Butterflies

This Man. He is my world. We have been together for 10 years and I STILL get butterflies around him. He is a great husband and I am so thankful for that. But as a Dad? Off the Charts. I fall in love with him every time I see him interact with our kids. 

Throwback Thursday - Anniversary in Sacramento, CA

Our first time getting a weekend away after Luke was born was to celebrate our five year anniversary. We were lucky enough to get a weekend away while Aaron's mom watched our little 11-month old. (A feat that has only happened once more for my sister's out of town wedding!). We chose to get away to Sacramento, CA. I love living in Central California and being about 3-4 hours away from most touristy spots in the state. Neither one of us had been to Sacramento since our fifth grade class trips respectively, so we were excited to do some exploring. We stayed in Old Town Sacramento which allowed for us to walk pretty much anywhere we wanted to go. We walked over to the the Old Sacramento State Historical Park and took in the sights.

They call this the Big Four House. It is actually 3 separate buildings (you can only see the middle building in the picture) that were built between 1851 and 1852! It even housed the first Central Railroad office for 11 years starting in 1862.

I made Aaron take a photo of this little sign, he didn't find it as amusing as I did :)

We walked over to the State Capitol. It was such a nice walk, we found Downtown Sacramento to be beautiful.  We toured the State Capitol, however they didn't really allow photos to be taken. Quite the feeling of gravitas to be in a room where laws were created and voted into being. 

Loved seeing the different sculptures around the Capital Building.

These buildings were across the river from us. I do not know what they are, but they looked really neat!

Aaron was just starting to dabble in photography at this point, so he loved taking pictures of everything. This bridge was pretty close to our hotel.  It is called the Tower Bridge and is a vertical lift bridge built in 1911. I just love the history that is Sacramento!

The Tower Bridge at night.

We also spent time visiting Sutter's Fort. (Have I mentioned I married a history major? :) ). I wish we would have taken more photos there. It was actually really cool to check out. You can explore different rooms and see John Sutter's desk.

 The next day we visited the California State Railroad Museum, also located in Old Town Sacramento (have I mentioned what a great area this was to stay in??!).

There was A TON of history about the formation of the railroads and I loved that you could tour everything on your own. You could actually walk through train cars that were used way back when. I loved getting to see what it was like to have train travel as new and the main source of transportation. 

Can you believe how large this locomotive was! 

It looks so powerful, so graceful.

During the months of November and December, you can take the Polar Express to the north pole and even get a visit from Santa!

As we set off for home, we made a quick out of the way stop at the Jelly Belly Factory in Fairfield, CA.  They offer free tours of the facility and even provide little samples of jelly bellys at the end of the tour. Checking out the Jelly Belly art was probably my favorite part- aside from the FREE Jelly Bellys! My absolute favorite mix is Pina Colada and Cotton Candy- eat them at the same time and it is amazing! You will thank me later :)

 We came home to this little guy. Gosh, this seems like ages ago- he wasn't even walking yet! 

Our trip to Sacramento was SO. MUCH. FUN. It was one of 2 times we have gotten a night away from our kids- you read that right, 2 times in almost 4.5 years :) and MAN it felt good. Of course we talked about Luke constantly and worried that he was sleeping well for his Nana, but it was so nice to just be Aaron and me. 

I look forward to taking the kids back one day and really sharing some of California's history with them. What things have you enjoyed doing in Sacramento?

Friday Favorites 8/5/16

Happy Friday!! The weather is Finally starting to dip below the 100s, so hoping we get some outside time this weekend!

Here are a few things that I am loving right now:

1. On August 5, 2006, Aaron and I officially started dating. We hadn't known each other for too long, but there was something special. 10 years that we have been together, married for 8.5 years. Two kids, and two houses later, there isn't anyone I would rather navigate this life with. I am sure I will write more about how we met and our early years later, but today is a special day to me. I remember the term 'girlfriend' seemed so scary back then, so committed. I recall actually telling him that I was scared to be his girlfriend, but would marry him in a heartbeat. That isn't normal (am I a crazy-person??)....but he chose me anyway :) Happy 10 years of being together, babe!




2.  This girl will be 2 before the month is over- wow! I know the days of having a crib are numbered, so I am soaking it all in. I love our conversations at night as I lay her down in her crib. She repeats everything I say, "Night, Night"  "ni, ni" "Sleep Good" "seep goo" "See you in the Morning" "see u mornin" "Miss you" "missss you" "Love You" "wuv you" then we blow kiss at each other and my heart is full.

It will be strange to have 2 kids in big kid beds. Our family feels complete with 2 kids, so as Luke was the first with everything, Chloe will be the last. Some things seem exciting to be done with when it happens ***NO MORE DIAPERS*** at some point lol, other things I wouldn't mind taking slow.




3.  Elfster. If you haven't used this site before, you MUST check it out. There are a few different ways to partake. First, you can set up a free account and start adding things to your list. Items you might want for Christmas or your birthday. I know for me, it is soooo helpful to have a few things I know my friends and family may want as an idea of what to get them for a present. My brother-in-law even uses his list for himself, as a way to keep track of things he wants to purchase down the road. You can create and manage lists for kids, too! Very helpful when you have out of town relatives that you don't see that much and you are able to get the kids something they want. Another way we use it is for a gift exchange. One side of our family uses it as a secret santa gift exchange. We start the exchange on Thanksgiving and are able to use each other's wish lists to purchase gifts. You can be as vague as you want (size 3t clothes) or specific by linking the actual item right to your page so the purchase is just a click away. It's so much fun and can make a stressful time must less stressful! Be sure to check out Elfster. 




4. I love shopping, especially for pretty things to fill up my new house. Not much of the decor from our old house goes with our new house so I have loved getting to do some extra shopping for new things to pretty up the house. It is a work in progress, but every weekend it gets a little closer!

Anthropologie is one of coolest stores.  Who doesn't love a pretty apron, a bright and colorful cheese board, or these cute little bowls. Have a friend with a birthday coming up? These trinket dishes are sooo cute! These baskets are in the kids section, but they could add some fun color to any room.



5. It's Opening Ceremonies Day!!! I am soo looking forward to watching tonight, aren't you?! We record everything NBC airs for the Olympics, mostly so I don't have to figure out when the sports I want to watch are on, lol. I am looking forward to Gymnastics (my fave!), Beach Volleyball, Swimming (let's go Phelps!), Soccer, Basketball, Track and Field, Diving and so much more! I love celebrating the athleticism of the folks who make it to the Olympics. They are rockstars, amiright? I have no clue what it takes to an athlete of that caliber, but my hat goes off to those who followed their dreams and made it. Aly Raisman just said that her mom put her in Gymnastics when she was 2 years old, not much older than my little one. Sheesh, Ded-I-Ca-Tion!

Moving...

We recently moved out of our first home into what we consider our 'forever' home, or our 'at least until the kids are out of the house' home. Which, with a 4- and 1-year-old, might as well be forever. Moving was WAY harder than I had planned. Not only the moving, but the Leaving of our first home. That was hard for me. It was house we secured on the 4 year anniversary of our first date. The house we learned we were expecting in on the anniversary of moving in. The house to which we brought both our babies home. The last our dog of 7 years ever lived. 

But our new house will have so many firsts. The first time ever living in a one-story for Luke, Chloe and myself. The first slumber party. The first bike riding lesson. The first time we have two kids in actual beds. The first game night as a family of four. The first time getting ready for school. The first time we see little itty bitty finger prints on our new stainless steel fridge (and all of the other stainless steel appliances :)). And most importantly, the first time we actually feel like we are HOME.

Along with moving, comes buying new things! Our old coffee table just didn't fit our new house, so off to Goodwill it went. Hello new table from  Wayfair This new coffee table fits our living room to a T.
 

This table can be found on Wayfair.com.

 I can't wait to add a few yellow baskets to the bottom for some pop of color. Maybe a few of these Yellow Baskets from The Land of Nod or these Yellow Bins from Casa.com. 

 

 

 

The reviews expressed are my own and I was not compensated to share my opinions.

My First Time

This is it! My very first blog post on my very first blog. I have A LOT to learn about this world wide web, but can’t wait to share the journey with you.  

Where are my manners! Let me introduce myself….I am Blair. A thirty-something full-time Wife, Mom and Professional. My whole life has been lived within a 25 mile radius of the hospital in which I was born. Lucky for me, I live in California so there is ALWAYS something to do and somewhere to go!

Aaron made me a wife just over 8 years ago and we have been blessed with two kiddos who are 4 and almost 2. Having 2 young kids has made for an interesting life. I cannot wait to watch them grow up as brother and sister.



An oldie but a goodie.....

Cheers to this new adventure!