San Fran - part 2

We woke up the next morning and ate some breakfast that the hotel served (not continental- made to serve... who knew?)

 

And then we headed down to Pier 39 to get assaulted by the smell of the sea lions :)

After our noses couldn't take the stench any longer, we checked out the Golden Gate bridge. It was beautiful... and BIG!

A few hours later, after another round of playing in the pool, we headed back out for some lunch.

We ate at Boudins, where Justin and Jake ate their weight's worth in sourdough,

and Lauren and I ate some yummy clam chowder in a bread bowl :)

We finished off the night by merry-go-rounding and checking out some of the street performers. Some where a tad wacky, just sayin'.

Another great San Fran day :)

San Fran; part 1

Justin had to go to San Francisco on business last week and suggested we all go and make it a little mini vacay. I'll be honest... the thought of a roadtrip with a 1, 4 and 5 year old sounded like anything but a vacation but we figured, what the heck? So we packed up and headed north for 4 days :)

 

 

We stayed at a beautiful little hotel on the third floor, overlooking the foyer.

 

 

It was lush and green and had lots of little Koi ponds that we spent checking out.

The room was really comfortable, and had a door that separated the living room from the beds. So we set up Megan's pack-n-play in the front room so it was quiet and we all slept in the adjoining room (where the housekeepers regularly set up the kids stuffies, much to their delight :))

But our favorite part of the hotel, and the part we enjoyed most, was the indoor, heated pool and spa! We spent LOTS of time in their, esp. when it was too cold to go outside exploring the city.

 

 

 

 

 

And then after pool time, we ate some dinner, did some wrestling and rough housing,

 

 

 

took a bubble bath and quickly conked out like these two:

 

Then we woke up and set our sights on the city :)

To be continued...

Megan's Birthday

Meggie May woke up with a nasty cold yesterday. Actually, it started the night before and she coughed literally every 10 mins or so. It was awful and reminded me just how much I don't miss the newborn stage when they wake up a dozen times a night ;) But we obviously felt super bad for her, poor baby toddler.

Anyway. We woke up this morning and had planned on preparing her a special breakfast... waffles with strawberries on top. But when I told her what I was making, she said, 'no eat, mama' :( Everything I suggested she turned down. I even made her usual favored breakfast (oatmeal) and she turned that down too. Thankfully, she wasn't too grumpy and managed a little smile.

So, we skipped to presents. Lauren, unbeknownst to me, searched through her stuffed animals and found a few that she wanted to give to Megan. So she wrapped them in a bag herself and presented them to Meg. Even Jake helped wrap and prepare her gifts. It was so sweet.

While the big kiddos went to school, Megan and I hung out and did whatever she wanted all day because duh, it's her Birthday (which meant no errands or cleaning- it was WEIRD). And because she was sick and not wanting to play or eat, we hung low, watching The Wiggles and playing with her new toys.

 

By that evening, she was feeling a little better so we headed to Red Robin for a treat. We had 'dessert for dinner' and the kids thought we were the coolest parents ever (we're not; they'll eat lots of broccoli tomorrow night, lol) The Red Robin staff came and sang to Megan and she thought that was pretty cool :)

Anyway, we had a great night celebrating our big girl. My very last baby who is no longer a baby (?!?). Bittersweet but I am SO looking forward to doing more outings and trips as a family now that she's getting older and a little easier. Happy Birthday Love Bug!

To Megan on her SECOND Birthday

Sweet little Meggie,

I am going to start your 2^nd birthday letter the same way I started your 1^st birthday letter. How can it be that it was 2 years ago that I held you in my arms for the first time?!? It just doesn’t seem possible.

And yet here we are on your Birthday. It is the peak of gratitude of every gift that your life has given me the last 24 months. It is the day that I will always reflect on you; what I’ve learned from you, how I’ve changed, what I want for you and what you mean to me.

 

Sweet Megan, what a little girl you have become. No longer are you the small, helpless baby who needed me for every waking need. Right before my eyes the chubs are leaving your fingers and legs. And as the days go on your secret language of babbling is turning into real words and phrases. But today, I will stop lamenting on the things that aren’t happening anymore and celebrate and love on who you are now :)

You started out being more confident in physical abilities but boy has that changed! You can communicate very, very well these days. You play pretend, make up games with 'bubba and sissy', love to color on yourself (you are covered in markers daily), and you love to make others laugh. We call you our little comedienne. You combine songs by singing 'ABCD... now I wonder what you are' and your favorite song by far is "Mary Had a Little Lamb', although you know every finger movement to 'Where is Thumbkin?'. But, you demand that we sing "Mary Little Lamb mama!" about 2 millions times in the car so I'm thinkin' it's your fave.

You are adamant that you get 'mooches and hugs' before nap time, bed time and when anyone leaves. You come running and push out your lips for kisses and lean into us for hugs ;) You go crazy over bologna (I know... it's weird) and any “treats.” We can’t even say the word “cookie” out loud or else you’ll beg for one. You are certainly my sweet-toothed child!

You are crazy adventurous and not fearful of anything. You climb down the stairs without help, despite our attempts to get you to go down the stairs on your bottom or tummy. You scale the climby-things at the park and snub your nose at the toddler area of the park, instead climbing up flights of stairs to get to the long, twisty slides. Nothing scares you... which is awesome in some respects and not so much in others. Parking lots and pools are my worst nightmare these days ;)

Your language development has been astounding. Each day you amaze us with some new word of phrase. We giggle as you talk in true two-year-old fashion, speaking in third person saying things like “Meggie sick', "Meggie like it', "Meggie bank-et (blanket). Some of your other favorite phrases include: “Mine!' (delightful), 'I needa snack", go outside n pway'. But the biggest heart-melter is how you’ve figured out how to say “love you” and use it in context. When you look me in the eyes and say it, I turn into a little puddle of mush. I hope you continue to keep such intense love for life in your heart as you grow into an adult.

Your brother and sister have introduced you into the world of bodily functions and you happily shout 'I TOOT!', and you love to say, "ko-lee poops!' (Chloe poops!). You think any sort of burping or farting is hysterical, so thankfully you fit in with you daddy and siblings. Poop and farting are big deals to grown men and preschoolers :)

Speaking of your siblings... your relationships with them have been super cool to witness, esp. since I don't know what it's like to have siblings. You love snuggling with sister and wrestling with bubba.  You say 'get bubba sissy school' a million times a day and you can't wait 'til they get home so they can play with you. Of course, you get into their rooms, into Jake's Nerf guns, and Lauren's lip gloss, and you drive them batty sometimes, I won't lie. But they both adore you and you're always the first one that they go to share their treats and toys.

You love to eat (you ask for snacks about every 5 minutes), and you are always go, go, go. You NEVER EVER sit still, and I mean that wholeheartedly. You have yet to sit down and play with a toy for longer than 3 minutes, except if you're getting into trouble ;) If you're coloring on yourself or the tile floors, you're quiet for about 5 minutes. If you're overfilling the sink, you're quiet for about 6 minutes. And if you're emptying out Chloe's food or water dish onto the carpet, you're quiet for about 7 minutes. But other than that, you never.ever.ever. sit still. Just ask Mandy and Sarah :)

You are very good at saying your prayers before meals and bedtime. You clasp your little hands together, clench your eyes, and say 'Jesus, tanks food. amen' (Dear Jesus, thank you for this food, etc...) and 'Jesus, bubba, sissy, amen' (Dear Jesus, watch over bubba, sissy, etc..) Those are your go-to prayers.

Besides your immediate family, your favorite people these days are 'Millie May', "Max', 'Gwacie', 'Mahk n Gili' (Mark and Jaime), Adam and 'Li-mam and Aidan.' You often tell me that you 'pwayed with fwiends' and it's so sweet that you already have favorites ;)

Lastly, and how can I not document this when it's so much a part of this stage you're in, but you have the worst temper of all three of you kiddos. Seriously. You are incredibly dramatic and kick, hit, pinch, bite and SCREAM AT THE TOP OF YOUR LUNGS on an hourly basis, and nope, I'm not kidding. You flail around and I am constantly having to watch where your legs and hands are flying so that I'm not assaulted. You are frequently in recovery time and I'll be honest, most of my prayers for sanity revolve around you ;) You keep me on my knees in front of Him, so that I can parent you with love, patience and kindness despite your epic tantrums. But, I still wouldn't change you for the world, baby girl.

We love you so much sweetie. You are truly a blessing to our family, and you are so special... you always will be. I pray that above all else, you come to know the Lord and accept Him into your heart, and serve to glorify Him. It won't be an easy journey, but He is the only way and the only way to peace and joy. Never forget how much the Lord, your daddy, mommy, sissy and bubba love you :)

Happy birthday, Meggie May

Smooches,
Mama