Winter Park

To continue our theme of vacationing in warm places (apparently we aren't cold weather people), we spent some time in Florida visiting my parents. From the pictures, it looks like Maya spent the entire time dressing up as a princess and Ben just smiled. And that would be accurate.











Thanks for a great visit, Mom and Dad. We'll do our best to be there again soon...

San Diego

After spending time this fall in the Atlantic Ocean, we headed West on Christmas Day to spend a week by the Pacific Ocean. Gene and Wendy rented a fantastic home on Mission Bay in San Diego, and we escaped the cold and snow for a nice vacation. There was a great playground right on the Bay that Maya visited quite frequently.
Benji, Amy, and Lola came for 5 days to play. Maya and Lola had a wonderful time playing together with their babies and singing and dancing.
I think Maya also enjoyed being the oldest cousin for a change.
We had nightly dance parties (which usually meant a change into a "pawty dress" for Maya!)

Even though Ben would probably have tons of fun in a paper bag, he seemed especially happy on vacation with the Wayne/Tackett clan.
We spent a day at Sea World.



I think Maya's favorite part of Sea World might have been the blue cupcake.


We also checked out the San Diego Zoo (with half of San Diego, I think.) In spite of the crowds, it is a fantastic zoo, and we just enjoyed being outside in December!

We spent a lot of time just hanging out together at the house.



It was a wonderful visit - thank you, Gene and Wendy!

Charleston

In October (we're a little behind on pictures!), we took a weekend trip to visit our friends Lauren, Bill, and Owen in Charleston, South Carolina. We had fun seeing the sights, going to the beach, eating fried fish sandwiches in the sunshine, eating cupcakes, going out for an adult-only dinner, and catching up. Just like their mamas, Maya and Owen became fast friends. Owen is definitely a little more cautious and deliberate than Maya - check out the ocean pictures!
















It took Maya about 3.5 minutes to be naked and completely submerged in the cold water. I don't know what I'm going to do as Ben seems to be more adventuresome at 8 months than Maya was at that age... it was a wonderful visit - and we can't wait to be invited back! (hint, hint)

How big is Ben?

Walked into Ben's room this morning to find him standing up in his crib.... where did my baby go?

He regularly picks up an object in one of his hands, lifts it over his head, and makes some kind of proclamation. It is hilarious to watch as he is so serious; little King Ben has a lot to say. Last night at dinner, he figured out how to lift both of his hands at the same time.



We had a great vacation in San Diego last week with the Wayne/Tackett clan - will post pictures soon!