Wednesday - Book Day!

So, it was "dress as your favorite book" day at school!  Brady has several favorite books...But, he LOVES his firetruck books.  So, he took one of those and wore his firetruck shirt, backpack and hat!  He was adorable!  He had some cute overalls, but refused to wear them...

And, we got a text message early from Kin and guess who had their baby a day early?!?!?  Kin and Kate!  Here he is...Kincannon Edward Hood - born at 5:59AM on 4/25/2012 - he was 7lbs 11oz and 20in long!  Just perfect!  What a little cutie - both Kate and Cannon are doing great!  We couldn't be happier for them!

Grandparents Day at Brady's school!

Tuesday was Grandparents Day at Brady's school!  So sweet of Tom and Barb to take off work and come!  Brady loved it!  They came and enjoyed snack with Brady and then Brady had to show them toys around the classroom!  They also had a book fair and bought the kids a new Olivia book!  So sweet!  I really wish all of Brady's grandparents could have come, but with my parents living so far away and being so limited on vacation days, it just wasn't possible.  But, there is always next year - fingers crossed!

At least Brady had some grandparents there - I felt bad for the other kids.  Only one other kid (Brady's friend Hunter) had a grandparent there...Sad!  We are blessed!  We came home early and played and the kiddos had a great time with Papa and Baba!!

Crazy week!

We went and saw Baby Hayes earlier this week!  Is he not ADORABLE??  He was wearing the little outfit we took him to the hospital!  :)  He is such a sweet baby and I think he and my babies are going to be great friends!  He and family are doing great!

And my little tag along did GREAT in her car seat!  She went with me to see Hayes, and then on to my dental appt...Here she is there, and she had just kicked her shoes off!  Everyone at the appt had to fuss and make over her!  It was so funny!  Not sure I'll be taking her to the next appt though...

Brady at 19 months!

Well, it's just crazy that Brady is 19 months old!  Where has the time gone??  The months just seriously run together these days...He is just now starting to like his sister!  HA!  He has been playing with her the past couple of days and it's been so cute!  Leaning in to give her shuggies, etc. and I just think it's the most adorable thing I've ever seen!!

He was supposed to have an appt the week that we left for CA, but I decided since we were leaving we would reschedule b/c I wanted to be there to cuddle and take care of him!  So, saying that...I don't have exact stats on Brady.  However, still in size 4 diapers and mostly 2T clothes and size 6/7 shoes.  The hat I got him for summer is size 2T/3T and it's just about too small.  HA!  Not sure where he gets the big head from!  Hehehe!  He is a WILD man pretty much ALL the time.  Don't get me wrong, you ask me how Brady is and I'll say he's perfect...But, we all know that it's getting close to the terrible two's and I'm pretty sure he's started his early!  On any given day there could be a totally limp Brady (the teachers at school call it "no bones" and it's like a wet noodle) or a meltdown when he doesn't get his way...But, the good times totally outweigh those moments!  He is very smart and has a big vocabulary for his age.  He knows his letters and numbers and sounds, etc. but we are working on colors and shapes now.  He knows purple, yellow and blue but it's funny b/c he thinks every color is blue!  And he's good with star and circle but doesn't grasp the concept of "circle" - he thinks it's the pizza pan.  Pretty funny!  He runs everywhere and climbs on everything and they have even told me at school they have to watch him like a hawk b/c he will climb up the book shelf so fast...He LOVES to be outdoors and ran or shine, that would be his most favorite place.  He loves to go on runs and walks in the stroller and if he knows we are going up to the park he gets really excited b/c he LOVES it so much!  He is still shy around new faces and takes a little bit to warm up to them, but LOOK OUT once he warms up...He is so funny when he is giggling and getting tickled.  He has a funny little personality and it's changing all the time - he is so wonderful and we wouldn't change one single thing...Well, maybe he could listen a little better - HA!

Coming home to our precious ANGELS!

We took a different route home and we got to go over the Bay Bridge and the traffic was HORRIBLE!  I was spazzing a little bit b/c we left with plenty of time to make our flight but it was so bad I was scared we were going to miss it and if I can't see my angels today...I might just die!  We made it!  They were in great hands while we were gone, but we still missed them so bad!  Thank goodness Tom and Barb sent us pics the whole time we were gone letting us know what they were up to!

At botanical gardens having fun!  Cold front came in...UGH!  But, it didn't slow them down!

Just chillin at the house...

Bouncing around!

And eating some snacks...

We really appreciate them for taking such great care of our babies!  Can't thank them enough!  We haven't had time to ourselves in so long, especially more than just a couple of hours...It was really nice for us to have adult conversation and be able to hang out like old times.  We missed our kids SO bad, but we really needed some quality time together!  It was great getting home and seeing the smiles on Brady and Bria's face - they were priceless and made us feel like a million bucks!  Now, it's back to the real world!

Vacation - Day 4 - Napa/Yountville!

Monday morning we woke up and got massages!  It was so nice and the most relaxing part of our trip!  Although, Richie's calf muscle cramped in the middle of the massage and it was all I could do to not laugh!  Then, I heard a few little snores and asked him if he dozed off...I guess it was ME!  HA!  We showered afterwards and headed to Yountville!

Several people told us that we needed to eat at "Mustards" and it was AMAZING!  They have a HUGE garden there and grow all of the vegetables, herbs, etc. that they use in their restaurant!  It was so cool!  And the food was SOOOO AWESOME!

We then went to Rubicon.  Well, the name has changed and I'm not sure what it is called now.  However, this was Frances Ford Coppola's place and it was SUPER GORGEOUS!  They even had different pieces of history in here - super cool to see.  And, one of our friends actually proposed to his girlfriend here a few months back so it was neat to see it in person!

How they stored CASK wine - it's like $80 a bottle!  YIKES!

How pretty is this??

Out on the patio - SUPER COOL!

After the winery and shopping at the outlet mall, we went to this wine bar and we decided to eat here.  It was pretty good!  We were sad that the vacation was coming to a close, but I couldn't get home fast enough to see my babies!!!  I was missing them SO bad!

Vacation - Day 3 - Napa/Wine Tours!

So, day 3 started out with me & Richie getting up early and going to church.  We got home and decided we were going to take advantage of the chicken coup in the backyard and got fresh eggs for breakfast!

The boys making a fabulous breakfast with veggie omlets...and mimosas!  AMAZING!  We had to have a great breakfast b/c today is the day that we hit up our choices on wineries!

Stop #1 - Honig.  It was a great start!  They were very laid back here and very informative!  The wine was delicious and we had a great time sitting and chatting with my new bff...Persis!

Persis and I hit it off and she was so knowledgeable when it comes to wine!  And, she even gave us our tasting for FREE!  How sweet was that?!?

Stop #2 - Peju.  They were actually having a wine release party and it was super fun here!  They had 4 different spots for different wines they have, and different food spots also with a DJ!  You know I loved it!

And, it was GORGEOUS!

Upstairs...Where they stored the wine.  The wine was really good and the atmosphere was so much fun!  We started off laid back and then went all out for the party!

Stop #3 - Cakebread Cellars.  This was a suggestion to us from our pediatrician.  It was really neat!

How cool is that??

Me and Bob...Also knew a lot about wine and was super sweet!  He gave us 4 free wine glasses with the Cakebread Cellers logo on them!  What a sweetie!  We had a great time here also!  We left here about 5:30 and Ryan thought that a nap sounded good.  Richie and I decided to walk downtown and continue our tasting...I don't have anymore pics of the evening but it was fun!  I somehow managed to hold my buzz all day long!  I didn't get "drunk" and I'm not sure how since I haven't really drank in like 2 years!!!  It was such a FABULOUS day - we had a BLAST!

Vacation - Day 2 - San Fran/Napa!

Day 2 started out with us just walking and me finding the Forever 21 store which was 3 stories tall!!!  Richie found himself at the Apple store...2 hours later, I had several pieces to add to my wardrobe and Richie had a new ipad!  It was a success!  Then, we continue to walk!

And wind up in Union Square!  How gorgeous is this???

Then, we wanted to go to the Ferry House which is a HUGE farmers market!  On our walk there...A creme brulee cart??????  I'm in total heaven!!!  It was seriously one of the best I've ever had and it was $4!!!

The Ferry House - SUPER cool!  Richie loved it.  He wishes we had something like this in NWA!  It was really cool to see all that they had to offer.  Wish we had more time here...

A trolly by the Ferry House - wish we could have gotten on one, they are too neat!

Then, we met up with Ryan and Megan and saw Lomard Street on our way out to Napa!  It was so cool!

Also drove on the Golden Gate Bridge to get to Napa!  Really neat!

We pull up to our house that we've rented...It was AWESOME!  We were SO happy we got a house instead of hotel or B&B.  It was such a neat little place and in a perfect location in Napa - walking distance to everything!  Couldn't have been more pleased!

Then, we had dinner at Cuvee.  It was a great restaurant!

My risotto - DELISH!

Richie's meal - I can't remember the exact name but it was something tenderloin.  It was good too!

Us being silly before we left!  It was such a great Saturday...Once again - went to bed around 11ish - the boys stayed up til after midnight...Out of control!  What a fun time!

Vacation - Day 1 - San Francisco!

Richie and I took a trip with some of our good friends (Ryan and Megan) and we went to San Francisco and Napa, CA!  It was an AMAZING trip and we had a great time!  Here is a recap of our trip!

Arrive in San Francisco - and find our hotel - the view of the bay was amazing!

And the view from our hotel was really neat also!  I had no idea it would be so hilly and crowded!  It reminded me a little bit of New York City, but cleaner!  And, not quite so crammed!

Our first stop was Pier 39 - it was amazing!  We wanted to go down there and then find our way back to our hotel with various stops along the way. 

We had to try the fresh crab cakes at Crab House down at Pier 39 - DELISH!

And of course, as a tribute to Brady...Had to try the cinnamon/sugar dough doughs!  They were tiny, but really really good!  We thought of Brady the while eating our tiny little bag!

Next stop - in the Italian district...The Stinking Rose Restaurant.  Another appitizer - garlic fondue - DELISH!  It was the neatest place!  Garlic was hanging from the ceiling and their motto there was "we like a little food with our garlic" - it was AWESOME!

HUGE jar of garlic...HUGE!

Then, Chinatown - it was neat also!  Richie had some Ginsing tea from one of the places down here.  They sell it by the pound...It was only like $180 a pound!!!!

And, one of our last stops was this Speak Easy.  It was a secret place and literally just a door off of a main street downtown!  It's a restaurant and bar and you have to have a code just to get in!  Do you see that little hole?  You have to click it and someone opens it and you say "books" well, that was the code for us and they take you through these neat little rooms and pull books to open walls, etc. and we were escorted to the "library" and had a drink there.  This was one of Richie's main things he wanted to do.  It was really neat.  We didn't get back to the hotel room until 11:30 (which was 1:30AM Arkansas time) and we had been up for almost 20 hours!!!  I thought this was supposed to be a "relaxing" vacation!  HA!  Too much to see and do!  Day 1 was amazing!!  San Francisco was SUPER neat!