A Delicious Halloween!

The biggest treat of the Halloween weekend was having our Elizabeth here from Austin! We have missed her so very much.
After Annabelle got in her morning greetings, it was time to help Pops fill the bird feeder. All things great and small needed their treats.


Then it was time to bake a cupcake and head over to Team Kess to check out all the tricks.




The Cooks ( our neighbors ) had their house ALL SPOOKED OUT for the occasion. It was GREAT.

Then we got tired of our cupcake hat.

Once Auntie Critters joined us for the evening's festivities, it was time to turn the cupcake into a sugary sandwich.

Then it was time to make our own version of jack-o-lanterns. No pumpkin guts this year! We brewed up a nice batch of butter beer ( apple cidar, butterscotch, and a touch of rum...yuuummmm.... ), put on some spooky tunes, and got creative.

We even talked Pops into making one!

The highly enjoyable end result.

Bethy's,

Kristy's,

& Lindens.

So much fun!

The next day we thought it might be fitting to attempt a glimpse of "sort of Fall," so we went to Julian.

And then she had to go home. We miss you already Auntie Bethy!

Like I said, Delicious!

Bates Nut Farm

Goo Warning

Ok, so Annabelle is sleeping, and I just went in to check on her... you know, hear her breathe...the usual crazy mom stuff. I SWEAR I love her so much I sometimes feel I'm going to PASS OUT. You think I'm being funny? My eyes welled up typing that. I remember thinking I didn't know if I could handle being a mom for this very reason. Knowing this very thing about my personality. Being afraid of feeling THAT much. So glad I didn't listen to the nonsense in my head. I have been transformed on the matter. Transformed into not caring how much I feel because I get to be HER MOM. Transformed into Annie's Mom. And it's not that I have lost myself. Quite the opposite really. She found me.

Still Here

OOoo-Dah-LOLLY it's been a long time. What a joke of a "blogger" I have been! My apologies. There have been ample computer issues and well... just issues in general. It's even too POST for The Post Party, but I believe that my excuses are good, as I was too busy living out this wonderful life to post about it. That being said, I am relieved to have a moment to spend here, and hope to keep it more of a regular commitment again.

Much has happened that I had great intentions for clever and thoughtful publishings. As it turns out, I'm not that clever or thoughtful, so I will just mention the grandest of the grand.

July we spent fixing up the house as much as we could before the festivities of August. And then August came. We have managed to raise a 14 month old that seems to really take to life on this planet with us. It's more amazing than I have words for.

What a monumental milestone for this little family! We celebrated Annabelle's 1st birthday ( August 7th ) with oodles and oodles of company that she could not seem to get enough of. When everyone left, she kept looking around each corner for the next party. There were several the week of her birthday, since her CC ( Cousin Crystal ) turned 21, her Gram and Papa celebrated their anniversary and she had her BIG ONE on her actual birthday, and then that weekend on the 9th for the scheduled party. Sheesh! It was a whole lotta party, but so much fun. It was so good to have so much family ( and I mean all-a-youz! ) here with so much to celebrate.


And even more celebrating to come, when that goofy couple in the middle welcomes Ava Grace into the world. Annie can't wait for her new cousin!

Just a couple of weeks later, Pops and I celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary. To make a huge understatement , we've been through so much together. The good, the bad, the ugly...and the BEAUTIFUL. I can't imagine this life without US. He is my home.

In September we enjoyed the gift of a weekend in Sacramento with our Mercers. Auntie Mercy got into some trouble with Annie's Sacramento Sisters being here for The Little Pie's birthday ( where she held our baby for the very first time!!! ),
so we reaped the benefits of the make up for it! SUCH a nice time. Annabelle had so much fun playing with her "big sisters" Kathryn and Lauren for the first time, and then the 2nd, and 12th, and 15th, and 100th. We got to meet lots of people that have held us tight in their prayers, have the treasured and traditional Sunday dinner with Nonno, Nonna, & Tia Danielle ( Annie's adopted grandparents / auntie ) , and Miss Belle had her first swim in a pool WITH DADDY!! It was AWESOME. She absolutely loved it. What a blessed weekend.

And now we have reached October. My favorite month. Last weekend we took our 2nd annual trek to the Bates Nut Farm ( the most "sincere pumpkin patch" around!). Joining us was the fabulous "Auntie Critters" ( appropriately named because there is another fabulous Auntie Kristi, and this one has more critters than the forest does ) and her little dog too. What a great place!!! A glorious and unexpected ( for So. Cal. ) Fall photo opportunity. The Little Pie mingled with her own kind ( PUMPKINS!! ) and enjoyed her 1st pony ride!!

See? It was a lot! And I only told you about all of the FUN stuff. More to come, after it all happens of course...

My Two Favorite Daddies

Mine, and Annabelle's.

Papa and Pops.

Happy Father's Day to My Dad, and to My Love.

Holy Bloomin' June!

So many wonderfully special birthdays to celebrate in the last few, and next few days for us.  I didn't initially intend to post birthdays on my blog, because I knew I'd miss people who mean a lot to me...but then Papa Doug's was just too hard to resist falling on St. Patty's Day, and on it goes... but I know I've missed some really important ones...  Truly sorry about that.  Here's few that occupy a great portion of my heart.  

  Gram.  My Mama.  June 6th.

Wendy & Ryan Kessler  7 & 11

Grandma Lucille.  June 9th.

Happy, happy birthday to you!!  I'm so blessed to have each of you in my life.

Sir Unca J.!

I was tickled to find this tank top on one of my thrift store shopping excursions a few years ago.  I am wearing it today in honor of my brother's birthday!  
We are so excited and anxiously await a new little cousin!  Jeremy, on your birthday we bring you BIG CONGRATS  to you and beautiful Kristi,  much love,  joy, and laughter ( a delicious sampling of what you're in for ) !  Happy Birthday Unca J.!!! 

Idyllwild

Pops and I have birthdays just a couple of weeks apart.  In my card this year from him there were print outs of three different cabins in the mountains he had checked into, for a much needed family getaway.  So our birthday gift to each other this year, with a few generous contributions, was just that.  The best timing for the little vacation ended up being Mother's Day weekend.  I have far too much too say in one post about one of the most beautiful weekends of my life, so I decided to treat it as chapters of a story.  

Thank you My Love,

 for orchestrating such an incredible, and unforgettable time away. 

I can't wait to go back!

Our Enchanted Surroundings

Of course I love the Pines of the mountains, but on this trip I learned the beauty of the Manzanita trees.  They magically twist and curve and bloom.  Obviously, I couldn't get enough of them.

 

Buckley enjoyed them as well.

Perfect morning light.

Earth 'N' Fire

I begin and end this post with footage from what we've decided on as a must do, Idyllwild tradition.  This first one I found comical as Pops and I are having a sort of silent Mother's Day argument.  Awesome.  I love it.
When Pops asked me what I wanted to do for Mother's Day, I asked if we could go to the "paint your own pottery" place I saw.  He said he thought that sounded like a good idea, and asked if I had any requests.  I told him I just wanted Annabelle's hand prints on something but that the rest was up to them. His response was " I was hoping that's what you'd say."  And I saw the wheels begin to turn in his head.

Annie thought the first few prints were really fun, but she eventually got a little tired of being messed with.

 

Such a nice couple that owns Earth 'N' Fire.  They were really helpful, and happy to let our big Buckley dog join in the fun.  Matt, Annie, and Buckley made a shared piece of artwork for me that was so clever and BEAUTIFUL!!  A platter with little hand and paw prints artfully turned into flowers in a field.  Such a treasured gift and experience.

 

This is one of those memories that I thought would be great to watch with Miss Belle when she's older.  I'm so glad we did this!  

Evening View from the Porch Swing

The magic of the night forest.  Love the silhouettes.

Swingin'

Lake Fulmor

After we finished painting our pottery, we decided to walk around this lake.  We enjoyed it so much, that we came back the next day with lunch and a longer stay in mind.  

  




What a beautiful place to picnic.   Lovely stone tables everywhere, thoughtfully spaced for privacy, made for a delightful little family gathering by the water.

Lake Fulmor is loved by Lindens.

Dining In & Dining Out

We really ate well at both the cabin and out at the Idyllwild restaurants.  This is a shot from where we had Mother's Day lunch.  I don't remember the name of it, but it was a natural foods place and the outdoor seating was nice.  Tasty sandwiches.  

I don't have any photos from our first breakfast place, but it's called The Bread Basket, and it was super yummy.  There we enjoyed raisin walnut pancakes!! 

Much to my delight, Annabelle enjoys dresses!!  She loves to play with the fabric.  A few photos of her getting ready for Mother's Day in her pretty dress.

This is the artwork that adorns the walls of Cafe Aroma.  An Idyllwild hot spot with live music, wonderful food, and beautiful indoor and outdoor seating.  We enjoyed this place so much, that we stopped there one last time before hitting the road home.

Cafe Aroma

Pops made sure that we enjoyed our meals at the cabin as well.  Saturday night, we sipped wine as he grilled Thresher shark and zucchini and made salad.  DELICIOUS!  He bought my favorite Greek yogurt and berries to have for breakfast.  He thoughtfully shopped with MOM in mind for the weekend.  

Lilacs are some of my absolute favorite flowers, and we don't see much of them in San Diego, but Idyllwild was drenched in them this time of year!!  What a terrific surprise.  We couldn't resist sneaking some for our kitchen table.

MMMmmmmm....

Sunset Drive Home

Our happy traveler!

The drive home was the perfect close to a perfect weekend.  So pretty!! We listened to standards,  watched the sunset, and talked about what a great time we had.  Oh yes, we shall return.  

Glorious.