Sailing!

Daniel and I left Morgan with my parents one night so we could go visit our friends in the San Francisco Bay Area. Lee and Fran took us sailing on their boat! The day was really windy which made for some intense moments but I absolutely loved it! I love doing new things especially when it involves being outdoors.

Rare pictures of Fran and I. The four of us spend a decent amount of time together yet Fran and I never get any pictures of the two of us.

Here are some pictures of things we saw while we were out.

Daniel did some sailing too!

He looks like he was posing as Captain Morgan here but he actually wasn't. He was just concentrating on what he was doing. I had to take a picture because it seemed like a classic sailing pose.

The view as we came back in to dock...

Daniel helped Lee dock the boat.

Before we left for dinner, we were invited to have a drink on another boat owned by one of Lee and Fran's friends.

Dinner was perfect! I really, really enjoy sushi but don't take the opportunity to eat it very often. Matter of fact, Daniel and I don't go out to eat much anymore and when we do we're usually pretty modest with our orders. This night we didn't hold back! We ordered Miso Soup, Cucumber Salad, Gyoza, and four different types of Sushi Rolls! I just had to take a picture because it was one of the best sushi dinners I've had in a long time.

The next morning we slept in, went to a late breakfast and then took a walk around Mare Island on an old deserted Navy base. It felt like you were walking around a ghost town. Lee and I talked about how it was almost as if you could still see, hear and imagine what life was like there in the 40's and 50's. There are all these huge, amazing homes that used to be the officer's homes that are now just sitting and rotting.

Daniel is always amazed by the huge trees he's seen while here in California. We ended up seeing some much larger than this one.

Can you imagine what it would have been like to have coffee on this huge deck each morning looking out at this view?

There were still some clues left behind hinting of what an amazing place this once was. We saw a ton of fruit trees and bushes. We enjoyed some fresh blackberries.

Pear tree. I had one of these in my backyard while growing up.

Anybody who knows me knows that I love learning about different cultures. Actually I just love learning and seeing how other people live in general. Whether it be my secret love of certain reality tv shows like Teen Mom (I'm embarrassed to admit that) or books and documentaries that depict everyday life in other cultures. I just learned about a new documentary coming out called Babies. Can't wait to see that one because it's right up my alley!

I enjoy visiting Lee and Fran obviously because I value their friendship but it's also more than that. The Bay Area is so rich in culture and being there is always eye opening. As we left, Fran was talking about the dinner she was going to make. She said she was making Quinoa (KEEN-WAH). I've never even heard of Quinoa but apparently it's South American. I appreciate the fact that Lee and Fran are able to embrace what their area has to offer. They're an interesting couple because they're both born and raised in the south so they have all these great southern morals, manners and ideals yet their lives are so rich with unique foods and activities due to the life that surrounds them now. Thanks for the fun weekend guys!

Staycation!

Daniel and I are taking this week off! We already spent our vacation money earlier this year on our trip to Texas and our trip to Monterey so we decided to just enjoy time as a family here in California.

To start our week we traveled to Sacramento to visit my parents. Morgan enjoyed cuddling with Nana!

And eating a fresh fish dinner with Papa.

The below picture looks staged but it wasn't.

Papa helped Morgan pick her very first flower for me.

Can you tell I'm happy to be on vacation?

Dad took Daniel fishing in his fishing boat.

Their catch!

I don't think Morgan was too impressed with the fish. She seemed indifferent really and cared more about her chips.

Nana kept teaching her new silly faces. Both Nana and Papa loved that Morgan now calls them by those names.

Morgan and I spent some time at a park right across the street from my parents house. I enjoyed running around the playground and trying out the equipment with her. She loved it too!

Backseat buds!

Family Fun In The Sun

Frank, Dusty and Chase invited Daniel, Morgan and I up for dinner Friday night. We ended up spending the night and having a really good time! Nothing is more important to me then spending time with family.

The pool water had dropped a few degrees the last couple of days so Morgan played in their little pool instead.

Cousin Chase is such a good cousin to Morgan!

Lunch al fresco.

I again got to enjoy the pool, sunshine, mountain air and views all to myself for a good couple of hours while Morgan napped. Thanks Gauthier family for more summer fun!

So Proud!

Whenever people talk about potty training I always say that Morgan won't be ready for quite awhile but she did something tonight that made me think otherwise. Tonight she walked right up to me, pointed to her diaper and said, "poo-poo". I didn't even know she knew how to say this word let alone what it meant. She kept pointing and repeating poo-poo so I took her and changed her diaper and sure enough she was right. She definitely needed a diaper change!

She's been tugging at her diaper occasionally when it's wet but she's never walked straight up to me, looked me in the eyes and actually told me that she needed her diaper changed.

I just can't get over how much her vocabulary is advancing every day. I was noticing tonight that now when she talks I recognize more words than not. She was even able to tell me that her knee and leg hurt. She fell in the kitchen earlier and I'm hoping she'll feel fine by morning.


We had a great evening together while Daddy was at work.


Tonight she did the usual stuff like...
playing hide and seek in the closet with Maggie and I.

and of course she thoroughly enjoyed tormenting Maggie with her snack.

She was able to reach my brush on the bathroom counter and then she brushed Maggie's hair (I'm thrilled about that one).

Because Daniel worked tonight he was home with her during the day. When I went to go put her to bed I found this. Silly Daddy! Please take note of the pacifier in the monkey's mouth. I'm going to have to ask him about the story behind this.