Santa Barbara weekend

You know what is really hard?

Having grandparents/in-laws in Santa Barbara. I mean what a bummer to have to go HERE...

Of course it isn't hard, it's GREAT to go to Santa Barbara. Really, really great. Great place, great people.

If I can survive the stress of driving through LA (yuck!) we can arrive at the oasis of our alma mater in about 3 hours. And there to greet us with open arms, lots of attention, and a lovely home with a view, are Grandpa and Grandma. They have been in Santa Barbara about 9 years now and we love visiting. It is a place of retreat for us.

Last weekend was filled with relaxation, play, naps, outings to the harbor and the park, family time.

Here are a few highlights from our time in Santa Barbara.

We are so thankful for Grandma and Grandpa, and their hospitality.

A quick trip "home"

Where is home exactly?

Is it where you live? Where you are from? Chris and I often say home is simply each other.

Or if home is indeed "where the heart is," then I have 4 places that are home to me on this earth...Illinois where I was born and raised and where my roots and family remain...Kenya where my eyes were opened and my heart was shaped...California where I went to college, met the love of my life, and now raise my own family...and Colorado where we learned to be a couple and a family, furthered our educations, and started careers.

We recently returned from a visit to CO, the place we called home for the first 7 years of our marriage...

This trip wasn't about doing, it was about being. Being in a very special place with very special people. 

The special people who knew us before we had kids. People who were in our house a lot and people who opened their homes to us. People who were there when we welcomed our first child, and joined us in saying good-bye to the child we never got the chance to know. People who we have walked and prayed with during joys and struggles and journeys of their own.

It was a quick trip so there were people we didn't get to see as much as we would have liked (or at all), but it was simply wonderful to be face-to-face, even briefly, with so many dear people.

During our visit the adults spent a lot of time on back patios and porches just talking, while the kids spent a lot of time in backyards and basements playing (ahhhhh, I miss basements!). It was so special to see Samantha with her "first friends." Just like the adults, the kids picked up right where they left off.

We had a mini-reunion with our "Game Group" of 5 years. It's hard to believe that when we started getting together once a month with these four couples there were only 3 kids...and now there are 11 (and 3 on the way!). Our reunion wasn't quite complete this time and we greatly missed our friends who recently moved to Wisconsin. Here are 8 of the Game Group kiddos together...

We got away into the foothills to visit a place very special to us. A place that represents loss and gain.

We were reminded of so many things we loved about our years in Colorado... those magnificent Rocky Mountains always present in the distance, the UNBELIEVABLE parks, the "light rail" that would take me to school and deliver us to the city and baseball games, our first official home and neighborhood, that crisp mountain air, the long and warm summer nights, the endless bike trails, the trees!, the "workplace family" I had for 3+ years at Chinese Children Adoption International .

And just to "keep it real" I will also mention that we were reminded of things we don't necessarily miss about Colorado....the DRY air (that left Abby and me with straight hair), the air-conditioning, the really passive drivers (we even got to witness one of our favorite CO driver moves where someone who wasn't aggressive enough on the on-ramp came to a complete stop and signaled in order to be let in to the traffic flow...yeah, good luck with that).

It was such a great trip that we were easily able to overlook "the little inconveniences" like kids getting altitude sickness, or the 2 year old who spiked a fever on the plane ride home, or the fact that our really good deal on Priceline for the rental car was completely negated by the cost of adding that dang carseat (what a rookie travel move...note to self, NEVER click the little box that says "add a toddler car seat," just lug yours through the airport for crying out loud!).

The only disappointment of this trip was that the two places I wanted to eat at most were both closed down. WHAAAAT? Come on Spicy Pickle and Tokyo Joes...give a pregnant woman a break!

A BIG thank you to these fine people, our incredible hosts and friends who spoiled us rotten!

Hopefully we will be back to CO sooner than later, even when we become a family of five.

And hopefully friends will keep coming out west to spend time with us in the newest place we call home.

Until then we have the phone, the computer, and the memories of this trip to keep us connected.

Disneyland Family Vacation 2012

Our annual "summer" vacation has come and gone. But the memories of this one will absolutely last forever. We had an unforgettable 4 days together at Disneyland-California Adventure last week. All 13 of us (plus two on the way!) had a blast. It went better than I could have ever imagined!

Here is the top 10...

#1 THANK YOU, once again, to my Mom and Dad/Mormor and Papa for your really fun idea and generosity in making this trip happen. The looks on their faces as they enjoyed Disney with their grandkids said it all. Here is just one example...

#2 The Grand Californian Hotel. Wow. As if the really short walk to both parks wasn't enough, this amazing oasis provided us with afternoon naps, pool time, breakfast with Disney characters, and much much more. Bunk beds in the rooms, pack 'n play cribs that fit in the closet, chocolates on our pillows, and a special TV channel where a different Disney princess read my girls a bed time story every night...this place was a parents child's dream come true.

#3 Permissive parenting. Cotton candy before dinner? Sure. Chocolates before bed? Why not. Ridiculous Princess Mouse ears? Of course. Staying up past 9pm every night? Absolutely. It is really nice to have every excuse to just say YES to your kids every once in awhile :)

#4 The weather. Want to know the absolute best time to go to Disneyland? I'll tell you...the week after Spring Breaks are over, on days when they predict rain, but no rain comes...and you get to WALK ON almost all the rides. We are officially ruined for all future visits to Disneyland.

#5 Soarin' Over California ride at California Adventure. This was my FAVORITE ride. And pregnant moms could do this ride - so I did it twice in a row. Imagine feeling like you are flying over Napa, Morro Bay, Lake Tahoe, Malibu, San Diego and more. I can't believe I was ever hesitant to move to this amazingly beautiful state. This ride was a highlight for me!

#6 World of Color show at California Adventure. This show is unbelievable. Unlike anything I have ever seen. Thankfully it more than made up for the one hour of keeping our crazy 2 year-old contained in the viewing area before the show started (at 8:30pm).

#7 The Ariel ride at California Adventure. Singing every Little Mermaid song with my daughters as we spun through Ariel's world in a clam shell was this Little Mermaid loving Mama's dream!

#8 Girl-Boy experience. The fun thing about having all boy cousins is that we got to experience both sides of Disneyland. From fairies and princesses to fighting Darth Vader...love it!

#9 The happiness factor. Disneyland really is like another world. Our faces hurt from smiling. The following 23 seconds (captured right as California Adventure opened) pretty much sum up the week.

#10 The cousins. Oh my word these kids had fun together. Here were a few of our attempts to get a group shot of these darling munchkins.

Almost got all 5 of them in there.

This shot actually captures them in their natural state.

Finally we got smart and gave them candy so they would sit still for a picture.

What a trip. What wonderful time as a family!

And a few more picture highlights for fun...

Disneyworld...er...land, make that Disneyland

We have a REALLY big family vacation coming up. 3 nights and 3 days at Disneyland...with 5 children ages 5 and under. Whoa! This is our annual "summer" vacation with my entire side of the family (flying in from Nashville and Chicago). And there is a little bit of a story behind this "summer" vacation in April.

Here is how it all went down... It was Christmas in Illinois and it was time for the big reveal. Papa and Mormor gathered all 13 of us in the living room with the intent of revealing the surprise location for our summer vacation this year. We had already decided on the week in August ages ago (like we always have to do so it works for everyone's schedule) but this year the location was a surprise.

They sat us down, handed each family a monogrammed duffel bag and instructed us to open in. We pulled out Micky Mouse ears. We pulled out a brochure for the really sweet hotel that was already booked. We were being videotaped. Mouths dropped and kids danced together. Wow. 5 days in Disneyworld in Florida. Holy cow, we did not see this coming.

I watched the elation in the room and as Samantha jumped for joy with her cousins I choked back tears and tried hard to look super excited for the camera. There was no way I was going to impact this moment for everyone else by revealing what we had just discovered a couple weeks earlier...I was pregnant...due in August...and most definitely wouldn't be traveling to Florida at 38 weeks. No family vacation for my family this summer. I made up some lame excuse for needing to bathe my kids and got upstairs before I totally lost it.

Later that night while watching basketball together I decided I couldn't carry our big secret any longer. I told them I was pregnant. Trust me, this was a TOTAL surprise, I explained. They were all thrilled (of course) and I had adjusted a bit and was going to be OK with missing the vacation. I mean if there is a good excuse for skipping out on a trip, it is a baby.

What I didn't expect was the ALL FOR ONE, AND ONE FOR ALL response that we got. They didn't want to go to Disneyworld without us. Awwww. We talked about earlier dates for the trip in April so the airlines would actually let me on a plane. The thought of traveling across the entire country pregnant with two children was a bit daunting for me, but we were game.

Then the next morning my dad woke up with an epiphany. Would the kids really know the difference between Disneyworld and Disneyland? No, no they wouldn't. Why not change the trip to Disneyland, then the pregnant woman wouldn't have to trek 2,000+ miles over 10+ hours on 2+ planes (x2). Sounded good to me! And sounded good to everyone else. My mom had the hardest time adjusting as she has emotional connections with Florida and Disneyworld, but adding a couple extra days in Laguna Beach for her and my dad seemed to help.

So there it is, the story of how Disneyworld turned into Disneyland.

But really, this is also the story of an incredibly loving family who didn't want to leave my clan behind...a family who knows me well enough, loves me well enough, to know that pregnancy is super stressful for me and was willing to adjust the plan for this high-maintenance mama.

I'm so excited. This trip is going to be SO MUCH FUN. And the thought of those 5 little cousins boppin' around the happiest place on earth together brings a BIG smile to my face already.

SNOW!

One of our favorite annual traditions is spending President's Day weekend at Big Bear Lake with Chris' siblings.  All 10 of us are graciously hosted by their uncle at his mountain home. This is the third year we have been fortunate enough to have GREAT SNOW for our holiday weekend together. And this is the first year that Abby was old enough to play on her own in the snow. She loved it. Of course she did.

We didn't have any snow in Chicago this Christmas, and San Diego isn't known for the white stuff, so it FILLED ME UP to be in snow, 40 degree temps, and the mountains for 3 days. I think mostly it reminds me of that glorious state of CO we called home for 7 years. That, and the Scandinavian in me feels at home in brisk temperatures and winter gear.

Outside the house we enjoyed walks in the snow, sledding, and a tubing hill. Most of the group skied on Saturday, but given our stage of life and the age of our kiddos we haven't yet been able to join them for that part of the weekend. I am a bit of a ski-snob after years of skiing in Breckenridge, Keystone, and Vail, but I will admit that this year the mountain looked REALLY appealing. Maybe in 5 years.

Inside the house we spent time eating together, watching movies, drinking coffee, napping, reading, and just sitting around together and talking. Enjoying the cousins enjoying each other is always a highlight of the weekend for me. It is a weekend where we can turn off and just BE. Chris' uncle and his wife are AMAZING hosts and make us all feel incredibly welcomed and cared for.

I'm already looking forward to next year.

A weekend with Mark

Our great friend Mark came to visit this weekend. He was the "best man" in our wedding, and we all went to college together. Mark is a special friend to our family, and our girls just adore him.

In addition to being "best man" material, Mark is a really talented professional photographer. He specializes in engagements and weddings. Check out his work at his website www.markkuroda.com

We had a fun-filled weekend with Mark...eating Indian food, watching Crazy, Stupid, Love (awesome movie!), having a little beach playtime, and the grand finale...a trip to Seaworld. It is particularly entertaining for us to see our crazy life through Mark's eyes. And just for the record, I think he enjoyed Seaworld as much, if not more, than the girls. Single guys don't get to Seaworld much.

Click here for a 53 second slide show (to music) of some of our outings this past weekend. Thank you Mark for the slideshow and pictures below!

It was great to have Mark here and we hope he comes back again soon.

Shamu's Christmas Show is a fabulous and wondrous Christmas experience.

Choirs, candles, soloists, Christmas music, melodrama, killer whales jumping in unison...what's not to love. 

If you haven't seen it yet and have a pass to Seaworld...GO...it will not disappoint.