Weekend Wrap-Up

Happy Sunday.

It hasn't been too much of a happy Sunday for us today, though, since our little one has had a fever most of the day.  She has been a cling-on to me all weekend, and today it became clear why.  Poor baby.  She was pretty cranky all day, but was able to play a little bit right away this morning and after her nap at G-ma and G-pa's house.  By this evening though, she seemed pretty miserable and was just a little heater laying on me.  Hopefully the baby Tylenol and a good night sleep (*knock on wood*) will get her back to her usual happy little self.

Poor baby.

But yesterday was a fun day!  We started it off with some post-run stretching (yay, I actually ran 4 times this week!) and then, as we usually do, with a Starbucks run and errands...just us girls.

Both girls were super excited about the Yoda display at
Trader Joe's.  Callie was even more excited to find out his
name was Yoda..."JUST LIKE AUNTIE YODA!"

We spent the afternoon at the condo so Maya could nap, and Callie could play with Boom and Bops and go to dance class.

Then, to top off a fun day, the Helds came over for dinner and play time.  Those four kids are something else...and another Held baby will arrive in June!  So fun!

Mabel loved being a little Mommy to Maya.
Having them all in jammies made them extra adorable.

Hope you all had a lovely weekend.  If you think of it, keep our little one in your prayers.

FTPDF

Happy Friday!

It feels good to get back to a regular post after a couple weeks of craziness.  Also, it feels like forever since I have done updates on the girls.

Callie is so smart and funny.  The stuff that she says is kind of mind boggling at times.  My mom told me that today Callie wanted to change the names she had come up with years ago for the two birds that are often outside my parents' condo (Poopy and Doopy).  She told my mom that the old names were "too inappropriate" and decided to change them to Dot and Flappy. 

Huh?

So funny.  She is also calming down and settling in to her skin a little more.  She did great on her birthday with a big group paying attention to her.  She wasn't as nervous or self conscious about people looking at her (last year she had to open her presents under the kitchen table, this year she had no problem doing it in front of the group), and she wasn't super sensitive about people laughing.  She is sweet and caring and really thinks about things.  I'm always amazed by her questions and her creativity.

Favorite Thing #1: This girl.

Maya is also so smart and funny.  She is in the phase now where she is just a sponge...soaking up so much knowledge.  I LOVE IT.  She is learning new words every day and is so proud of herself when she uses the words.  She loves looking at books and just babbles away while shaking her body excitedly.  For example:

Favorite Thing #2: This girl reading books and using words.


IMG 3158 from Baby Goose on Vimeo.

She also is getting more and more into accessorizing.  Especially with hats.  We have a lot of hats laying around (since it is winter, and all) and anytime she finds a hat, she puts it on.  She has a hat on A LOT.

Favorite Thing #3: This girl.
And her love for hats.

She also is just SO in love with Kona, as you can see from this video.

Favorite Thing #4: These two.


IMG 3190 from Baby Goose on Vimeo.

It is ridiculous how cute they are together.  Kona is such a good and tolerant big sister.

As for the rest of the pictures...

Favorite Thing #5: Back home with the girls on Sunday

Favorite Thing #6: A "cold" day off and new matching outfits

Favorite Thing #7: After a lesson on acrostic poems, Callie came up with
this one for her sister.  I did the writing, but the words were all her, including
my new favorite word- YATASTIC.

Favorite Thing #8: Days with Boom and Pa

Favorite Thing #9: Can't get enough of the snuggles

Have a great weekend!

TBT and ARUBA MEGAPOST #4: 1/1-1/3

It is Thursday, which is usually a regular TBT post, but in order to finish up my Aruba wrap-up, I only have one TBT this week...tropical island style.

Now on to my last Aruba Post. (Here is post #1, post #2, and post #3 in case you need to catch up.)

Happy New Year in Aruba! 

The last few days of our trip were much more low key.  Those days were the reasons why I was able to finish FOUR books on our vacation.  There was lots of reading at the pool time, lots of reading on the beach time, and lots of general relaxing time.

THURSDAY, JANUARY 1st, 2015

We had asked our ATV guide on Tuesday for tips for how to find the hiking place we couldn't find on Monday, so we were able to successfully find it on Thursday morning.  It wasn't so much of a hike as it was 652 steps up a big hill they call the Haystack.  Tourist brochures call it Hooiberg.  The view was decent- but there were lots of tall cacti that blocked the ocean views.

 

Very many steep steps

The view

We spent the rest of the day lounging.  Some folks went to watch the Gopher game on the beach.  The rest of us found them later (which is miraculous seeing as we couldn't communicate with each other with cell phones).  We went to dinner at a delicious pizza place on the tourist strip.

Another fun day

FRIDAY, JANUARY 2nd, 2015

The guys golfed again in the morning, so the ladies went downtown Oranjestad to go shopping and have lunch.

I got Starbucks!
Lunch at the Pink Iguana

We did more lounging and then had another dinner by the ocean.  This one wasn't up to par with all the other meals we had (and the service was TERRIBLE), but we still enjoyed sitting out by the water on our last night in Aruba.

Marina Pirata
Great atmosphere, terrible service, not so good food

SATURDAY, JANUARY 3rd, 2015

I woke up early again and read by the pool. Then we spent one more short morning at the beach before we had to leave for the airport.  It was a great way to end a fantastic trip.

The picture of us under a cabana happened because all of a sudden there was
a downpour of rain.  It was obviously Aruba lamenting the fact that we were leaving.
It dissipated quickly, thankfully, and we got back to our beach lounging.

We had a long travel day back home, which included us almost missing our connecting flight in Atlanta and having to sprint across the very large airport.  Our luggage DID end up missing the flight and wasn't returned to us until 11:30pm on Sunday night.

But what a small price to pay for a wonderful week.

And the joy of waking up to these happy faces on Sunday morning was amazing.

Reunited and it feels so good.

A million thanks to my parents who made this trip possible- and to my dad who planned so many fantastic adventures and meals for all of us.  It was so incredible.

And again, thanks to G-ma, G-pa and Auntie Cat who took such good care of the girls so we could truly relax and enjoy ourselves while we were away.

I hope you enjoyed seeing some pictures of our adventures!  Back to regular scheduled posting tomorrow with the first FTPDF post of 2015.

ARUBA MEGAPOST #3: 12/31

Yay Aruba!

Aruba Post #1

Aruba Post #2


Wednesday, December 31st, 2014

We had another big excursion on New Year's Eve Morning.  We chartered a private sailboat for the morning and went snorkeling.  There was rum punch and fancy cheeses and curried chicken salad.  And with all that, plus amazing blue-green water, sunshine and family...well let's just say it was a BLAST.

On the "Tranquilo"

Ready to snorkel!

Snorkeling...it was awesome that Laura and Craig had a waterproof
camera

Also, that was the day that most of us got slightly to very sunburned, despite the fact that we were layering on the sunscreen. Aruba sun is no joke. But we recovered well, thanks to the famous Aruba Aloe Burn Relief that was purchased the next day.

After we docked, we walked to the I (HEART) ARUBA sign because I wanted to get a picture.  What we ended up experiencing was just a taste of the craziness that New Years Eve is on the strange island that is Aruba.

As we were walking, we noticed that there were a TON of people milling around ON the main street and then we saw people bringing a long red rope thing down the middle of the street.  What was it, you ask?  A blocks-long string of FIRECRACKERS.  That is a thing in Aruba.  They set off long strings of firecrackers and watch them explode.  All the businesses do it in some way for their employees.  We happened to catch, what I can only assume, was the biggest one that happened on the island.  It was CRAZY.

SO LOUD
SO MUCH SMOKE
SO MANY PEOPLE

After cleaning up, we drove across the island for the best dinner of the trip (in my opinion).  It was a place called The Flying Fishbone.  The tables were right on the water, in the sand, and we were there for the sunset.  The food was AMAZINGLY AMAZING.  The drinks were divine.  We even ordered dessert so we could stay longer.  It was fantastic.

The Flying Fishbone

Feet in the sand
DELICIOUS food and drinks, including Baked Alaska for dessert!

The sun setting on 2014

After dinner, our plan was to go back up to the lighthouse for fireworks.  A few different locals told us that is the best place to be, because people are setting off fireworks all over the island.  Our boat captain told us that Arubans spend more money on fireworks on average than any other nation in the world. 

So we started the short drive up to the lighthouse, but noticed lots of cars coming back the other direction.  It wasn't a good sign.  Not too far up the curving road, were two thugs (or that is how we describe them) turning people away.  They had blocked the road off and weren't letting anyone up there.  They weren't police or any other official-looking people.  They looked like thugs and we weren't going to mess with them.  So we decided to go back down towards one of the popular beaches in the middle of the island.  We were right by the water and had a great view of the fireworks that were put on by the hotels on the strip.

FIREWORKS

Chris and I haven't seen fireworks in person in 5 years.  It was pretty awesome.  Starting at exactly midnight, they were set off in multiple locations all over the island.


IMG 2999 from Baby Goose on Vimeo.

They went on for about 40 minutes.  It was a great end to another amazing day/year.

ARUBA MEGAPOST #2: 12/30

In case you missed it, I am taking a short break from blogging about these crazy children...

...and instead am taking a few days to blog about an adults-only Aruba trip. 

You can find part #1 right here.

Here is part #2!

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 30th, 2014

I woke up super early again, so I decided to walk to the beach to watch the sunrise.  My dad came down to the beach a little later, and we spent about an hour there before most everyone else woke up.

Arashi Beach at sunrise

The pelicans put on quite the show for us that morning.  Dad went to get the big camera and took some awesome pelican pictures. 

Pelicans!

I also happened to catch one going for a dive on video.


IMG 2711 from Baby Goose on Vimeo.

The big excursion for the day was an ATV tour around the island.  We went through a ranch called Rancho Notorious, which seemed a little sketchy at first, but turned out to be totally awesome. 

Ridin' dirty

As you can see, we were all on double ATVs.  Our guide took us all around the island, gave us history lessons, and showed us breathtaking sights.  He was also a great photographer and took many cool group shots.



Top: Ready to Ride!
Middle: In the cave
Bottom: On top of the cave

Walking around various locations on the island, drinking coconut juice

Ocean and cacti
Alto Vista Chapel

The whole experience's high point was a very bumpy and rugged ride over rocky terrain that led us to a large natural pool.  It was amazing.

Swimming in the Natural Pool

On the ride back I managed to get REALLY dirty...the picture of my face doesn't do it justice.  I had dirt everywhere.

Rugged terrain = So dirty

I really think that ATV ride was one of the coolest things I have ever done.  We got to see and experience so many different things on the island in a span of four hours.  It was pretty incredible.

After getting cleaned up, we went downtown to the tourist strip for dinner and had dinner at an Asian Bistro.

JH Yee's Asian Bistro

We ended the evening walking around, picking up some souvenirs for the girls, and playing games back at the house.  It was another fantastic day.

Tomorrow: New Year's Eve!

ARUBA MEGA POST #1: 12/28-12/29

Ok, if you usually come here to see pictures of and stories about cute little blondies, the next few posts won't be for you. 

If you'd like to stay and see pictures of sunshine and loveliness, feel free to stick around.

As I mentioned yesterday, Chris and I spent most of last week in Aruba with my parents, my sisters and their fiancées.

Aruba was generally 85 and sunny all the time.  When we landed back home on Saturday night, we experienced a 90 degree temperature difference from what we felt that morning.  It was a brutal slap back to reality.

But, let's go back to the warmth, shall we?

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 28th, 2014

We had a long travel day on the 28th.  We were at the airport by 4am central time, and didn't land in Aruba until about 2:30pm eastern time.  The Aruba airport was a pretty ridiculous experience, and we were happy to finally get to our rental house a couple hours after landing.  The rental house was beautiful- perfect for the 8 of us.

145 LG Smith Blvd

We settled in, got ready for dinner, and headed out to our first dinner reservation of the vacation.  It was also the first time we got lost (well, one of the two cars did).  It was our experience that Aruba is an island that isn't very user friendly.  There aren't really street signs, and maps aren't that helpful.  Also, we couldn't use our cell phones.  We got lost a number of times throughout our week there. 

But we all eventually made it to our destination and had a great dinner.  After dinner we walked down to the beach by the house.  We were all anxious to see everything in the daylight.

The Pelican's Nest...and the beach.

MONDAY, DECEMBER 29th, 2014

I was up super early, of course, so I spent the early hours of the day by the pool.  Later that morning we left to go on a hike.  We did not find the place we were looking for (non-marked Aruban roads...seriously), and turned back around in favor of a beach run and beach time for the girls, and golfing for the guys.

A sisters run and Arashi Beach

Tierra del Sol Golf Club...amazing views and CRAZY wind.

We went up to the California Light House before dinner.  It was a short drive from the rental house, and the dinner that we had up at the restaurant near the lighthouse was delicious (you'll soon figure out that the food on this trip was UNBELIEVABLY amazing).

The California Light House at dusk

La Trattoria el Faro Blanco at sunset

That was the end of our first full day on the island.  Come back tomorrow for day 2!

Week Wrap-Up

Happy New Year!!!!

I'm back! And as you probably noticed, the blog has been redesigned by my friend Amanda. I love it!

The title of this post is slightly misleading because there is no way I can do last week's wrap up in one post. Why, you ask? Because Chris and I spent the past week in Aruba with my parents, my sisters, and their fiancées.

It was a trip without our two little girls. And while it was hard to leave and we missed them, it was pretty freaking awesome.

The girls were lucky enough to stay with G-ma, G-pa and Auntie Cat all week. I should say that WE (Chris and I) were lucky enough for that to happen, because we were able to relax and enjoy our amazing vacation knowing that they were being well cared for and loved in our absence.

As you can see, they really were.

They had loads of play time and cuddle time, had a sleepover with cousins, saw Nana and Papa, went to the zoo...and had an all around great week while we were gone.

Obviously, we were able to get pictures and texts via email to stay connected, and I am thankful for that. We also were able to video chat with them on Thursday, which was great.

As for our trip...it will be a process of gathering all the photos and organizing them. I will most definitely do Aruba posts this week to share our fun island adventures, so come back often.

For the time being, here are a few shots of the ocean to give you a little taste of some of the beauty of the beaches of Aruba.

We hope everyone had a wonderful start to 2015!