Back from Bliss...

I had a 7:45 AM meeting Monday morning. Talk about a cold hard return to reality.
We got back from a weeklong vacation to Oceanside late Saturday, and it sure was hard to return to real life.

Morning visits...

• We were lucky to have a great drive (except the route between Glendora and Oceanside that was too much traffic, and a bad night going home.)
• An amazing view, from the bed! Not to mention the sound of ocean waves crashing...
• Fabulous food (the best burgers we've ever eaten)...
• A great master bedroom suite complete with Miles' own room (A walk-in  closet big enough for a dresser with his things and his pack & play. Not only did it drown out the sound from the Washingtons downstairs, but it was dark and warm and provided optimal sleeping conditions as he napped 2 - 2 hour naps every day!)...
• Wonderful morning visits with Kassie and my Mom on our balcony overlooking the ocean...
• Sand building fun (Not as much as I would have liked, but you can only allow your child to consume so much sand - 9 month olds don't quite get the concept of keeping something out of their mouth. It killed me to not get to build all day with everyone, my meager additions and artistic consultations are nothing in comparison to the talents of my family)...
• Daily swims to take off a layer of sand...
• Most importantly lots of family time. Not as much as I would have liked as naps are essential, and bedtimes come early, but we tried to enjoy evenings together and some fun outings. We each snuck away from a few naps to golf, boogie board, shop and play in the sand. But the time we spent as our own little family was pretty awesome too. Art and I enjoyed our incredible balcony and view, a good book, and some quiet stress free time together. 

A little sand and ocean time. 

It's really hard to put into words what a great vacation it was. Sure Miles is all the wrong age for traveling (too big to sleep/sit in your arms, too little to play alone or miss naps), but it didn't matter. It was impossible not to enjoy being there and make the most of every minute. I wish we could have one more week. Or two. I really wanted to get the whole family in the pool at once, and I didn't get one game of Phase 10; I was hoping for one night of late night girl giggling, and at least one more play session for Miles and Shelby (She's just his favorite). But we made so many memories it just makes me look forward to next year. 

He likes to play with the girls, as long as Mom is within view.

And yes, I believe wholeheartedly the whole family will be together next year.

(There are already over 1000 pictures in the family dropbox (I took very few as my hands were always full), and we don't even have Dorien's yet (and she has well over 1000 alone), I'll try to pick a few favorites....)

Miles screamed through every kid picture. No matter who held him or how entertaining everyone was trying to be. 

Just FYI

I have about 720 oz. of milk in my freezer.
The freezer is full.
One half milk, the other half cookies. Seems fitting.
We have no ice.
I'm considering not pumping in San Diego.
The thought is making me nervous.
I think I'm a milk-hoarder.

Ok, it's not this bad, but I aspire to such greatness. 

Oh what a book....

Last night I finished My Family for the War by Anne Voorhoeve, I stayed up until 10:00 - for 4 nights in a row - because I couldn't stop reading.
I haven't seen 10:00 since, well I can't remember the last time I was up that late.
That should say something.

The story takes place during WWII and focuses on the life of a young german girl. She was persecuted for being Jewish but wasn't 100% sure if she was Jewish. When the war began to really effect Berlin she was sent away on a Kindertransport to England to seek refuge, and that's really more than I should say already.
The story is full of history, rich - thought-provoking - mind-drenching, history. But I don't like to read history, and yet I seemed unable to stop myself from becoming so engrossed in the tale of this young girl that all I wanted to do was read.
Her story is full of very real adventure, probably not the word she would use to describe it - perhaps, misfortune, circumstance, life. Her wit and strength in coping with the 'things' that lie before her reinforce a love for this character.
Despite that it is set in WWII, during horrific circumstances, it is not a sad book. There are sad moments, there are losses that are heart-wrenching and made me cry. (There is an entire blog post in the understanding I gained from watching her deal with death, but I'll get to that another time.) But overall, there is joy, hope, faith and love. A lot of love. (not sappy kissing romance love - burying your head in someones neck and holding them tight kind of love)
I kind of wish I hadn't finished it. I'm pretty sure I could pick it up and start reading again (solely to better understand all the German names), just to put myself back in her story.

Recommend it? Yes. For everyone - no, older kids, 5th grade and up; adults, absolutely.
Makes you think twice about your family.

Random What-Nots

So stuff has been happening, just random stuff about this and that, seems exciting to read about huh? My favorite picture is last, so if nothing else scroll to the end to see.

We picked a car seat, it was option......none of the above. I found some in stores to 'touch' and debated and hum-hawed and finally picked a different one. It will arrive Tuesday so we can take it to California on Friday. I hope I love it, I've only doubted my decision 25 times.

We're getting a new sprinkler system and sod. Currently we have dirt. But I'll take dirt over the dead sod that filled a 30 foot trailer, thanks to the young men it was gone in an hour! (That is about the most ridiculous sentence I've ever written, and I'd fix it, but I can't figure out how, and I don't want to try that hard!)

Last night we had Butch & Sharon, and their good friend Ted & Sharyl over for dinner. We had them last year and I made tapa's which everyone liked. So this year I decided to switch cultures and make antipasti (my version, which isn't very accurate). It's really fun to have them because they're all foodies and such great company.
Here was the menu:

• Chicken Alfredo Puffs with white sauce
• Mini-Calzones with meaty red sauce
• Open-face Spinach and cheese ravioli with zucchini
• Caprese Bruschetta

For Dessert:

• Creamy Lemon Butter Cake
• Chocolate Caramel Tartlettes with Marscapone cream

You'll have to imagine the rest of the food as I was busy preparing and didnt' take pictures!

More than anything I like to plan a menu (It was MUCH larger, but i'm glad I simplified since I have a ton of leftovers!) I also like to gather all my pretty white dishes and set a fancy table. 

This morning I had to figure out how to get them all back on the shelf and looking nice, I climbed on and off the chair about 25 times.

As for Miles, he got his first tooth, it made him grumpy(two nights of waking up every 1 1/2-2 hours - hooray!)- looking forward to 19 more! 

We celebrated the 4th of July, he's dang cute in red, white and blue.

He is the master of clapping and will randomly just stop and clap. I think he's proud of himself. 

He is almost standing on his own, and will be walking soon. In the meantime he is incredibly proficient at crawling and getting into everything. 

"Miles that's not for you!"

"What?"

"What's that ya' got?"

"I wanna see!"

"Hey, let me SEE!"

"By 'see' I mean 'touch'"

One day I let him help me open the mail and read the ads, he's very thorough. (And may have eaten a bit of paper)

We've done some other stuff, but I can't remember. Summer is almost over, I better get my brain functioning again. Until then I'll just enjoy the sunny days, blue skies, and fresh watermelon.

Seeking Opinions

Goo (did you know we call him Goo, or Gooey, we do - obviously I'm referring to Miles) is quickly outgrowing his infant carseat so we are getting ready to upgrade. I've spent a week researching and reading and I've narrowed down the field, but I can't decide. I've read reviews, but seriously, who are these people?
So I'm asking for help.

If I had all the money in the world this is probably what I would buy:

Safety 1st Complete Air 65 Protect Convertible Car Seat - Galileo
It is the brand of his infant seat, has lots of reclining options for car sleeping (thinking upcoming road trip) and it looks like it's from a space ship.
But, I don't have all the money in the world. If I had a little bit more than I do, I'd probably buy this one:
britax-convertible-car-seat-marathon-classic

It's not fancy, but it's the brand everyone trusts. But it's pretty pricey. So I've found it's cheaper little brother, this is a real option. 

Option 1:

http://www.amazon.com/Britax-Roundabout-Convertible-Seat-Onyx/dp/B00834D5PC/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

Reviews are not as stellar, things like the cover doesn't stay on, and the foam isn't as cushy, but it's a good brand. Sigh.

Option 2:

http://www.albeebaby.com/safety-1st-complete-air-65-protect-convertible-car-seat-galileo.html

It has great safety ratings and a video that made me cry, really.

Option 3:

http://www.amazon.com/Safety-1st-Chart-Convertible-Stonecutter/dp/B006ZIST22/ref=pd_cp_ba_0

This looks like a giant infant seat, but has great safety and comfort reviews. The negative is that you can only recline it by installing it differently, I don't think I like that.

Option 4:

http://www.amazon.com/Graco-Ride-Convertible-Seat-Coda/dp/B005WHQKI2/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top

This has great reviews, and some bad ones. So I don't know.

So that's the dilemma, if you'd all resolve it that would be great.

A little suspenseful for my wimpy self...

This weeks read is a kid-friendly, just a tad scary, mystery called Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage. Ok, it's really not scary, I'm just a little wimpy and can't handle intensity.

This book is full to the brim with suspense, action, humor, and quirk.

It's a great mystery set to be solved by the fancy Detective Starr but aided along by the inquisitive Mo LeBeau. While the plot twists, clue finding, hold-ups, and murder plots provide plenty of - very tame - action, the best part is the humor of Mo herself.

The story is set in a small southern town and reeks of southern charm. The characters come to life through the authors great descriptive language and authentic voice. You can't help but fall in love with Lavender (yes, he's the hunky teenage heart throb, with the name Lavender) and picture Mathew  McConaughey as he charms and shows he "knows how to wear a pair of jeans."
It's a great book, that's all there is to it. Yes, it's a mystery, great twists and turns, but not scary or even really intense, unless you're me, and you're a wimp.

Use your imagination...

I just got back from a fun "vacation" to Salt Lake, but I forgot my camera, so I'll do my best to provide a thorough description.

We rode down Friday with Sharon (she had to pick up a friend at the airport) and spent the evening on the porch, visiting Grandma  & Grandpa Great(and some others) and having some Chinese food. Miles did not like the grass, so he stayed on the blanket and played with me and Olivia (she's the best baby-sitter).

Saturday we had a Ladies Lunch/Cousin Visit so we did a little cooking in the morning, Miles napped and I went to Costco ALONE! We had a nice visit with all the cousins.

Sunday we went to church, made Sunday dinner and I made my mom re-do her cookbook because it was a mess and she had 100+ recipes she would never make. There was actually a lot of "ick, I'd never eat that" as she sorted and tossed. It is now typed, organized, and condensed to only her best recipes (and by recipe I mean list of ingredients with vague or missing instructions.)

Monday I met up with some friends from William Penn at the park for a play date. Then my mom, Shelby, Roxy, Heidi, Miles and I went out and had some lunch and did a little shopping. After several poor naps I decided to load up and drive home last night. We were greeted by a very anxious papa who was really missing his boy! (and maybe me too.)

Here's all the great pictures:

Here is a picture of Miles, Cody and Andy all in their Alligator shirts (aren't they cute!)
...

Here is a picture of the "Water Park" they built complete with slide, splash pool and fountains. (Sorry about the water drops on the camera lens, there was a lot of splashing going on!)
...

Here is a picture of me and all my cousins hanging out on the porch talking about trips, backpacks, and Jamie sleeping and crying. (See how we're laughing hard!)
...

Here is a picture of Mom's "new kitchen" filled with people and how great it works without the wall in the way. (Great camera angle of the big space, don't ya think!)
...

Here is a picture of Miles playing with Roxy and Shelby (his favorite cousins cause they're so good at quiet playing). He liked to crawl all over them, laugh at Roxy's silly dog sounds, and crawl straight towards Shelby until they were nose to nose. They had him giggling and having so much fun, and I got 10  whole minutes that he wasn't clinging to my leg (did I mention the 'clingy stage' kicked in while we were in Salt Lake)
...

Here is a picture of William and Miles playing. William thinks he's REALLY BIG in comparison to Miles (he's 1 year older) and liked to show him how to do things, like crawl on the grass (Will really did get down and crawl on the grass like he was teaching Miles, then Miles got over his fear, no more blanket safety). Will also went into the house and dragged the basket of toys all the way through the house and out to Miles so he would have something to play with. (What a great picture of two cousins who will hopefully be great friends)
...

Ok, this is getting depressing, now I'm just sad I don't really have these pictures. I guess we'll just have to do it again!