Maria's thoughts on the little things in life.....: California part 2

It has been a while since my last post......and I have had lots going on in my head but I have not had a sliver of time to sit down and write. After our WONDERFUL trip to California, the girls got sick on the plane ride home one after the other and I have had exactly 30 seconds of sleep since then. Just kidding, but it kind of feels that way :)

But back to the trip....we had a lovely time with Quang's family and we even snuck away to Santa Monica one day to see some of our dearest friends from college. The weather was so perfect, flip flops, t-shirts, iced coffee drinks (lack of sleep did not go away just because we were on vacation, caffeine is my friend!) and the memories we took home with us will forever be in my heart.

One such memory is the look on Ellie's face while we watched the parade at Disneyland. I will NEVER forget the way she was dancing, the genuine smile and her eyes lighting up when the princesses she loves danced all around her. I experienced true joy through my child's eyes that day and it was priceless. We had great fun with our family members and made us wish we could see them all more often. Not just for weddings or special occasions.

The four of us took a two day road trip to San Diego as well....we kept real busy now that I think of it. But anyway, it was fun to have a little family time just us. Running around in the beach, watching Katelyn sink her tiny feet into the wet sand for the first time and catching one of the most beautiful sunsets I've ever seen. Fun times. Oh, and Katelyn rolled over for the first time! That was fun.... It was so warm she didn't need socks and I think that did it.

Through all of it, I fell more and more in love with my husband. He takes care of us....he makes us laugh. He captures everything on camera (bless you honey!) and he 'gets' me. He gets me when I am overwhelmed at Disneyland and he knows I need to eat or I might cry. He gets me when I act like a little kid seeing mickey mouse for the first time. He gets me when I look at him and he knows just what I am thinking. Many times during our long drives (holy cow driving anywhere takes way too long in California) we caught each other's eyes in the rear view mirror and just smiled. Often, as the four us shared a bedroom for a week, we watched our girls sleep and felt so blessed. What can I say, I love that guy. I also know that having two weeks of uninterrupted time with him is rare during this season of our life, so I soaked up every second. Once we got home, it was hard for us all when he went back to work and prepared to start his traveling again.

Below are some pictures of our vacation which was a fantastic way to ring in the new year and turn 31 years old. Happy New Year all! I know it's late........but anyhoo. I hope 2012 brings you all nothing but joy!