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 :)

Lucky Number 7

Happy 7th weddding anniversary Robert! And happy 10 years together :)

Time is flying by with all that we are juggling right now and I wouldn't want to be living life with anyone else. 

Thank you for being such a wonderful husband and a good example to our boys. 

We celebrated by getting a babysitter and having dinner at Lure & Till and then drinks at Nola's. Was fun to get out without the kids and have a little fun!

Date: 3 of 12 - Sharks Game

I haven't documented these yet! I gifted Robert a pre-planned list of 12 dates for the year of 2015 - 
one date each month, without the kids. 

In January I was huge and pregnant and we went bowling..it was so hard (and hilarious)! But really fun to act like high schoolers again. 

In February, we took advantage of Oma's visit and had our Valentine's dinner at Tamarine in downtown Palo Alto, followed by frozen yogurt. We didn't take pictures because the restaurant is fancy schmancy and it wasn't appropriate, but the food was amazing.

For the month of March I got us tickets to a Sharks game. We'd never been to a hockey game and my goal for these dates was to try new things.

 I had no idea what to expect in terms of the fans, how the game works, what to wear, etc. It ended up being so much fun and we are definitely going back for more games in the future. 

sharkie bit me

Towards the end of hockey it gets really competitive and crazy to watch. 

 

So fun!

Meeting Wesley

We got to meet Wesley yesterday - such a sweetie! I forgot how small and squishy newborns are. Hunter didn't seem too phased by much, other than showing some interest when we held him. 

We can't wait to see these guys grow up together. Congrats again to the Riedel's!

Six Years

Happy 6 year anniversary, Robert! 

There isn't anyone else I'd choose to be my partner and father to my kids. 

I love you very much and look forward to many more years together! 

Here are six things I love the most about Robert:

1. His ambition. 
There is no stopping Robert. Whether it's school or work, 
he is constantly challenging himself. 
A trait I hope is passed down to our children.

2. His dedication to me. 
No matter what, Robert is always supportive and makes me feel loved. 
I feel his dedication to our marriage on a daily basis. 
I don't tell him enough how much it means to me. 

3. His openness. 
I can suggest pretty much anything and Robert is open to doing it. 
Hike? Sure! Museum? Sure! Poopy diaper? Sure..

4. His frugality. 
I wouldn't say I love this, but I love why he is frugal. 
He is a provider and wants a comfortable lifestyle for his family. 
I appreciate this. 

5. His positivity. 
I am constantly amazed at Robert's ability to see the positive in every situation. 
He is able to let negativity roll off his back and see the best 
in people. Everyone could use a lesson on this and I am thankful 
to live by his example on a daily basis. 

6. His role as a father. 

Hunter is a LUCKY kid. 

There is no shortage of love, laughter, tickling, and support. 

Robert was born to be a dad. I love watching him in action. 

Thank you for your ambition, dedication, openness, frugality, positivity, and ability to 
love our kid(s). Most of all, thank you for loving me and choosing me as your wife.  

Happy 6 years to us!

Wedding Fun - Jillian and Darren!

This weekend we attended Jillian and Darren's wedding - it was gorgeous! I got to catch up with our friend Molly, as well as, meet lots of crazy Irish people. 

Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for babysitting Hunter while we were gone :))

Teepee Time

Our gift to Hunter for his birthday was a teepee! I wanted to get him something that would be useful for years to come. I picture him reading and playing in his teepee with his brother/sister/playdates/etc. 

Lately we've been having "teepee time" after dinner and before bed. A new trick Hunter learned in his teepee is how to put objects back where they came from. I never thought following a command would make me so happy, hah! He also learned to tell me what a monkey sounds like "oo oo ahh ahh" and gets super excited when I ask him to show me. Next up is learning what dogs say...

Hunter is ONE!

Happy Birthday big boy. Thank you for making me a mama and for bringing so much joy to our lives. 

I spent a long time digging up these monthly photos, as I seemed to have taken a million photos over the last twelve months and locating them on my computer wasn't as easy as I thought it would be (thank you smart phone)! It was fun to look at each month and see the changes in Hunter's size, development, and personality. 

The month that really took me back was the first month of Hunter's life - he was so helpless and tiny! Now we have an active and opinionated boy that makes us laugh daily. Looking back at photos brings back all of the memories of those first nights home with him and how proud and excited we were to have our newborn baby. A common complaint from new parents is that the first couple of months are hard, exhausting, and not very rewarding, but I feel just the opposite! The first couple of months with Hunter I felt like I was running on adrenaline and beaming with excitement daily. Now that he is getting into everything he is harder to keep up with, which in turn, is more exhausting for me. Either way it's a reminder to cherish each month, regardless of its challenges, because time is fleeting - everything in baby-land is a short stage - and before you know it, a year has gone by and BOOM - you have a one year old. 

ANYWAY.
Trip down memory lane...

What a fun year...bring on toddlerhood (now I'm scared).

Mornings with Hunter

One of my favorite times of the day. 

Bright Lights

Robert was out of town for the night so I was sending him photos and videos of bedtime - so excuse the commentary, but I LOVE this video. I didn't realize while I was initially taking the video that my flash was on and his reaction to the light is priceless. I think I have watched this a million times on my phone..too adorable.

Brothers

Playing Catch-Up

I am so behind - here is a photo dump