Shasta 2010

Destination: Shasta, California: more specifically, houseboat on Shasta Lake

Date: June 2010

Purpose: Fun with the whole family...on a boat

Theme: I'm on a boat!

How it all went down in pictures:

Porter sayin' what's up as we arrived in Shasta

Grandma and Bria on the first night

My Dad riding the jet ski

On the boat ride in going under a bridge

Anna, Me, Kayla, and Jenny jumped off the top deck, but it took us a long time to work up the nerve. We weren't suppose to jump off the top deck, so actually we didn't do that. I'm going to try and post the video because it's seriously hilarious how chicken we were, but we did it! I think it was about 25 or 30 feet.

Brian in mid flight after jumping off the 3rd deck, all the guys did it like it was no problem.

Some of our fun toys :)

Bria dancing

We were so sad that Lance couldn't be there, but we tried to make the best of it so we printed a few pictures of him and brought him along. Here are him and Kayla Monday morning :)

Grandpa and Bria dancing

Kayla, Jaime, Anna, and Jaidyn laying out

Bria's absolute favorite activity, walking in and out of the water

Chillin' inside to grab some lunch and take a break from the sun

Schuyler and Jaime

My Dad and Anna

Jaime, Jenny, and I after going down the slide

The beginning of our awesome synchronized swimming routine

Our name is the synchronized sisters, you better recognize.

We are awesome

Grandma and her Bria

"Are you trying to kiss me Grandma?"

SURPRISE BRIAN!!! The boys went wake-boarding while us girls set up Brian's surprise party. He had NO idea what we were up to, as he walked up onto the second deck we had the pomp and circumstance song playing and we formed an aisle that he walked down. He was shocked and so happy.

The graduate and his baby girl

So proud of her Daddy for getting his MBA

Having fun with the graduation ball

Bria took a nap in Grandma's arms on a boat ride

Our evenings were spent on the middle deck eating food and playing games

My cowgirl

Getting cuddles from my baby girl

Uncle Kyle and Bria dancing

Our little family

Oh, we are so cool performing our routine out of water, so talented.

Kayla sporting her awesome Lance shirt, ya know, since her boyfriend is Lance Armstrong (for realz)

My adorable ballerina

Lil' Abby and me

Brian and me getting sun on the top deck

Abby, Bria, and Kailey chillin' in the sun

Pssh, we don't let anyone tell us what to do

Glad we didn't know there were water snakes in the lake until the last day, otherwise I'm not sure we would've gotten in. Brian took care of this one for us.

Cassidy and Anna havin' fun on the jet ski

Me, Jenny, and Jaime on the ride back into the dock.

On our ride back into the dock Bria started her nap on Daddy...

...then moved to mommy...

...then onto Aunt Jenny. It was a good little nap :)

Loading up the cars and getting on the road for our long drive home.

Details in writing:

This part you can skip, it's more for me and journaling purposes.

Summary:

• Bria HATES car rides, which means I hate them. She slept an hour on the way down, played nicely for a total of an hour, and the remaining 3 hours she cried/fussed/screamed. The way home was about the same.
• Bria LOVES the water.
• Bria rocks at sleeping on a houseboat with tons of people and noise, she did so good.
• I love my awesome family, we had a blast and I didn't want it to end.
• I jumped off the 3rd deck
• We threw Brian a surprise graduation party
• I made up a synchronized swimming routine with my sisters and Kayla, it was so good.
• My attempt at a Spanish accent came out Irish (inside joke for my girls)
• My Dad found a snake in the water and Brian killed it, Brian felt bad for killing it and wished he had just shooed it away. I was glad he killed it.
• Houseboats on Shasta lake are fun, like really fun, especially the slide.

Sunday

So we left on Sunday at 11:15 am. The plan was to leave a little before Bria's nap so that hopefully she'd fall asleep and sleep for a couple hours. Well, she was kind of cranky but eventually fell asleep around 12:30 pm or so. Then woke up an hour later and would not go back to sleep, so she cried, whined, and fussed most of the way there. This girl does NOT like car rides. But we finally arrived in sunny Shasta and we were thrilled beyond words. We loaded up the houseboat with everyone's stuff (enough stuff for a month) and began our fun family vacation. It was surreal sitting on this ginormous 3-story houseboat with the whole family just looking around at how awesome it was to be together in such a fun place.

Brian and I brought Bria's pack 'n play in hopes that one of the rooms would be big enough to put it on top of the bed, but no such luck. When I say rooms, the rooms were just a bed, no walking space. So we decided to barricade Bria in one of the rooms (again, just a bed) and it ended up working perfectly. I thought for sure she'd try to climb out or play with the curtains, but she did really well and knew it was her bed and time for her to sleep. It helped that I brought her comforts from home so she could cuddle up with them. Since Bria was in our room, Brian and I slept out on the couch that folded to a bed, the things you do for your kids :)

We didn't do too much that night besides getting our things in place and just talking under the stars, it was a wonderful relaxing night and perfect way to kick off the vacation.

Monday

Monday morning starting early with Bria up at 5:45 am, I thought she'd sleep in since she went to bed late the night before, but I think she saw it was light out and thought it was time to get up. So we started our day bright and early and got suited up for a dip in the cold lake. Bria absolutely loved the water even though it was cold, she'd suck in her breath in shock but then giggle and laugh. She splashed around and her absolute favorite was to walk back and forth between the water and shore, we did that for a long time. We had tons of fun inflatable things to play on so we spent a majority of the time in the sun, which meant we were applying sunscreen to Bria every 10 minutes, and it worked, our little girl didn't burn at all, wahoo! She did get a little bit of a tan which is adorable because her fat roll creases are still white-LOVE IT.

That night we all crashed around 10:30 or so since we all got up early and were exhausted. We meant to be party animals but the sun wiped us out.

Tuesday

Tuesday Bria was the last one up, she slept until about 7:15 am or so, NICE. I believe this is the day Brian and I got out on the jet ski's with Jenny and Kyle and had a blast. It's fun to let loose and haul ass down the lake, especially when you hit bumps and go flying, loved it.

In the afternoon all the guys loaded up on the speed boat and went wake-boarding and skiing. While they were gone we decorated the second deck for Brian's surprise graduation party. When they rolled up we got the music ready and as he walked up the stairs we play pomp and circumstance. It was awesome and Brian was in shock, he had no idea we planned it. Anna even made his favorite: chocolate cake for dessert. We had spaghetti and bread and talked about how proud we were of Brian :) It was fun and I'm glad we were able to celebrate Brian's graduation.

Bria got pretty cranky that night and was a little tougher to put down for bed. I laid with her for awhile and rubbed her back, it worked because she settled down eventually and drifted off to sleep.

Wednesday

We went for a boat ride on my mom and Randy's speed boat in the morning, then spent the afternoon playing around like usual. I really tried to soak it up since it was our last day there. Bria was a little cranky which I think was just being overtired from going to bed so late every night. Although I will say she took a fantastic nap everyday and that was nice because it gave Brian and I a chance to play without worrying about Bria and where she was.

We all danced on the deck in the evening and then moved it inside once the wind picked up. That night apparently Bria woke up and was whining for Mommy and Daddy. Neither Brian or I heard her since we were in the living room at the opposite end, but Aunt Jenny was right across from Bria and heard her. She went in there and as soon as she opened the door Bria laid down and Jenny rubbed her back for awhile and then she went back to sleep. I felt so bad I didn't hear her but I was glad Jenny knew exactly what to do :)

Thursday

Time to pack up and head out. We did a majority of the packing up in the morning so we could spend some time out in the sun before heading in. We went down the slide a bunch to try and soak in all the fun. This is also when my Dad spotted a snake. The jet ski's were tied up to the house boat and my Dad climbed on one to adjust some stuff and a snake head peered up at him. I didn't see my Dad's reaction but Brian did and thought it was a bee, then realized it was a snake and started beating it with the bumper. This killed the snake and calmed our fears a little. Although I was hesitant to get in the water because I never even though of snakes being in there and it freaked me out. Good thing it was the last day.

So we finally headed into the dock and then loaded up our stuff into the cars. We stopped at Mt. Shasta, California for some dinner and then hit the open road. Which is where Bria screamed so loud that I was able to see inside her mouth and spot her 1st molars on top! I couldn't believe she got her 1st molars, I was so excited. I'll admit I was a lot more patient with her on the ride home because I knew she was probably in a little bit of pain. So I gave her some Tylenol, played as many games as I could think of, Brian and I sang the OSU Fight song about 50 times, and then at 7:30 pm we told her it was time to go night night. And after a little fussing she did. Whew. We carried her in bed when we got home and slept there soundly until 8:30 am.

It was a fantastic vacation.

The door

Chillin'

Bria loves to open and close doors, I'm pretty sure all toddlers have an obsession with doors. She sees me open and close our back door multiple times a day to let MJ out, so she wants to do it too. Well Aunt Jenny has the coolest door ever and Bria had a blast playing with it. Underneath the stairs is a little door that leads to a tiny room. Jenny decorated it all cute for the kids since she knew they'd love to play in there. Bria played and played with that door, opening and closing it to her hearts content.

She needed help opening it so Jenny climbed in on the other side. Bria thought it was so much fun to open it and say, "Hi!" then say "Bye bye," and close it.

The boys watched tv while Bria played.

Then I climbed in the little room to get cute pictures of Bria's face :)

I have a feeling in the future it won't be so cute for her to shut the door on me. Like when she's a teenager and we are having a disagreement and she stomps off to her room and slams the door. But for now, it's still cute.

*This happened on Memorial Day which is the reason for Bria's patriotic outfit.

The One With a few more Pictures

A beautiful funeral. It sounds weird to say that, but honestly my grandpa's funeral was beautiful and wonderful.

It was emotional to have the Air Force there. My grandpa was a hero and it was just wonderful for them to honor him as such.

This is a special picture, so sentimental.

We've been back for almost a week now and still not in the groove of things, I'm still thinking about our wonderful trip to Arizona and how much I would love to go back.

This isn't even half of my rad family.

My daddy and me.

Our whole family with Grandma

So yeah, I think we're having a hard time getting back into things because Bria and I got a little bit of a cold or something. Thankfully Bria seems to be doing a little better, but I appear to be getting worse. Not so good since we leave for Shasta in just a few days and I have tons of packing to do. Actually, I'm not entirely sure I ever finished unpacking. But I know once we get on the house boat and lay in the sun I'll stop stressing and enjoy myself. I love getting out on the lake and it's gonna feel so nice to just chill...even if I need a box of Kleenex next to me.

I still need to do a few posts to catch up on things, mainly pictures of a cute little toddler. But also because, BRIAN FINISHED HIS MBA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

So I plan to devote a whole post to how freaking awesome he is and what a stud muffin my husband is.

The One Where we Go to Arizona

We are back from Arizona and trying to get back to the daily grind of things. To say that our trip was a success would be an understatement, we didn't want to leave.

It felt so wonderful being with family, especially during such a difficult time. We laughed, we cried, we talked, we played, it was truly just what I needed. I can't tell you how incredibly grateful I am for my family, simply put: they rock. I have the funniest Aunts and Uncles in the entire world, they are HYSTERICAL. Not only that but their hugs have an amazing ability to make you feel so much love and support that you think you might burst, it's the best feeling. And my cousins? Well I could talk to them all night long. Seriously, I despised the end of the night when we had to say goodbye, especially our last night there. Our trip needed to be a few days longer that's for sure.

Bria surprised the heck out of me by doing awesome. The girl acted like flying and traveling were her job, and she now deserves a promotion. I was soooo nervous for the flight and had a panic attack the night before about everything, just stressed about packing, the flight, her sleeping. But dang, that little precious girl shocked me and did awesome and was just so flexible. The day we traveled there she didn't get a nap, besides a few cranky moments you wouldn't even have known it though. The rest of the days she got a nap which was good because we were wearing her out with all the swimming and playing.

At my grandma's clubhouse ready to swim!

Bria is a fish, plain and simple. The girl did not want to leave the water, she LOVES it. Brian even did some stunting with her...pictures to come.

I met up with some friends while we were there, it was nice to give them a hug and talk for a little bit.

Abby turned 10 while we were there, she's getting so old!

So here is a summary of our trip:

Flight to Arizona: A+

• Not only was Bria good, she was laughing hysterically. My Dad sat in front of us and she had a blast playing peek-a-boo with him.

Sleeping: A

• There were a few times when I laid her down that she fussed for a minute, but literally it was a minute at the longest and then she'd zonk out. She slept like a rock which was good since she was in our room with us. Although if I'm being completely honest we put the pack 'n play in the big walk in closet, yes I put my daughter in a closet. Hey, don't judge, it was nice and dark and quiet in there, and don't worry I didn't shut the door.

Socializing: B+

• Bria is such a mommies girl that sometimes it can be hard to pry her death grip from my leg, but she warmed up really fast and was playing with all the kids. She would let her Aunts and Uncles hold her without crying first which is a big step. I can't tell you how much of a difference this made, it helped tremendously and I'm grateful to my family who helped me soooo much. She did cling to my leg a little bit at times, I think when she was overwhelmed, so that is to be expected. But after she warmed up and realized it was fun to go explore she would take off. One of my favorite moments was at my Aunts house, Bria was playing on this cool lounge thing that sat right on the ground. She'd get in with my cousins little boy and my other cousin would rock them back and forth. Well she thought this was so much fun that she ran over to me and said, "Rock a bye rock a bye," and then ran back over. For me it was like she had to come tell me how much fun she was having and it was just adorable, I loved it.

Flight Home: A

• Once again, Bria did wonderful on the flight home and didn't cry at all. She had a great time going back and forth between our laps, talking to the people in front of her, behind her, and we even put her blanket on the ground at my feet and let her sit there and read for awhile-that was nice for all of us.

Bria enjoying her stickers on the flight home.

Me: A+

• Why do I deserve an A+? Because of my flexibility. Bria's routine is very important to me, I feel that the reason she's a good sleeper is because she is on a predictable routine and she knows what comes next. I can lay her down awake and she'll put herself to sleep-that in itself is so nice. Anyway, I had to mentally prepare myself to just let her schedule go. And I did. Like I said, the first day she didn't get a nap and I didn't freak out. Then the next 2 nights she went to bed at like 9:30 pm which is really late, but I didn't stress out. We were with family, Bria was having fun, and everything was fine so I told myself not to stress. And I didn't. It was nice when my sisters told me I was doing good and they gave my kudos. And ya know what? Bria survived. She was so accommodating and just rolled with it. Her nap was early one day and late the next, she was okay with it. Her bedtime was late, but she rolled with it. I have to say part of me expected her to crash when we got home and go to bed early, sleep late, but that hasn't happened. I can dream ;)

Honestly, for Bria this was the best age to travel.

The funeral was hard. Really hard. Harder than I had anticipated. Not just the funeral, but saying goodbye to my grandpa was hard. We sat around and told stories about him and I loved that, it made me weep though because I miss him so much. At the funeral it was so wonderful to hear my grandmother speak and tell his life story, they had such an adventure together. Listening to my Aunts and Uncles and Dad speak was wonderful and heartbreaking at the same time. It was a beautiful and amazing service.

I have a bazillion more photos that Jenny took for me so I'll put some of those in another post, but I wanted to at least show you a glimpse of our trip. So stay tuned :)

Taking flight

We are getting ready to head down to Arizona later this week for my Grandpa's funeral. I am so excited to see my family and give my Grandma a hug, although I wish it was under better circumstances of course. This will be Bria's first plane ride and fortunately we got a direct flight there and back so it's only 2 1/2 hours each way. We'll see how she does, we fly in the morning so I don't think she'll fall asleep in flight which would've been nice. Hopefully we can keep her occupied enough and if not we'll just give her some wine while no one is looking.

I kid.

My cousin, Lanie, and her little girl, Bristol, came down the other week to spend the whole day with us and I was so excited. I didn't want them to leave, we were just having so much fun and the girls played pretty darn well together. Although Bria loved pointing to Bristol's pretty brown eyes and she is not as soft as she thinks she is.

Anyway, we had so much fun with them and wish we were next door neighbors, we would live at each other's house if that was the case. We even got to skype with Lanie's Mom, my Aunt LoAnn (hi Aunt LoAnn!) and that was so fun, you can tell they skype a lot because Bristol was grinning from ear to ear at her Mia :) She made me take off Bria's pants so she could see her chunky thighs and compare them to mine when I was a baby. She thinks I was even chunkier than Bria :) I was a fatty!

Cutie pie, Bristol.

They loved the refrigerator magnets.

The closest I got to both of them looking at the camera.

Bria plotting to take the cell phone away.

So glad they came down and spent the day with us.

We had a nice Memorial Day weekend and were able to get out of the house a few times, but weren't overly busy. Brian worked on his final project all.day.long yesterday. Seriously, the poor guy sat in our uncomfortable desk chair from about 9 am to 4:30 pm. We both kept reminding ourselves that he is ALMOST DONE.

As for me, I'm starting to pack for Arizona so we don't forget anything that we could possibly need, but also trying to squish it all in 1 suit case because we can't afford to check another bag (I loathe that airlines are charging for bags now). It's a big challenge but I'm going to do it.