Seth's newborn pics

What a trooper this little guy was! He let us put him in all sorts of props and basically slept through the entire shoot! Congrats, Melinda and Steve! Seth is adorable!!

Declan's 1st birthday party

Talk about a perfect day! The weather was absolutely gorgeous and allowed us to spend most of the day outside on the deck. It was great to get together with old friends and spend the day celebrating Declan's 1st birthday. Happy Birthday, Declan!!

San Francisco and Napa Valley

What a fabulous trip! Doug has family that lives in San Jose (about 1 hour South of San Fran) and they were kind enough to invite us out to stay with them. So, we decided to try and fit in as much as possible. The first night that we flew in, we drove to San Francisco and had dinner at Gary Danko's What an amazing restaurant! After we ate more than 2 people should ever eat, we drove an hour north to Napa Valley. We stayed at this adorable little hotel and then woke up the next morning at 5:00 am for a balloon ride. One of my dreams has always been to go up in a hot air balloon. And what better place to do it than over Napa Valley?! We arrived at one of the wineries and were told that we had to go to an alternate location for the balloon because there was some fog at the 1st location. So, we drove about an hour west to the 2nd location. The balloon was being blown up when we arrived. We all got pictures and were so excited to go up. About 20 minutes after we had been waiting, the pilot told us that more fog was moving in and he had to cancel the flight. Talk about MAJOR disappointment! It took everything I had not to cry (I know, total baby!). Doug promised that we would do it some day.
So, after that crazy morning, we were ready to tour the vineyards. And boy did we ever. We went to some amazing places and got to sit outside on the most beautiful day and sip some of the best wine I have ever tasted! It was straight out of a movie!
The next day we spent exploring San Fran. We did all of the touristy things: Cable cars, Ghiradelli Square, Golden Gate Bridge...
It was so much fun and such a gorgeous city.
Saturday was spent exploring Sausalito and Muir Woods. As we were walking through the woods, we saw a trail that said "Ocean View Trail." Doug had on dress shoes and I had on my uggs. Neither of us were intending to take a long hike. After about 2 hours and a couple of foot blisters, we finally reached the top. The view was breathtaking and so worth the long hike! And the smell! Oh my! The entire forest smelled so sweet! It was like nothing I have ever smelled before. Pure and unpolluted. Absolutely divine! It is what I would imagine heaven smells like!
Next to our day in Napa, Sunday was probably my favorite day of the trip. After Church, we drove down the coast to Carmel and did the 17 mile drive. Talk about beautiful! I could totally see myself living here....if only I had more money! ;) Carmel was so adorable! Tiny little cottages right on the rocky beach. It might just have been the most romantic place I have ever been! If you have never done this drive or visited Carmel, it is definitely a must! You will not be disappointed! We finished our beautiful day in Carmel by eating at this quaint little restaurant called Casanova
We had such a great time and felt so blessed to be able to enjoy loving family, amazing food and some of God's most beautiful creation all in one trip.