mini milestones...

Amazing how 5 weeks have flown by… and amazing how life with two babies (Jayme is still our baby girl) can create such an incredibly different family dynamic! Over the course of sleepless days and nights, I have realized how grown up our baby girl has become, and while it is bitter-sweet, we are cherishing every day with our two precious babies.

On a side note, this morning I found myself watching a live broadcast of a fallen officer’s funeral…I was brought to tears as I watched his grieving widow stand in front of thousands to talk about how she will deeply miss those “ordinary days” and their weekends that were simply family time and Sunday morning breakfast… I know I couldn’t have been the only mother/wife watching her speak with such strength that only God can give a person in such a tragic situation, as I dared to think about how precious it is that I was able to kiss my hubby good-bye before leaving for work, to be woken by hungry babies who don’t need caffeine to be in a good mood or start their day (I need to work on this and become like them!), to just simply go through the motions of an “ordinary day” as my role of a stay at home mommy and to be so grateful that we are all tucked safe and sound in bed each night as a family of four… with no one missing…. I simply cannot imagine or begin to imagine life being any other way. I realized in that tear-filled moment that I was once again given a reminder of how precious each waking moment is, and how days will quickly turn into weeks, then months, then years… and I want to hold on to the sweet ordinary moments that fill up our time… There have been so many little moments that I have wanted to remember or capture, but courtesy of sleepless nights with a newborn, I have let moments turn into days gone by.

A little note (or not so little) about the past few months:

Dear Jayme,

The words that come out of your little mouth (and the complexity of some of your sentences and vocabulary) blow your daddy’s and my mind every single day! It is as if you went to school overnight and woke up a little girl who is trying to outgrow each stage faster and faster. Some of the memorable quotes I can recall most:

“mommy, go bye-bye, close the door please and feed baby maffew” (you are lil miss independent when it comes to going to the bathroom)

“good night baby maffew, sweet dreams. I’ll be back to check on you. God-bess”

“I took a shower with tacey, I all clean now, I go to bed?”

“mommy, call missy, I play with Audrey and Waylon tomorrow?”

“I call Riley now? Happy birthday Riley? I sing, have cake, and presents, and play?”

“I want peanut butter balls and blueberries please”

“I don’t want pirates, I watch Mickey Mouse clubhouse and have hot oatmeal please?”

My love for you has grown in a way I cannot explain, but maybe one day you will understand when you become a mother. From the moment you came in to meet your baby brother with such pride beaming from your little face, to the first time you held him, and every single morning and night when you beg to hold him and smell him, and when you hear him cry off in the distance and instantly become his second mother who needs to comfort him (no matter who is holding him), and your eagerness to help throw away dirty diapers, fetch clean ones, or “help mommy”- you have a sweetness about your role as big sister that melts my mommy heart. Daddy and I have also noticed with being a big sister comes some jealousy… when your baby Matthew cries and the attention immediately turns to him, you pretend cry and insist one of us hold you also. You still love to be rocked before bed, and you insist that we check in on you… you may not realize it now, but not a single night goes by that I don’t check on you and tuck you in with a kiss and a prayer before I go to bed (and sometimes throughout the night when I am up feeding your brother). You love to sing and talk on the phone and take pictures- when the moment strikes you, you will use your imagination and any readily available toy or remote or object as a pretend microphone, telephone, or camera… and you insist daily that I take your picture with you holding your baby Matthew.  You love to hum the night-night song to your baby brother when you hold him. You love your big backyard and riding your big girl bike, and on several occasions your daddy and I have found you just sitting in your stroller taking in the quiet of the day by yourself (precious!) You love books and reading, and more recently you love to pretend to read to us (you have “Good Night Moon” memorized”). You love to play blocks with daddy or grampa after dinner. You love to be a pretend mommy with your bitty baby doll, and if I am wearing your brother in the carrier, you drop whatever you are doing to find your “backpack” and carry your baby too. You love to help in the kitchen and I let you break eggs and stir ingredients (a little messy, but sweet memories are worth it). You are your mommy’s (and daddy’s) girl when it comes to chocolate… you love it. You love Chick-fil-a and Toy Story picnic dinners. You love coloring and are learning how to use your scissors. You love other kids and beg to go to school nearly every day (soon enough). You are not a fan of having your tangles brushed, nap time, the word “no”, loud noises outside, the dark (since we moved this is a new fear), or mac n’ cheese. I’m sure I could write a novel about how much you have grown in the course of several months, but these are the major highlights. Each day you never cease to amaze me (and your daddy), and we are thoroughly enjoying watching you blossom into a spirited little girl who has a mind of her own and is desperate to find her way into big girl shoes. I pray you stay “little” just a little while longer, as I know that soon you will be 3, and then 4, and then 16… I love you my sweet girl.

My dear sweet Matthew,

From the moment you were laid on my chest after birth, and every day since then, you have been mama’s boy… It didn’t take long before your daddy and I realized that sometimes your cries had nothing to do with being hungry, cold, wet, or tired… you simply just want your mama’s embrace. I’m not sure which one of us loves to snuggle more, but either way, I am soaking it in because its just a matter of time before it becomes “not cool” for your mama to hold or hug you ;-)  You are so mellow and easy going- when your needs are met- but your daddy and I kid that you are our “high maintenance baby”… you love to be held, but sometimes enough is enough and you just want to be left alone to be laid on your side, other times over the shoulder, other times worn in the carrier, and you prefer our bed over any other sleep surface (next to mama’s arms). Turns out you have reflux and after being fed we have to hold you upright for at least 30 minutes or else everything comes right back up (I don’t mind since I love snuggling you anyway ;-) You love to be wrapped up in your soft muslin swaddle blankets as long as hour arms are free (and you love to have your burp cloth or blanket snuggled up to your face). You love your sister and having your feet rubbed (specifically by her or your daddy). You don’t like to be left alone (unless its on your terms), having a wet/soiled diaper, or when I have chocolate (such a bummer when I realized that is likely what makes you throw-up). You have the sweetest little coo’s (I know every baby does it, but something about your constant sounds-like-a-squeaky-door-hinge-coos-when-you-are-sleeping melt my heart). Your little cry is anything but little… for such a sweet quiet boy, you sure let us know when you are anything but happy with this scream-like cry that will get anyone’s attention! I know your little smiles are probably gas related or unintentional at this point, but when you chuckle and smile in your sleep or give us a big grin while awake, I can’t help but think you are the happiest little boy. It’s only been a month since you have been a part of our little world, but we are all excited to watch you and your little personality grow as the days and weeks progress. Your daddy and I are so grateful and blessed to call you our son.

Now for some pictures of our first month as a family of four!

Our girl making friends, celebrating nana's birthday, and loving on her brother

BFF's... I want to take this picture every year!

daddy daughter bonding time, turns out she shares his passion for fishing!

12 days old

 

family and newborn pictures by Christine Collins

New year... new addition...

In April of 2010, we moved from our tiny one bedroom apartment, into a spacious town home in La Verne, to accommodate our growing family... even with the stress of moving the month before my due date, our little girl was comfy cozy in the womb and had to be induced two days after her due date in May. Two-and-a-half years later, we had outgrown our "spacious" two-bedroom house and needed to accommodate our soon-to-be newest addition (and all the new stuff that goes along with having a boy). Apparently God believes we can handle the time crunch pressure, so three weeks before my due date, we closed escrow and moved our growing family into our first home (a four bedroom- just in case we need to grow again ;-) Even with the stress of moving the week before Christmas, with a two year old, and a house guest (Nonnie was staying with us until the Tuesday after the move)- this baby boy was too comfy in the womb to come out on his own, so after being 80% effaced for over a week, and 2 cm dilated for 3 weeks- we elected to get induced again the day after his due date for a couple reasons- a) we didn't want to chance going into labor during rush hour now living almost 45 minutes away, and b) I really wanted one of the three doctors I liked to deliver, and c) we were able to plan out Jayme's overnight @ her "boys' house"...
 After a contraction and anxiety filled sleepless night, we woke up extra early Sunday morning to have our “hot oatmeal” breakfast and Mickey Mouse (Jayme’s favorite morning routine) before we packed the car and headed out one last time as a family of three… By 7:30, we dropped Jayme off at her “boys’” house (Connor and Kyle- “her boys” are basically her big brothers from another mother! They have been a part of her life since before she was born, and she absolutely adores them!)… After a last bitter-sweet good-bye snuggle with our little girl, we were off to St. Jude to turn our family of three into an even four!

8 am-      Check-in at L&D, change, and begin an indefinite diet of ice chips only (seriously  one of   the worst parts of labor is being deprived of food!)

10 am-    Finally hooked to Pitocin- and now the long wait begins… and because there was literally nothing on TV, so does my first ever start to finish viewing of an entire football game (pre-game, commercials, halftime, and post-game) Ravens v Colts… Surprisingly not a bad way to pass a couple hours!

12 pm-    My mom and brother go Ryan lunch and he came back from a full stomach of Farmer Boys to take a nap on the lounger, while I was finally feeling the effects of the Pitocin in the form of back labor (I think my nurse felt my annoyedness- yup, it’s a word- and she gave him a hard time on my behalf ;-) 

3 pm-      Dr. Henderson finally broke my water (I was hungry and cranky at this point and wanted to get the show on the road already)…

3:45pm-  Holy back labor! The good thing (if you can call it that) about not having an epidural during my labor with Jayme, was that I now had a comparison of the pain level I could handle before I wanted to cry… and before my blood pressure got too high that labor became dangerous… after much debate and deciding it was better this time not to let my blood pressure rise from the pain level, I caved and got the epidural (still wish I would have just held out, but in the moment it was the right thing to do for the baby and myself).

4:00pm-  Epidural in, and I get a chance to take a brief nap before the “fun” begins…

4:45pm-  Ryan gets a text from my brother saying his Starbucks was ready for him in the waiting room… I give him “the look” and tell him there is no way he is going to have time to “step out and get it”… Push time! What was awesome this time around was that the doctor and nurses were able to get set up in time for me to push… When we had Jayme, Ryan and one other nurse were the only ones in the room and the doctor barely made it in time to deliver her! Ryan got his wish this time around and was able to be at the cheering section of the table instead of the “nurse end” ;-)

4:53pm-  3 contractions and 5 pushes later, Matthew Ryan arrives and is a healthy crying/screaming 8lbs 7oz, and 20.5in!

4:55ish-   We are still up in the air as to what he looks like- Matthew or Joshua… Because I had the epidural, I was relaxed enough to ponder with Ryan what his name would be-        

               [side note: I wanted Matthew because I love the name meaning “gift of God,” and after our year, I felt blessed to have the chance to have another child almost a year to the day that we lost our second pregnancy… Ryan and Jayme liked Joshua (“God saves”)… and honestly I figured we would just have to see which one he looked more like when he arrived.]  After a vote from the doctor and nurses- Matthew it was! Big sister Jayme STILL refers to him as Joshua every now and then… one day she will get it right ;-)                                                        

Our hearts and lives are forever changed by the newest addition of our little boy, and I cannot be thankful enough that Jayme has adapted so well…minus the to-be-expected 2.5 year old energy spewing out of her little body at all times, she is so in love with her “baby brudder Maffew.” Two weeks later, we have had the time to enjoy a few visitors here and there, but for the most part we have had time to spend quality time bonding as a family of four before Ryan heads back to work next week (super blessed that this time around he has a secure job with a company and boss that are so accommodating with paid time off!)

Moments to cherish:

~Matthew’s sweet demeanor, and coos when he sleeps (which seems like 20 hours a day right now!)

~Jayme asking, “I smell him??!!” every time she wakes up, goes to bed, or sees him and gets the urge to take a big sniff of his head and then smoother him with sweet big sister kisses

~His beautiful blue eyes that are sure to be like his daddy and sister’s

~His sweet little hands that love to be up near his face and not swaddled with the rest of him

~His little feet that he loves to be rubbed by his daddy

~The way his big sister beams with pride when she introduces visitors to her baby brother, and when she holds him

~The way we can already tell he is a momma’s boy because momma has the magic touch and his content face proves it ;-)

~The middle of the night and early morning snuggles and how sound he sleeps in the bed curled up next to his mommy (and daddy sometimes)

~The way he loves the soft swaddle blankets up against his face (aden&anais bamboo swaddles are seriously - Worth. Every. Penny.)

~The way his big sister loves to help turn on his swing or help with fetching or pitching out diapers

~The way Ryan has been so incredible taking over grocery shopping, laundry, meals, Jayme routines, and almost every morning bringing me breakfast in bed so I can nurse while I have breakfast!

We are so excited and blessed to have this sweet baby boy in our lives, and we cannot wait to see what joys this year brings as our family grows in our new home!

On our way to have a baby!

After nearly 2 hours of active labor- he's here! Healthy, beautiful, and a crier (made us nervous at first, but it wore off after a few hours and he is a calm baby two weeks later!)

family shots (including one for bebba)

First time meeting her little brother... it could not have gone any better!

a week later, she is still a proud big sister who is smitten over her "baby Maffew"

2012... a look back at the chaos that shaped our little world...

All great changes are preceded by chaos.

 ~Deepak Chopra

This last year has been such a whirlwind... I am not even sure how to go about summing it up in one post! 2012 started off on a heartbreaking low with the loss of what would have been our second child, and 354 days later, we started 2013 off welcoming our precious son, Matthew, into our little world. Of course there were plenty of life happenings (highs and lows) that made up the rest of the year... most of which I wrote about throughout the year. It is always amazing to reflect back on just how much life and memorable moments (some cherished, others- lessons learned) can accumulate in the blink of a year! In preparation for this year-in-review post, I spent time rummaging through all of our 2012 blog entries… in doing so, I realized I fell short of documenting a number of “life moments," but here are the highlights-

In January, we were reminded again how precious life is, and how easy it is to take for granted. It is so easy to get angry or blame God for unfortunate circumstances and heartbreak, but when we take the time to reflect back, we realize the bigger picture and we grow from those experiences no matter how tragic it may seem at the time.

In February, we celebrated the end of my 20’s and I kept busy party planning (baby showers, birthday parties, and bon voyages filled up half a dozen Saturdays throughout the year).

March through May was spent enjoying our family time, seeing the last Smith kid graduate from college (Go Beach!), and several camping trips (note- tent camping with an almost 2 yr old is an adventure in itself!) and Jayme and I earned our “badges” overcoming potty-training (seriously- potty-training is no joke and requires the patience of Job!)

June through August was spent soaking up summer with good friends, family, the zoo and Jayme beginning to show some “two-ude” (but hey! At least we got the little bug potty trained in time for swim season!) ANNNND Ryan became an official Edison employee (kinda major in our little world!)

September was a sad month as we said “Bon Voage!” to Bebba and she embarked on her Tour de Suenos. We also went on our own spontaneous adventure with our little bug up to our favorite road trip spot- Morro Bay.

October was full of pumpkin patch visits, Jayme’s first pony ride, birthday celebrations (including my Gramp’s 97^th birthday!), and back-to-back weddings.

November was a nail-biter, busy month full of escrow anxiety, preparing mentally, physically, and emotionally for a major move at 8.5 months pregnant, and a 4 week house guest (my Nonnie). To take my mind off of the chaos, my sister and my girlfriends threw me two beautiful baby showers.

December came and went somewhere between sleeping on a couch for the month, moving, taking time to do Christmas properly for our little girl (complete with a last minute Charlie Brown tree), celebrating a quiet 34^th birthday for Ryan, and one box at a time- making our new house a home before baby boy arrived!

Today, while we were sitting on our porch swing, enjoying the beautiful surroundings of our backyard, and the coos of our sweet 2-week-old baby boy, I was talking about how I need to finish a couple critical blog entries this week (this year-in-review and Matthew’s birth story), when Ryan asked me why I make it sound like it’s a job with a deadline. He went on about how I need to just enjoy the moments as they happen, and worry less about having a camera handy or documenting every last thing that happens, because if that becomes my focus (just for the sake of blogging it for the world to see), then I am going to miss out on authentic memories being made. As I became quick to defend my reasons for blogging- I love writing, it’s easier than scrapbooking, and I can share it with our families, etc… I realized that maybe I need to just write for the sake of capturing memories after they have happened and let go of my need for a “publish worthy piece” to be critiqued by all possible readers (but because I am a major procrastinator, I need to do so as soon as time allows and not a month later when memories become piled up and it becomes a chore instead of an enjoyable way of documenting our family’s memories into a time capsule of sorts). A dear friend worded it (her blogging motivation) best…"documenting with pictures and stories are like little souvenirs of life lived" and I am going to use this as my motivating force to keep up our family memories, as 2013 is sure to be full of new life happenings that we will forever have to reflect back on in years to come!

Major 2012 Moments:
Miscarriage
30th Birthday
Potty-Training
the beginning of "Two-ude" 
expecting again
baby showers 
career prayers answered
camping
bye-bye bebba
skin cancer
weddings
house hunting under pressure
first-time home ownership- dream becoming a reality

December wrap up...

As I sit here preparing to write our month in review, I am still trying to digest all of the life happenings that occurred throughout the month... I swear yesterday was just Thanksgiving right?! Blogging completely got away from me and now I am left to regurgitate one of the most chaotic months I've ever experienced in one post... so here it goes.... 

Our whirlwind of a month started on Black Friday when we picked up my Nonnie at the airport to stay with us for a few weeks. I really could/should write an entire post about her visit, but I am having a hard enough time focusing on the task at hand. Other than figuring out how to comfortably sleep on the couch/floor for almost 4 weeks, entertain a little girl adjusting to major change happening all at once (Nonnie staying with us, packing up to move, and a little brother on the way), and going through a ridiculously stressful escrow (is there such thing as an "easy escrow" anyway?!) all while 8.5 months pregnant... I'd say we survived quite well- annnnnd without any colds/flu (please Lord don't let me have spoken too soon!)

The best part is... We are officially home owners!!!! Looking back at the year, if you would have asked us in January where we'd be by now... owning a home would not have been one of our answers, but we are counting our blessings and thanking the Big Man upstairs that we have been given the opportunity to purchase our first house and hopefully live out the "American Dream." Within two weeks of closing escrow, we packed & moved (my OCD moving binder helped out alot, but we still fell short of the flawless move I had imagined and prepped for), said good-bye to Nonnie who left our "cold weather" for real cold weather back home in Montana, bought a last minute Charlie Brown tree for the little girl begging for all things Christmas (we couldn't let our stress turn us into a couple of Scrooges for the sake of our overwhelmed and precious little girl who has been a trooper this whole month as her little world has been turned upside down), and we even hosted Christmas for the first time in our new house! And now we sit and wait (and continue to make this house home one box at a time) for our fourth family member to join us any time... Literally having contractions as I write this.

 In an effort to avoid writing a novel for one month's worth of a recap, I will save the year in review for another post... and maybe we will be a family of four by the time I post again ;-)  

Now for the pictures that summed up our December.....

Home sweet home...

The Nugget is learning to adjust... she LOVES her new yard, still loves snuggles, LOVES her new porch swing and of course- her daddy.

all worth the stress of packing at 9 months pregnant, sleeping on a couch/floor for 4 weeks, and dealing with hiccups along the way...

we had to make time in this crazy busy month for a Santa visit (we even managed a second trip!)... Without missing a beat, every time she was asked what she wanted for Christmas, Jayme responded "a kitchen and a blue car"

family time...

Christmas Eve walk with Uncle Alex... exploring her new neighborhood

Christmas Eve with Nana

Santa's elves putting together the "how-hard-can-a-kid's-kitchen-be-to-put-together?!" kitchen

One last Christmas as a family of 3... our little girl thoroughly enjoyed her Christmas spoils ;-)

One happy little Nugget on Christmas morning

 

crazy for Aunt Taycie's hot cocoa!

PS.... Thank you to everyone who made this month possible, and kept me sane ;-)

Ships Ahoy! It's a Boy... sprinkle shower

Its no secret that Ryan and I have a love for all things beachy and nautical, so when we found out we were having a boy, that was an easy nursery decision to make. In keeping with our love for all things nautical, my sister and her friend Ana took it upon themselves to put together a tailor made nautical shower in honor of our soon-to-be-newest family member... I feel so blessed to have friends (Calista created the invites and some burlap touches- including the banner, Missy and Erin pitched in for desserts and fruit, and Ana hand crafted half the decor with Stacey and Kaycie ended up being a huge help with generous hands in the clean up afterward) and family put on such a beautiful day for me and our little growing family. I really didn't want the production of another big shower for this second baby, especially since we have been blessed with oodles of great hand-me-downs... but Stacey wanted the opportunity to throw a little something and I loved that it was intimate and just perfect.

edible details

decorative details (all handmade with love)

showered with love

this one is for bebba.

the beautiful ladies

October wrap-up...

Well it happened. I blinked and October came and went! We had so much crammed into one month, if time keeps up like this, we'll be welcoming our 4th family member before we know it (less than 9 weeks left!)

I have been terrible at keeping up on the blog, so I will do most of the wrap-up with moments captured on camera, and as soon as time permits, I will write a couple new posts about some of the more important events and life happenings that deserve their own "space" ;-)

one of a couple trips to the "pumpkin catch" ... lovin the rides, her friend, and practicing being a big sis with Waylon

first time at Silverado Days with her BFF... and proving to her daddy why we will need a double stroller

celebrating a healthy and happy  97 years and  with gramps

since mommy is no longer able to enjoy rides and being a kid, daddy spent a good part of October entertaining his lil girl

Ryan's cousin Steph's wedding was quite possibly one of the simplest, most beautiful weddings (hello pinterest) we'd been to! Complete with TK's burger truck and a bluegrass band in her parents backyard!

Celebrating the soon-to-be-bride and beautiful friend Yvonne at her "cougar no more" shower

yvonne's wedding.... and a mega happy baby

The second most fabulous wedding we have ever attended (and one of the most joyous celebrations I've ever been witness to) in one month... Straight out of a magazine fabulousness, and intimate with only those closest to the bride and groom to share in their joy and happily ever after journey

October family time...

I said I would post more now that Bebba has left the country (my lame attempt at making her homesick), but clearly that idea hasn't panned out the way I originally planned... truth is we've been mega busy over here, not necessarily physically out and about busy- but planning out our immediate future kind of busy. Last week marked the start of the third trimester, and it was as if overnight my body reminded me "hey, you're pregnant, take it easy would ya?!" In other news, I'm pretty sure Jayme is beginning to understand that the baby growing in mommy's belly means that her world is about to change (hopefully for the better)... I just hope she takes to her baby brother better than I did when Becca was born (I was about the same age as Jayme when Becca was born and I tried to pack up her belongings and ship this new person off... clearly I preferred being an only child at the time- now I wish I could pack her up and bring her home to be here as our family embarks on new beginnings).
In between house hunting (FINALLY and officially after over a year of thinking we were ready!), doctor visits, and planning for baby boy to arrive in less than 3 months, we have had some sweet moments shared as a family of three. We are beyond blessed that Ryan secured a full time position with Edison which includes RDO's (every other Friday off!)- meaning one extra day to spend as a family getting out of the house, orrrrr a day for this mommy to run errands solo (never thought I'd see the day when grocery shopping without a toddler would be the highlight of my week!).

Irvine Park Pumpkin Patch on Daddy's day off

I think we might have that child who asks for a pony at every Christmas/birthday... Nugget absolutely loved her ride on Echo (she wanted to keep her)

soakin' up her daddy time

typical two-year-old super excited about all the pumpkins... crazy to see how much she has grown since last year in similar pictures!

family train ride... we are gonna have to work on the self portraits when the next lil' guy comes.

 This last weekend we went down to Murrieta for a birthday party... probably the highlight of Nugget's week since she seems to be obsessed with all things birthday these days (no one warned me of a birthday stage- the song, cake, presents, games... obsessed. with. it. all. )

patiently waiting for her cupcake while we sing to Juliana... and then the moment of pure bliss...

friends since their first year... just like their mommies

In other news, next week holds some kinda big "stuff"... stay tuned ;-)

Knotts Berry Farm ...

Free tickets + school back in session + weather under 90 degrees = perfect time to take trouble the girls to Knotts for their first Camp Snoopy experience!

I think we (the mommies) were more drenched in sweat from our anxiety of the girls being big enough to ride on their first ride (the airplanes- which only supply a lap belt to secure the child in the flying seat!) than we were from the muggy, semi-rainy weather! They were thrilled as we placed them in their seats, buckled them in (getting reassurance from the ride manager that in the two years she has been there, not a single kid has tried the Houdini act during the ride), and took our place behind the parent gate.Their brief moment of panic, as we left them strapped in by themselves, quickly turned to excitement as the ride took off... and that's when our excitement turned to anxious panic that our two-year-olds would be the first to climb out of the simple lap strap! So of course I did the only think I knew... mamarazzi moment and turn on the video record!

Tall enough to ride their first ride alone!

exploring Camp Snoopy, testing out EVERY red bench we passed, the priceless thrill of the School Bus ride going around, and excited for their first carousel ride

the simple joy through a child's experience

trying to get a picture of the girls in front of something that says Knotts... instead we got 5 minutes of waterfall play

more exploring, relaxing in the air conditioned restaurant, dancing at Lucywood, and retiring to their  Bumbo chairs when we got home

Reasons we will probably get a season pass soon-
* Its 5 minutes from the Pessa house- so even if we only go for 30 minutes its not a crazy drive and parking is fairly easy
* Its WAYYYYY cheaper than Disneyland (and the girls don't know the Disney experience yet, so won't realize what they are missing just yet)
* Its an inexpensive way to treat them to a day of getting worn out on rides and activities that are perfect for their age/size... and not to mention the exercise us mommies get chasing them around :)