San Francisco

What we did on Spring Vacation...

We hit the open road for Spring Vacation...

We went "visiting"!

We drove a lot of miles - bought a lot of gas

visited lots of wonderful people we love

and had SO much fun!

Meritt quickly figured out that the

car is a lovely place to take a nap!





The girls were so good!!!
Not one fight, fuss, or whine was heard.
Can you believe that???
This trip was so good, we might just do it again!
(Grin)



The car was piled high - it always feels like
your packing for a year even though it's just a week!

Once we got there, we did something Bella is still talking about...

Grandma "D" (Matt's mom)

took Bella for a horse ride on Tommy.

This really was her BIG day...

she loves horses so much,

I think this was a dream come true!

She did great!

She even let her sister have a turn...

and in true Meritt style,

she had no fear!

She got to learn about saddling the horse,

leading the horse, riding the horse,

and she even got to groom the horse!

Next, Bella got to go fishing ...

She got to spend lots of quality time

this trip with her grandma D,

which will make memories for

her to last for always!

Matt's Nanny (Grandma) lives on a beautiful lake.

What a wonderful place to visit!

Then we were off to visit Matt's sister and Dad

(and family)

The girls were in heaven with the

amount of attention they got!

Matt and his Mama

We went for a visit to San Francisco,

ate seafood, visited the piers, played on the beach

and had a wonderful time!

Bella and Meritt are very lucky to have

the best aunt in the world!

(Getting ready to dig into some crab for lunch!)

Playing on the beach...

Who's having more fun?

We had lots of wonderful family time...

We had an awesome time,

can't wait to visit again soon!

Happy First Day of Spring!

what I want for my girls...

I was trying to pick a saying that would be written on the kicks of my stairs going up to the girls rooms a few years ago (in fact I think this was before Meritt was even born)... and it took me a long time. I wanted a saying that would inspire them as they walked up and down through childhood years, teenage years, and beyond. I didn't want a quote that summed them up now, or then, or in between, but one that would grow with them. Then, I came upon this quote. I thought it was perfect. It now runs down our stairs in the center of our home, and without knowing it, I think I stumbled upon a quote that almost perfectly sums up what I wish for them. To live without fear of what others might think. To stand up for her own beliefs not others. To live a life of true & pure happiness. To love with her whole heart even though it will inevitably be broken, as all hearts are. But, even after heart break to not give up on love, not settle for what she doesn't want, but to hold out for everything she does.

Under the weather...

I just wanted to say,

I'm still here.

I've just been

under the weather

and BUSY!

Trying to keep up when all you

feel like doing is take a nap...

Not the easiest thing,

but I'll be back

with something fun & interesting to say

as soon as I can muster it!

I promise!

the art of a two year old...

Joy...

bounce...

The day before Meritt's official B-day we decided to take a "fun day".... and fun it was!!! We took the girls to this awesome indoor bounce place, and we bounced, jumped, slid, and had tons of fun! Can't wait to go back. I'm not sure who had more fun Bella and Meritt or Matt and I!