Monterey here we come....

We planned a little "mini" vacation to Monterey and Carmel over the long weekend as Jim had a free night at the Marriott that we needed to use and my mom and Mike were generous to give us a free night at the Hyatt. So we thought it would be fun to get away and take Cole to the Monterey Bay aquarium. Little did we know that it was going to poor rain ALL weekend but we still had a fun time (with the exception of the ride home - see video below for explanation of that). Cole was obsessed with the pools and Jacuzzis at the hotels and despite the cold weather, him and daddy still went it. Olivia and I shared some time in the hotel together (watching Oprah) while they swam. We got there around 2:00 on Sunday and did some walking, shopping and eating at Cannery Row. On Monday we took Cole to the aquarium and he loved it! On Tuesday, we did the 17 mile drive from Monterey to Carmel and it was gorgeous. I think we decided it would be fun to go back again this spring or summer when the weather is a little bit better, but we still had a fun time. I love all of these fun little trips we have been able to take since moving up North!! Staying in a hotel room with 2 adults and 2 kids can be a little tough, but it will be great memories to share when they get older.
Daddy and little Miss "O"

The kids getting ready to go in the jacuzzi :-)

And then came the ride home...uugggghhhh It was horrible. The rain was coming down like you wouldn't believe, Jim was trying to talk on a conference call and Olivia was screaming her head off. We ended up pulling over at a McDonalds so that Jim could sit in the car and talk on his call, while I took the kids into McDonalds to eat and play. While I was ordering the food, I look over at Cole and he is making this face. Well this little face only means one thing.....he is going #2 in his pants!! I couldn't believe it. I asked him if he went and he said "yes". I pulled down his pants in the the middle of McDonalds and sure enough he has started to go. So I leave both kids inside while I run outside into the pouring rain and get his little potty from the car so he can finish the "work" he has started. I was so mad at him for not telling me! Anyways once he finished, we went back out to eat and Jim finished his call, so we had a very "healthy" meal at McD's (not good with our new diet) and then got back into the car. Oilvia decided she had slept enough that morning and was going to scream the entire way home and I mean the ENTIRE way back. Cole somehow managed to take a nap in the middle of this for about 1.5 hours but as soon as he woke up, he decided to join in the screaming fun. Poor Jim had to drive in the pouring rain with traffic through all of this. And they say talking on a cell phone and texting is illegal. Take a look at this video and tell me if driving with a new baby and toddler screaming, shouldn't also be made illegal.

Olivia is 4 months old!!!

Well technically speaking she was 4 months old on February 2nd but today was her doctors appointment. Cole was VERY excited for her appointment this morning as I told him that since she wasn't able to have a lollipop after her shots, that he could have it. Poor thing, she suffers the pain and he gets the treat. She did great during her appt, weighing in at 14 pounds 7 ounces (54%) and 24 inches long (26%). Cole was 15 pounds 6 ounces and 25 inches at 4 months. She got 2 shots and an oral vaccine :-(

Here are some pictures from this morning.


Cole enjoying his lollipop

Big brother giving his little sister a kiss hoping her leg feels better.

Happy Valentine's Day

This morning we went to a Valentine's Day Party with our Playgroup which was hosted by one very brave mommy, Kelly. There were 15 mom's, most of them with 2 kids (i.e close to 45 people!) She did an amazing job of decorating her house and making it look festive. Each family brought a dessert or treat of some sort, so needless to say, we were ALL on a sugar high the rest of the day. Here are some pictures of the kids at the party. We all had a great time.

Is it just me or does my little baby look like a little man here?

January 28, 2009 - Our Family

Valentine Art Fun

I was out with kids the other day at Michaels and came across this Valentines House that I thought would be fun to put together with Cole. After a few hours, I realized why the box said for ages 6+, but we had fun and Cole loved putting the glue on everything. It came with a bag of glitter but I quickly realized that glitter and 2 year olds do NOT mix!

What a difference a year makes!!!

It was exactly one year ago this week that Cole was hospitalized for 12 days in the ICU with pneumonia and had surgery on his chest:-( What a horrible and stressful couple of weeks that was and I still tear up thinking about everything his little body had to endure during that time. Thankfully, he has made a full recovery and is a thriving little boy. When I think back on that experience, I am so thankful for all of the love and support we had from our family and friends that helped Jim and I get through each and every day. I know all of your thoughts and prayers, truly made a difference. He is one lucky little guy and we love him so much!!!




His "Get Well" gift basket we received from our awesome Playgroup.