Romantic Anniversary

Bryan and I decided to go to Dana Point for our much needed vacation and anniversary trip (8 years!!!) He kept the hotel a secret and also the restaurant where we would have our anniversary dinner. We dropped the kids off at my parents (thank you mom and dad!!) and made our way down to the coast. As we're pulling into the Marriot in Dana Point, I am amazed. It is a beautiful hotel and I have attended a couple of weddings there, but never stayed there. It has so many amenities that you can't possibly afford to do them all or even have the time!! We walked around the shops (again...poor Bryan) and had seafood several times.

Here is the view from the Chart House on the cliffs of Dana Point. It was the most awesome, wonderful dinner ever! We had the best food there - I'm not kidding. The Chilean Sea Bass and the Macadamia encrusted Halibut were to die for!! We also had coconut shrimp for an appetizer and don't forget the lava cake with ice cream for dessert! We had the best time there - and yes, rolled out of the restaurant having gained several pounds. Thank you to my parents who contributed towards that wonderful dinner.

Here's the front view of our hotel. We stayed in one of the rooms on the right hand side of this picture. It was on the side of the hotel so we got a little glimpse of the ocean if you stood on the little balcony. So delightful!

You can't forget Daddy's birthday. Even though it falls on the same day as our anniversary, we had to celebrate it extra special. The boys and I surprised him at work with brownies, ice cream and balloons (Ethan picked out a golfing Happy Birthday balloon) and spent lunchtime with the birthday boy. Then that evening we had dinner at the Outback Steakhouse. The boys would not cooperate with the waitress while she was trying to take the picture so Ethan's head got blocked by Austin's giant one. Ahh, the joys of parenthood. The smiles on our faces are almost fake...we were getting annoyed because the boys had been having attitudes for a few minutes and also wouldn't look at the camera.

Catching Up

And the Dutch genes keep going! My dad gave us stroopwafels and Ethan likes having them for a special snack. He loves them! I must say, they are not bad...two thin sugary waffles encasing a maple/caramel middle. Can I just say yum???

Show mommy your stroopwafel!!

A few weekends ago I had the opportunity to go to Big Bear for a leadership retreat with the women from my church. All of the leaders for Mother's Place (sort of like MOPS), Bible study, and other women who organize events at the church got together and prayed, went on a boat ride, and hung out and chatted. During that weekend, there was a big fire in Fawnskin nearby and we got a first hand view when we took the boat ride on Big Bear Lake. It was pretty nasty, and when we came back down the mountain we couldn't take the 18 because it was completely closed. Oh well, adventure in the mountains!! Oh, and it was awesome to get away from the kids for a couple days.

We took a family trip to Oak Glen two weekends ago and of course hit the candy shop. Bryan wasn't too excited since most of it is shopping, but he put up with me and rolled the kids around in the stroller. We picked up some fresh pressed cider, skipped the apple pie (big disappointments there) and came home for nap time. Such is the life with two kids 2 and under. It seems our life revolves around nap times and crankiness. Do I hear an amen?

The boys not cooperating with me as I stand there yelling, "Austin, Ethan, look at mommy...look over here....LOOK!" They didn't feel like looking at the camera at that time...or any time during that session. Here's the best one.

**side note. I went fishing with Bud (Bryan's dad), Ethan, and Bryan at a man-made lake down in Temecula, and there was this mom taking "professional" pictures with her daughters while they sat on a rock and posed. I can only guess it was semi professional being that the mom's camera was about the size of her entire head and neck region and the girls were angelic-looking on the rock in front of the lake. Needless to say I was a little jealous and thought, "am I ever going to be able to SEAT my two boys on a rock to take a picture?" I can at least dream, can't I?

Update on Life

I'm stuck at home with a cold and Bryan's gone to LA for work. Just the perfect timing for sickness to make its way into my world. Since Ethan's watching Bob the Builder and Austin is asleep, I figured I might as well update my blog for those few of you who check it. It's taken me a while to download all the pictures from my camera, so here's some things that have happened in the last couple of weeks. Bryan's parents, Bud and Terri, often come over after church and the other Sunday we went to Graziano's Pizza. Of course Ethan chowed down on the garlic bread, while Austin preferred the forks and spoons the place had to offer. We had a good time and here's a picture of them together (for a split second).

Buddies...sometimes.

We celebrated Dad's birthday on the 2nd and I gave him a handmade frame with a picture of the boys. Here he is doing a "vanna" showing off the gift. We don't know where we get the "haughtiness" from, but there are definite times where it seems to come from Dad's side. Ha ha!!

Cousins (and Will) watching to see the next gift to be unwrapped. They are starting to really play together now and it's fun to see. Austin is almost walking, but not quite ready to go out on his own right now. This was during the heat wave, so Austin had his Laker tank top outfit on. At one point it was 114 degrees at our house. WHEW!! I couldn't even go outside.

Hmmm...what's that? When we stripped him down to eat his lasagna (which he didn't really eat) he was too interested in certain parts of his anatomy that he doesn't see often. I just laughed as his cheeks were all chunky looking down while his little fat finger investigated.

Birthday Party

I can't believe this, but I forgot my camera today for Ellia Chai's 1st birthday party. How could I do that?? I remembered it all morning, but when the time came to leave, guess what I hadn't put into the diaper bag....yep...my camera. This is why I prepare beforehand and as I think of things, I put them in my bag ready to go. So...no pictures this time.
Anyways, Ellia Chai turned ONE!!! I wish I had a picture because she was in the cutest pink tutu and glittery shoes. Two items of clothing that will never be worn in my house. I get excited when I see cute girly clothes. Maybe because all I ever see is shorts, pants, and tshirts on my kids. Oh...and the occasional button-up shirt for church because no WAY are we wearing that during the week. Come ON mom.
We went to a park and the kids played with larger than life bats and whiffle balls while the guys (and some girls) played baseball. I got to chat with some old friends who I hadn't seen in a while and we all had a great time. It's so fun because all of our kids are relatively the same age so they sort of walk around together and poke at each other. It's hilarious. I miss all my Register pals and I'm so glad that we can get together and hang out like this. We had a great time and even though I know Ellia will not remember this momentous occasion, she will definitely look back on the pictures and see how cute she was in her little pink fur lined party hat, pink tutu, and pink Dorothy glitter shoes. Fun party Talitha! Thank you for including us!