Wordless Wednesday - Details

Easter

This year, our Easter was spent in Palm Springs in a very relaxed way. We got up, packed up our stuff, and had a little Easter Egg Hunt (all those eggs for just Emily!).

Uncle Tony helped Emily find ALL the eggs:

We stopped to take a picture to send to Daddy:

Jake couldn't participate in the Egg Hunt, but he was a good sport while being pushed in his stroller by Ga-Ga and being held by Pa-Pa ("Little Pa-Pa," as Emily calls him, since "Big Pa-Pa" is great-grandpa Mindt).

Then, Emily and Anthony fed the geese...candy. Emily wanted to give the birds some of the treats that fell on the ground during her high-speed hunt. So..We finally took some family photos, but it was a challange getting Emily to look at the camera while she held a bucket full of candy. Talk about temptation!

And after an Easter Brunch at Marie Callendar's, we said our good-byes and headed home. Before we left, though, Emily offered to drive Big Pa-Pa's RV home for him:

We finally started our long trip home. Yikes...7 hours in the car with a 2 1/2 year old, and a 3 week old on Easter Sunday. Don't be jealous.

Palm Springs

We took our first road trip! I headed down to Palm Springs with the kids for a little 4-day getaway. My parents and grandparents were so kind to share their timeshare and space with us. Unfortunately, Ryan had to work, but we decided to go anyway. Mom was our co-pilot on our drive, but she was mostly on Pacifier Duty, as the Jake-ster did not like being without his (thus, we've dubbed him the "Lazy Sucker").

Well, we had fun once we got there. Here are some pictures of what Emily did the entire time (swim!):

And here's what Jake did (talk and coo and stare at Ga-Ga and Pa-Pa):

We were so sad to leave, as it was wonderful watching Emily and Jacob spend time with their grandparents and great-grandparents. And thank goodness all those extra hands were happy to help, because there is no way I could have done it alone!

Tahoe Getaway

Lake Tahoe: Visit this majestic location as often as possible. Our trip in January was wonderful...visiting with good friends and playing in the snow.

Highlights of the trip:

-Sledding...

-Emily making muffins with Lindsey and Braden (and watching her eat them...and getting that feel-good "mom" feeling knowing she was eating pureed squash and fresh blueberries)
- Sleeping. Although this did not make me the most fun house-guest, I caught up on some much needed z's. Thanks to our hosts for being so understanding!

-Restoring a calming hope to my vision of our crazy growing family. Hailey, a sweet six-month old baby, showed me that there is hope with two kids. Some light was shed on my worst-case-scenario nightmares of waking up 4 times a night to soothe a fussy baby, and then being expected to be "fun mommy" to a toddler starting at 6 am. Thanks, Baby Hailey, for being such a sweet and content child.

-Visiting with friends who are like family.

Thankful

Mom and Dad were so gracious to invite us to spend Thanksgiving with them at a cabin near Bass Lake. We were there for 4 days of relaxation and fun. Highlights of the trip:

• Beating the guys at Battle of the Sexes. What what? F-14 Tomcat? Being a tomgirl (and being on Mom's team) pays off.


• Long walk to Ducey's. So what if I had to call for a ride back? I'm pregnant and my leg hurt!


• Turkey Day. I have to be honest. I could do without the food. It's good and all...I mean, I'll eat. But I really love the snacks we have all day long while we play games and watch movies. And what I love more is being with people I love and adore.


• Taking a nap in a comfy chair with my favorite blanket. I know...simple pleasures.

Other random stuff:

• Dad and Mom did dishes all weekend. Don't you miss us living at home? Thanks for being good sports!
• Emily slept in a closet. Cruel and unusual, you think? Psh...she loved it. It was a walk-in closet off the room we stayed in and she thought it was her own santuary. Don't be jealous you didn't think of it.
• The Rock Band infatuation just might be a precursor to the Mindt Family Travelling Band. Ryan on vocals, Jenn on bass, Evan on lead guitar, and Anthony on drums. Dad, Mom, and me are the groupies, I guess. I wish I could share the video...but I've been threatened.
• 'Remember the Titans' never gets old. We watched it...again, and loved it...again.
• Anthony does not fit into a Size Small letterman's jacket. Carrie picked up his jacket and put it on. Anthony took that as an invitation to put her's on. Just for future reference, Anthony: women can put on a men's t-shirt, but that does NOT mean you can wear her's. Double standard? Okay, but it's true.

All this is to say that I am so very thankful for a family that has fun, eats well, and loves to be around eachother. We toasted to the families that we could not be with: North for our Oregon family, South for Ryan's family, and East for the Kansas Mindts. Happy Thanksgiving!

Off to Asilomar

Lopez Family blog will be temporarily dormant while Kim attends a conference at Asilomar Conference Grounds in Pacific Grove, CA.

I'll be back Friday with a recharged battery and the memory of fresh salt air!

Fall Fun!

This weekend we had the complete pleasure of visiting our dear friends Lindsey and Nate in their lovely town of Sacramento. A short 2-hour drive provided us lots of entertainment (thanks, Emily), healthy conversation with adults (we lack this sometimes), and just plain ol' good times.

Some of our highlights:

• Ryan and Nate's first golf date (bonus...Glen joined them and brought cookies!)

• Broken Bowl (thanks for trying to help, Emily, but next time please don't slam Mommy with a pillow while I am carrying your cereal)

• Visiting Bishop's Pumpkin Farm and letting Emily pick a pumpkin and get filthy dirty.



• Sleeping in until 7:30 and waking up both mornings to Emily saying, "Mommy...poop. Mom...poop," and then letting Ryan get up and change her.



• Sampling another tasty dish to add to our "We-Stole-This-Recipe-From-Lindsey...Again" collection (Chili-Cheese Black Bean Enchiladas, in case you were wondering). I swear, if it weren't for your recommendations, Linds, we wouldn't eat!



• Enjoying Peppermint Hot Chocolate while walking to McKinley park to let Emily play on the really cool old-school playground.

This simple weekend getaway was just what we needed: good times with good friends. Thanks Linds and Nate! We'll see you in January for some snow action, and we'll have a Crate & Barrel Bowl in hand.