STILL the happiest place on earth

even being 35 weeks pregnant with sick kids in tow!

I LOVE Disneyland (a trip combining palm springs + disneyland= perfection). This trip might not have been ideal with me being 35 weeks pregnant (read: huge and uncomfortable and unable to go on most of the rides) or given the fact that Avery got sick (read: whiny and miserable) on our first day there, but we still had a great time. There is just something truly magical about that place. We were able to share the experience with my dad and Mary who came along for the fun! We were also able to connect with old friends (my dad's neighbors- for as long as he has lived there....20+ years. Jaylene (pictured above) was the big sister I never had. It was so fun to see them! They were at Disneyland for spring break with their two boys.)

The girls loved playhouse Disney LIVE on stage as well as the Aladdin performance- both in California Adventure. Finley had fun meeting characters- Avery was still not so sure about them at close range. Neither one of the girls were a big fan of the fireworks- "too loud." Face painting, the carousel, dumbo, the tea cups, and goofy's rollercoaster in toon town were the favorites this trip.

one of our most favorite places

We started going to Palm Springs as an alternative to our other favorite travel destination- Hawaii. We took Avery with us to Maui when she was 6 months old and swore we would not do that again until ALL our kids were old enough to enjoy it. The 5 hour flight was tough and once we were there all she would not let us enjoy the tropical amenities. No sand, no beach, no waves- just the calm of the pool. So, we decided we needed to find an alternative destination that would allow us to relax the same way we do in Hawaii- love- but, it needed to be within driving distance (no plane travel), be warm, and have a pool. We found THE place we were looking for in Palm Springs. The Westin Mission Hills quickly has become our go to spot for relaxation and fun. The near constant sunshine, warm breezes, pools, lounge chairs, water slides, beautiful surroundings, golf (for Paul), fun hikes, and yummy places to eat keep us going back again and again and again. This was our 4th or 5th trip and we loved it all the same.

We played in the pool....

enjoyed our surroundings....

ate at our favorite restaurants...

Roy's (which we discovered on our honeymoon in Kauai) is by far our most very place to eat. They never cease to amaze us. The food is always wonderful, but the service- at all of the locations we have been to (we seek them out- Kauai, Maui, Monterey, Las Vegas, Palm Springs...) is above and beyond- especially with the kids. It is a very nice restaurant that takes excellent care of the little ones- they bring out a platter for each of the kids with a quesadilla, carrots, celery, and ranch almost immediately. Then after dinner, they bring out ice cream on a plate with their names written in chocolate... they LOVE it!

walked around the shops at El Paseo (where I found some super cute rubber boots at j.crew for $10- score!) Plus, we found this fun statue formation while we were waiting for our reservation at our other favorite restaurant (Tommy Bahama Cafe- yum!)...

with a little secret message. CTR... Love it!

We LOVE palm springs- we really do. Can't wait to go back! We are already planning our next trip. The best part about a palm springs trip, is stopping at Disneyland on the way home! It works out perfectly. Although, this time (being 35 weeks pregnant and all) I would have preferred to do the Disneyland thing and THEN relax by the pool in Palm Springs. Maybe next time!

avery at 4- a glimpse

1. You LOVE puzzles and are so incredibly proficient at putting them together.

2. Barbie dolls, baby dolls, and disney princesses top your list of favorite toys.

3. You prefer all your dolls (and yourself for the most part) san clothes.

4. You will only wear dresses at the moment. Church, school, store, play, wherever, whenever- it has to be a dress.

5. You like to change into "cozies" as soon as you get home- or just strip down to your underware.

6. You LOVE your backyardigans blankie. You are able to go places without it, but at home it is glued to you.

7. You love to sing- you won't let anyone sing with you during family home evening... you want to put on a show. You know the words to all the primary songs. You also sing and make up your own songs.

8. You are petrified by animals- dogs especially. You told me that you don't like black dogs or white dogs, only yellow dogs. I asked what color Koa is and you told me he is yellow- he is the only dog you will tolerate. Otherwise, you have a crazy, paralyzing fear of animals.

9. You love going to Tiny Tigers and to primary. You are painfully shy in NEW social situations, but do very well once you get warmed up.

10. You like structure- you need to know the "plan" at all times. What are we going to do next? Where are we going when we wake up? You are just like your daddy in that way.

11. You are a little mama-you are always playing with your babies- putting them down for naps, wanting them swaddled. you love to be a helper, you like to be involved in cooking/baking, you are always so concerned about and usually very good at watching out for Finley (when you are not attacking her yourself of course).

12. You are so excited to have a new baby sister- you love to watch my belly move and feel the baby kick. You ask if you can hold the baby when she comes- you will be really gentle, you say.

13. You are ALL girl. you love to put on your make-up and paint your nails.
14. You learned how to pedal your bike and got a new big girl bike with training wheels for your birthday. You are so excited.

15. You have an AMAZING memory. If mommy or daddy promise you something you hold us to it- even days later.

16. You have recently discovered computer games. You love your Cool School keyboard and learning programs. You also enjoy the games on nickjr.com are your favorite- especially dora, backyardigans, and max & ruby games. You are becoming quite proficient at using the mouse.

17. You love t.v./ movies- I blame it on the remodel which is when you really got hooked.

18. You LOVE your books. Your favorite thing to do is to have a BIG pile of books on your bed or couch to "read". You will look at them and read the stories outloud (reciting the stories from memory) for hours.

19. I LOVE to hear you pray. Your prayers are so sweet and thoughtful.

20. You love your daddy. He is the one you want to put you to bed. You love to cuddle with him on the couch while you watch basketball/golf/baseball, etc... together. You get so excited when he comes home and so sad very when you don't get to see him at all because you are not awake when he leaves and asleep before he comes home. You are a daddy's girl.

You are such a joy. You are asserting your independence and discovering your power over the world around you. It is so fun to watch you learn and grow. I love to see the sweet, yet sassy little woman you are becoming. You are a wonderful big sister to Finley and I know you will be a great little mama to your new baby sister as well. They will look up to you always. We all love you so much!

* We weighed and measured you the other day, just to see how much you have grown. You are 32 lbs. and 39 inches tall, which moves you up into the 24th percentile and 32nd percentile respectively. You are making headway. Still not a giant, but you are catching up!

rainbows and fun for my st. patty's day girl

Today was a fun filled day of celebration in honor of Avery's 4th birthday. I really can't believe she is getting so big! Where has the time gone? This was the first year that Avery was REALLY aware of the fact that it was her birthday- and all that entails. She loved all the special attention she received throughout the day- especially the 3 rounds of celebration that ensued.

Round 1: Tiny Tigers. Avery went to school and we brought cupcake pops for snack. They sang to her and gave her a glittery crown to wear, which she loved. Anything involving crowns is a hit with her.

Round 2: Party at the park. We were just planning on a family party, but Avery began insisting last week that she wanted a party with her friends. I whipped up a few invitations and sent them out.

In honor of St. Patrick's day, we went with a rainbow theme (which is a slight departure from all green). In addition to pizza and salad (the REAL food), we made colorful fruit kebobs,

rainbow jello jigglers (which promptly melted in the sun), and a rainbow cake. I am pretty sure the rainbow cake fulfilled everyone's lifetime limit of artificial coloring, but it looked pretty cool and tasted so good. For activities we had sidewalk chalk, bubbles, and a scavenger hunt (the kids followed little leprechan footprints to find the "pot of gold" filled with all their goody bags). The sun was out- it was a GORGEOUS 80 degree day. Beside the crazy wind that kicked up as soon as we got there, it was a perfect day to be outside at the park. Everyone was wearing green, which was fun (Brooke told her that everyone was dressed in green especially for her- she loved that). Our good friends Jeanette and her two boys Dylan and Colin even surprised us and drove up from Ventura to join the festivities!

Round 3: Family dinner. We allowed Avery to choose where she wanted to go to dinner- any place she wanted. Of all the places she chose "the place with the pig on a surfboard" (a.k.a. Mo's BBQ). I do love a good shredded chicken sandwich, but I tried to sway her toward some place a little more festive such as CPK, Madonna Inn, or the Apple Farm, but she was firm in her decision. So, we went and she loved it. She brought her new barbies and other dolls who sat in a high chair next to her while she ate her chicken strips and homemade potato chips.

Then we went home to open presents and have more cake- this time a ColdStone ice cream cake. Avery had chosen the cake from the the pictures on the ColdStone website. Completely on her own, she decided on A Cheesecake Named Desire (which is my personal favorite... so yummy). Her reasoning was simple- it was pink.

It was a fun, fun day. I am exhausted, but the smiles on Avery's face, the twinkle in her eyes, and laughter that filled the air all day made it all worth it. It was her special day. I think she felt important, celebrated, loved. Mission accomplished.

Happy Birthday Avery-

We love you so very much!

finley does dance class

We started Avery in dance class at 2, so as soon as we celebrated Finley's birthday, I decided it was time to try it out... in all honesty I was just tired of trying to keep her OUT of dance class. She took 2 classes and LOVED it. However, the class has grown up and at 2, she is signifigantly younger than the other girls. Her attention span is much shorter and I will admit, she was quite the distraction. Unfortunately, once she had a taste of it she did not want to go back to just being an observer. So, I had no other choice than to take a break from dance class all together- for both of the girls. I knew I couldn't chase after Finley and have a new baby at the same time. They both LOVE to dance, so we will most definitely try again in the fall.

My sweet little ballerinas.

p.s. Finley had to wear a shirt and a skirt, instead of the standard leotard so that she could reach her "bb" (belly button)... of course! We did try the leotard, but she just wasn't going for it.

is there a newborn in the house already?!

For the amount of sleep we have gotten in the past two nights, one would think so. But, no. The baby is right where it should be causing all sorts of havoc rolling, punching, kicking inside my belly (which keeps me up in and of itself). The culprit of our sleepless nights is the 2 year old. Miss Finley decided that the stretch between 12:30 a.m. and 4:30 a.m. is WIDE AWAKE time. Mind you, that is just shortly after I go to bed (that might need to be adjusted if this keeps up). So, I am 8 months pregnant living on 3 VERY short hours of sleep. I would expect this with a newborn- that is just how it is (it is the part I am so dreading), but this time- BEFORE the baby comes I should be able to get lots of good sleep. Unfortunately that has not been the case the past few days. Finley is NOT sick- she might be teething (those stubborn molars), but other than that I can find no legitimate cause for her waking. We have tried to let her cry it out with no avail. A full hour of SCREAMING with not a sign of letting up. She is very persistent- always has been. We tried bringing her immediately into our bed, hoping she would stay sleepy and just drift off again. No luck. We tried going through a modified bedtime routine- rock, sing, bed. Again- did not work. She just wanted to be awake. I would think this means she is ready to give up naps (oh, please no), but then she falls asleep in the car on our way to pick up Avery EVERY DAY!? Then she transfers into her bed and sleeps for 2 hours?! What to do? I CAN'T have a sleepless 2 year old AND a newborn- my poor sanity!!!

another milestone

Avery is growing up so quickly and surprising me at every turn. We have been working on recognizing letters for a while now, but it didn't really seem like it was really "clicking" with her. Then yesterday, she just whipped out and wrote her name by herself.
She was so proud of herself. It was an eye opening moment for me... she is much more capable than I give her credit for. My baby is getting to be such a big girl... my almost 4 year old!

dreaming of sunnier days

Last week we were able to enjoy the break in the rain and take a picnic lunch to the park. It was SO nice to feel the sun on our faces and toes. Unfortunately, it was just a taste of glorious sunshine as it has since started to rain (again). Now we are cooped up resorting to picnics on our living room floor (for breakfast as per Avery's insistence this morning).

Dreaming of more sunny days ahead!