Paradise I tell you...

My love language: Vacation!

Puerta Vallarta, Mexico

                             

Nothing like traveling with your best buds. Great fun, great memories and great laughs. 

(oh, and great poolside drinks too -- cheers!)

Save these seats for us; we'll be back...

Family Getaway: Chicago

That's right. We are not afraid. We will not be deterred. We will jump on a plane with 2 kids in tow. We will have adventures with our family, infant and all. We will continue to do one of our favorite activities: travel.


OK, so that's a bit dramatic considering the flight to Chicago is 1 hour. And we stayed with my cousin Marie who has an 8 month old baby boy Benjamin, and therefore, every infant item that could be desired (and needed while traveling!). 


So cheers to a family getaway. And cheers to an unforgettable weekend. And cheers to making memories!


(P.S. A special thanks to Joe and Marie who moved into their guest room for the long weekend so our family of 4 could have their enormous master bedroom and bath. You guys are awesome!). 

 My Boys

 Chicago Children's Museum was a hit for the day! 

 Max and Ben

Water Exhibit at the Museum!

OBX 2011

Hurricane Irene could not keep us away. Maybe delay us by a couple of days (while we were safely tucked away and enjoying Raleigh, NC), but vacation 2011 proved to be one of the best years yet! 

The build-up for this vacation was like none before. Max fully understood what it meant to go to the beach, build sandcastles, fly kites, go boogie boarding, you catch my drift. It was a loooooong summer waiting for THE beach vacation. 

And once we arrived, the beach did not disappoint. Family, fun, afternoon naps, ice cream, walks on the beach, waves, seashell hunting, games, movies, and more. It was quite the week to remember. 

Here are some of the highlights:

Max's love language: chocolate ice cream.

These waves are fierce dude! 

This face sums up Max's disposition all week: sheer joy!

The annual family photo on the beach. 

The kiddos.
Thirteen total. Ten under the age of 5!

One big happy family. 

Life at the beach. I love it!

10 Things List

Since I have been on hiatus from the blogging world, I thought it would be best to re-enter by giving you a 10 Things I Should Have Blogged About the Past Month List.

10. The annual making of the pumpkin pie. This is Sam's 3rd year involving the Mister. First year, Max was in the Bjorn. Second year, in the backpack Kelty, and this year, such a big boy on the counter. Max is very into cooking these days, so he was in heaven helping his daddy.

9. Max's new love: Fire Trucks. He plays with fire trucks. Has a fire truck song that he sings. And has even visited the nearby fire station. (**instant update: Max just looked over my shoulder and saw the picture of fire truck below. He started shouting "Fire Truck, Fire Truck! Let's go see a Fire Truck.") I think you get the idea. The boy is into Fire Trucks. :)

8. Road trip to Chi-Town. Chicago is one of our favorite places to visit, so we thought it was about time we introduced Max to city life. He LOVED it! He took his first train ride (from the suburbs to the city) and his first taxi ride all in one day! I am pretty sure I was an adult before I did either one of those, so I am kind of proud of the fact that we had Max in a train and cab at the age of 2.

7. Buckeye Fever. We all get it this time of year. This season, we erected a 9' tall x 16' wide screen in our backyard. We invited our friends and family and had an outdoor viewing party. It was a night to remember. Hot cider, lots of appetizers, everyone in Buckeye gear, lawn chairs, an HD projector and a big screen. Does it get any better? Oh right, would have been nice if they would have beat Wisconsin.

6. Girls trip to Minneapolis, Minnesota. My girlfriend Becky and I flew to visit one of our friends Joy for a long weekend. We had a great time eating sushi, drinking Jamba Juice and spending an afternoon at the spa. As much fun as it was, I would much rather her just move back to Ohio. Long-distance relationships stink. :)

5. Trick or Treat! Max was Mickey Mouse this year and proud of it! He had lots of opportunities to show off his costume since we happened to trick or treat in two different neighborhoods. In our neighborhood, he ran around with his little friend, Brooke (a.k.a. Minnie Mouse).

4. We have been coping with the loss of my sweet grandmother "Nana" who passed away. I have never met a woman more vibrant with life, active, bubbly and joyful. She was so happy to be alive and showed us all how to live in the moment and enjoy each day given to us. She was a wonderful woman, and I call it a privilege to celebrate her life.

3. Sam and I met Cabo San Lucas for the first time in early November. And we liked it. :) We had a 4-day getaway in paradise. It was hands-down the most romantic place we have every stayed. It was private and remote. Service was outstanding (do I need to mention we had our own private butler?). And the views were incredible. There is something about being in a place where you have the ocean and the mountains in one setting. Stunning. Absolutely stunning.

2. And while we were away? Max was in good hands with Sam's cousin Brit. She adores Maximus and couldn't wait to spend time with him for 4 days. She had special activities planned from bowling to the fire station to ice cream. Thank you Brit for taking such great care of our little boy. Take a look at Max's smiles below, he obviously had a great time in our absence.

1. And last, but not least. Max went ice skating for the first time. Sam might have done some research and found out that we can put Max in hockey/ice skating lessons at the age of 3. So, since that is only 6 months away, we wanted to get the ball rolling and help Max get comfortable on the ice. He did great! He might just be a hockey player in the making.

OBX 2010

That's right! We returned (a bit early thanks to Hurricane Earl) from our annual family vacation. This year, we had 16 adults and 11 children in one big house. Outer Banks seems to be the perfect location for all of us. The ocean, the charm, and of course for the menfolk, golf courses galore.

Max was a blast this year. He loved the sand, the ocean and the constant playdates with his cousins!

Here are some of my favorite photos:

Enjoying a snack poolside

Daddy's gift to Max:

his first boogie board

I can't believe Max picked up this (not so alive)

horseshoe crab

Mommy and Max's favorite after nap activity:

collecting sea shells

Another year=

Another attempt at a cousin photo

Flying High

in OBX

I Still Do

Sam and I just got back from 5 glorious days in Riveria Maya, Mexico. We celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary with friends/siblings Ron and Kristen.

As a surprise, Sam decided to plan a beachside wedding ceremony so we could renew our vows. It was amazing in every way. Ocean breeze, barefoot in the sand and the opportunity to say, I Still Do.

How did Sam pull of a surprise of this magnitude? With the help of his sister, Kristen. They planned, plotted and made decisions before our arrival. The ceremony took place on the first night of our vacation. Before we headed out the door for dinner, Sam mentioned he needed to check on something really quick and asked if I would please sit tight and wait for him. About ten minutes later, I received a knock on the door by a resort employee. As he handed me a beautiful bouquet of gerber daisies (my favorite), he asked me to follow him, my husband was waiting. So trusting this stranger, I followed him down to the beach, turned the corner, and lo and behold my husband was standing at the end of the beach aisle waiting for me.

My love, thank you for this amazing gift. The chance to renew our vows and reclaim our love for one another. Thank you for loving me more today than yesterday. I cherish you, our marriage and our family. I give you my promise to honor, respect and love you with all of my being for the rest of my days. With all my love, me.

Just Married...again!

Max Greets the Ocean

Hello bloggy world! Max and I just returned from a four day vacation in Florida. We traveled with my mom [a.k.a. grandma] and visited my grandparents [a.k.a. GG & Papa].

We logged lots of hours at the pool and spent one glorious day at the Siesta Key Beach. It was beautiful, sugary sand. And Max enjoyed every second. His squeals and laughter by the ocean were priceless. Here's a glimpse!

Paradise

Sam and I just returned from paradise in Riviera Maya, Mexico. We spent 6 glorious days and 5 glorious nights pretending like we were on our honeymoon again. It was pure bliss.

We celebrated my 30th birthday in style. Our lazy days were spent by the beach and our evenings at romantic dinners. What a way to celebrate a birthday!

While we were away, Mister Max was well taken care of by his Grandma and Papa. We emailed daily with the little guy and he seemed to get along just fine without us. Here are a few excerpts. I am sure they will bring a smile to your face as they did ours every time we read one!

11/12: Day 1 of Trip

Hi mommy and daddy,

I hope you had a fun afternoon at the pool/beach. I was soooo good all day. I got
to play with Eli all morning and Maddie watched us and took us outside in the back. It
was great fun. We then had a delicious lunch (I'm wearing a bib for grandma) of grilled
cheese, tomato soup, etc.

I didn't nap very long, maybe one hr. and then talked and coughed a little for another
hr. Grandma got me up and I was very good and happy. We left for home at 4.
Papa played with me lots while grandma finished dinner and cleaned up. I ate
all my spaghetti, some peas, yo-gurt, raspberries, pretzels. I did good, huh? and milk.
Well it is after 7 so I know they will say it's bedtime soon so I guess I better go and
play with them a little more so they won't be sad. Maybe read them a book.

All is well and I am happy. Have fun and don't be sad at all.
I love you, Max

11/15: Day 4 of Trip

Okay I'm telling on Grandma. She slept til 7:30 this morning. Papa got up and moved the monitor and
shut the door so she could sleep. Papa and I had a great early morning time together.
We looked at books and he gave me some dry cheerios and a drink to hold me til breakfast.
He loves to hold me when I wake. Me and my baa baa.

We went to church and I went to the nursery. Aunt Becca and Uncle Chris were in there.
I stayed in there til 11:15 and then they took me back to Gma. Becca said my nose was
running and I coughed on kids. Whatever! Don't tell I told or Gma will get in trouble.

Church was great. The Lord was moving. Worship lasted til noon again and then Pastor Jim
said to get your kids and come back up front if you want to. We left and went to Jersey
Mikes with Uncle Luke, Aunt Bethany and cousin Claire.

Home for nap. I slept not quite 2 hrs. Then books, played outside etc. My favorite -
Gma sat me in her lap and we checked out all the blogs. I loved it and didn't move for
20 min.

Lauren came at 4 and we played, outside and in. I ate the biggest dinner - spaghetti,
kiwi, and frozen yogurt and milk etc. Delicious! Lauren and I are now watching a video
before bath/bed. What a great day here at the Ritz. Uncle Tom and Beth are stopping by
at 8:30 to show us her engagement ring. I guess I'll be in bed:-(

I am wearing a bib at every meal. I even tuck it in behind the tray. Gma has these
great cotton bibs. Plastic sucks!

I love you and miss you but I am doing so great - real bonding with these old folks.
Love, Max

11/16: Day 5

Hi mommy and daddy,

I'm counting down. 24 hrs. or less. I miss you. I had a great day. Lauren played with
me this morning. Then we met Auntie Kristen and kiddos at Mc.D's for lunch and we took
Lauren to school.
I slept and slept for my nap. After 2 and half hrs. Grandma turned on the hall light,
15 more minutes and she turned on the bedroom light. I finally roused at almost 3 hrs.
Whew, I bet I grew sleeping so much.

We ran a couple errands and went outside. It is so nice here, the weather has been good.

O.K. it is 8:30 pm and I am jabbering up a storm in my bed. I stayed up til 8:15. Papa got
home from his elders meeting and I wanted to spend some time with him. I go from Grandma to Papa without hesitation. Hope I don't hurt her feelings. It's a guy thing.

See you at the airport. I'll be the little guy with beautiful blue eyes and blond curls
grinning ear to ear.

Love, Max

Sweet and Delicious

Max and I just returned from Minneapolis, Minnesota. We were visiting some of our best friends - Shawn, Joy and kids, Judah [age 3] and Luciana [age 1].

One of my highlights [there were many!] was Max experiencing his first Jamba Juice. I am a lover of the Jamba. We currently do not have this delicious smoothie chain in our city so whenever I am in a location that has a Jamba I seize the day!

Needless to say, Max officially loves his Jamba as much as his mommy does. This particular Jamba Juice is attached to a Whole Foods [I know does it get any better?] so as we strolled through the market Max held his Jamba high in the air and jabbered to anyone that would listen. He was obviously excited to share the good news of his Jamba drink.

You make me so proud, little man.