Baby Shower #2

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My good friends Catherine and Maddy put together the cutest Nautical Themed shower for me last Saturday 8/18/12. The details in everything were adorable, the food was delicious, and the s'mores cake was SO GOOD!! I am so grateful for the friends I have made out here, they have become such a great support system to me!  (I can't believe we didn't get a group picture). Thank you also to my Mother In Law for letting us have the shower in her home!

I love everything S'mores, and this cake turned out to be one of my new favorites. (Click HERE for the recipe)

This coconut flavored drink was so good! You can find the recipe here

Thank you both so much!!

Baby Shower #1

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I was so fortunate to have two baby showers for this little man. The first one was on our 5 year wedding anniversary 8/11/12, out at my parents home. I felt like it was a great big reunion, being surrounded by so many women and friends who have helped shaped my perspective of motherhood and friendship. I felt so blessed and loved, I don't think I stopped smiling all day long. A big thanks to my mom and sister McKenna for organizing the whole thing!

38 Weeks

I haven't been very good at doing weekly updates of my pregnancy on the blog. Basically not much has changed besides the size of my stomach. I haven't had any complications, weird cravings or emotional breakdowns  (worth sharing). This pregnancy has been pretty easy, I hope that the delivery will follow in the same track. Chad and I did take birthing classes, and it has helped us both have a better idea about what to expect (basically the unexpected). We also toured the hospital that I will be delivering at, it's nice to know what it looks like and where I will be.

This week has been a pretty fun and eventful week. The weather has been so hot here (80s) so I have gone to the beach two times, and went swimming on both trips. I normally never go in the water but it's the only way to cool down, and I don't feel pregnant when I am in the water (although I probably look pretty funny swimming by myself with a big bump).

I also went to Disneyland yesterday with Chad, his parents, sister, and her three kids. Cars Land is now open in CA Adventure, and it is pretty incredible. We had a great time walking around, going on a few rides and eating at Boudin Bakery. We even ran into our friends Dave and Jill!

I think all the busy-ness has really paid off, I had a Doctors Appt this morning and I have dilated to a 1 and am 70% effaced. Last week nothing had happened, so I am pretty excited to know that my body is getting ready for the biggest, scariest, most exciting thing it has ever done! I think about this little guy and what he is about to go through, and how confused he will be when he comes out. Hopefully we won't look too scary to him :) We are so excited to me him. I picked out his "going home" outfit and also one for me. I need to put the hospital bag together and I think we should be ready!

One Last Trip Before This Baby Comes

Two weeks ago we packed up our car and drove up the coast one last time just the two of us. We were also celebrating our five (yes five) year anniversary a weekend early because Chad was going to be in Florida for work. It is surreal to think that next time we take a trip we will have another little person with us. It makes me so excited but also a little sad to think it won't be just Chad and I, is that weird to think that? Chad told me we were going to be on the go this whole trip, that made me a little nervous, at this point I was almost 36 weeks and starting to feel the effects of pregnancy on my feet and my back. While I was exhausted at the end of each day I am so glad we packed in as much as we could over the three days we were gone.

We started the trip in Santa Barbara, went to the Mission, shopped on State St., watched an Equestrian Parade, and ate tacos and taquitos at Fiesta Days. That afternoon we drove to Pismo where we ate dinner on the pier at sunset, and settled into our Hotel.

In the morning we woke up and ate the most delicious cinnamon rolls from Old West Cinnamon Rolls, they are to die for. After that we walked around Pismo Beach, shopped some more, and attempted to watch some Olympic Beach Volleyball but got the timing mixed up.

We then drove up to the Hearst Castle and went on the "Upper Room" tour. We came here a few years ago and fell in love with this place. The property is so beautiful and relaxing, I think I could get used to living here. This time they had patio furniture you could sit on around the outdoor pool, we made ourselves comfortable and took an afternoon snooze. It felt like we really were guests at the mansion.

After spending a few hours in San Simeon (Hearst Castle) we made our way back to San Luis Obispo and had dinner at our favorite Firestone Grill. The tri-tip sandwiches are...you guessed it to die for. (As you can tell we are foodies). Unfortunately most of the shops closed before we finished eating dinner so we just walked around and enjoyed holding hands, just the two of us. On our way to our hotel we stopped at the Madonna Inn and I was able to check out the "famous" men's bathroom :) It has a waterfall that the men pee into, kind of gross if ya ask me.

The next morning we drove back down through Pismo, stopped at an Art Fair, ate cinnamon rolls to hold us over until we reached Solvang which is the cutest Dutch community. I love the touristy feel as we walked around, grabbed some Aebleskivers and Chad spoke in a Dutch accent about how much this place reminded him of home :) I swear this guy makes me laugh all the time.

After Solvang we both were completely worn out and made the drive back home. We had so much fun together and it made me so happy to have this little baby, because he has such a fun dad! I can't wait to take little trips with our son and show him all the things that Chad and I love to do.

Bear Lake

A few weeks ago I flew up to Utah for a few fun filled days in Bear Lake. Every year my aunt, uncle and their 10 (yes 10) kids go up to Bear Lake, and this year my family was able to join them. When our families get together we can always guarantee  a memorable time. We have so much fun together, I really miss all of them that are up in Utah.

Highlights of the trip were:

• Road Trip with my sisters
• Raspberry Shakes
• Being pregnant guaranteed shotgun, a bed, food, drinks, a chair, etc.
• Going out on the Jet Ski w/ Mom
• Watching cousins box
• Hiking down the cave
• Making 26 sandwiches with Alyssa
• Did I mention Raspberry Shakes
• Spending so much time with the Wihongi family
• Shopping at City Creek
• Zupas
• Spending the night @ Alyssa's
• Walks at sunset (minus the bug-bites)

Here are the pictures to prove we had a great time.

...until next year Bear Lake