Celebrating at the Beach

This past weekend we had a rare but special treat opportunity to get away for the weekend kid free! I love any chance we can get to be alone and enjoy some peace and quiet together. Just the opportunity of a car ride without kids yelling and screaming in the background seemed like a treat! 

This weekend was extra special because we were celebrating a new career move for Peter! I'm super proud of my guy and this new position feels like it is a really great step forward in his career. It does come with some trade offs. His new job is going to vastly increase his commute time and also require longer hours on his part, but it felt like the right time to make this move and I know I can carry more of the burden on the home front to allow him the space and time to build his career. It will definitely be a time of transition for our family as we adjust but I know Peter will still do an amazing job of balancing work life and home life. But it was extra special to get this time away and focus on us and and communicate and discuss our plans as he takes on this new role! 

We stayed at a really wonderful hotel with a gorgeous view and rooms! 

And enjoyed our time to eat and stroll town and talk in peace :) 

It is rare to have such amazing weather on the coast this time of year, but the sunset our first night was truly jaw dropping!  

My favorite form of relaxation! 

The next morning we wandered town to find some yummy crepes!

And another yummy lunch!

Look who we found! It just so happened that our favorite family photographer was visiting and would also be at the beach so family pictures were in order. It was a wee bit cold but the rain held off for us! It was also nice to see the babies for a little bit and then drive back off to our blissful hotel room!

Our weekend was wonderful, as any time we get to be together is! I love this guy so much and I appreciate how hard he works for his family. I am proud to see his hard work rewarded and I am really excited to see where this next step in his career takes him. 

Another Year

Next week, the clock turns another dial and another year of life goes into the history books. I remember many years back thinking about how much I looked forward to the 30's. We were a couple that got married younger than most and had a whole lot of kids at a younger age than most. We never quite felt like we fit in with the average 20 something. I figured by the time we hit our 30's we'd be where it was at! And that is mostly true. The phase I most looked forward to in life I am currently in. The kids keep me busier than ever before, the calendar fills up more and more. I love watching the kids do things that interest them and cheering them on along the way.  Peter has put in the years and hard work at his job and we've done Dave Ramsey for enough years that we don't feel financial strain quite as often as we used to. Our marriage is wonderful, better than ever really. We've been together long enough now that the little arguments seem few and far between and we just get one another.  We've been on a bit of a spiritual journey these last couple years too and I feel closer to God than ever before. So much of life really is how I always dreamed it would be in the 30's and for that I am very grateful!

Birthday's always seem to bring along a bit of personal reflection for me.  I was born at the very front end of spring. A time where the seasons collide. They mix, even multiple times a day of rain and sunshine as the seasons battle it out. I feel like that seem fitting. We have so much good happening in our life and I am so grateful, as the sun is shines after a long winter. The sun fills my soul with joy! We've been so very blessed as I look all around. But  I've learned that so much is out of my control as the seasons continue to eb and flow.  I am full of praise on the sunny days. But how quickly I forget the rain, and in an instance it seems to roll in and bring a wave of hard things with it. I really wish it would just stop raining but it's not something that can be controlled. Nor should we want to rush it, the rain has a time and place. The rain brings forth healthy growth.  I'm learning to praise the rain too.  God is good in giving us all the seasons with their purpose, even when we can't see it.  As much as the seasons seem to collide, there are glimpses of change on the horizon, signs that spring will soon turn into a full blown summer of sunshine.  It's coming, if we can just hold on a little bit longer! 

I am so happy and so blessed, I am still learning every day.  It's been an interesting year as I  have sought contentment.  I will continue that in the year ahead. More and more as my attitude and perspective shift have I been able to see God's blessings and purpose in ALL things.  I have no idea what this next year holds for my life. I know it will hold a bit of all 4 seasons with it, some may be longer than others, but I am excited and hopeful. Every year, every day is a blessing, but I'm always hoping for a long summer!

Disneyland - By Malachi

This post is written by Malachi at age 7:

When we got to the airport, I was so surprised. It looked different than I remember.

I loved In N Out, it was soooo yummy. It's better than Wendy's and my favorite restaurant.

My favorite ride, no my second favorite ride - the teacups. I love it because it spins around but everyone else does not. 

This is so cute

That night we had a fun time

We are the marvel super heroes

We got to meet spiderman

Since I have a brother named Elias, we took a picture by Elias and company

I was in a hot rod

Chillin like a truck

It was Lunar New Year so we got to see Mulan

Chillin, eating snacks

I covered his face, but I still got to see him

We were shooting and shooting

Freeze, this is my area!

I'm incredible!

We won, I think!

Happy Valentine's Day

I'm Darth Maul

I looove chocolate

For the first time ever, we got to see Oswald

Avenger's assemble

I love this picture, my face is so handsome

Me and Eli have pixie dust

We got to tinker bye with tinkerbell

In my whole life, for the first time, I got to see Fantasmic with everyone in a boat

Yoho Captain Hook

So adorable

We're zooming away from space mountain

I love Minnie

That was a crazy breakfast 

We got to meet Suzie, one of the mice in Cinderella

We jumped with Tigger

That was a spinny spinning wheel

We're going into the tunnel

Do NOT open that door!

Sleepy head