Father's Day 2016

A beautiful day along the water celebrating the Dad's in our family. Opa has been asking for a corn hole set, so what better way to celebrate than having a picnic and surprising him with a corn hole set? He loved his gift and we all had fun breaking it in - even the kids joined in.

I am so lucky to have my dad as a role model to me and feel like his example set the expectation for who I chose to marry me. 

Robert by far exceeds his role as my husband, which I think makes him such a fantastic father. His dedication to our family and love for us is more than I could ask for and I am very grateful for him. Hunter, Wyatt, and Baby Tres - you kids do not know how lucky you are!

Monday Morning 9am

Some mornings are smooth, others are...not. Monday morning was not. After what felt like a half of a day already, I loaded both kids in the car and had no idea where I was going, but we had to get out of the house. We drove along the coastline and ended up at Lover's Point. At 9am.

We basically had the beach to ourselves, it was silent, the kids were happy, and the sun was out. 

Sometimes a change of scenery is all it takes, and I am thankful the beach is down the street :)

Date Weekend

Robert's Father's Day gift

Damaetra's at Carmel Beach

Caramel Chocolate covered apple

Next morning breakfast at First Awakenings

A quiet breakfast, just us two!

Took Robert kayaking for Father's Day!

..and a kid-free trip to Costco

I planned a kid-free 24 hours with Robert last weekend and it was fun! We never do date nights anymore (and to be honest I think we are both too tired to be out late anyway) so I decided to plan a few fun activities for us to catch up and hangout together.

Friday night we got Damaetra's take-out, went to Carmel Beach, walked around downtown and picked up a few treats at the bakery, then came home and watched a movie. 

Saturday morning we enjoyed breakfast at First Awakenings (we actually had a conversation and enjoyed each other!), went kayaking off Monterey Beach and paddled out to the aquarium, then out to Costco (romantic!).

Thank you Amy, Lori, and Peter for watching the kids - appreciate the time alone with Robert :)

Trolley Ride

Oma, Harper, Hunter, Wyatt, and I all rode the free trolley around town last week and it was fun! Hunter's favorite cartoon character rides a trolley in the show, so he was super excited to ride around town and hear the bell ding. We stopped at Cannery Row to let the kids run around and then got back on to head back. Thanks for the idea Oma!

Suns Out, Buns Out

This water table has been getting a lot of use lately! The weather has been beautiful and the boys have so much fun playing in the water. I have a million photos of them splashing around out there - so fun!

19-21 weeks - Baby #3

Going on 22 weeks here and already feeling b-i-g. 

I finally ordered maternity clothes, so I am looking forward to a package delivery in the next few days and hope I will be more comfortable! 

I have gained 11 pounds so far, but it feels like a lot more and the yoga clothes just aren't cutting it for me anymore, even though they are the most practical :)

Hunter still thinks he is getting a sister and asks if he can touch and kiss "her" every night before bed. We correct him and tell him he is getting a brother, but he doesn't seem to be convinced at this point! Sorry buddy!

What is new with the baby?

• The baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long — about the size of a carrot. 
• You may feel like he is practicing martial arts as movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges.
• Your baby's eyebrows and lids are present now.

Operation: take away pacifier

Wyatt has a serious love affair with his white blanket and his pacifier. He is adorably comforted by both of them when he is in pain, frustrated, or just tired. Bedtime is really easy - as soon as he lays down with his blanket and pacifier he has a huge smile on his face and we never hear a peep from him.

At 16 months old Robert and I decided it was time to take the pacifier away. Now that he is walking around and growing into a toddler, I think he is capable of soothing himself and I really do not want him dependent on the pacifier when he is going through tantrums.

We decided to let him have the pacifier during sleep time, as he is so addicted to it I wanted to tackle the daytime first.

Day one pretty much looked like this:

theeeeee saddest face ever

He was soooo miserable (and so were we). He is also on meds for a double ear infection and has a molar popping through (didn't realize until after the fact), so I am not sure all the screaming was just because of the pacifier..

Day two looked like this:

He was a different child! Happy and didn't cry once for the pacifier, thank goodness. He also napped without a peep, which was a very pleasant surprise. 

As I am typing, he is sleeping soundly and went down just like any other night. Hooray for mission accomplished in less than 48 hours!

Weekend

Beach, backyard, Dametras, operation take away pacifier (more on that later), long walks, barf, double ear infections, and Kendall's 1st birthday!