Party People

If a vacation ever came close to feeling like one big party - it was this one. From the day we got there till the day before we left we were celebrating graduations, birthdays, anniversaries, family reunions (our SB family that is :) <3) and national holidays. It was a blast. We started off by celebrating this lovely high school graduate.

Graduating high school is such an exciting time. Facing a new chapter of your life - full of opportunity and freedom, choices and chances. So much to look forward to, and learn from. I loved the carefree nature of childhood. I look back fondly on the freedom of my high school days. But I have to say many of my greatest joys, most precious memories and most profound experiences all took place after I graduated. So congratulations sweet Claire! We are so proud of you and wish you wonderful days ahead.

And of course in Jet's mind - it was all for him. Every game, group-hug, song or sparkler would bring a smile to his face that said "yep. I'm glad you're excited about me being here as I am," as he'd clap with the rest of us. And why not? He's a pretty cool kid.

I mean...the ladies love him.

He even got his own special hawaiian lei at cousin Claire's graduation party.

The Big Kahuna.

And of course the Fourth of July party was not to be outdone. We celebrated our Freedom with the necessary 4 F's - family, friends, food and fireworks.

Jet (being the delightful 2 year old he is) opted out of the food, was selective with the friends, and completely rejected the fireworks.

But he still had a great time. :)

Mommy...is this my car?

And of course...who has time for food when you're secretly a super hero?

Shh...don't tell...

All the festivities (combined with the confidence he had through his secret identity and the meant-for-him license plate) made Jet brave enough to try and secure himself another girl-friend.

I think it worked. She looks charmed doesn't she?

Then during an attempt at a family photo...he and Daddy worked on charming Mommy....

...not quite what I was looking for...

That's more like it.

The evening ended with smiles on our faces...

and sparklers in our hands...

And we felt pretty super about it.

More to come... :)

Vacation

Tonight I took a bubble bath and read a magazine in the tub. Admittedly it was a June 2009 addition of Cookie Magazine that has sat in our bathroom for 3 years now (back when I had time to read parenting magazines ;) lol). And of course by "read" I really mean "skimmed", and by "bubble bath" I mean a few of Jet's leftover suds were still in the tub when I ran the water for me. But nevertheless...for 10 minutes I slipped into a carefree zen-like state.

Less than one article in...momma-hood called, and I was out and I can't complain...cause tucking this little guy in bed is the best job in the world.

And it was nice to relax for even 10 minutes. As a child, I never understood the phrase "We're gonna need a vacation from this vacation!"

I kinda do now.

Cause when you vacation big...you don't really do it to relax...you do it for the fun, the family time, the memories, the experience.

And we vacationed BIG.

Like venti-decaf-iced-mocha-big. Oh yeah. Big stuff.

Actually, our vacation was even bigger than that.

We arrived in sunny CA without a hitch, ready for everything we had planned, anxious for the fun to begin, wondering if it'd be everything we'd hoped it would be...

And after one day of the breeze, the beach, and the beautiful feeling we had from just being there together...

...we knew it was.

And we couldn't wait for the rest of it.

Ready or Not

This time tomorrow we will be in California.

Jet is doing his final checklist.

Backpack of toys and books. Check.

Snack for the plane. Check.

Mouse Ears. Check.

Ok I'm not too crazy about these mouse ears...but I hear they're a must have.

So how come I feel like I'm forgetting something...

Maybe if I think about it really hard I'll remember...

Oh my goodness! I can't believe it! How embarrassing!

I almost forgot Mommy!

Ok ya'll - I'm off! Wish me luck!