Happy 2 Declan!

I know the usual thing to say is that these past two years flew by, but to be honest Declan has been acting like a three year old since he was one, so part of me is like, "he's only two??" and the rest of me feels like he's been here forever. Seriously, what did I ever do with my time before I was removing Declan from things he's climbed on, cleaning up things he's broken, and mopping up the water he loves to pour on the table? Your guess is as good as mine.

To my dear little Decky,
You have a reputation for being more handfuls than I have hands. Our life was bland and boring before you came along and spiced it up. Whenever we go out you like to pick a new family to adopt and try to go home with them. Anytime we leave the bathroom doors open we can be sure to find you splashing in the toilet and obliterating all the toilet paper. You're a climber and a daredevil and no puddle of water is too small for you to stop and splash in. You give the sloppiest, wettest kisses and I absolutely live for them. They always arrive out of nowhere, which makes them all the more special. Every once in a blue moon you actually sit down for a snuggle and because I know how brief and fleeting those moments are I soak them right up. At night you're my snuggly little koala bear, cuddling right up to my arm and not letting go. I'm going to be so sad when we move you to your own bed (very, very soon). If I've learned one thing from you, it's that anytime and anywhere is a good time for a dance party. I hope you never, ever forget that. You're independent, practically self sufficient, and extremely passionate about your likes (and dislikes). You're a little performer, complete with dancing, singing, and dramatic hand gestures. Sleeping is serious business and God help anyone who wakes you (which I can totally relate to). Picky eater doesn't even begin to describe you - yet you'll happily lick an anthill, a door handle, and every single germy piece of playground equipment - you little weirdo! You're fairly quiet and go with the flow but every now and then you turn into a chatterbox and crack us all up. You're methodical, precise, determined, and observant and I know one day you'll go far and you'll do and be exactly what you want to be. We're already so proud of you baby boy, and we love you more than you'll ever know.

Likes:

• Dancing (check out the video below for 2 years worth of Declan dances)
• Family time
• Water - in any and all forms
• BUBBLES!!!
• Trains (or choo choos, as they're properly called)
• Mickey Mouse, Monsters Inc, Nemo, & Cars
• Disneyland
• Basketball
• Monster Trucks
• Capes and super heroes
• Books
• Climbing
• Graham crackers

Dislikes:

• Wrestling with your brother
• Being woken up
• Pretty much any and all food

Father's Day Weekend: SF Getaway

Summer is definitely here, my friends. We're smack dab in the middle of a week long 105 degree or higher heat wave. Yayyy us... Obviously we decided to get the ef out of here and head to the coast where it was only supposed to be in the low 70s. Key word: supposed to be. It turned out to be about 90 degrees there too, but still almost 20 degrees cooler so definitely worth it. 

One thing I love about San Francisco is that no two trips are ever exactly alike. We can easily spend a whole day exploring Golden Gate Park, paddling a boat around the lake, playing at the playground, and enjoying the gardens. We've had many fun trips to the zoo, walked halfway across the Golden Gate Bridge, and of course we like to eat our way along the wharf - so many good food choices, not nearly enough stomach space. 

For Father's Day weekend we stayed right in the middle of Mission District, so right near all the best shopping. We kicked off our trip with some trolley sighting (highlight of the trip for Ez) and retail therapy, took a brief hotel room break, then wandered over to the city hall, the MLK Jr. memorial (highlight of the trip for Declan), and our home away from home: Target. The next day was all about the wharf before packing up and heading home, with a quick pit stop at Berkeley for old time's sake. We covered a LOT of ground in two days (18.3 miles to be exact) and we pretty much all dropped on the couch in exhaustion when we got home. Definitely a weekend well spent. 

How are you all surviving this heat?? 

Happy Father's Day!!

Happy Father's Day to the best role model, protector, and playmate a son could ask for. We're so thankful for the hard work you do for us, the adventures you take us on, the wrestling matches, tickle fights, and giggle fests - thank you for all that you do!

And to my dad and step dad, thank you for all the love and for always being there!

In case anyone was ever wondering what it's like to interview a four year old and a two year old, it's somewhere between herding cats and pulling teeth. See for yourself below ;)

Tourists In Our Own Town: Consumnes River Preserve

How many hearts with warm red blood in them are beating under cover of the woods, and how many teeth and eyes are shining! A multitude of animal people, intimately related to us, but of whose lives we know almost nothing, are as busy about their own affairs as we are about ours. Squirrels are busily laying up provisions and lining their nests against coming frost and snow foreseen; and countless thousands of birds are forming parties and gathering their young about them for flight to the southlands; while butterflies and bees, apparently with no thought of hard times to come, are hovering above the late-blooming goldenrods, and, with countless other insect folk, are dancing and humming right merrily in the sunbeams and shaking all the air into music.

Wander here a whole summer if you can.

~ John Muir

All this extra daylight has us itching to explore and we've already lined up a few more summer adventures in the coming weeks. We've lived here just under five months, but already we've found so many beautiful places that have quickly become favorite weekend spots. The fact that we can drive a few miles and be in the state's capital, or a few miles in the other direction and be surrounded by nature has made us fall more and more in love with this city and I know we've barely scratched the surface as far as discovering all Sacramento has to offer. 

This past weekend we visited Consumnes River Preserve for the first time. The hike was fairly easy - if you count keeping a certain two year old from running headfirst through the thorny blackberry bushes lining the path or toppling down steep banks into the river as easy. Once Declan was safely contained in the backpack munching on graham crackers it was a nice relaxing stroll along a mostly shaded path with water along one side and green fields on the other. Gorgeous scenery every which way we turned and it reminded me of wandering through a swampy area that you'd usually find on the other side of the country, minus the gators though (thankfully!)

Next up we're planning a beach trip, a lake trip, and lots more hiking trips (as long as it's not sweltering hot). What's on your agenda this summer?

Easing Into Summer

Summer is for...

staying up late

splashing in water

sunsets

birthdays

margaritas

county fairs

concerts

exploring

bubbles

books

evening walks

dirt trails

mountains

starry skies

s'mores

family time

So far our summer is shaping up pretty nicely. We've already found our new favorite splash pad, have plans to camp at the lake, family is coming to town, and Declan, mine, and Joe's birthdays are right around the corner. Lots of fun and excitement on the horizon and to top it all off, the weather has been unseasonably cool, which I've been relishing because come this weekend it's triple digits :( 

Hope you're soaking up all the fun and family time summer has to offer!