Mama's Getaway

For the past 4 years, that's right FOUR years, I have either been pregnant or nursing. I just finished nursing Isla, so it seemed like the perfect time for a girls-only weekend getaway. DJ was the biggest proponent of this plan, so that encouraged me even more. Cousin Shana, being the fan of weekend getaways and excellent planner/facilitator that she is, took on the challenge of finding us, including her roommate Erika, the perfect retreat. What we had in mind was simple - sun, pool, spa treatments, relaxation, great dinners. Well, we got all that and more. Shana booked us at the Miramonte Resort and Spa in Palm Springs, a location she and I have frequented many times for one-off spa treatments, but one that I have never actually stayed at. Grant and Stacy stayed there for a weekend as a pre-honeymoon getaway and really enjoyed it, so I knew it would be good. We got a Saturday through Monday stay-and-spa deal, in which each of us had a spa treatment every day and shared a gorgeous, spacious room with a large patio right out to the gardens in front of the pool. I couldn't wait to get there!

I flew into San Diego on Friday afternoon and took a cab to my aunt and uncle's jewelry shop downtown. After Uncle Jim cleaned my rings and tightened a loose stone, Shana, Erika and I met up for dinner before hitting the grocery store to load up on fruit, veggies, hummus, snacks, cocktail mixers, champagne, etc. to load into a huge cooler. One great thing about miramonte is that they let you bring your own food/drinks to the pool, all while remaining happy to serve you ice, water, lemons and whatever else you may need from the pool bar. Gotta love thta! We hit the sack and took off early in the morning to make it to the desert in time for our first treatment at 10:15am. It was an easy drive (in Shana's new volvo!), and we rolled right into the spa and each enjoyed a luxurious scrub followed by a Vichy shower. It was still too early to check into our room, so we headed to the pool to order lunch and soak in the sun for the afternoon. When we finally made it into the room, we were very pleasantly surprised - it was gorgeous! We showered, changed, made a pre-dinner drink and headed to a Japanese restaurant where we enjoyed a yummy meal.

Each day went on like this - beginning with me waking up early for coffee by the pool followed by a workout in the on-grounds gym, a spa treatment and ample pool time - and I have truly never been so relaxed in my life. The weather was perfect - high 80's with a slight breeze - and the food delicious. Sunday night we hit Citron at the Viceroy, a small boutique hotel in downtown Palm Springs which was recently renovated and turned into a swanky little retreat nestled at the foot of the mountains. The outdoor seating of Citron is centered around a small-ish, enclosed courtyard pool surrounded by well-placed tables, cabanas, and trees dripping with twinkly white lights. Very chic! Just my kind of place, my favorite of the weekend.

On Monday, we got a late check-out and reluctantly made our way down to the spa for our last treatment. Afterwards we headed to the pool and spent the remainder of the day soaking up the sun before packing up the car and heading back to San Diego later that evening. We had SO much fun, lots of relaxation and some good laughs. This is one trip we will make a regular occurence when at all possible. I had an early morning flight (the easiest plane trip ever!) on Tuesday and made it back to MN in the afternoon. It was great to get home to see DJ and the girls - I missed them! Isla looked months older and Addison seemed to have picked up new sayings. I felt like I was gone a long time! I am lucky to have a husband who is so willing and able (and happy to do it) to care for 2 little ones on his own for that many days in a row. I am also lucky to have in-laws who live nearby who stepped in to help by having DJ and the girls over for dinner on Friday and by going to the zoo with them on Saturday. Thanks everyone!

Kaili arrived on Thursday and will be with us for the weekend before heading to her conference in downtown Minneapolis next week. Addison is in heaven having someone new to boss around, ehr, I mean, socialize with. Kaili loaded a bunch of kid-friendly apps onto her iPad and now Addison is hooked. This morning I literally heard her say "Uuuhm, Kaili? Where is your iPad?" Ha! I didn't know she knew what an iPad was. Then, Grant and Stacy arrive just in time for Addison's bday celebration, so we've got a busy few weeks ahead. Can't wait!

DJ and Isla at Como Zoo

Addison enjoying the rides at Como

Deer in the backyard!

The many faces of Addison

Miramonte

Spa time!

There was a wedding set up in the gardens in front of our room on Sunday - you know I'm a sucker for table settings, so had to snap a pic!

The bar was directly in front of our patio

At the Viceroy/Citron

Shana and Erika

Pool bar

Me ;)

A little bit of Isla

The Grandpas Visit

California Grandpas came for a week-long visit to Minnesota, and boy were they tired when they left! Although we had tons of fun and they took GREAT care of the girls (by themselves!) for several days during the week while DJ and I were at work, they got a taste of what like is like with two little ones...up REALLY early and going, going, going All.Day.Long. They did a fantastic job and it was wonderful to see them. We miss you already! See below for highlights. There are also a few pictures from our friends' Mike and Lindsey's wedding 2 weeks ago. DJ was a groomsman and the wedding was a blast!

This is a picture of a piece of hail from one of the storms that blew through here recently. Grandpa and Grandpa also had the pleasure of experiencing a real-life tornado warning. We had to go down in the basement and everything.

My "date" to the wedding, Tim "Gilly" Gilson. Gilly was in my and DJ's wedding and is a super good friend. He and I spent the afternoon bar-hopping before the wedding while DJ and the wedding party were wrapped up in wedding-type things. :)

The new Mr and Mrs. Straub!

The centerpieces were gorgeous - I am a sucker for great table settings and beautiful surroundings!

Dancing machine

Isla giving hugs

The 3 Ds!

Dinner at the Barats - delish!

Isla ordering pancakes!

Isla feeding Grandpa her pancakes!

Grandpas gave Addison her very own little planter box and they filled it with strawberries, basil and flowers. Addison loves gardening.

...and golfing!

The lilacs are gorgeous in full bloom

Ready to celebrate her birthday!

All the Grandpas at Isla's little party

Cake time! She didn't hesitate - even for a second.

After a bath to get the cake off, Addison helped Isla open gifts.

Both girls love to swing

Baby bicep curls. Isla had her one-year checkup and weighed in at 19 lbs 4 oz and is 27 inches long. She's in the 25th percentile for both height and weight (just a little peanut!) but her giant head is in the 90th percentile! All those brains.

This is Isla on the morning of her actual birthday, Wednesday 5/25.

Feeding Grandpa



Our gardener

and our golfer!

Birthday girl

Mother's Day Weekend

Mother's Day weekend was a good one consisting of lots of fun family time. Saturday greeted us with amazing weather - 70 and sunny - so we headed out to the Milly City Farmer's Market opening weekend to enjoy the scenery and fresh air. We listened to a Cajun band, enjoyed some fresh coffee, Addison got to plant 2 flowers and eat an "elephant ear" pastry, pet baby lambs and chicks and make balloon animals with a crazy looking clown. We ran into DJ's old boss and his wife from Time Management which is always a nice surprise. They live in a loft right across from the Guthrie Theater, the site of the Mill City Farmer's Market in the old flower mill district, and are there every weekend. After perusing the market we wandered over to Spoon River for a little lunch on the patio, sun shining and music floating through the air. What a day!

That night DJ and I planned a delicious meal of wasabi salmon, caramelized pineapple, ginger and jalapeno salsa, cucumbers with a miso glaze and an edamame, artichoke heart and asparagus salad, all of which I prepped while the girls were napping, and that DJ fired up after we fed them an early dinner. Our meal turned out more delicious than we could have imagined (a keeper for sure), and even better, we actually got to sit down and enjoy it while the girls played nicely together. We capped off the evening by watching "The Fighter" after the girls went to bed and were hoping for a good night's sleep...but that didn't happen. See, Isla suddenly came down with the sniffles and was up ALL night crying and stuffed up. I'm pretty sure neither DJ nor I (nor Isla for that matter) got more than 45 minutes of consecutive sleep the entire night. But we cranked up the coffee in the morning and kept going. What other choice do you have when your darling 1 year old is up at 5:45am saying "Hiiiii!" with no sign of falling back asleep?

My morning got exponentially better when Addison made her way upstairs with a big white piece of paper in her hand exclaiming "Happy Mudder's Day! I made you a card." DJ told her it was Mother's Day when he was downstairs getting her snack going in the morning, but no one said anything about a card. She did that all on her own! It was filled with her colorful scribbles and I loved it. I ran off to my personal training session at the gym and we had grand plans of going to the park for a picnic later, but it turned gloomy and rainy so those plans were foiled. Instead, we read books, played games, had lunch and then hit Target for some grocery shopping at Addison's request. DJ had wanted me to have a spa day which is very sweet, but totally unnecessary due to the fact that I'll be in Palm Spring in a matter of weeks for a whole spa weekend! This may not sound like the most eventful Mother's Day, but it's truly all I needed. DJ and I are pretty exhausted, but we had a great weekend of family time together. The best Mother's Day by far!

"You're my best mudder" she tells me :)

Petting zoo - she looks possessed in this shot!

Beautiful girl!

The view out to the Guthrie

Yummy pastry treat!

Planting a flower

The best Mother's Day ever! DJ told her it was Mother's Day when he got her up in the morning, but Addison came upstairs on her own with a "card' she had colored for me, totally unprompted by anyone! So sweet.

Isla's Favorite Words

Isla's vocabulary is picking up steam fast! It seems like each day she's saying something new or attempting to repeat what we say. Her favorite and most clearly spoken words are Dada, No, Uh-Oh, and my personal favorite, "Hiiiiiii", said in the cutest high-pitch tone whenever anyone walks into the room. We forgot how FUN it is at this age to literally almost watch their minds absorb new things. Isla has also perfected her bye-bye wave, pointing at objects to show what she wants (and she KNOWS what she wants) and is eating absolutely everything we are - peanut butter, eggs, asparagus, couscous, salmon, broccoli...you name it, she eats it. Addison and Isla continue to interact more and more, with one of their favorite games being chase. Addison still has a bit of a hard time with the sharing concept, but it's definitely getting better. It's entertaining to catch glimpses of what it might be like in the future when they can truly play with each other.

Addison is growing up so quickly as she approaches 3, it's amazing when I think of how young 2 seems in comparison. She's a little person now! We were driving in the car to the gym the other day (she likes going with me to play in the Kid's Club area) and I said "Addison, I love you." She said "I love you too mommy. You're my BEST mudder", which is how she pronounces "mother". HA! The cutest thing ever. She also has a new bedtime request which has become a running joke. Every night when we put her to bed she says "I want my teddy bear. He's big. He's purple. He's as tall as you mommy. He's out there. Now go find him." And we always say, "Yup, we'll go get him, goodnight." And that's that..she knows we're not coming back. And there is no such teddy bear, she just likes to pretend there is.

We're not sure what we'll do on mother's day, but as long as we can be together, it will be a day well spent. DJ and I are planning to put the girls to bed a little early on Saturday night and enjoy a nice leisurely kid-free dinner. Got the menu planned and everything! We're hoping for good weather this weekend so we can pull out our patio furniture and enjoy. Summer can't come soon enough!

Daddy's girls

Erica and Alex (born a day after Isla) came over last weekend and Alex's foot is as big as Addison's!

I wish I got a good picture of it, but Isla was literally attacking Alex she was so excited. Then Addison was jumping around wildly and poor Alex looked like he was in shock. Not used to so much action from 2 crazy girls!

This is Isla's favorite time to say "dada" - talking to DJ in the shower every morning!

A little game of catch

The tupperware lid scoot

A few words