another fabulous trip - part 2

So where were we? I believe I left off in the middle of our wonderful week in California, visiting my Aunt Sue. We had already been to the beach twice, but Olivia was begging to go back one last time. Hard to resist, considering the weather was gorgeous. My Mom, Aunt and I relaxed on the beach while Olivia dug in the sand and splashed on the shore once again. This time she even found a pal to play with.

Of course all of that running around warrants a snack break. I just could not get over how at home Olivia seemed to be at the beach all week. I could have sat and watched her all day and I believe she would have been perfectly content spending every day there.

After a bit of a rest she was ready to go again. Out of the blue she asked Aunt Sue Sue to bury her in the sand. I was quite surprised, as I would not think that would be something Olivia would enjoy, but she loved it. The best part was busting out of the sand after being buried, head to toe!

Our third and final trip to the beach that week did not disappoint. I know it was one of the fondest memories she has from that trip and I am so glad we were able to spend so much time playing in the sand while we were there.

The next day we took our annual trip to Monterey to visit the aquarium. This was Olivia's 5th trip to the Monterey Bay Aquarium and at this point she knew the place like the back of her hand. On our drive into Monterey we stopped to see the sea lions. This is also one of our traditions and this time they put on quite a show for us. This time around they were packed on the pier like sardines, pushing each other off to make more room. They were fighting and yelping in a fierce way, unlike anything I have ever seen before. It was definitely entertaining.

Next we stopped for a very nice lunch right on the water and then it was on to the aquarium. We saw all of our favorite things and stopped at our usual picture spots. It was a fun day, but we realized that we have exhausted the aquarium and can probably take a break from visiting next time around.

That night we took Olivia to another of her favorite places...The Red Room. It is a restaurant/bar that we tried last time we were in town and Olivia LOVED it. Not sure why exactly, but she has been talking about it ever since our last trip to California. It is the one time we put on our fancier clothes and do a "Big Girl" thing, during a week filled with kid-related activities. As expected she enjoyed her trip to the Red Room and I enjoyed the Hors d'oeuvres. The only thing that would have made it better would have been a nice glass of wine. A few more months and I will be doing just that!

During our last day in California we took a drive to Los Gatos, a cute little town with tons of fun shops and restaurants. I asked Olivia if she would mind spending our last day doing big-girl things and she happily obliged. We had a nice girls lunch, followed by a few hours of shopping. I was shocked by how well she behaved as we went from store to store, looking at things that really did not interest her. We were primarily browsing through clothing stores and she occupied herself by bringing me things that she thought I may like. It was very sweet and most importantly it was keeping her from being bored. She could not have been a better sport that day!

It was our final night in California and we were enjoying it to the fullest. We went across the street to visit my Aunt's neighbors. They have the most amazing large poodle, Peter, that Olivia fell in love with during the week. Olivia saw Peter multiple times throughout the week and they quickly became besties. He really was the sweetest dog and I realized I could easily get used to having one around someday. Not only do my Aunt's neighbors have two awesome dogs, but they also have the most amazing house. Another highlight for Olivia was the coy pond in their front yard. The fish were huge and she was thrilled to be able to feed them a few times.

The next morning we headed to the airport for our trip back home. We had an amazing time in California, but Olivia was ready to get home to see her Daddy. We have been lucky enough to take Olivia out to visit her Aunt Sue Sue five times in under five years. Each time we have gone there have been challenges with traveling. I can honestly say that this was by far our best and easiest trip. She was a joy to travel with. She never threw any fits and was very helpful to me. I was proud with how well she handled herself the entire week.

I am not exactly sure when we will be able to go back. The baby will be here in a few months and I know I will not be jumping at the chance to hop on an airplane with two kids. One good thing is that now Olivia is older she can start taking trips with my Mom out to see Aunt Sue Sue on her own. A big thanks to my Aunt Sue and Uncle Ron for showing us, yet another fabulous time in California!

In other news I am quickly approaching my due date. We have two months left and still so much to do. Luckily I am feeling great and still able to be very productive. The nursery is just about ready to go and I will post some pictures next time. We also just celebrated a wonderful Easter and I have many pictures to share. So now you know what's to come!