"Berry Boy"

Before the dusty, juicy mess ensued!

Pretty sure this was the only berry he picked

You can just see the wheels turning in his head, "Why do I have to touch these? I don't even eat fruit!"

Delicious Ollalieberry's

Yesterday we went Ollalieberry picking at a berry farm in Watsonville with Kim's Mom, Kim and her kids. This was my first time at a self-picking berry farm, but Kim's kids have gone for many years. It was a beautiful day, clear skies and 75 degrees, and the kids had a blast picking berries together. T wasn't much of a berry picker himself. He tried a few times but the vines were thorny and he also didn't care for getting sticky red juice on his fingers. I don't blame him though, if I didn't like to eat berries in the first place, it sort takes takes the fun out of picking them. Instead he became our designated "Berry Boy" and berry transporter, transferring the berries we had in our small pails to his big bucket which he then poured in to the big trays. The girls and I would call out to him or Noah, "Oh berry boy!..." and they would come trotting over to collect them. In between this, T was easily distracted by kicking up dirt or finding rocks of course! I myself became all-consumed at the job of finding the perfect Ollalieberry, I probably could have done it for hours! I snuck in a few to snack on from time to time too! We had so much fun yesterday, and look forward to the next time.

Avila Beach and Tide Pool Fun in SLO

A sprinkle waffle cone with no ice cream...what a treat!

There were dozens of crabs hiding between the anemones and barnacles, T had fun spotting them!

Poking sea anemones...He did this for hours that morning!

Skipping rocks just like Papa

T and his Pasha searching for tide pool treasures

SLO

Lots more pictures to come later...

Katie is officially a Master's graduate in Biomedical Engineering from Cal Poly, SLO!!! We couldn't be more proud of her perserverance and integrity and all that she has accomplished on her own.

Cousins! Shane came all the way from Tennessee, and James and Chris surprised Katie too!

Avila Beach, our condo was less than a block away!

Avila Pier

The Lovely Graduate

Priceless moment with Papa

Big Boy Bed

Today we have reached yet another milestone - an official big boy bed! T has actually been out of his crib since around 14 months, when my little baby discovered how to hoist himself over the rail and climb out of it, that day the crib was converted into a toddler bed, where it has remained until today. We had been discussing moving him in to a twin sized bed for the last few months, as he is rather tall for his age, but couldn't decide on a style. He loves to play at his cousins house, where Mitch sleeps in a loft bed which has a play area underneath, and T could spend all day under there. However finding an affordable version of a loft bed that didn't break the bank was a challenge. Thanks to Ikea and T making the final decision, 6 hrs of assembly later resulted in a new bed for our little man!

This is T and Jas in his converted toddler bed last year. I really love the curved lines of his crib and will hate to have to part with it, but we have no place to store it, and have found someone who will be able to use it for her new baby.


My little boy, about 7 months old, all in his drooly rolly-polly glory standing up in the crib!



T picked out an additional bedding set, sea life of course. I tried to convince him to pick a duvet that had lions, hippos, and crocs on it which are animals he usually obsesses over, but he chose this one. He also has a sheet set with his typical pirate theme so this will probably coordinate okay.

And this is his new bed! It actually reverses, meaning you can flip the bed upside down so the platform is on the floor, but what little boy would pass up climbing stairs in order to get to his destination?! It also comes with a blue tent canopy that attaches to the rails - he has named it his tent bed, and he is overjoyed about his new big boy sleeping quarters!

Too old for this look?

I've recently become obsessed with finding a cute, parent-frinedly version of this whole romper/jumper/whatever it is considered, look. But I'm not pencil thin like Nicole Ritchie so I'm searching for an alternative to these teeny super short ones in the pictures. While at the movies last week, I noticed a woman, a bit older than me, and more on the heavier set/voluptuous size, wearing a charcoal grey short-sleeved romper...and looking quite sassy and confident. She looked very comfortable and fabulous at the same time - a mommy's ideal outfit combination, right?
My sister abhors this whole look, and says, "Why not just wear a top with shorts and tuck it in with a belt, same look but not so juvenile!" Love her brutal honesty, probably her way of saying, Kristen your not 21 anymore, move on! I still love the look, I think I might pull it off with the appropriate combination of fit and shorts length....we shall see. Ah yes, it's these frivolous dilemmas that keep my mommy mind occupied...