it's a surprise {sunday: hawaii edition}

it's time for a little taste of paradise.
as always i took a gazillion pictures.  too many for one post, so i decided to break them up by doing a post for each day of our stay.
aloha and enjoy.

if you know me, you know i love love love secrets.
we kept this entire trip a secret from the girls. for weeks they would take turns guessing, asking for hints.
i loved the places they thought it would be...disneyland, seaworld, grandma's house...despite the fact their first hint was that we would be travelling on an airplane.
as we took our seats on the plane the girls were still in suspense.
the stewardess came over the speaker and said "aloha". i looked at ella's face, her wheels were turning.
a piece of paper adorned with hibiscus talking about details of the flight had been left on each person's seat.
ella took one look at it and that was it. the cat was out of the bag. it was priceless.

♥7 months♥

you are 7 months today!!

you just got back from your first trip to hawaii. you do amazing on trips.
you went on your first submarine ride.
you love to roll. you can get to just about anywhere doing it.
on the subject of rolling, you now roll to your tummy as soon as we lay you down to sleep. there is just no keeping you on your back.
you now are an eater of rice cereal, squash & sweet potatoes. so far, so good.
you discovered your voice a couple weeks ago. you talk non-stop and say "bah, bah, bah,...." over and over.
you can sit for a bit by yourself, but you love to throw your head back when you get excited so we still use the bumbo seat a lot.
you had your first taste of sorbet on our trip...thanks to the nice man at the ice cream shop who was so insistant.
you chew on everything like it's your job, but still no tooth.
you only like to chew on inappropriate chew items (i.e. paper, shoes, cords, plastic....)
you are nursing like crazy still, every 2-3 hours. no break for mommy here.
you take two solid naps a day. one in the morning and one after lunch. bedtime is usually right around 7:30
you take bottles like a pro. uncle wade even got to feed you while mommy had her girl day. this is huge.
you think that ella is the best thing ever. she is a little mama to you.
you love chloe too, but we are working on the whole "gentle" thing still.
riley roo you are just about the most easy going baby ever and we love you so much!

a ♥j♥ day

my baby sister is getting married.
i can't believe it. we are just two weeks away from the big day.
we planned a girls day out in honor of her...it was the BEST ever.
the dads took over the kids so that we could get a little distraction-free time in.
this was the first "girls" day for me in years, literally, so needless to say i was a bit overdue.

we started the day off with coffee and pedis. gift time was next. we adorned her with lots of pretty things for the big day and honeymoon with a few naughty things thrown in. then we headed to the spa for a little pampering. the day ended with a fancy schmancy dinner on the waterfront. talk about a perfect day.

baby j, i couldn't be more happier for you. you found a pretty special guy in wade. you two are just perfect for each other. thank you for letting me be a part of your special day. i love you both bunches!!

{the girls}

{the guys were left locked and loaded with supply}

{a nostalgic treat for j...cookie from cinnamon works in seattle}

{sexy little apron}

{my adorable mama}

♥

{a little taste}

of what's to come...

we are back in town!
it was an incredible week of relaxing and endless fun.
now comes the {fun} task of sifting through all the pictures. there are a lot.
before i get to that i have a couple posts to do. i like them to be in sequence. type a, i know.

and we're off

san diego bound for a little pre-vacation sun & fun....
sunglasses. check.
suntan lotion. check.
bikinis. check.
three very excited little girls. check..check..check

trust me i'm a doctor

...i would think twice about letting these two operate on me

alex and barth. two peas in a pod.

alex gained the title of barth's {second wife} this past year.

i think those two spent more time with each other than barth and i...i am still his favorite though alex. just so you know.

{the girls with alex and adelyn...they miss you already}

back in business

5 moves in 8 years.
i would love to tell you this will be it for us for awhile, but that's just wishful thinking.

this has been quite the whirlwind week.
monday consisted of moving. it took from dawn till dusk. well past midnight to be exact.
tuesday to today has been organizing and more organizing. but i think we are just about done.
our new place already feels like home. the girls have decided that this is their favorite. it changes with every move. i guess that's a good thing.
and while blogging should be the last thing i should be thinking about or doing, i was beginning to have withdrawals. seriously.

tonight we pack for our family vacation. i told you it's been a crazy week. not a moments rest.
come sunday morning we will be on a plane headed to hawaii. i can't wait.

chloe decided to break out the party hats for our last dinner before the move. love her.