A Most Perfect Afternoon

Some days come and go and they are just ordinary.  Other days are special - big events or sometimes it's just little things.  Every once in awhile you just stop and realized how incredibly blessed you are and how perfect a particular moment is and you wish you could just freeze time and make it last.  But you can't, so instead you just soak up every moment.. and take lots of pictures, hoping to capture some of the magic and make a memory that you can hold onto for forever.

I missed a really important school event that was a big deal to Emma.  It couldn't be helped, believe me I wouldn't have missed it for just anything, I felt awful.  She cried.  You see, all the first graders work on a special mother's day program where they prepare to escort their moms into their classrooms that have been carefully decorated.  You both dress up and they tape a tissue corsage on you and lead you to a special table where they have special things they have made for you to see.  After they seat you, they bring a plate of fruit and cookies and you sip tea (pink lemonade) while you visit together and then watch a slide show with a song playing in the background called "Let them be Little" (all the moms cry).  Then all the classes meet in the gym and watch the most adorable program where the kids sing their little hearts out and put on the sweetest program just for moms.

It all worked out and someone very special went in my place. Emma was happy and I think Aunt Bri had fun too, but I still felt sad.

I wanted do something special just Emma and I.

We started off by going to a place called The Secret Garden.  It's an old fashioned tea room and was absolutely perfect for our little mother daughter outing.

 


Before we even stepped foot inside, we had fun admiring the flowers and other pretty things.

It was the most perfect setting for our own Mother's Tea.  We sipped pink lemonade and had delicious scones.  Emma loved the fancy dishes and appreciated all of the elegance.  She loved the little spoons, lace curtains, and crystal chandeliers.

She had never seen sugar cubes before.  

Of course she wanted to eat them, and loved them.

I listened to her chat about her day, we laughed about things she thought were funny and I truly enjoyed every moment.  I told her 10 things I love about her, I could have gone on and on.  As I sat there, just she and I, I felt so grateful to be her mommy.  Emma is so incredibly sweet and thoughtful, bright eyed and  innocent.  Her smile and caring way wins over anyone she comes in contact with.  She is beautiful in every way.  As her adoring mom, it was one of those moments where I sat there, choked up with emotion, just wanting to keep her little- my sweet little girl, forever.

After tea, we went to a nearby salon for some "girl time."

Who doesn't love a pedicure?

Next, we did a little shopping.

 

Emma cracks me up.  There were mirrors on both sides of the dressing room and she was careful not to see herself until she had a whole outfit on.  She wanted it to be a surprise.  Then she would admire herself and Ohhh and Ahhh.

I Really, Really, LOVE this little girl!

3 Years Old

 Someone's had a Birthday!!!

While we were in Mexico, Austin turned 3 years old.  We were really sad when we realized we would miss the big day, but I knew he was in good hands with Uncle Mat and Aunt Bri.  He had a great day!  They even went all out and decorated with streamers and balloons.

When we got home, we celebrated his birthday all over again.  He didn't seem to mind.

 

Austin is so much fun.  We couldn't love this little boy any more.  

Here are his 3 year old stats:

Weight   32lbs 6.4 oz    60%

Height    3'2"    60%

Favorite Color:  green (it changes every day)

Favorite food:  hot dog (??? it's what he said)

Favorite treat:  chocolate chip cookies

Favorite toys:  trains and cars

 I asked Austin what some of his favorite things to do are.  He says:    Make train tracks, make cookies, say prayers, have lunch with Emma at school, play with Brooklyn and Jacob.

MEXICO

 Punta Mita... Amazing!

 

We just got back from one of the best vacations we've ever had!  We stayed at the Four Seasons Resort in Punta Mita, Mexico - about 45 minutes North of Puerto Vallarta.

The hotel was amazing.  I've never seen service quite like the Four Seasons. 

 

Our room.

  

The view from our deck.

   

Sunday was our travel day.  We arrived at the hotel and looked around a bit, then met the group for dinner.  It looked like something you would see on an episode of the Bachelor.  We ate dinner right on the beach, no shoes, fresh made guacamole, an amazing meal, mango smoothies, a beautiful sunset, bonfire.  It was really something.

Monday we relaxed.  We spent a lot of time down at the peach and pool. We read, did some snorkeling, slept, swam, and soaked up some sunshine.  It was wonderful.

That evening we had a nice poolside dinner.  

 

 

  

 Tuesday Jared went with a few buddies and did some fishing.  They got picked up from the private beach at the resort, fished for a few hours and had 3 catches and one more that got away.  Jared caught a 40 lb. rooster tail. 

 

 

 

When they pulled up to the beach, the chef from the restaurant right on the beach met them and offered to cook their fish.  It was enough to feed 20 people.  They rounded up close to 20 people and we all ate a delicious lunch.  It was the best fish I have ever had.  Yum!

 

While Jared was fishing, I enjoyed some spa time and read a book by the pool while I sipped a pina colada.  Awesome!  The infinity pool overlooked the ocean and was so beautiful, I could have stayed there all day.  Oh wait... I did.

That night we had dinner at the China Casa Blanca, an estate used in the film "limitless".  We arrived in a caravan of dark suburbans.  It looked like some sort of government security escort.

The house was really, really, really cool.  It was made of mostly glass.

 

This was the master bedroom.  So beautiful.

 

You could hike down to the private beach below too.  I can't imagine living like this.

On Wednesday we did a snorkel tour.  The boat ride was a blast.  

 

I've always loved the feeling of the warm sun on my face, and the cool breeze blowing my hair while sailing over the ocean waves.  We saw dolphins and even a whale.

Marieta Islands.  

 

They are covered in poop because they are protected wildlife refugees for birds.  Kinda gross.  

We did some snorkeling and although it was a little murky, we still saw some cool stuff.

A Puffer fish.

 A sea spider.

More relaxing.  Poster beds on the beach... really.

 

 Jared played a little beach volleyball.

Later that evening, we went with a group of friends over to the small town of Punta Mita and did some shopping, then ate at an authentic Mexican restaurant. 

 

 

 Cool sunset!

Thursday, we spent the morning at the beach and then headed to Puerto Vallarta for a dolphin excursion.  This was definitely a highlight of our trip.

 

One of my favorite things we did was diving with the dolphins.  Two dolphins came up behind us and we hung on to their side fins while they pulled us to the bottom of the pool and came up at the other end.  They swam with more speed than I expected, it was hard to hold on.

 

This was a fun way to cheat and swim fast enough to keep up with the dolphins.  It was fun to dive down and be able to swim closer to their speed.  I felt like a fish.

For this next part, we waited in the water with a boogie board and two dolphins swam up behind us and pushed on each of our feet with such force that you sailed across the pool like you were being pulled by a motor boat.

 

 If you look closely in this next picture, you can see the two dolphins behind me.

 We also got to swim with some sea lions.

 They were kinda cute, whiskers and all.

 Family portraits.

 

 

We got our own private, front row dolphin show at the end. Who needs Sea World after an adventure like this.  It was so amazing!

 

 

 Our whole group!

 That night we ate our dinner right on the beach.  Fresh made guacamole, in Mexico, on the beach!

We met some friends for dessert and lots of laughing.

 

Friday, Jared did some fishing right off the beach.  They had fishing gear and bait you could use anytime, kayaks too.  (I think this was Jared's favorite all time vacation.)

He caught a few fish, I only got pictures of the puffer fish.  I actually think they are kinda cute.  Everyone else seems to think they are gross.

 

 We saw lots of these during our stay.  Not so cute.

 

Friday I started off the morning with a long run.  I ran 8 miles, took a quick shower, and headed over to the spa for a Swedish massage.  It was awesome, wish I could do that every time I finished a long run.  Jared did some fishing and we met up at the beach because you just can't get enough on a vacation like this.

After awhile, we ended up moving over to the pool and spent hours visiting and laughing with some friends.  We ordered drinks which we sipped in the pool with that infinity edge overlooking the ocean.  Someone came over with a tray of drinks and Jared waded closer to him saying, "I'm the Mango," letting him know that he is the guy that ordered a Mango smoothie.  The waiter gave Jared a funny look and then smiled and explained that when you say "I'm a Mango" in Spanish, you are saying, "I'm HOT!" 

For our last evening Farewell dinner, everyone was supposed to wear white.  We had a large group picture taken which was printed, framed and delivered to our rooms that same night.

  

This is everyone from Jared's region.

Another fabulous dinner, right on the beach.

 

I loved hanging out with these ladies.  We had so much fun all week!

Jared and I took a picture overlooking the beach where we spent so much of our week.  

It was our little paradise. Our room was just minutes away, the boat picked Jared up for his fishing excursion right from that shore, and also the snorkel tour.  We went snorkeling right off that beach, caught fish, did some kayaking, played volleyball, ate dinners, sipped lemonade, read books, and relaxed.

 

 We finished off the evening with some entertainment.

 

 Then we roasted marshmallows by a campfire on the beach.

Jared gets the award for the best photo bombs.  

We laughed and laughed about all of them.  

This was pretty good.

 

This one is even better, look closely.

I loved spending the week with Jared.  

He is an amazing husband and I am so grateful that he works so hard so we can do fun things like this.