Summer Vacation 2014

Seeing as August is half way over, and our family vacation was already a month ago, I figured it was time to document our trip.  We went to Maine...my July stomping grounds growing up. 
It was very meaningful having my husband and two kids come to the place that I enjoyed going to every single summer as a child and have so many memories built around that time. I love that we are continuing the tradition and look forward to making our own yearly vacation tradition as well. :)

Well, needless to say, we had a blast.  We always do.  Our kids our the best little travelers alive.  They don't complain (well ok, there were a few complaints within the first 10 minutes, but once we really got on the road it ended...for the most part), they go with the flow, they sleep in the same room and enjoy it (which I am sure someday it will come to a screeching halt), and are so much fun to be around.  It was the first time that Nate and I went with the two kids. Our last trip we went, I was about 33 weeks pregnant with Anya...walking, moving, bending, lifting, cooking, sleeping, breathing and anything else you can imagine was painful for me at that time...but that can be saved for another time...Anyways... this was our first trip to Maine as a family of 4 with my extended Dearing side of the family!

It was a pretty simple trip.  Wake up (a little earlier than I had hoped), breakfast, coffee and relaxing at "our beach house" as Jaxon called it (and still calls it), followed by beach time, late afternoon naps for the kids corresponding with beverages, board games and cards for us with parents, brothers, cousins, aunts, uncles - whoever was around, followed by seafood dinners, move beverages, s'mores and hanging out on the deck.  It also included ice cream cones, a night out with my hubby, some running (ok, a run) and last but not least, some QT with Grammy D.  Just a typical New England summer vacation and it was actually pretty relaxing...as relaxing as a vacation is with two toddlers.  I didn't want it to end!

So, here are some pictures to sum up our week of fun :)

And we're off!

My heart

The bench was the spot to take shoes off each trip to the beach.

Daddy and daughter time

Our evening hangout

Getting warmed up

Some hide and seek with feet

Sticks and stones

Our evening view

Naptime fun!

And some morning fun!

Sunset selfie

A house full of pizzas from Portland Pie

Of course had to play some beach volleyball with my brothers!

Playing with Bigbee

The girls

Nothing like having my favorite humans all in one place!

:)

Best brothers ever :)

Waves

A vacation isn't a vacation without some ice cream!

The kid loves boogie boards

The little princess

Card tricks with Uncle Kev

Parents night out!

A pit stop at the bench

And a smooch ;)

Our final trip to the beach.

Good by Maine - until next time! ;)

There is not much I love more than travelling with my family!  Can't wait for our next adventure just around the corner!

~Erin Leigh

"Travel as much and as you can. As far as you can. As long as you can.  Life's not meant to be lived in one place."

"Travel is the only thing you buy that makes you richer."

 

Florida Recap - May 2014

We went to Florida in May. (Yes this is late, but better late than never)! Our first "real" family trip...and by real I mean on a plane, with a rental car, in a hotel.  We have done many trips with them locally - Maine, the Cape etc...but nothing quite as complicated as traveling with two suitcases, two carry ons, two strollers, two car seats and ...two toddlers!  This was a new experience for us.  We are used to the husband and wife carefree vacations...Ohhh how things have changed! But, I will say, the kids were A-Mazingly well behaved and loved every minute! I couldn't have asked for anything more.  When we pulled onto our street coming home, Jaxon cried and said he wanted to stay in Florida.  That, to me, means it was a successful trip. (And a sign that we were back to reality).

So...here is a time line of our fun filled May 2014 trip to Florida! :)

Patiently waiting to get on an airplane for the first time!

Fully supplied with ipads, headphones and coffee for the adults!

Some exploring after we arrived - and some jumping on the bed! It is vacation after all ;)

Not much cuter than a toddler in a two piece!

Or a little boy splashing around!

We are in a cove under a waterfall = family selfie.

Our first full day = SeaWorld! (The kids look tired already - and it was only 10 am).

Loved the dolphins!!

And the whale show!

Jaxon missed the whole thing!

And Anya wasn't far behind!

We took a quick nap break and then headed back to SeaWorld for some rides, souvenirs and a few more animals to see. 

Our evening finished with their very first sno-cones. They had two bites each.

The next day was a pool day followed by a spontaneous evening at Downtown Disney.

We did some exploring...

(Love this).

had some Ghirardelli's ice cream... 

and watched the sunset.

The ice cream was so good Jax got every last drop!

Then we walked right into a dance party!  Leave it to us to always find one.  We danced off the ice cream for a good hour and a half! They even announced Nate's name because he was busting out the moves with all the kids! :)

Next day was Animal Kingdom.   This was on our safari.

It's amazing how close you get to the animals.

Tree of Life

We met Donald Duck (Jax was a happy boy...Anya was terrified).

While Jaxon slept, Anya and I met some animals at the petting zoo. 

Lunch at an African bar...and that was a delicious mojito I must say!

And then, the next day we headed home.  This sunset on the way to the airport just screamed that we should be staying longer!

So...that was a walk down memory lane. It was such a fun vacation! Next time we will be going for a full week!  I never thought I would be one to visit Disney frequently, but we quickly decided we think it will be a yearly trip.  (We also quickly decided if we want to travel a lot, two kids is just right for us...but we can save the details on that for another blog post).  ;)  Our kids had a blast and so did we!  To see the excitement in their eyes and their faces light up over and over again made the trip through the airport, both ways, totally worth it!! :)

 

 

~Erin Leigh

3 Years Old

 

My little guy turned 3 yesterday! I cannot believe how fast time goes by! It seems like just yesterday I was anticipating his arrival with lots of excitement and anxiety.  What a life changer it is becoming a parent.  I love it and am so happy that Jaxon made me a Mom. :)

With that being said, I love birthdays and making it a special day for my family.  We had a fun filled weekend for Jaxon's 3rd birthday!  It began with his birthday party with his friends on Saturday at Pioneer Gymnastics.  A time where the kids ran free, climbed, jumped on the trampoline, played in a foam pit, went in the bounce house (which Jaxon made very clear he would NOT go in), had pizza, cake and all passed out immediately following! 

Then yesterday, on his actual birthday, he woke up to a balloon surprise when he opened his door, had waffles with peanut butter and sprinkles with a candle and we sang to him, got donuts, went to the park, watched a few requested shows on TV, had family over for steak dinner (as requested) and a Planes cake, as talked about for the past month.  He said it was a great day = success :)

Jaxon at 3 years old:
30 pounds
Loves cars, trucks, airplanes.
Loves being outside.
Can throw a Frisbee better than me.
Likes soccer, red light green light, hide and seek.
Likes to climb and jump and throw himself on the ground.
Is a thinker - likes seeing how things work.
Likes popcorn and a movie.
Has to sleep with his blue blanket and tag.
When he wakes up - he announces to the world he is awake as loud as he can.
(Typically this wakes up his little sis).
Loves to talk about our day before bed, detail by detail, and chooses his favorite part of the day before bedtime prayers.

Jaxon - You are such a joy in our lives and we love you!  I wanted to make sure this day was documented, because (confession) I am still not done with our 2013 yearbook!  You are such a smart, fun, exciting, determined, logical and happy little boy.  Your laughter fills a room and you never stop making me smile.  We love you so much!
 
Here is a recap of your 3rd birthday weekend:



Patiently waiting to go to your gymnastics party.

 

 

 

 

Love, Mom <3

Taking a Break

I am taking a break from blogging.  I am going to continue to experiment with making my own recipes and use my blog as an online recipe bank so I can always find my favorites.  I plan to share certain family events, milestones and activities that I would want to remember and share with my children down the road.  So basically, I have decided that I am going to use it for my own personal data storage rather than for reaching others.

There are several reasons I made this decision, but I will keep it simple.  There are too many distractions in the world today and my time is precious.  I want less distractions to allow me to be more focused on the things that are important to me such as my family, my friends and my career. Although it isn't a direct distraction from those things since I blog during my downtime, I feel like technology is everywhere and I want to take a break from it in areas that I have a choice in.  I have a Facebook account, a blog Facebook, my work Facebook that I run, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram, Linked In, my blog, my yahoo email, gmail email and work email.  It is actually really ridiculous when I think about all the accounts.  So, I am basically taking a break from all of it or decreasing my time on it (except my work email...where my emails are always increasing!).

I have stopped browsing social media and blogging since the beginning of the month to see if I felt like it made a difference and it has.  I feel less distracted and more focused on the important things.  So...that being said...I am going to continue! 

If you feel like you have too many distractions, I challenge you to give some up or take a break from them!  You will thank me!  :) 

~Erin Leigh

Last Minute Meal

Last night I was looking for a quick and easy dinner to throw together (are your surprised??)...I had pork to make so I decided on using my Tasty Tomato seasonings to season my pork and home made sweet potato fries!  So quick and simple and delish!

 

Pork Chops:

3 Pork Chops

Sprinkle with Adobo, garlic powder and Sassy Onion from The Tasty Tomato

I cooked it in a large pan on the stove with a little coconut oil - approx. 10 minutes per side

 

Sweet potato fries:

Preheat oven to 425

Slice two sweet potatoes into thin small pieces (you can also cube them)

Sprinkle with Adobo, garlic powder, sea salt and Sassy Onion seasoning

Bake for about 45 minutes - flipping fries a few times

 

Talk about quick and easy!  I loved the flavor using the Sassy Onion seasoning packet! I also used it in my beef stew the beginning of the week in place of a Onion Soup packet - it was a huge success!  I like that there are no additives in it like packets you buy at the grocery store!  If you want more information you can check out their Facebook page.  Hope you like! :)



 

 

~Erin Leigh