He Loves Me...

For our anniversary dinner, Daniel found an incredible restaurant on the water called the Red Marlin. It was a bit of a drive from our hotel, and I was worried about the girls melting down in their exhaustion. But, it turns out I worried in vain...

We arrived just in time to watch the sunset.

I love eating early... we had our pick of seats, as we were one of the only people at the restaurant! Daniel had the foresight to take the girls to a 99 cent store to get some coloring books and crayons while Sierra napped at the hotel and I showered. My husband is brilliant!

Dinner was incredible. I can't believe I didn't take any pictures of it! We did have Natalie take this picture of us with our desserts.... Godiva chocolate custard with almonds and a toasted mint marshmallow. Sierra, Natalie, and I devoured it!!! We also got a hazelnut liquoer coffee; it was ok, but I prefer straight coffee with my dessert!


The 2 big girls crashed on the way home. Only Sierra stayed up and serenaded us with her singing. (That chocolate put her in a good mood!) Both Daniel and I commented that this was the most well-behaved the 3 of them have ever acted at a restaurant. That was the best gift ever!

As lovely as the evening was, I secretly missed going out with no kids, as we have every other anniversary. We got back from our trip, and I was beat! But, there was no time to relax, as I had to get ready for the fondue. (Don't get me wrong... I love entertaining! And, I felt so blessed by our vacation! I was just feeling a bit worn out!) As I usually do when feeling that way, I blasted the radio to lift my spirit a bit. There is nothing like a little praise and worship to give you a boost of energy!

As I was listening, I heard, "Be caller 7 now!" I had just gotten Sierra, so I had no idea what I was calling about, but I grabbed the phone and dialed anyway. The next thing I knew, I had 4 tickets to go to a Christian comedy show on Saturday; the day after the fondue! My sweet hubby took the day off so he could go with me, and it was SOOOO good!

We had just gotten back from vacation... we could afford tickets... our relationship is in a really good place... certainly there was someone out there more deserving than me! But, God knew how much I wanted a date night with my husband. He knew how much I needed a good laugh. He knew we wouldn't have gone had I not won the tickets, and He wanted to bless us! What a gift! I am SO grateful! If you ever get a chance to see Michael Reyner, Nazareth, or Robert G. Lee... GO! They are hillarious!

Legoland

Legoland was a blast! Perfect weather. No crowds. Lovely day. As with all perfect days, the kids did have some "issues." Sierra did wake-up with a cold, and Natalie was quite tired. Luckily, Sierra was super happy despite her cold. And, Natalie... well, her grumpies were actually quite funny! I'll share more below!

The only ride we went on twice: Fairy Tale boat. Both girls declared it their favorite. When I say there was nobody in line, I mean nobody at all! Nice. :)

I ove these fountains! As you jump on the circles, the instruments make noise and shoot water.










Ok, here is one instance where the grumpies were funny. Natalie was so excited to ride this ride, but half-way through one could see she was not enjoying herself at all. Apparently, as you pass one of the Lego men, he says, "Are you looking at me?" Natalie was so disturbed, it ruined her whole ride! Hearing her repeat his words made me laugh until I cried!


This ride was my favorite: You get to pull yourself up! It's pretty awesome!


Yes, another grumpy here. Poor thing is a wee bit afraid of heights.

And, Natalie on the car... This picture was taken before they could move. Once they were given the signal to go, Natalie just spun in circles. They attendant was a little perturbed, as Natalie's car kept blocking traffic, but that only made poor Natalie feel worse. The ride is for 3 to 5 year olds, so I can't imagine she was the first to have trouble. Anyway, I didn't laugh in front of her this time, as I could tell she was totally embarrassed. But, it was super cute!

Fresh apple fries... our "tradition" when we go to Legoland. (Ok, this was only our second time going, but we're 2 for 2, and I say it's a yummy tradition!)



For the first time, we got the girls their own room in the hotel that night. (It was a 2-bedroom Residence Inn). Wow, was that nice... There's no going back, now!


And, here is Natalie on her horse:

San Diego Beach Day

I decided I better break my San Diego pictures down into several posts so it is not so overwhelming (for me)! Here we go...

Did you see the upper right hand picture? Yes, I did say "ladybug." And, not just one! We found so many, we decided to build an entire Ladybug Town, complete with Ladybug Lake, Ladybug Castle, and roads.

My attempt at being romantic. Notice the faint "D hearts C" drawn in the sand. Happy anniversary, babe!

LOVE this picture! I actually have several of these from different angles, but Daniel liked this one the best. Poor Sierra; always getting teased!

Ladybug Lake. Sierra "saved" several ladybugs from drowning, though I think their fate was better off in the lake than between Sierra's sandy fingers!

Building "Ladybug Castle."

Yeah... love this picture, too! Once again, I had several shots to choose from; and sometimes she was smiling. But, I had to choose this one for the look of fear and the hair. LOVE IT!




To be continued...

Fondue take 3!

Whew... talk about cutting it close! I finished the cookies just in time! I was literally tying the last one as the first guest arrived. I will have to give you the recipe for the frosting... I found it online, and it is supposedly the Sprinkles, (Beverly Hills cupcake place), strawberry frosting. Whether it is or not, it is incredible!

Every year, I like to change things up just a bit. The decor this year was new, as well as the drinks, favors and dessert. For drinks, we went with raspberry lemonade and peppermint mochas. Mmmmmm....




For dessert, I went back to what we did for New Year's Eve; s'mores... with choices! Cinnamon or honey grahams... peanut butter cups, peppermint bark, coffee bark, dark or light chocolate, and chocolate caramels. It's such a fun end to fondue!





Finally, for our game we passed out conversation hearts to everybody, and went around in a circle. The rule was, you had to add on to a story using the word(s) on your conversation heart. It was fun! For those who could stay, we played Taboo... always a favorite!

Farewell Fondue! And, thanks to all the beautiful mommies who lead at MOPS... you are a treasure!