us on Friday! Alana enjoyed her camping chair while eating dinner!


While daddy worked his magic in starting our first campfire!


Our first night was amazing, since we ran Alana around on the beach she was very tired and slept alllll night long by herself in a big bed at the front of the RV while Victor and I took the back bedroom.

Friday morning we went out for a nice bike ride around camp and waited for Chrissy and Kali to get there before we headed to the beach!


We couldn't have better company to share our vacation with! Kali and Alana get along so well and love each other so much! They are forever friends!


Not to mention Chrissy, she's always been one of my favorite cousins and we enjoyed spending time with these two girls! After hours at the beach we headed to the pool before dinner.


Alana and Kali love the pool. Kali is doing really great at swimming and Alana is still learning.


Between her floaties and her daddy she felt very safe in the pool! I love these two!


Two silly girls coloring together in their "bedroom".


The first Marshmallow roast night of the weekend with both girls.


Mmmmmmm..... The best s'more I ever ate! With of course a Peanut butter cup as my chocolate.


Kali and Alana snuggled in their bed.


Saturday was a big beach day!!! A beautiful one!


The bay was awesome and just what we needed!


Alana and I built this cool castle.


Chrissy said that every year her dad, my Uncle Greg would make a cool race car in the sand that the kids loved to sit in. So I told her we should do it. We tried, Chrissy did most of it, and it came out really good, but it's hard to see with sand on sand.


Alana was brave and came out on the boogie board with me. She kept saying she didn't want to go far out because she didn't want to see any sharks. Hmmm.... I was feeling the SAME way. I'm super irrational about sharks. Always have been. I'm scared of them in lakes, in pools and for obvious reasons at the beach. But I've never told her any of that. It was weird that she was afraid to "see" sharks. I don't think she feared them eating her. She just didn't want to see them. Who can blame her. I'll forever try and keep that fear away from her so she's not crazy about it like me.

My babe loves the beach and the sun! She's such a Cali girl.


Kali girl is a Cali girl too!


Aren't they adorable?!?!

I couldn't help but take lots of pictures of them because they are so cute!!



We decided to take the late afternoon and rent a pontoon boat to take out into the harbor! Best idea ever! The girls loved it!

Ct. Chrissy navigated us to a secret spot.


Rosie and Daddy enjoying the boat ride.


My big girl.

Girls lovin the breeze!


One of my favorite pictures of Kali.


Me and my Rose.



Alana taking it all in.


Kisses from mommy.


Here is the secret spot Chrissy found for us! Lots of Sea Lions hanging out.


Night time brings lots of s'mores for the girls.


Campfire's and smores the girls will share forever!

Daddy showing Alana how to put out the marshmallow on fire! Oh, and speaking of... Alana didn't like the "dirty" marshmallows. She wanted clean ones. Who doesn't like them roasted? She's crazy and clearly didn't take after me for that.


Our last beautiful campfire for the weekend. I'm so glad we decided to go to Campland and start our own memories to talk about for years and years that Alana can share with her own children! Next year is already being talked about and probably being booked very, very soon!

Sunday, August 21, 2011

500

I wish I had something clever to say about the number 500 but I'm lame and I can't think of one. I started this blog 3.3 years ago. 500 blog posts later and I've arrived at tonight. Typing my 500th post. Got nothin to say that I haven't said 500 times before! HA!

If you read my blog, thanks for stopping by. You should leave me a comment more often. Most of the time I blog for me. Cause God knows I need a place to write stuff down and post pictures so I can remember for myself. I've always kept a diary and well this is sometimes a diary for me. Mostly a memory bank, but also a diary. I have my good days and I have some bad days. Sometimes you see happy pictures and sometimes you see my dark sad sides. My blog has helped me get through hard times. When my mom died having a blog really helped me to get out my feelings, and continues to do so. It helped me write how I feel but also helped me to remember her and share stories. Share pictures I had hidden away. I can go back to those blogs and remember how I felt, good and bad.

This blog has served as a "baby book" for Alana. It's helped me capture her 3.2 years so far. She'll be able to look back at the book of my blogs when she is older and see how crazy I was but also be able to know what I went through. She'll always know how much love I had for her. I know it's kind of crazy but we watch this show on TV and the mom has cancer. She knows she's not going to live forever so she writes letters and does all kinds of stuff for her son that she know he will have when she's gone. If for one second I could have anything like that from my mom it would be amazing. If I even just see her handwriting I lose it! So I assume someday having this for Alana to look back on will be awesome for her!

Thanks for all of your kind words to me on my blog. Thanks for your encouragement, thanks for not judging me, thanks for your friendship! Here's to 500 more blogs!!

Don't forget, leave me a comment sometime when you feel like you want to so I know you stopped by and that there is anyone out in the world reading this thing!

xoxo
Jamie

Monday, August 15, 2011

My reason to smile


More adorable pictures of my girl. She makes me smile.




Wednesday, August 10, 2011

My girl

My Rosie is so sweet and so smart and dang clever... I blog because I always need to remember just how she is at this age. I thought when she was younger (last year) that it was my favorite age, but I notice as the months and years pass that every age she is in is kind of my favorite! I'm sure it's cause she's my favorite kid and I adore everything about her... but she's at such a great stage in her life right now. I love it! We enrolled her in Preschool and she starts on the 22nd when we come back from vacation. I CAN'T wait for her to start. It's not a daycare, it's a Preschool and Victor and I loved it when we were checking different Preschools out! I'll post more about her first day once it arrives!

Until then, here are a few random pictures from the last few weeks to hold you over until I can get pictures off my camera from our trip to Sea World a few weeks ago. I'm behind... I've been busy people.

I had to take Rapunzel in for a hair cut because God knows this poor girl is going to have hair like me. It's sooo long and thick. She's just like me and I can't stand my hair so I hope she learns how to deal with it better then I did. My parents always kept my hair short because there was so much of it and I hated it short when I was younger. I will NOT do the same to her if she wants it long. And in the same breath... we just cut 4 inches off. Which still leaves it pretty long and THICK!
Showing off her new hair cut and bang trim
Saturday night I had Ellie and Lexie with me while JQ and D went out for D's birthday. Here is a cute picture from Sunday at church! These girls love each other.
While driving home from work yesterday Alana was in the back seat with her Sticker/Activity book. I was on the phone talking and this was her words to me: "Can you please keep it quiet up there? I'm trying to work back here." Really?!?! I swear she never sounded more like Victor. When did she get so old?


One more funny thing to part with. Alana and I were watching Wipe Out this week and she thinks it's soo funny when they fall in the mud. She looks forward to those falls. While the contestants are Wiping out and doing these crazy stunts, Alana says "Mommy, I could do that". Oh what joy I have to look forward to with a girl who thinks she can do all those stunts at 3 years old!