Vacation

We have been super busy for the past month. I can't believe another 30 days have gone by since my last posting.

Fall has started, which means a return to our activities (bible studies, television viewing--the Office, Heroes, etc.) and an increased work load for yours truly. We have also started participating in our youth group at church. Mike teaches the boys once a month and we both are going to start attending the youth group meetings once a week on Monday nights. I am looking forward to it as it is an opportunity to give back. My faith (and I am sure Mike's also) was really shaped by the high school "staff" at my church and I would hope that God would give Mike and I the same opportunity to affect another young person's life.

As we have started to get more involved, I have realized what a big sacrifice all the leaders made for us. I feel a little badly that I am never realized all they did for us until now.



The main reason both of us are able to participate in the youth group is that my parents have graciously agreed to watch Peter on Monday evenings. We're so thankful that they live so close. They are great grandparents.

Above Peter is trying some of the homemade baby food I have been making (another reason I have been busy). I have been reading a book by Annabell Karmel that walks you through the whole glorious process of making babyfood. It can be easy, but it can also be time consuming. I haven't quite decided if it is worth it. I think I will end up being 50/50 (buy half, make half). I like her books because she exposes kids to a huge variety of foods, and she encourages them to try "unusual" foods like fish early on. I do love to cook, so it is fun to make the food--you basically steam and bake stuff and then mash it up.

Last night Mike came home at 1030pm, and I was still cooking babyfood. I was in over my head. I tried to make "My First Chicken Puree" and "My First Fish Puree." I had made a bunch of the other recipes before but these 2 were a lot more time consuming than I had anticipated. Obviously. I felt like sprinkling some flour in my face for emphasis like that mom in that old school Rice Krispies commercial, except I really had been working hard in the kitchen!

When Mike entered the kitchen, utensils were strewn everywhere and I was sweating over some bowl. He said, "what are you making? and who is all of this for?" Right before he got home, I had been contemplating ditching the whole thing and tossing all of my efforts into the trash. But his question caused me to just burst out laughing. I told him I was making food for Peter and then we both laughed. To survey the casualties that the kitchen endured (I think I blew out my poor Cuisinart Food Chopper....so sad), it is pretty funny when you realize it is all for a 7 month old....

Anyway, all that to say--making homemade baby food is really fun...it just takes time.

****

We took a short trip to Santa Barbara in mid-September, which accounts for one of the other reasons for my lapse in posting.

We nestled Peter into the back seat of our car. We decided that we might not be able to have anymore kids because apparently we can only fit 1 in the back on long trips. (Just kidding, grandparents).

And then...in typical G fashion, we "lost" our camera. I read our paperwork about 40 times before we left and nowhere could I see what our check in time was at the condo we were renting. Of course....Mike found it easily when we arrived and realized that check in was at 4pm, not 11am. Oh well.

We were a bit thrown off about not being able to check in as early as we had planned. I quickly threw a bag together of essentials and we went into Santa Barbara to enjoy the afternoon. We came back to the condo for naptime and the cleaning crew was still there. After Peter's nap, we left the condo again. When we returned I noticed that the "bag of essentials" was missing. It looked like the cleaning crew had thrown it away. No big deal, because I thought that only nectarines were in the bag.

About 24 hours later--when I wanted to take a picture--I realized that I had put our digital camera in the "bag of essentials" as well. Poor Mike had to dig through the dumpster on the property. THANKFULLY, we found the camera. I was relieved to have found it and relieved that I had not asked my husband to climb through a dumpster in vein.


Camera retrieved, I thought it important to document "naptime" on our vacation. Peter didn't want to sleep in his port-a-crib. Of course, he slept in Mama Chanoli's crib just fine on our trip up North earlier this year and he sleeps wonderfully in our friend's crib...but not ours. So he slept in our bed for naps and then he slept in-between us at night. As the picture shows, Mike enjoyed this a lot more. He said he liked waking up in the middle of the night and seeing Peter there....we were both nervous about rolling over on him, but I think Mike handled his fears much more gracefully than myself (as usual).



This is us on the wharf in Santa Barbara. Having a laugh....

I know...what on earth is this? Normally on vacations I am keeping my eyes peeled for photo shots. This time I didn't have as much time.....so here is a picture of what Peter must have been looking at while we were on the wharf.

As I walked along the wharf, I began to think about what I would do with Peter if it suddenly collapsed. I mentioned my thought to Mike, thinking that he would definitely laugh at me. He said he had been thinking the same thought as well. Funny. I just find it interesting how your thinking changes once you become a parent.



having some real deep thoughts....

there was a pelican just walking around on the wharf....

hmm...what are these things?
(for those that are interested...this is Mother Stearns Candy Store)


My husband graciously agreed to walk onto the beach so we could sit down for a moment. It is a pain carrying a stroller in the sand (not that I would know, Mike carried it the whole way).

just doing some old fashioned relaxing....

I begrudgingly agreed to visit a museum. I was amazed at how "interested" (for his age) Peter was in all the exhibits.



the G men enjoying the museum.....

this is a skeleton of a whale that they put together..I think Peter was more interested in his hand....



this is on our way out on one of our many walks. Bob Boblaw is sitting at Peter's side. Bob has been with us since about day 1...I named him Bob Boblaw after one of our favorite TV characters and because the tag on Bob's back says, "bblah" or something to that effect. In any case, Peter loves him. I know...this will probably be the only toy I am allowed to name. I am sure once Peter gets his stuff together he will revoke all naming rights.

that was a fun trip!!