On Father’s Day weekend, Andy and I had a rare opportunity for a relaxing weekend out of town.  We traveled up to Madera for the wedding of a friend while the kids stayed at Grandma & Grandpa’s house.  It was nice to not be in a rush to get there, so we took the longer (more scenic) route up the coast and stopped along the way for good food.  I feel like it is my job to research awesome new places to go, but this trip I cheated and took Andy to places I had been but he hadn’t.  First stop… Fresco Cafe in Santa Barbara.  We were not disappointed.

Can you tell we are excited to be on a trip by ourselves?

(PS- My bangs aren’t actually crooked, nor did I cut them myself even though it looks like it. Just having a bad hair weekend I guess. Sorry that was just really bothering me.)

I didn’t really take many pictures at the wedding, unfortunately, so here’s our smiling faces, along with Cathi (Andy’s mom) and Danny, who we got to catch up with during our stay in Madera (nice to see you guys!).  It was beautiful there, in a picturesque setting with a river on one side and a vineyard on the other.

Side note: Andy and I love vineyards.  Not only for what they produce– the perfectly uniform rows of grape vines just really satisfy our compulsive need for order and organization.  We had some good laughs over that, but truly it was sooo soothing to drive through miles and miles of vineyards. Yeah, we’re weird.

On the drive home we stopped in charming Los Olivos, which I knew Andy would enjoy as his Father’s Day treat.  It is almost completely made up of little shops and wine tasting rooms, and beautiful gardens.  Mom, you MUST go here some time… this shop has the most amazing succulents and you would love it.

I wanted to take this beautiful boxwood home with me very badly, but settled for a picture.

Pretty gardens… I would like my yard to look like that.

But this was the real treat we were there for:  cupcakes perfectly paired with a wine tasting at Saarloos & Sons.  Flavors included Peach Ginger Chardonnay (WOW, especially paired with the Chardonnay), Chocolate Blackberry Syrah (pretty and delicious), and my personal favorite, Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel. They were tiny and we were splitting them, but really it was the perfect amount.

We both loved it!   After that we headed back to our kids, who were in fact glad to see us despite their fun filled weekend at Grandma’s.

They let me hide the eggs… so fun!

Natalie loves this game!

Ben enjoyed the hunt as well.  He’s up for anything that involves crawling through bushes and putting stuff in his mouth.

We thought that this bucket of Easter grass would be a great way to keep the kids (that’s our friend Aspen, who is 1 month older than Ben) sitting still for a picture.  Turns out it’s impossible to get them to look at a camera with that kind of distraction around!

Natalie is always thrilled to jump on board with any holiday she learns about, and Valentine’s Day was no exception.  (I’m just glad she doesn’t constantly ask to go trick-or-treating again!)  All week long she looked forward to a Valentine’s party at her friend Ava’s house.  The girls got to decorate crowns, and eat heart shaped sandwiches for lunch.

This is what happens when lunch is left unattended!

These are the Valentines that Natalie and I made and gave this year: iPods!  Complete with Hershey’s Kiss earbuds.  They were a big hit.

Let’s go back in time so I can catch up on the last couple Christmas events… I know my family will want to see the pictures!

Christmas Eve was spent at my aunt and uncle’s house, as usual.  It is always a wonderful, welcoming place to spend time with the family.  Andy had to work until noon so we got a late start on the day.  Fortunately Natalie was able to hitch a ride with Grandma and Grandpa so she would not have to miss out on a single minute.  By the time we arrived she had already opened her present and was proudly displaying her baked goods:

What a cute little cookie set (made of wood, with velcro to attach to tray and icing) and baker’s outfit.  I wonder where she learned to love baking?!

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