A Family Beach Getaway

SAN DIEGO!!!! And that oh so beautiful ocean! This has to be one of my favorite places to go, and it was such a joy to be able to share this place that I love with my kiddos, watching them experience all of these wonderful things for the first time. We spent a lot of time in SD as we were growing up with our cousins. There are so many great memories, and now I get to make some new ones with my own family!

We found a great rental that was right in front of the beach, in a great area of Pacific Beach.

That view was unbeatable!

Well, that sweet little ball of cuteness might be a little bit better.

Our first morning out was to the farmer's market in La Jolla.

Here's my favorite part... the fresh flowers! Especially in an area like SD, where the weather allows for more lush varieties.

Here I am with my beautiful bunch. I just love those hydrangeas.

And here they are all arranged together. Gorgeous!

The rest of our yummy finds that helped to keep us nourished throughout the week.

Ok, more pictures of the flowers. They're just so beautiful.

They hung on great all week. I kept the ends of the hydrangea stems trimmed daily and added some lime soda to the water every day. The bells of Ireland were starting to wilt on me by the end of the week, so I had to let them go, but everything else still looked as fresh as the day I bought them. Then I decided to bring them home to Arizona. They were doing great almost the whole way home, and then once we got to Yuma, I kid you not, they croaked! We live in the land of death. The daisies are still looking pretty decent, but the hydrangeas never stood a chance.

Here's Patrick all decked out and ready for the beach.

"Mom, I just want to let you know that I am NOT ok with this sunscreen business."

Patrick was alright as long as he was FAAAAAR away from the water. Any time we would try to get him closer, he would start panicking and screaming no as if we were attempting to lead him into a blazing furnace. He did get his toes wet a couple times and seemed to maybe warm up to it a little bit, but it definitely was not his favorite.

He found a piece of driftwood that he decided worked quite well as a telephone. This child's world revolves around hats and telephones at the moment.

Patrick likes to distribute his many hats among whoever is present so that everyone can wear one. He also likes to try on yours.

So, what better souvenir than a new hat? We tried on many, but decided on this one. He has not parted from it since.

We took the kids to the Birch Aquarium, but we failed to snap any photos. Patrick had a great time, though. He just kept exclaiming "FISH!" and "LOOK!" over and over. Here we are getting started and the San Diego Zoo.

Some of our favorites included the koalas...

...the many different kinds of bears... Patrick really loves his teddy bear and his Brown Bear book, so he was really excited to see bears at the zoo.

The polar bears.

They had some life size replicas next to the exhibit. He was ok with the baby one, but the "teen" size and adult size, which was standing up on its hind legs, were a different story. He kept saying "no, no" and hiding behind my leg.

The caves were fun though.

Here he is pointing out the gorillas to a fellow zoo visitor. He made friends with everyone and even tried to hold hands with some nearby school children who were on a field trip.

Uh oh, thought I lost my hat there for a minute! Phew! I found it. We can move on...

The hippos were right up against the glass. The viewing at this zoo for almost all of the animals was so much more accessible than at the Phoenix zoo. Patrick could really get right up next to them. The baby gorilla and baby orangutan were both so playful, slapping the glass and rolling around. Patrick jumped back a couple times, a little nervous that they were going to jump out and get him.

Patrick used to be such a ham when it came to the camera, but all of a sudden, he has started rebelling against the spotlight. He did not want his picture taken. We had several attempts.

This was the closest I got.

We made a stop in La Jolla at Bird Rock. This view is amazing.

And, of course, what vacation would be complete without massive amounts of food. We're waiting for our food at Kono's Cafe in PB, and Patrick is on the lookout. This kid is a bottomless pit.

We had a beautiful time! First real family vacation was a success! Can't wait to do it again.

For Baby

My sister-in-law, Kelli, is expecting a little one in a few weeks, and her shower was this weekend. What better way to welcome a new baby than with some handmade goodies...

I started with this Noah's-ark-themed blanket. Jacob and Kelli are waiting to find out the gender of the baby until the birth, so I went with a mix of bright colors and patterns.

The yellow back is a very soft flannel.

This little guy, as well as the ball, are from a pattern book called Last Minute Patchwork and Quilted Gifts, though I think their definition of "last minute" is probably a little looser than some would care to use. I guess in the world of quilting and sewing, where projects can take months to finish, a few days or hours seems like last minute.

He's called Peanut the Wee Elephant.

This one and the dog rattle are from a book called More Softies Only A Mother Could Love. I sort of went to town on his eyes. I love doing hand stitching and embroidering. There's something so organic and personal about it.

I just love his little feet.

This little cutie is crocheted and stuffed and has a little rattle insert in the head. I couldn't find rattles at the craft store, so I just repurposed one of the kids' old rattle toys. They have so many; they're not going to miss one. The parents-to-be have two dogs and one of them is a silver lab named Romeo, so I thought this little pup should have a silver coat as well.

This one is called a Puzzle Ball. It's the perfect size and shape for itty bitty fingers to grab onto.

Home Sweet Home

Welcome to our new home!! We finally got everything mostly put away, and this house will probably never be quite this clean again, so I thought I'd take you on a little virtual tour of the new digs. As you can see from this picture and the one below, I FINALLY got my fabric shelves organized!

And this has now become my favorite room in the house. We're calling it Mommy and Daddy's play room.

I have plenty of room to sew and craft.

I am envisioning some very girly and very fun craft gatherings around this table. I can't wait to invite some friends over and make good use of this space!

Our office space is no longer in our bedroom, which feels great.

The books are no longer within Patrick's reach, as he is not generally allowed in this room. One less temptation for those curious little hands.

The living room and the studio/office through those double doors.

The apple painting made its way out of the kitchen and into the living room. Also, I recovered the piano bench in a really fun, bright fabric from Heather Bailey's Pop Garden line.

Our "quaint" little kitchen and dining area. I really do love this space. It has so much character. But I say "quaint" because we're a bit lacking in storage and work space.

It could quite possibly be that I just have way too many kitchen items, but what can I say? I love to cook. Speaking of which, you can see two little herb plants sitting in the window. I bought some basil and some rosemary and I tried them out this week in a homemade pizza.

Here's the new island in use, providing some much needed counter space.

I used some of the fresh rosemary leaves and mixed them right into the dough.

I brushed the crust with olive oil, then sprinkled with parmesan and garlic powder, topped with sauce, fresh mozzarella, and sliced tomatoes...

...then threw on some of that fresh basil for the last couple minutes in the oven. Yum!

We finally have a usable backyard, which has been so nice for Patrick.

It's divided into a front and back section, which means less to take care of. We're thinking we might get a swing set to put out in the back part.

More of the saltillo tile that's laid throughout the house.

The kids' very cute little bathroom.

Olivia's sweet room.

Patrick's room.




Our bedroom.

And a peek into...

...the smallest bathroom in the world!

And that's about it. We are loving our little home and are so excited to have all of our friends, new and old, over for fellowship and of course food. So feel free to invite yourselves :)

We'll unpack later...

Look, Mom! Mud!!

It's Box City!!!

Have I mentioned how much this kid loves boxes???

Seriously the sweetest smile ever!

Mmmmm... fingers :)

Family photo minus Mom, of course, who is snapping all these precious pics.

Exploring

Patrick conquering the great unknown of the new backyard...








...mission accomplished!