Road Trip 2013

All year we have been anticipating our 15 day road trip to California and back.  We were so busy, though, that we had other things keeping our minds from dwelling on it too much.  I was anxious about how the kids would do with all the driving (I was not ready to hear "Are we there yet?" for hours on end).  I planned our route, made reservations at some RV parks, planned out meals, bought groceries, packed up the camper.... But even up until we left I didn't feel like it was really time to leave.  So much planning, it felt strange to get in the truck and go.

2 days before we left, we had serious truck trouble.  Ryan had to stay up late the 2 nights before we left to fix it (and still get up before dawn to go to work all day).  It wasn't easy chipping away each bearing that had essentially welded themselves to the axle, but at least we didn't have to buy a new axle.  Once again, I was thankful he has super mechanic skills and was able to fix it himself.  Sure did save us a lot of money, and we didn't have to delay the trip. 

We left on a Saturday morning, a little later than planned thanks to the truck troubles.  Our goal was to make it to Carlsbad, NM so we could visit Carlsbad Caverns the next day.  Let me just mention here that there were only 2 things on this trip that I had not seen before, but Ryan hasn't seen any of it.  He's been to San Diego and the beach, but that was it. 

This was our very first night to pull into an RV park with our new (to us) travel trailer and get it all hooked up.  Fortunately, Ryan is a 'jack of all trades' so this was a no brainer for him.  He showed me how to level it out with the jacks and set it all up.  The kids were going crazy from sitting all day, and they enjoyed the small playground the park offered.  We managed to get the kids to bed, since we knew we had a long day ahead.

Carlsbad Caverns was simply amazing.  We took the natural entrance down, which looks like a big hole in the ground.  It was approximately a 1.25 mile walk to the Big Room, all down hill.  Then we did the self guided tour of the Big Room (about a 1.3 mile walk).  Eli was too young for any of the guided tours, so we skipped those.  Because I had to take it slow due to my foot, and the fact that we had 2 kids with us, we were still down there for several hours.  When we finished in the Caverns, we took the elevator up, ate some lunch, then headed back to camp for a break.



Riley was mad that we stopped for a picture, and refused to smile.
He was just ready to get down into that big cave!

Eli was getting tired from all the walking, so he hitched a ride.
Later, Ryan carried Eli on the front and Riley on the back. 
I really wished I had remembered to bring the Boba!

Riley adopted "Batty" and Eli adopted "Batman".  They slept with these each night of the trip.

We returned later that night for the Bat Flight Program.  Since they don't know exactly what time the bats will decide to wake up to find food, the park ranger leading the program shared some facts.  The highlight of the program was the skit they did, with some audience participation.  They needed a "mysterious man" for one of the parts.  Guess who was voted in?  Batman!  A young boy (9-10?) came dressed as Batman, in full costume.  He had to grunt when pointed to for his part, and he did the perfect impression of Batman.  No photos are allowed during the Bat Flight, so as not to disrupt the bats, so we only have our memories of that.  I was actually surprised at how long it took for them to stream out -- we left after 30 minutes and the bats still were coming out of the caves! 

We had to stop and talk to the park ranger, though.  Riley didn't believe Ryan and me when we told him that there was no giant robot bat hanging from the cave ceiling.  He swore he saw one down there, even though we tried our best to explain that is was just shadows.  The park ranger didn't give a straight answer, though, so I'm not really sure what Riley believes now....

Monday morning, we unhooked and hit the road.  We drove through beautiful Cloudcroft, NM, where the temps were only in the low 70's!!  We stopped briefly to let the brakes cool, and enjoyed this view of White Sands in the distance.

You can see White Sands in the distance.
We asked strangers to take photos of the 4 of us at various places on the trip.

Our stop was brief at White Sands, but we had a quick picnic lunch then let the boys play.  They loved rolling down the sand dunes!  We wished we had sleds (or at least cardboard) with us, but we also knew we'd never be able to drag the kids away if we did. 



We continued our drive to stay in Tucson, AZ for the night.  The desert was so hot, and so bland.  We pulled into the Oceanside RV Park in Oceanside, CA just before sunset.  We quickly hooked up, then walked to the beach.  It should have been only an 8 minute walk, but we didn't know where we were going and didn't look at a map.  So after about 20 minutes we finally arrived just in time to see the sun set over the Pacific. 

"Cheese!"  Now can I go play?!

This was the best photo I could get of him.  I'm just sad his face was blurry!
But it captures him at the beach so perfectly, since he was too excited to be still!

 The boys didn't want to leave, but we promised them we would return to spend more time in the sand. 

We spent all day Wednesday at Legoland.  The kids had a blast!!  Riley was able to ride everything, but Eli had to miss out on 3 rides because he wasn't tall enough (about 1" short).  This was never an issue, though, since Ryan or I would just take him to another ride.  We were there about 10 hours, and still didn't do everything!  We skipped the longer lines (anything more than 30 minutes) so we'd be able to see more of the park.  There was an awesome display of Star Wars Miniland, and even a life size model of an X Wing fighter made of more than 5,335,200 legos!!

This was a favorite for all 4 of us!  The boys loved to play and get wet. 
Ryan & I enjoyed being able to sit and watch instead of constantly moving!

How many hugs do you think Darth Vader is used to getting?

The boys protected us from the fiery dragon!

 

The life size model that took 32 builders over 3 months to build!

Thursday we decided to take a break from Legoland, and have a quiet day.  We drove up to the Oceanside Farmers Market and enjoyed some delicious peaches and plums!  Then we walked out on the pier before going to Carlsbad to find some lunch.  After a wonderful seafood lunch (I had the Scottish salmon, Ryan had swordfish), we had ice cream at Sub Zero, a place where they make the ice cream, yogurt, or custard to your unique taste and freeze it in front of you using liquid nitrogen!  The boys enjoyed picking out their flavors and add ins and seeing the cloud of 'smoke' before enjoying a cold treat.



Juicy plums at the Oceanside Farmer's Market

The pier in Oceanside.

Fro Yo at Sub Zero, Carlsbad, CA

We then headed back to the camper to change into our suits and head for the beach!  This was our first time to Cali in the "heat" of the summer (it was only about 74 degrees and cloudy while we were there).  The water was still cold, but we all got in the water.  Riley told us that he wasn't cold, that his arms and lips were shaking because "they're just scared".  The boys absolutely loved playing in the waves!!  Eli was knocked over countless times, but he didn't care.  We built sandcastles.  I even had the genius idea to let them bury me in the sand (hey, I get to lay there while they stay busy, what could be better than that?!).  It was a good idea, until I had to try to wash the sand off of me.  The pool at our campground had a warm water outdoor shower, which worked so much better than the cold mister they had at the beach.  Then we swam in the heated pool before getting ready for dinner.  No pics of the afternoon, since I left my camera behind so I could also enjoy the sand and water!  And since my phone crashed, I lost the pics I had on there.
We had 2 different people recommend Pizza Port -- a great pizza place with their own micro brewery!  The place was packed, but Ryan and I enjoyed some local craft brews while waiting for the delicious pizza.  We were disappointed they don't bottle their own brew, but we did buy a few local craft beers to bring home for Ryan's 30th birthday beer tasting party. 

Waiting for pizza!

Friday, we headed back to Legoland to visit the water park!  It was much busier that day since it wasn't mid-week, but not terrible.  We brought the camper this time since we had to check out of the RV park by 11:00.  It was only $5 more for parking, but we were able to park near the entrance in their oversized vehicle parking lot.  Again, no pics of this day since I left my camera behind so I could enjoy the fun in the water with the kids.

Riley told me his favorite part of Legoland was "Everything!!  I liked Legoland water park and the regular park!"  Eli told me his favorite was "Legoland water park!"

Late afternoon, we left Legoland and changed in the camper before heading off to the California desert to visit my brother, his wife, and their 2 kids.  I'll post the rest of our trip in another post:)  This one is long already, and our internet out here in the stix in extremely sloooooooooo....oooow to upload pics.  It took about 4 hours just to upload the ones to this post. 

One Year

I wasn't sure how I would feel today.  And I'm still not quite sure.  I actually wrote most of this a few days ago because I wasn't sure if the words would come to me today.  But actually sharing this post is more difficult than I thought it would be....

One year ago this morning we woke up, not knowing what the day would bring.  We went through our day, our normal Saturday routine.  We were excited for our date night.  The kids were excited their Nonnie and Pops were coming to babysit. 


One year ago today our lives were forever changed. It took only an instant. But that instant will last a lifetime.

What a difference a day makes.


I just re-read the post I wrote about 4 months after the accident detailing the events of that night.  It was hard to read.  I think even harder than writing it.  That night changed everything.  That night....

April 16, 2011. 

A date that I will never forget.  I've spent a lot of time reflecting over the events of the last year.  The good times, and the bad.  There has been pain, both physical and emotional.  A total of 6 surgeries, and bad reactions to the anesthesia and pain meds.  Nearly 6 months of painful physical therapy.  And it's not over.  I return to the doctor next week to check the fibula fracture, which I don't think is fully healed.  There have been hard times with the kids, as they tried to process what happened.  There has been anger, sadness, grieving, frustration.  Mostly, there has been a lot of change.  The reality that my leg will never be the same.  Learning to deal with the chronic pain, and the fact that I can't do as much as I used to.

Despite all of that, the moments that stand out most to me are good ones.

Riley coming to visit me on Easter at the hospital.  He brought me some of his candy, and a bunny for me to sleep with.

My family and friends who were there for our family.

The meals that were brought to our house.

My mom moving in with us for 5 months, even though it was difficult on my parents (she had to quit her job, and my dad had to pack, move, and unpack on his own).

The prayers and support from people I've never even met.


The flowers from the family of the girl who hit us that I received in the hospital.

Encouraging words, thanking me for sharing our story.

Learning to forgive.

Riley and Eli celebrating birthdays, and growing closer each day.  And yes, this includes fighting more, but they are best friends.  Riley told me so.

Our niece being born (Ryan's sis and her hubby's baby).

Going to visit my brother, sister-in-law, and my niece in California. 

Ryan and I spending our 5 year wedding anniversary in San Antonio, kid free. 

Thanksgiving, when we had so much to be thankful for.  Truly thankful. 

Christmas morning.  I remember sitting there so incredibly thankful that I was able to see the pure joy on my kid's faces.

Being able to celebrate a New Year.

My 30th Birthday!  Yes, I have good memories of turning 30.

Another trip to visit my brother and his daughter in California.  Only this time his wife was deployed to Afghanistan. :(  But we had a fun trip to Sea World, the beach, and enjoyed watching the cousins play together!

Shopping for baseball gloves with the boys.  They had to try on the pink helmets, too.  ;)

 
Getting a new tattoo.  I wanted something to represent our accident, something that forever changed our lives.  Ever since I've known Ryan, I have always said a quick prayer when he rides (whether I was with him or not) that God would send His angels to protect him/us (hence, the angel wings).  Yes, we were hit.  But I still truly believe that God was there, holding us up, surrounding us with His love, grace, and mercy.  He carried us through  He DID protect us.  He still is protecting us.  And He always will protect us. 

I could go on and on.  I have SO many wonderful memories.  Some of them I was in a wheelchair, others on crutches, but I was there.  I was able to enjoy those precious moments.  My foot is still part of my body, and I can walk.  I can hug my kids and my husband.  I know I sound cheesy and sentimental now.  But despite all of the bad, the good moments are what I will remember most. 

If I were to sum up the last year in one word, it would be THANKFUL. 

Guilt.

What is it about guilt?  It seems to follow me everywhere.  I have struggled with a few things recently, and guilt is the cause of that struggle.  It is not easy to share these things with the world, but here goes...


I feel guilty for saying "Yes" to something because it takes time away from my family, and also myself.  Or it causes me to neglect another area of my life.

I feel guilty for saying "No" to something, especially when it's something I'm passionate about. Especially when that something is good.   (see my dilemma here?)

I feel guilty for feeling angry, hurt, and frustrated about the accident, resulting injuries, related family issues, and the long-term limitations I will have to deal with. 

I feel guilty because I should just be thankful to be alive and that I can walk.  It feels wrong to have those feelings when I could have lost my foot... or my life. 

I feel guilty because those feelings are what I would have if I haven't truly forgiven the person who made a mistake. 


Guilt is a basic human emotion that we feel after doing something wrong.  It is normal.  We normally apologize to whomever we have wronged.  But, why is it that I feel guilt when I haven't done anything wrong?  And who to I apologize to if I haven't wronged anyone?  Why is it that no matter what I do, guilt finds a way to gnaw at me, making me second guess everything?  Why can't I just say "No" without that guilt?  Why can't I just feel without that guilt? 

Satan plants that seed of guilt in my mind.  He is trying to stop me from doing my best.  He is trying to sabotage relationships.  He is trying to stop me from doing good.  He wants that guilt to stop me.  He wants that guilt to pull me down and isolate me.

I am learning to let go of that guilt.  It's not easy.  It keeps popping back up. 

I just attended an amazing Women's Retreat with ladies from a wonderful church!  It was definitely a spiritual renewal.  I finally allowed myself to admit that I need a lot of emotional healing after the accident.  The physical is about as good as it's going to get.  I accept that my leg will never be the same.  But I refuse to allow my spirit to be held back because I allowed the guilt to prevent me from dealing with the emotions I have. 

One of the speakers addressed another area that I have been struggling with, saying "No".  I have a hard time saying that 2 letter word to projects that I am passionate about.  The speaker shared that saying "No" is not always saying "No" to God.  That sometimes saying "No" is really saying "Yes" to Jesus!  I needed to hear those words.  I am now beginning to feel at peace with saying "No".  I know that in saying "No" to some things, I am saying "Yes" to my family, myself, and to whatever God has in store for me.  It is okay to say "No".  And it's okay to not be able to do it all.

I am also starting to accept the fact that it is okay for me to feel hurt, angry, and frustrated about the accident, and the last 10 months of our life.  It is okay for me to feel those things about the future that will forever be changed because of the accident.  It does not mean that I am not thankful.  It does not make me weak.  It only makes me stronger for admitting that I need God's comfort and healing. 

Feeling hurt, angry, and frustrated also does not mean that I have not truly forgiven the young girl who hit us.  Those feelings are not towards her in any way.  They are about the situation, the life I had before, and the life that will forever be restricted.  It pains me to know that I can't run and play with my kids.  Every step I take is painful.  You may not notice it, because I hide it well, and I have learned to deal with it.  I accept that the physical pain is just part of my life now.  Each step is a reminder of not only the physical pain, but the emotional pain, as well.  My life will never be the same, in so many ways.

I feel like I am mourning the loss of the life we had before.  The life where I could walk pain-free.  Where I could run with my kids.  Where my 4 year old son never had PTSD.  Where we didn't have to deal with the emotional pain of what has happened in the last 10 months.  I feel like I am mourning the loss of things I will not be able to do with my kids.

Yes, there are many things I can do.  But it is a fact that there are some things that I can't.  And it is okay for me to feel hurt, angry, and frustrated about that.  It is okay to mourn the things I can no longer do. 

It is okay because I am still thankful.  I have forgiven the driver.  And I am still loved by the One who created me.  The One who saved us (both spiritually and physically).  The One who has greater plans for me.  He is my rock and my salvation.  God has told me it is okay to let that guilt go and give it to Him. 

Jeremiah 29:11 - 13

"'For I know the plans I have for you' declares the Lord, 'plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.  Then you will call on me and come pray to me, and I will listen to you.  You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.'

Psalms 28:7

"The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me.  My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him."

How GREAT is our God!

Walking through the Rocks...

6 weeks and about 14 hours.

That's how long it's been since our motorcyle accident.

I've had many people tell me that if this had happened to them that they would be depressed and wouldn't be able to handle it like I have.  They tell me I'm doing so great considering everything that happened.  My friend Brandi even used me in her blog a couple weeks ago.  Read her post titled Why Must Habits be Changed? #4.  I stole this ----> picture from her blog, because I absolutely loved it!

And you know what, I am doing pretty good.  I could be laying in bed all day long, crying about what happened.  I can't walk on my left foot.  It's hideous to look at.  I still have another surgery, with a long recovery ahead of me.

Are things easy?  No.  Not in any sense of the word.  Things are hard.  Damn hard.  I can't do much for myself.  It's hard on my mom and my husband, who have to essentially wait on me hand and foot.  If I'm thirsty or hungry, they have to get me food or drink.  If I need to change my underwear, I need their help holding the tube on my wound vac so it doesn't get contaminated laying on the bed or floor.  Shower by myself?  Yes, but I need Ryan's help before and after.  I can go to the bathroom by myself.  But I can't pick up my kids.  I can't even put Eli to bed (which he has been wanting lately).  Riley has been having behavioral problems as a result of the accident, and it's very hard to know how to handle him sometimes.

There's a lot that I can't do.  I could easily focus on that and fall into a deep depression.  Do I choose to do that?  No.  I cannot live my life thinking about the can't's in life.  Have I cried about what happened?  Yes.  Have I had a hard time with things?  Yes.  Have I argued with my husband, yelled at the kids, snapped at my mom?  Yes, yes, and yes.  It is extremely frustrating.   But I choose not to let it get me down.  My faith is in One more powerful than I, and I trust that He will carry us through this.

Life is hard.  Things happen, bad things and good things.  Life really is a roller coaster of highs and lows.  A song comes to mind, by Caedman's Call.  It's called "Lead of Love".

...Looking back You know You had to bring me through
All that I was so afraid of
Though I questioned the sky, now I see why Had to walk the rocks to see the mountain view
Looking back I see the lead of love

Looking back I can finally see (I'd rather have wisdom)
How failures bring humility (than be)
Brings me to my knees (a comfortable fool)
Helps me see my need for Thee...
 It is impossible for me to know what the future holds.  And during challenging times in life, it feels impossible to think things will ever get better. This accident has been the hardest thing in my life that I have had to go through.  Nothing has been harder or more difficult to handle.  But I trust in the One who created me.  He will never give me more than I can handle.  He will give me the tools I need to get through this.  He will send the people in my life who will help me through this. 

At the end of this, I will see that mountain view.  I'm not sure what it will look like, and that's ok.  I trust that God will help me through this and get me there.  That is how I am able to have such a positive outlook through all of this.  The low times in our lives help us appreciate the highs.  Each hug and "I wuv you, Mommy" means so much more to me now. 

I may not be able to carry my kids, but I am able to hold them in my lap.

I may not be able to fix myself something to eat or drink, but I am thankful that I have a wonderful support system here to help me. 

I may not be able to walk right now, but I will be able to walk again.

I may not be able to do a lot of things now, but I least I am here.  I am alive.  And I am thankful.

Keep your eyes open!!

Some of you may know, but for those who don't, I thought I'd share.

Ryan and I had a great date night Saturday 4/16.  On our way home, just a few minutes away, we were in a motorcycle accident.  There were 2 left turn lanes, we were in the one that could either go left or straight.  There was a car (behind us, that we couldn't see) in the left turn only lane.  When we were turning left, that car attempted to go straight, and t-boned us.  Ryan and I were both flown from the motorcycle.  My leg was crushed bewteern the car's bumber and our bike.  And apparently, I ended up on the car's hood and smashed my head on her windshield.

I could not get up, but Ryan was able to get up and walk.  He didn't realize it at the time, but he had a large gash on his left knee that was bleeding pretty good.  The fire department and ambulance came, and of course the police.  The 16 year old driver who hit us did stop (and yes, she is insured).

At the emergency room, they took me to get several CT scans, on my head, neck, back. both legs (esp my left), and my abdomen.  Miraculously, my left ankle was not shattered, like everyone suspected.  That was (and is) my source of pain.  My head, back, and abdomen came back clear, as well as my right leg (which is just bruised).

My pelvic bone is cracked, however, it is a clean break and there's not much they can do (other than make sure I take it very easy and don't knock it out of place).  There is also a clean break in my fibula (the smaller bone in my lower leg, not a weight bearing bone).

They gave Ryan both internal and external stitches to his gash.  He also has a huge bruise, which covers the entire back side of his left thigh.  He was released from the ER early Sunday morning, never admitted to the hospital.

The worst injury was to my left heel/foot/ankle.  Early Sunday morning, I was taken to surgery where they cleaned the wound on my heel (it was "degloved", meaning the skin and padding was pulled back, exposing the bone and achilles tendon).  They cleaned it up and put a wound vac on it. 

I had another surgery this morning to clean up and look at my heel some more.  They removed the deep wound vac from my heel, reattached everything, and put another wound vac on (this time just under the surface).  They had to add 2 screws to my ankle, even though it's not broken, the tendons are pretty messed up and need some help.  I am also wearing a soft cast/splint to keep it stable.

I will be here another couple of days, and may go to rehab for a few days before going home.  It all depends on how things go in physical therapy tomorrow.  I am not looking forward to the PT, since I know it's going to hurt....bad.  But, I'll do what needs to be done.  I'm having to learn to be still and let others take care of me.  It's usually the other way around, so that aspect is very hard. 

I have also been reminded of how many wonderful people God has surrounded me with.  So many prayers are being lifted up, offers of help around the house and with the boys, offers to wash E's cloth diapers, meals are even being made and taken to my house (where my mom is staying with the kids).

Things could have been much worse.  We were both wearing helmets and leather jackets, which saved us from far worse injuries.  However, this could have been prevented if the young driver of the car had paid a little more attention to the road signs, and to those around her.  This is something I'm sure she will never forget, and will have to live with the rest of her life.  I do forgive her, and hope that she is one day able to move past this accident.

As the weather turns nicer, please PAY ATTENTION TO THOSE AROUND YOU!!  Especially motorcycles.  More and more bikers will be out as the weather warms up.  Even with all of the safety gear, you are far more protected in your car than they are on their bike.  So what would have been a minor accident in a car, was a major trama on a motorcycle.  I can not even think about what would have happened had we not been wearing helmets.  Especially after learnimg my head crushed her windshield.

Thank you for the continued support and prayers!  We are definitely feeling God's love and healing powers.  I will try to keep you updated as I'm able to. 

Snow, Pancakes, and a Bullseye

After 3.5 days of being iced in, I told Ryan I wanted to go to IHOP.  So after bundling up, we ventured out.  We decided to go to Target while we were out.  We were almost out of milk, and could use a few other things since it was, after all, my normal shopping day.  Here is our trip in pictures.

driving down our street

he decided not to wait for a fork.

coming home

having fun in the snow!

San Diego and Disneyland!!

We had such a wonderful trip to visit my brother and sister-in-law! I'm still worn out. I never really pictured myself living on the west coast (I am a Texas girl through and through), but I think I could settle for San Diego! It is absolutely beautiful, and I loved the weather (much nicer than this humidity)! The plane rides were much better than I had hoped, with minimal crying and even some napping during part of the flights.

The first beach we visited was dog beach (not sure if that's really the name, but it's what we call it). Riley was super excited, and he couldn't wait to get there! We had to take a short walk from our rental van down the Pacific Coast Highway to get there, and he wanted to run the whole way! As soon as we hit the beach, he took off running towards the water! Even though the water was very cold, he didn't want to stay away. Elijah enjoyed playing in the sand and watching all of the dogs running around. We took my brother's two dogs, Mandi and Wesley, with us, too. Dogs, sand, waves, sunshine, my kids loved it (and so did I)! Riley cried when it was time to leave, and even said he didn't want to go to Disneyland the next day, that he just wanted to stay at the beach! Of course, he changed his mind.

Riley running out to the water and Elijah playing in the sand.

The next day was our big trip to Disneyland!  Riley could barely contain his excitement as we pulled up!  He still wasn't sure exactly what Disneyland was at that point, but he knew it was exciting since that's where Mickey Mouse lives!

My handsome boys wearing their first trip to Disneyland buttons!

My favorite thing was seeing Riley's face and hearing him whisper "Oh Wow!" as he took everything in!  I also love how Elijah was able to go on nearly every kid's ride we went on!  There weren't many times where we had to take turns watching the kids (that was really only for the big rides).  We met Aladdin, Jasmine, Mary Poppins and Bert, Winnie the Pooh, Tigger, Donald Duck, Chip and Dale, Goofy, Pluto, Pocahontas, and of course the big mouse, Mickey Mouse! 

This was the first time we met Mickey!  We also got to visit him in his house the next day!

Riley was completely exhausted by the end of the first day!  Ryan had to carry him up to our hotel room, and he was pretty much dead weight!  At about 4:00am, he fell off the bed he was sharing with Ryan (I was in the other bed with Elijah).  It woke both of us up, and I rushed over to him to see if he was okay.  He just stood there, still half asleep, and said "yeah".  He went right back to sleep like nothing happened.  It's very funny looking back on it!

Day 2 at Disneyland was just as much fun-filled as the first!  Riley did get scared during the Bug's Life in 4D show, and I had to take him out.  He thought is was hilarious, until the bug "shot" him with a laser (it was really just a little water, but he didn't know that).  He clung to both me and my sister-in-law, Katie, and cried.  Other than that, he loved everything!  Especially his very first roller coaster ride!

We had a very lazy Sunday while trying to recover from two days at Disneyland!  We went to La Jolla Beach, and watched the surfers and grilled hamburgers and turkey dogs.  It was overcast and much cooler, but it was still beautiful!  Elijah loved playing in the sand, and Riley made a sand castle with his daddy (which he soon destroyed!)  He thought it was neat that they found more water under the sand!  I love the goofy look on Elijah's face in the picture below!  Riley loved drawing in the sand!  I have to share two of my favorite pictures.  My favorite of Elijah is to the right, he was just so happy to be at the beach!  The other is of Riley (below right) just sitting and watching the ocean.  He wasn't still very often during the trip (or ever), and I love that I was able to capture this moment of him being still watching the waves!

Monday we shopped at Seaside Village, a quaint outdoor shopping area across from Coronado.  We could see Navy ships across the harbor, and even one heading out to sea!  Riley loved seeing the "big boats"!  Lunch was at In-N-Out Burger, a must on our to-do list since we aren't fortunate enough to have them here in Texas.  Dinner was at a great local Mexican food restaurant.  Now, for those who know me know that is a bold statement!  I do not like Mexican food, which is odd since I come from a family who loves it!  I will eat chicken enchiladas or fajitas, but that's it.  But this restaurant we went to in San Diego was more of a Carribean style Mexican food, rather than the TexMex we have here in Texas.  It was all outdoors, a patio setting surrounded by beautiful flowers.  I had salmon with chipotle mashed potatoes and asparagus.  Yum!!  I ate every bite!

Tuesday was our last full day in San Diego.  We went to Coronado island, and had lunch at a diner with the best ice cream sundaes!  The hard part was choosing which sundae to get, because they all looked so good!  We also visitied Imperial Beach and walked to the end of the long pier.  Fisherman lined the pier while surfers waited for the best waves.  Off in the distance we saw a Navy ship, and some islands.  I had to use my mom's camera to take pictures since I forgot mine at my brother's condo, so I don't have any pictures to share at this time.

We decided to take Riley and Elijah to the beach one more time before we had to leave.  So we went back to get our swimsuits and towels and went to "baby beach".  Obviously, that's not the name of it.  Riley called it "baby beach" when driving by it a couple days before and it just stuck.  This beach had more rocks and shells, and we enjoyed looking for interesting momentos to bring home.  Elijah enjoyed eating the rocks!

To the left is a picture of Ryan, Riley, and my dad wading in the waves. 

Here is Elijah examining one of the many rocks he tried to eat!

This is Riley and me at "baby beach".  I loved watching the pure joy on his face as we experienced new things!  I hope he remembers at least the highlights of this trip!  I know Elijah is too young to remember anything, but we have a ton of pictures to look back on (I have 350+, and that doesn't include any that my parents took)!  Even though we enjoyed our trip to Disneyland and the beaches, the best part was spending time with my brother and sister-in-law, Robbie and Katie!  We don't get to see them often (only 1-2 times a year), so it's always good to be with them! 

California, here we come!

In 2 days we are flying out to sunny California to visit my brother and sister-in-law!  My parents are also making the trip with us!  We'll be spending most of our time in San Diego, where they live, but we will be spending 2 fun filled, exhausting days at Disneyland!  Riley loves Mickey Mouse, but I don't think he quite understands that he is actually going to see where Mickey lives.  He's also excited to go to the beach! 

Yesterday was Mother's Day.  I should have taken full advantage and slept in (which I sort of did), let my husband cook me breakfast, and done absolutely nothing productive all day.  That would have been wonderful.  But instead I had an english muffin for breakfast, then spent hours washing, drying, and folding 7 loads of laundry, vaccuuming, and preparing to leave for a week.  I didn't even get to the packing. At least we celebrated Mother's Day Friday night (a delicious dinner at Red Lobster), and on Saturday with my husband's family (including a relaxing pedicure with my mother-in-law and sister-in-law, who is expecting her first baby in December!).  We also had homemade ice cream while visiting Ryan's grandmother!

I made my usual packing list, and it keeps growing and growing and growing...  How do 2 little kids require so much stuff?!  The list for me and Ryan is very short.  Basically clothes, toothbrushes, and pj's.  But Riley and Elijah need toys to be entertained, favorite blankets to be comforted, special baby shampoo's and soaps, burp rags for Elijah's near constant spitting up and drooling, and of course, diapers.  Riley will just be in disposables full time while we're there (he usually does cloth part time at home), which we will have to make a special trip to Target to get once we arrive in San Diego so I don't have to take up precious space in their suitcase (keeping in mind that 50 lb weight limit on $25 checked bags).

But for Elijah, I plan on using cloth full time still, even at Disneyland. My husband suggested just using sposies while we're there so I don't have to "deal with the diaper laundry" (which I don't mind at all!). My answer to that was, "You can deal with all the poop blowouts, then." He had no response. That's just another reason I LOVE cloth diapers...no more poop blowouts!!!

I almost think I'm a little nuts, though. I don't want to pack any of the cloth diapers in our checked luggage. I don't want to take the chance of losing them if something happens to our luggage. I could deal with replacing clothes, toothbrushes, shoes, etc. But I don't want to part with my cloth diapers! Yes, I said my cloth diapers, even though I'm not the one who wears them! Not to mention the cost of replacing them. So they will go in a carryon bag, where I can keep them close.

Getting ready for this trip just reminds me of Riley's first plane ride.  He was about 10 months old, and we flew out to Phoenix to visit my brother.  He slept the entire flight.  I don't think we'll be so lucky this time.  He's much too busy now!  Here's a couple of pictures from that plane ride.  The first is Ryan, Riley, and me waiting to board the plane.  The second is my little bald baby completely passed out!

So, the next couple of days are going to be C-R-A-Z-Y.  I have to pack for the four of us, and I'm sure I will forget something, as I always do.  As much as I'm looking forward to being in San Diego to visit my brother and sister-in-law, I'm not looking forward to traveling with 2 young kids.  I wish we could teleport!  That would be so much easier!  I'm ready to be there, not get there.  I'm not even allowing myself to think about the trip home, yet.

But I'm sure the stress of traveling will all melt away when I see Riley's face light up at Disneyland!  Or as we're building a sand castle at the beach.  Or going to a baseball game.  Or just spending time together as a family.  We will be making memories that will never be forgotten, that we can look back on and smile.