Summer 2011 (so far) Part 3 of 3

Part 3 of our Family Summer Vacation was in Pebble Beach. We had a revolving door of guests for the week but it was fun seeing so many relatives in such a short period of time. 

Being 8 months along I was sidelined for a lot of the activity I so badly wanted to participate in!! Basketball, bodysurfing, just running free! BUT--it really is a short period of time and small sacrifice for a big reward:) I was more than happy to play photographer for some of the fun.

Basketball on some local outdoor courts.

Enjoying the view all day everyday. So relaxing.

Heading to the beach.

All the boys trying to catch a wave

Trying to get some putting practice in before the fog took over...(or a security guard showed up!)

 We also walked scenic Ocean Avenue every morning, followed tradition and had cheese blintzes at the Swiss Cafe for breakfast, enjoyed a delicious and hilarious dinner in Carmel--complete with drunk bellydancers, made our annual trip to the Sweet Shop (Salted Caramel Fudge and Wine Gums!!! oooooh I want more), told scary stories, saw the new Harry Potter movie, played whiffle ball, and just enjoyed our time together.

I want everyone to come back!!

Eddie Vedder at the Paramount in Oakland

Since our boyfriend/girlfriend days Matt and I have been to quite a few concerts together. We share a love for music and the live experience. We've seen a variety of artists, but the timing of this concert---our last as just the two of us--was perfect.  I'm a big Pearl Jam/Eddie Vedder fan and I was really excited to get to his solo concert before baby girl gets here. It was just Eddie and his instruments. He worked his way through the ukulele, banjo, harmonica, and several guitars and sang a bunch of my favorite songs.

I think our little one loved it as much as I did, she was rolling around the whole time. I had a few really personal moments holding my belly and feeling my daughter move around while Mr. Vedder sang some songs that hold special importance to me. I won't ever forget that. I hope music will be as important to her as it is to her parents. I just can't wait to get to know her!

Summer 2011 (so far) Part 2 of 3

Wow. Lots of photos not necessarily in order. For Part 2 of our Summer vacation we traveled to Washington to celebrate the 4th of July--small town style. Just the way I like it:) It was so fun to get to see our family, aunts, uncles, cousins and grandparents and celebrate like we did growing up.

Also, it's a lot more fun being pregnant around people who are so excited about it! It's usually just me and Matt and we are very excited, but being around all that family it was just so fun to feel the love for our soon to arrive little girl:) It was also really fun letting my parents & siblings feel her kick and roll around. I love it.

July Rodeo

Some midnight snacks for these two...

On a Sunday stroll around the "old" neighborhood. Lovely Ladies:)

 One of my favorite places to be the whole trip...On the new Deck with Grandma! I'm amazed how every time I go home my parents have added/built something new on the new house/property. I was amazed that my Dad had built this gorgeous new deck on to the back of the house. His handiness is so impressive. We definitely enjoyed it the whole time we were there.

Baby girl getting some love from Grandma and Aunt Chloe.

 Family BBQ on the new deck! California has been great to us but there is something I love about living out in the country. Plenty of space to roam, lots of stars in the sky at night.

4th of July Parade!

One of the best things about growing up on Indian Reservation land is the great fireworks you can buy that are illegal everywhere else. This trip I got to teach CJ the art of haggling a deal with Native sellers. They can ALWAYS be talked down haha. We ended up getting over $300 worth of fireworks for around $65 due to some great haggling and CJ pulling the best deal of all time. I won't post specifics on the blog but it was quite the pull:)

Matt didn't grow up around the kind of fireworks I did so when I started lighting Roman Candles and holding them while I shot them off he gave me a hard time about not being safe. (Secretly I've loved how he's become so concerned about the baby being safe from ALL outside factors. He's very protective now.) Anyway I was being stubborn and lit another Roman Candle...and it blew up in my hand. Seriously. I'm so lucky I didn't lose a finger! Matt freaked out a little and my dad went straight to the fireworks table and broke a bunch of candles and shooters in half and threw them in the trash. I guess I learned my lesson?? Haha still love fireworks though:)

Grandma and Meg enjoying the show from the porch!

The next day we packed up and drove to my parents cabin on Bumping Lake. One of my favorite places to relax and Matt's favorite place to go paint-balling. 

The view from our dock.

Our dock leading to the path up to our Cabin.

 Wasn't going to do this but y'know what? Pregnancy is awesome and I am so impressed with my own body and all that it has accomplished this pregnancy. I've loved hitting all the milestones. I didn't really have a noticeable "pregnant" belly until 30 weeks (definitely had a belly just hadn't popped). So I've been enjoying the popped look now. And though I'm not the type to post weekly photos this pic is one I will look back on and remember all the fun I had that day in the lake and on the boat feeling my little girl kick around. 

Around 31 weeks here:

The man, the myth, the legend :)

Getting ready to paint-ball aka stealthily sneak through the forest and sustain numerous welts:)

So handsome:)

We went back home after a couple days at the cabin and just hung around and had a good time. It was a great week in Washington. I'm already looking forward to next Summer!

One of the best things for me was having Grandma around. Now that we live in CA I don't get to see her weekly like we did when we lived in Utah. I feel so out of the loop sometimes and just feel like I need a trip to Grandma's to reboot. So it was awesome having her around to enjoy all the adventures with us. She's an exceptional Grandma and a fabulous Great-Grandma. She's called Grandma-Great by most but my nieces call her Grandma-Grape and I think it is the cutest thing ever haha. Can't wait to have another little one around to join in on the fun.

Summer 2011 (so far) Part 1 of 3

This Summer has been so busy with all sorts of fun things. We've crammed a lot of travel/family time into the last month and it has been awesome. So awesome I had to divide it into 3 parts. And it's worked out perfectly since I now have the next couple weeks and month of August to prep for baby girl!

In June we flew to Utah. We got in kind of late and spent the first night at my Grandma's house. She and my sister  Stacie threw me the loveliest shower and I have NO PICTURES!! How did that happen? I was blown away at the turnout. It was so touching to have so many friends and family turn out (and pretty late at night too lol). I feel so lucky and so loved. It was great and it made me really feel pregnant if that makes any sense haha. Seeing baby clothes and gear and realizing "Wow, I am going to have someone to wear and use all this stuff!?" It was a perfect evening.

The next day we began the real reason for our trip to Utah, which was to spend time with the Cooks! We had a mini-family reunion and a bunch of family wedding activities to attend. How crazy is it that there was a wedding & reception on Janice's side AND a wedding & reception on Bryson's side being held at the EXACT SAME TIMES 45 miles apart! Somehow (aka lots of driving, dividing, and tight scheduling) we were able to attend all!  It was fun to visit with so much family in such a short period of time and celebrate the 2 lovely couples (Matt's cousins). 

In between the endless driving we stayed at a gorgeous resort home in Park City and were able to have a blast just our family. It had been over a year since Matt had been together with his siblings and it was so great to get together and play games, go to a waterpark, watch movies, and just hang out. Definitely needs to happen more frequently!

Thanks to the Cooks for some great family time!! Ty has officially been out  for a year and we can't wait to have him back for next years reunion!