Hello Reality!

Last night I went to bed at 12:30am. Really? Yes. I was strangely wide awake, and setting myself up for a solid, drowsy morning of entertaining children. I was so sleepy this morning that I left the house for a little trip to the library without drinking my coffee. Whaaat? It's okay. I treated myself to a cup because I made it through the first day back from vacation. Wait, so you mean I have to make breakfast, lunch, AND dinner?

The day after vacation is always SUCH a doozy. I mean, reality is great and all, but vacation-- ahhh vacation. The total dismissal of all things responsible is entirely too ideal... I shouldn't say all things responsible. Obviously I had to make sure my children didn't hurt themselves or get lost on our trip, but I had my partner in crime by my side to tag-team the whole thing.  

We went to Tahoe. Tahoe is insanely gorgeous and I tried so hard to get a picture of the vast, mountainous beauty as we drove down toward the water, but all I got were 15 blurred photos that needed to be deleted. There's no photo that will quite capture the blueness against the sharp green inclines with gorgeously textured grey rocks... you'll just have to go there yourself one of these summers. I did, however, manage to take 500 photos of other things in four days, and I'll go through and share like any good blogger should, but not today. Today I will ramble and then I will nap. Two of my favorite pastimes. ;)

I'm curious if it's a pretty normal thing for people to hear "wow, you have your hands full," and "are they your kids or are you the babysitter/nanny?" or if it's just me. I think almost every time I go out, I hear one or the other sentence. I never know if I should be flattered that the big world thinks I am a nanny with my hands full and think it means "wow, she's handling things well," or (more likely) if it simply means I am making the management & mothering of my two children look far more difficult than it should. If it's the latter, I'm going to go ahead and blame the bulky wagon we take everywhere, and its terrible turning radius. It's incredibly photogenic and totally essential, but those wheels and weight are not made for the hills of this city.  

Today when we went out, Sophie decided to touch a plant that made her hands sting and she walked all the way home with her hands clapped together, moaning that her hands were so pokey! Why would someone plant a crazy poison plant like that is beyond me, especially because it wasn't particularly pretty, but the guy who handed my coffee over was totally right with the whole "hands full" line he gave me. We got home and I sat in a chair on top of Maggie's toes, and then went to put a toy away and rammed my shoulder into a shelf, so we're quite the scene today.

I'm feeling all of this means that we have come home from vacation a week too early. Tahhooooeeee, we miss youuuu!

Where's the cookie butter when you really need it?  Therapy in a jar, that's what I call it. 

In Pictures: July

Ahhh, summer in San Francisco. It has been an absolutely gorgeous year overall, but a lot of July has been covered in fluffy, white clouds. Good thing fog is gorgeous, because it's chilly. 

America's Cup has been a huge highlight to the month. We're becoming fanatical about getting to the water to watch sailing regularly, and we got to experience an amazing race with my sailor grandpa, who explained the ins and outs of racing, over burgers sans kids. Major highlight of July.  

I laughed a LOT, ate more cupcakes than I should, took far more pictures of my children than any normal person, and did more exercise than I have in probably ten years. So all in all, yes: July was a very good month and I cannot believe tomorrow will be August already.  

 "The days are long but the years are short..."

true that. 

xo. 

Maggie // 23 Months

Shoelaces

"No help, mama."  

On, twist laces, off, repeat.

Practice makes perfect. 

Eight Lovely Years

Brian and I married eight years ago today. 

We were 22. It was a beautiful, romantic, foggy San Francisco evening that I became this man's wife. I was giddy and nervous and in love... and so young.  

Brian and I grew up together these 8 years and have so much to still learn. Ups, downs, good times, tough times... we laugh and cry together, drive each other nuts sometimes, but when it's all said and done, we adore one another.  He is the one I call when I'm having a hard day. I depend on him to cheer me when I'm sad, and be happiest for me when things are good. Lucky me.

I had this funny plan for my life before I met Brian. I would definitely not meet a guy to marry in college. I would work for a bit in a fancy job, take my sweet time, marry someone from out here in San Francisco...

...but God had a WAY better plan and totally changed my life with him. In the best way. And the rest is {our} history, as they say! 

Happy Anniversary Brian, darling.

Also- I looked it up and the 8th anniversary gift the FIRST time I checked is supposed to have something to do with maple. Maple? Obviously, if you know me, you know my mind gravitates toward donuts, so I liked that... but then I thought, "that is weird." So I googled it again, and this time results sounded right... it's bronze. But then, really, bronze?

I'm sticking with the random site that said it's maple (which I interpret to be maple donuts), and foregoing tradition for something he'll actually like. Also, Brian- if you're reading this- feel free to forego tradition as well. No need to replace the drawer pulls with new bronze ones.

Happy July 8th everyone! Make today a good one. :)

Adventure: Muir Woods & Lookout

Some days just call for adventure.  

Adventure just calls for the "real" camera. 

The real camera just calls for a long photo blog post.  Get ready.

Mill Valley is like 15 minutes from the San Francisco city limit, and Muir Woods is RIGHT there. I grew up around here and hand no clue that woods like these were so accessible!! Yesterday, we wanted a little family adventure without having to battle our sweet little toddler's resistance to long drives (this is where having no car during the weeks works against us.. for Maggie, it's kind of the stroller or bust!). For some reason, my husband- who did NOT grow up around here, but knows his geography- suggested it because of its proximity to the city, and off we went!  

We grabbed lunch before leaving, ate it on picnic benches before getting inside, and then started our little hike! It's an incredibly manageable hike with two little ones. Perhaps it's because our lifestyle is to walk a LOT, but the kids walked themselves most of the way to the end! The massive trees, creeks, bridges, and general gorgeousness were perfect for my girls. S and Brian went a bit off-road hiking on a high trail, while M slept in her little Maclaren stroller (which, by the way, is totally fine for the easy trails).  

Stinson Beach was totally nearby too, but pretty packed considering it was the BEST weather, so we just drove up to Muir Woods lookout and enjoyed the insane views of the ocean, city, and mountains! All in a little days' adventure. I'd go again in a heartbeat. 

It's funny, because before we left, I sprawled lazily out on my bed and said "ehhhh, let's just rest at home todayy (with a bit of whine), and when we got home from our adventure, I felt more rested and grateful than I've felt in ages. Sometimes you just need to get OUT of the house/neighborhood/norm, and get a little extra dose of nature and family time to be invigorated! :)