Bodega Bay camping trip

A couple weeks ago Josh and I planned a camping trip to the beach with Hannah. She absolutely loves camping and had kept asking to go again, so we thought it would be fun to take her on her first overnight at the ocean.  Packing was easy since we were only going for one night and didn't need the zillion camping supplies we typically take.  Our packing list consisted of one of our smaller tents, camping chairs, warm clothes, lots of cozy blankets, sand toys, food for lunch, dinner & breakfast (deli sandwiches, stuff for BBQ'ing cheeseburgers, marshmallows and muffins & fruit) and firewood. With the car loaded we headed out to the coast. Hannah was sooooo excited! We didn't even think to make reservations at this time of year, however next time we will because we were lucky enough to get the last available site! After setting up camp we walked to the water and enjoyed the amazing weather. Hannah had fun playing in the sand, putting her feet in the water...well she enjoyed it for a bit, then wanted dad to hold her as she squealed/laughed as each wave came up to the shore. =) We decided to also take a little hike out on the jetty. Hannah enjoyed watching some people cast nets for crabs and was very curious about the sea anemone. Later that evening Josh and I took turns walking around the campsite with Hannah to explore, while the other one BBQ'ed the burgers. She was so excited to find what she and Josh called "a secret fort" in a little grove of trees. It was cute because he brought the video camera, documenting most of our trip on film. :) After dinner we enjoyed roasting marshmallows, and lots of stories and snuggles in the tent.  I can't tell you how awesome it is to fall asleep to the sound of waves splashing on the shore. The next morning after breakfast we walked down to the beach and watched the birds playing in the water before heading back to camp to pack up and head home. On our way home Josh and I decided that from here on out every year we'll make sure to plan a camping trip with just us and the kids. We do so much camping over the summer, however it's always with friends and family. It was really neat to have the time together with just our little family. Can't wait for next year!!

gorgeous day!

Bodega Head in the distance...where Josh proposed 7 years ago

Our family =)

Loved looking at her footprints in the sand

playing in the sand

hesitant about walking out into the water



ready to hike out onto the Jetty



roasting marshmallows....a highlight of the night

morning walk on the beach

watching the birds

Our Growing Family :)

In August we were excited to find out we're pregnant with our second child. :) Our plan was to start trying in August and just like with Hannah I got pregnant the first month.  Hannah's due date was April 24th (however she made her debut April 4th) and this baby's due date is April 28th. Josh and I couldn't be any happier. We really wanted to have our kids three years apart and personally I am a fan of being pregnant in the fall/winter as opposed to the summer, so the timing is perfect. With our teaching schedules having a baby just before school gets out is also ideal.

Thank goodness I'm finally into my second trimester. My first trimester was extremely rough on me. With Hannah I was definitely nauseous (24/7), however I found relief wearing Sea Band bracelets. With pregnancy #1 of course I was tired when teaching, but got through the days with a smile on my face. With this pregnancy NOTHING eased my nausea!! Like with Hannah it wasn't just morning or evening sickness, it was "from the minute I woke up to when I went to bed" sickness. :( Even if I woke up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom, I'd be nauseous by the time I got back into bed and it'd take awhile to fall back a sleep.  For 6 weeks straight I tried everything imaginable to take the edge off my nausea, spoke to numerous nurse practitioners and received a ton of advice. Teaching was brutal! I couldn't let on to the kids that I wasn't feeling good. Being on my feet the majority of the day, and teaching lessons with enthusiasm took ever ounce of strength I could muster,  in reality most days I wanted to go home and crawl into bed just. Can I tell you how appreciative I am of my awesome class?!? Unknowingly they made it a lot easier on me. Thank goodness trimester two has brought relief and some energy!!! I now can get through lessons with a true smile on my face. :) My students were surprised and very excited to find out I was pregnant. (A group of girls began that day discussing & planning a class shower for me. They are too cute!)



Here's out sweet pea with it's little arm resting on the side of it's head



Hannah is sooooo thrilled to be a big sister. For quite awhile she's been very into her baby dolls, (feeding, burping, changing diapers, putting them to sleep, etc...). She's also very good with infants. She's gentle, sweet, patient and a huge helper!! I can't wait to see her in action as a big sister. For the past two months she's been talking a lot about her baby "sister," Josh and I reminded her that we don't know yet if it'll be a baby sister or brother. Just recently when others ask her if she thinks its a boy or a girl she'll tell them, "We have to wait for the doctor to tell us." :) We find out just a couple days after my birthday what the sex is and we're very excited to have Hannah be a part of the ultrasound appointment.

proud big sister

so excited!!

time for a "silly face" pic

reading one of her many big sister books (a new favorite)

Another thing that I'm extremely excited about with this pregnancy is the fact that my sister Nicole is also pregnant with her first child. Nicole and I are only 18 months apart in age and have always been super close. We are so thrilled to be pregnant at the same time!!! Her due date is March 22nd. When we're up in Humboldt at the end of the month she'll have her appointment to find out the sex of the baby and I can't wait!! It is going to be so neat that our kids will be cousins that are SO close in age. :) It's going to be so special to go through the pregnancy and motherhood adventures together with my sister/best friend.

In writing this part of my post it made me start looking back at pictures of my sis and I over the years ( I get very sentimental/emotional when I'm pregnant)  :)  Here are a handful of favorites I found on the computer.  Love you sis and can't wait for the months & years ahead together experiencing parenthood!

Always there for my sis when she needed someone to lean on




Together in our first wedding




Wonderwomen (one of our favorite costumes my mom made)




high school days




during my bachelorette party in Vegas



1 year ago on Nicole's wedding day



Stompin' Grapes!

The Harvest Fair once again was a blast! Kara and I entered the grape stomp competition for our second year in a row. We were proud of the fact that this year we didn't come in dead last in our round of stomping (they do multiple rounds Fri. Sat. and Sun. with the finals on Sunday evening). Each year we hope to improve (someday making it the finals) and hope to win the prize of 4 round trip tickets to Hawaii and some $Cash$!  This year I stomped the grapes and Kara collected the juice (opposite from last year). I think the grapes were a lot juicier because Kara was covered in grape juice by the end...in fact I had to wipe juice from her eyes multiple times while we were stomping. :) We had a great time!

Before our stomp :)

me stomping away

Kara collecting the juice

someday.... :)

enjoying rides after the grape stomp

such a big girl :)

LOVES watching and petting the animals

Sarah's Bachelorette Party in Napa

The second weekend of October I met up with the girls in Napa for the weekend to celebrate Sarah Renner's bachelorette party. As much as I cherish my weekends with Josh and Hannah, I love any excuse to get together with my best friends from high school! It was nice that we met up in Napa because it's only 45 minutes from Rohnert Park. We rented a couple houses right on the golf course at the gorgeous Silverado Resort. The houses we stayed in were awesome and perfect for a girls get away. The first night we headed out to dinner to Fume Bistro where the food was incredible! We had great seating on their outdoor patio and enjoyed delicious food, drink and conversation. I would highly recommend going there if you are in the Napa area!

After dinner we headed out to the downtown Napa bars for more drinks and some dancing. :) Of course there were lots of laughs! Never a dull moment with the girls. :)

view from our back deck

The bride to be inside our home for the weekend

Lexi, Sharon, Marci, Lindsey, Renee and Sarah...cocktails before heading out

Saturday morning after breakfast we were picked up by a wine limo bus and headed out for a day of winetasting in Napa. Our day started with champagne at Mumm Winery. The weather was perfect!! After Mumm I wasn't so good about taking pictures. :) After a day filled with wine tasting we headed back to the house for dinner,a "special" present opening session for Sarah :), and of course a

GIRLS DANCE PARTY!! :)

 Sarah and I have been friends since preschool. We have so many childhood, teen, and adulthood memories together. I love that despite heading off to different colleges and settling down in different areas we've never lost touch and always remained close. I'm looking forward to the wedding this New Years Eve!!!

The weekends are never long enough....

As I sit here completely exhausted I keep avoiding sleep because I'm not ready for my weekend to end. Why do the weekends never feel long enough?? This weekend was a wonderful one filled with laughs, good times with friends and special moments with my family. The weekend started off with me getting my hair done after school on Friday (I LOVE going to my hairdresser!!), for dinner we celebrated Allison's birthday with a group of friends at Cafe Salsa in Cotati, and the night ended with snuggles on the couch while watching a princess movie with Hannah and then falling asleep on Josh while watching T.V. after putting Hannah to bed. Saturday morning Hannah and I got up and made breakfast while Josh took Tuck out for a run, following breakfast we got ready for a day of fun at the Harvest Fair with friends. (Pics soon to come!)  Kara and I entered once again in the Grape Stomp competition and had a blast! Following the grape stomp was lunch (love fair corn dogs!), then kiddie rides, barn animals, kettle corn and wine tasting. The evening ended with BBQ tri-tip sandwiches with everyone back at the Myers' house and a competitive tournament of corn hole (which Josh and I won...we rocked!!) Today we traveled to Sac to celebrate Henry's first birthday. Henry is my best friend Lisa's son. We've been best friends since 2nd grade  :)  Hannah had a blast playing at the park with Gavin (my best friend's Amber's son). They followed each other around everywhere, it was pretty cute. Josh and I enjoyed the car ride home chatting while Hannah napped. We squeezed in a quick trip to the grocery store, picked up Chinese food and then decorated the house for Halloween. Hannah had so much fun going through all our Halloween decorations and helping me put them up. I love the month of October!...I can't wait for a trip (or two) to the pumpkin patch, pumpkin carving (& baking the seeds), baking cookies, Halloween parties and of course trick-or-treating. :) 

Here are some of the things we're looking forward to in the month of October:

• 1st Friday gathering at my house (we rotate houses every month and this month it's my turn to host my staff at our house for drinks, appetizers and lots of fun)
• taking Hannah camping at the beach (we wanted to squeeze in one more camping trip this year because Hannah keeps asking to go camping :)  Josh and I have beach camped in Hawaii, however Hannah has never camped at the beach so we thought this would be a fun experience for just the three of us)
• Book club with the girls
• Light the Night Walk (in honor of Heidi)
• Pumpkin patch trip to the Tolay Fall Festival
• Halloween party, dinner & pumpkin carving contest at the McCampbell's
• Celebrating Josh's birthday!!
• A visit from Georgia from Angelica and the kids (sooo excited to have them all to myself in Rohnert Park for two days)
• A trip to Humboldt for Halloween (can't come soon enough!!)
• Kid Halloween Costume Party that Ang and I are putting on
• Moving my in-laws to Sonoma County (woo hoo!!)