Adventures in PV!

As we were strolling around town on our first afternoon, we came across (in our opinion) the best street in town, Basilio Badillo. We ate at a DELICIOUS restaurant, the Margarita Grill. Nice outdoor setting, guacamole smushed up right at your table, the best tortilla chips ever...maaaaan it was good!

 Also along Basilio Badillo is this great Takos Panchos, where they serve tacos al pastor. They even let Seth take a turn roasting at the spit. I think it was his dream come true :)

We also fell in love with a French pastry shop on the same little street. Every day we went there for strawberry, blackberry, and mixed fruit tarts. Apparently they never lasted long enough to get a picture of them! And here are more pictures of the famous sights around Puerto Vallarta.

Tenth Anniversary, in Lovely Puerto Vallarta: The Hotel Experience

Ah I have been waiting for so long to share these gorgeous pictures! For about a year before our tenth anniversary, Seth and I checked out Groupon after Groupon and finally settled on a deal for five days at the lovely Grand Miramar in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. During that year we were also trying to have another baby and plan that around our vacation (ha!)...which I'm sure is exactly why I ended up pregnant when I did! I didn't mind being 4-7 months pregnant to go on our trip, but I did NOT want to be in the early stages because I get so violently ill. So, there you go. Further proof that things happen only when it's inconvenient enough!

We didn't know when we planned our trip that mid-June is actually part of the stormy off-season in PV, so we were delighted to find ourselves nearly the only guests at our gorgeous and fantastically quiet hotel. We were so pleased with our choice of hotel. It is set in the neighborhood of Las Conchas Chinas (the snail shell), up a cobbled road in the heart of the old city. The wealthy residents live along this road, and it is an amazing setting -- not on the beach but directly overlooking the Pacific Ocean, with thick jungle nestled around the back of it. It was PERFECT. Even the room was perfectly suited to my taste - just the right size, just the right layout, just the right combination of newness and charm, just suited to my tastes in every way.

Although it was raining when we first arrived in PV, the days were mostly warm and clear after that. The nights were a different story. We saw some awesome thunderstorms! I remember one particular morning the thunder started early, around 6 or 7 a.m. I could see the flashes of lightning peeking under the heavy curtains. So we got up and went and sat on the balcony and watched a fantastic lightning show over the ocean. If watching a lightning storm on the ocean is not on your bucket list, it should be! Here in San Diego we don't get much of any weather except sun and very occasional cloudiness, so it was a treat to my weather-deprived eyes.

We thoroughly enjoyed our time at the Grand Miramar. We had the pool, hot tub, infinity pool, and outdoor rooftop lounge all to ourselves. And the exercise room. There is no better way to workout than walking on a treadmill by the window, watching the sun set over the ocean from several stories up. Gorgeous. Our vacation deal included a light breakfast, and every morning we would saunter out to the outdoor restaurant (again, right over the water, and again with the whole restaurant almost to ourselves) and enjoy a plate of tropical fruit and delicious pastries and toast.  

The view from our balcony

That belly there is only ten weeks of pregnancy! It's amazing how early on those little babies are begging to be noticed.

The infinity pool. My new favorite place to read!

The jungle behind the hotel. I was hoping to see monkeys but we just heard lots of birds.

Pics from Joshua's 6th birthday

 These four pictures are from the IKEA birthday party for both boys. (The only pictures I have from Eli's birthday because Seth and I were not home for that, Oma and Papa took care of it! Sorry sweet boy!)

My Mother's Day Present 2013

Picking up where we left off...the day after Mother's Day brought a very special surprise to our hosuehold. I found out I was pregnant with baby #4! Girl #2! (I knew it instinctively even before I was pregnant!) We had been trying for over a year for this baby so it was an answer to prayer. And ironic too -- this is the second time I've gone to Disneyland at the beginning of a pregnancy and not known it, even while suffering early symptoms that made sense once I found out what was going on! The first time was when I was expecting Eli. Seth and I took a weekend trip to Disneyland all by ourselves and as soon as we got there, we had to find a restaurant in Downtown Disney that served salad with craisins and candied pecans. I was dying for them! And the next evening, standing in line for a ride around 6 or 7 p.m., I was ready to cry because I was SO tired! (I thought I was just tired from staying up late the night before mopping gallons of water out of our bedroom closet carpet. Our water storage had burst and we learned the hard way that there are better places to store five gallons of water!)

This time I should have known something was up for two reasons: first, I was breaking out like crazy around my temples and my skin is usually quite clear; and second, all week long all I wanted to eat was hash browns! I had my dad cook them every morning while we were at Disneyland and even after we got back home, I had to have them every day!

Anyway, although he should have been thrilled, Seth's reaction to my announcement was less than satisfactory. Seth's parents were still visiting with us, so they were the first to know (I mean come on, Seth was at work, and you can't hide that from people who are right under your nose! At least I can't, but I'm no good at keeping secrets of any kind anymore). Marshall gave me a "new baby gift" of cash to go out to dinner with Seth to celebrate. So I took Seth out to our favorite Thai restaurant, Antique Thai, and when I subtly slipped him the positive pregnancy test along with the cash to pay for our dinner, he stared at it and said......................"You told my parents?!"

!!!!!

That's a man for you! Love you honey ;)

And as a side note, I was four weeks pregnant when we found out, and she was the size of a poppy seed. From the moment we discovered that, she was christened "Poppy."

Mother's Day 2013

Hannah's baptism just happened to be the day before Mother's Day, so we had the very rare privilege of spending the holiday with both of our mothers. We had a delightful dinner at home followed by Seth's presentation of the first annual Mother's Day video. That is hands down my favorite part of the holiday!

Hannah's 8th Birthday, Disneyland, and the Baptism

Hannah was so very excited about turning eight. For months beforehand, all she could talk about was "I wish I could get baptized tomorrow! I can't wait!" When she had her baptismal interview with the bishop he was impressed with how much she knew and how well prepared she was. As a parent, I'd love to take credit for that, but really I know that it's just Hannah with a pinch of my sincere-but-certainly-inadequate efforts. But I try!

To celebrate the big occasion, we went to Disneyland for a few days with Grandma Jan and Grandpa Buzz, and Tiffany and Robbie's family. It was a BLAST! The kids loved going on the rides (all the little kiddie ones...I'm terribly disappointed that even the older two are afraid of Pirates of the Caribbean and refuse to even get on Splash Mountain or the Haunted Mansion.) Still, it was awesome. The baptism was held on the following Saturday, May 11, for which Oma and Papa also came down. The baptism of our first child was such a sweet experience. She was so happy and Daddy was too. I am so grateful for a wonderful husband who honors his Priesthood and can provide these sacred ordinances for our babies.

 

And Thus Begins a Very Long Catch-Up...

Wow...I didn't realize how long it had been, I'm more behind than I thought! I can tell because the kids look so young in those last pictures. Not to mention one of them is missing completely! So here we go. We won't discuss anything that's happening right now until we've covered the basics from the last 17 months, in chronological order!