Babymoon/Anniversary

Matt and I were fortunate enough to get away, just the two of us, this past weekend thanks to the generosity of my parents volunteering to stay home with Savannah.  The timing is great since this week we will be celebrating our fourth wedding anniversary.  We chose to venture down the coast to the San Luis Obispo area.  We drove down Hwy 1, which was one of the most beautiful drives I've ever taken but long and tedious enough that I never need to do it again.  As the morning fog burned off we were able to see the gorgeous California coastline, with its magnificent cliffs and turquoise waters.  We only stopped a couple times (not counting potty breaks), including a quick stop to see the elephant seals.  It was a quick stop because they are STINKY!!!!!!

Beautiful California coastline

Elephant Seals

After a quick drive through Cal Poly (my Alma Mater), our first destination was Pismo Beach.  Splash Cafe in Pismo Beach to be exact.  We stood in a ridiculously long line for our clam chowder bread bowls but it was worth it!  Pismo was chilly and windy, so we only stuck around long enough to take a few pictures of the beach.  Then we moved on to more exciting adventures...

World famous Splash Cafe in Pismo Beach

Pismo Beach!

Just south of Pismo Beach is the Oceano Dunes State Vehicular Recreation Area!!!!!  We ventured down there to test out the limits of Matt's F350.  After being pulled over by the ranger and told not to drive IN the water (for no better reason than to protect the sand birds), we headed into some loose sand...and got stuck no more than 10 seconds later.  Luckily it was an easy fix of simply letting air out of the tires and we were back in business.  We spent an hour or so climbing sand dunes and discovering that we still had yet to test the full limits of our truck. 

Playing around on the Oceano Sand Dunes

After finding a car wash to clean off as much of the damaging salt and sand as possible, we headed back north to The Cliffs Resort in Shell Beach for drinks with a beautiful view.  This was a favorite Happy Hour location for me back in college (can't beat Taco Tuesday!).  Matt was hassled by a five-foot-nothing girl because he ordered a non-alcoholic Shirley Temple.  She backed off when he told her it was for his pregnant wife.

Beer and Preggatini at The Cliffs Resort

Beautiful cliff-side view in Shell Beach

Next on the tour was Firestone Grill back in San Luis Obispo, another favorite of mine!  Since I so rarely get to enjoy this delicious BBQ I had to talk Matt into ordering one of each of my favorite menu items...which is probably easily twice as much food as two people need.  I promised him I would eat it all, and I nearly succeeded.  It helps being pregnant and not having to worry about sucking in my gut after eat a big meal!  We completed the evening by wandering around downtown SLO and meeting up with my old college roommate Tina!

Delicious dinner at Firestone Grill

Day two began by sleeping in (no kid to wake us up!!!) and brunch with my cousin Scott at The Madonna Inn.  After brunch we headed out to the cliffs at Montana de Oro for a bit of hiking and beautiful views.  Matt and I came here shortly after we started dating, so it was fun to reminisce about how much has happened in the last five years.

Hiking in Montana de Oro

24 1/2 week baby (plus food) bump

Once the fog rolled in we decided to head back up the coast because I wanted to tour Hearst Castle.  I completely underestimated the scope of tourism involved with this place, and what I thought might be a 90 minute detour turned into a full evening.  The castle was disgustingly gaudy, the tickets overpriced, and the history behind Mr Hearst himself is quite discouraging.  He separated from his wife, spent 30 years building this fortress to house all his over-priced "art", and didn't even leave the property to his children.  The experience made us miss our daughter and we couldn't wait to get home to see her. 

The Neptune pool at Hearst Castle

Zoo

Yesterday Savannah and I went to the Zoo with my parents ("Elma" and "Alpa").  It's not a very large zoo which is great because she only lasts about two hours between when the park opens and nap-time.  We managed to see most of the exhibits during the few short hours we were there. 

Savannah at the Zoo

Savannah was most excited at the monkey exhibit.  The monkey (please don't ask which kind of monkey because to me, a monkey is a monkey) was happily swinging from branch to branch and Savannah just got a kick out him!

Mommy and Savannah at the monkey exhibit

Grandma and Savannah at the monkey exhibit

Besides the monkeys our favorite exhibits were birds ("bir"), alligators ("abiga"), elephants ("eesh"), giraffes, tigers ("grrrrrrr"), and the sheep and goats in the petting zoo.

Getting a better view of the parrots

Savannah about to scare away some goats

My personal favorite....the Elephants!!!!

Savannah following the pacing elephant

Grandpa showing the alligators to Savvy

Getting as close as possible to the giraffes

Those of you who know my father will appreciate this next photo.  We could probably fill an entire album of my dad holding awkward positions in order to get the best angle of his subject.

Grandpa getting down to Savvy's level to capture the best photo angle

Savannah usually prefers NOT to be in her stroller.  She's pretty good at walking most of the time, but there are times when we have to get creative.

1-2-3-WEEEEEE!!!

Catching a ride on Grandpa

For those of you who think I look a little chunky in these photos, let me set the record straight...I'm not fat I'm pregnant :) 

24 week belly pic

We all wanted naps when we got home...well, everybody but Savannah...she decided the 45 minute car ride was a long enough nap for her! 

Passed out on the car ride home

The PIG

There's a tradition in the Tucker household when we make homemade ice cream.  It's called THE PIG.  The Pig is the lucky person who gets to lick the paddle of the ice cream maker, and it often gets awarded to the youngest member at the gathering.  Monday was Savannah's first time being the Pig.  Once she got going there was no stopping her!  She attacked that paddle with a very business-like, no-nonsense kind of attitude and didn't let up until we dragged her away for a bath.  

Savannah just getting going on the paddle

"Would you all stop flashing cameras in my face?  I'm working here!!!"

"And you thought I was done?!"

"If only I could like my belly clean!"

Farmers Market

Last week was the first Thursday night Farmers Market of the season.  Savannah and I went with the goal of buying a couple flats of strawberries for making jam....my goal SHOULD have been to COME HOME with a couple flats of strawberries...I bought two flats, but Savannah worked her way through a good part of one flat in the two short hours we were at the Farmers Market!!!

Savannah devouring strawberries at Farmers Market

The rare pause during devouring strawberries

Dancing to the awesome bluegrass band

Mommy and a VERY messy toddler

Washing down all those strawberries

A very hyper kid!!!

We all had a blast dancing, eating, and catching up with random friends!  So excited for this coming summer!

Chatty Kathy

Savannah is becoming quite the little miss Chatty Kathy!  She has dozens of comprehensible words in her vocabulary and she attempts to mimic just about any word or sound she hears someone say.  It's really cute.  She'll study your mouth while you say a word and then she'll imitate the movement of the lips and tongue.  The cutest is when she's trying to make an "L" sound because she just ends up playing with her tongue!  

What has aided this learning process the most, I think, is placing alphabet letters all over the house.  We have a set of magnetic letters on the refrigerator that she plays with while I'm cooking/cleaning in the kitchen.  There's also a set of foam letters in the bathtub that stick to the wall when wet.  She'll hold up a letter, I'll say its name, and she'll repeat it.  It also helps that a few of her favorite books are alphabet books. (Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, Dr. Suess' ABC's, and an ABC Toddler Bible)  She can now identify, and verbalize about 85% of the alphabet!  I took this video a couple weeks ago, and she's improved a lot since then, but this is the best video I have...

Monday morning we hit a new milestone....stringing two words together!!!  I should have place a bet on "bye bye Daddy" being her first "sentence," because I just KNEW it would be!  Savannah and I wave goodbye to Matt every morning as he gets on his motorcycle to go to work, and she has been saying "bye bye" for forever.  Monday she took it to the next level and had me and Matt jumping up and down in excitement.

The challenge we're working on now is overcoming the oh-so-convenient-10-months-ago sign language.  Mostly it's just "please" and "thank you," which she has been signing since she was 8 months old or so.  When we ask her to say "please," she will sign it...and she just does not understand when we say we want her to use her mouth, or that we want to hear the words.  She will actually now sign the sign for "please" and then point to her mouth and say "mouth."  It's cute, but I can't help wondering how long it will take to break her of this habit.

Mother's Day

I went to bed Saturday night with the anticipation that Mother's Day was going to the best day ever!  Matt had come home just hours earlier with beautiful tulips and all the fixings for omelets, monkey bread, and alcohol-free mimosas!!!

Mother's Day tulips and alcohol-free champagne

Long story short, I didn't get to enjoy anything but the tulips.  I spent the day with a stomach bug, either sleeping or hugging a giant bowl.  Savannah and Matt has a blast together though!  Matt took her on some daddy errands (read: Orchard Supply Hardware) with a stop at McDonald's on the way home!  Matt learned from the plethora of other dads with their kids that "Mother's Day" is really "Mother's Day Off" in many families.  Matt and Savannah both came home from McDonald's very hyper and excited.

Savannah playing at McDonald's

After Savannah's nap Matt set up the swimming pool in the backyard and they played in the backyard for a couple hours.  I positioned myself on the couch with a perfect view of all the fun...and proceeded to pass out until I heard them come inside after all the fun was had. 

Needless to say, Mother's Day wasn't quite the day any of us had in mind, but Matt took very good care of both me and Savannah.  A mother couldn't ask for a better husband or family :-)

Helping Daddy with his bike

What a lucky girl Savannah is to have a Daddy who just dotes on her!!!  She got to help daddy with some motorcycle maintenance while I was at a bridal shower this afternoon.  I'm sure Matt could have completed the oil changes and putting on of new tires much quicker had he not allowed Savannah to "help", but then he wouldn't have snapped these adorable pictures!!!!!

Savannah "helping" Daddy change tires on his commuter bike

Savannah "riding" Daddy's race bike

Baby's Heartbeat

Yesterday Savannah and I went to my monthly prenatal check-up.  It's a quick appointment so it's not too difficult with Savvy tagging along, but I still do my best to entertain her when possible.  This time I brought raisins!  Oh she just loves raisins!!!!  I wanted a cute picture of her eating her raisins (she's not keen on getting her picture taken lately) so I had to play a little game with her.  First I would say "HAPPY" and smile as big as I can.  Then I would say "SAD" and frown as big as i can.  We play this game often because she just loves frowning and saying "sad", which she can't really do without cracking a smile.  So here's the goofy expressions that resulted from this little game.  None of them are the cute smile I was hoping for, but they're still cute.  Enjoy!

Savannah "frowning", take 1

Savannah "frowning", take 2

Savannah "frowning", take 3

I'm not sure Savannah found the baby's heartbeat as exciting as I did, nor will you perhaps, but I captured it on video nonetheless.

 

I also managed to capture the baby hiccuping today!!!  When I was 22 weeks pregnant with Savannah I was just beginning to feel flutterings of movement in my belly.  This time, however, I've been feeling full kicks, rolls, and hiccups for weeks!  Matt has even felt the the baby kick!!  When you view this video, look toward the right side of my belly and pay attention at 15 seconds and 28 seconds for a slight jump.

I love knowing the gender of the baby as well as being able to feel him move.  I think feeling the baby move around is my favorite part of being pregnant.   It makes the pregnancy feel more real, and almost makes up for the extreme fatigue I've been experiencing.  Now off for a nap!

Walk for Life

This past weekend was one of the busiest and most exhausting weekends I've had in a LONG time.  Combine the 90 deg heat with the early morning charity walk, followed by an afternoon party on a farm, completed by a late night movie and by the time Sunday morning came around I was ready to do nothing but sit on the couch and veg.  The Walk for Life, which supports our local Valley Pregnancy Center (http://www.valleypregnancycenter.org/), was an absolute blast.  It was a family event complete with a band, a clown, balloons, food, and a carnival area for the kids!  

Savannah dancing with the band

The walk was a short 2 miles, which took about 45 minutes to complete because the kids walked it too!!!!!  I half expected Savannah to walk some of it but she exhausted herself during the hour of dancing and flirting prior to the walk so she took a comfortable stroller ride.

The start of the walk... Savannah didn't last long.

Our friends Jen and Ben and their two kids joined us for the walk.  Their daughter walked the entire two miles, with the exception of the catching a few rides on Matt's shoulders.

Addison caught a ride on the biggest horse she could find.

The heat alone was enough to exhaust any of us.  Luckily there were drinking fountains along the way for me to refill my 24oz water bottle.  We all enjoyed the free Carl's Jr. and drinks afterwards.

Savannah and Trenton re"juicing" from the walk

The carnival games set this event above and beyond!  Savannah was too young for most of the stations, but she had fun with them regardless.  She got a rainbow heart tattoo, which no amount of telling her otherwise could convince her that it wasn't an apple.  Silly kids. 

Savannah got an "apple" tattoo at a carnival station

I'm not going to lie....some of the stations I used more for my entertainment than hers....i'm not sure Savannah quite appreciated having to dunk her petroleum-jelly-covered nose in a bowl of cotton balls.  But what a cute picture Mommy got out of it!!!

Savannah participating in carnival games

It's already Tuesday and I'm still not sure I've yet fully recovered from everything we did on Saturday.  After the walk we went straight to our friend Nate's farm to celebrate his 40th birthday with food, drinks, archery, and other outdoor activities. (Its a very good thing pregnant women aren't allowed to drink alcohol because I got dehydrated enough just drinking water!)  Our friends John and Katie were in town so a group of us decided to go see Iron Man 3 that evening.  One of the grandmas graciously offered to babysit so we could have an evening out.  Three of us are all expecting babies within a five day period.  We may not look very pregnant, but we're all over halfway!

Katie, me, and Bethany are all due Mid-Sept

Backyard Update

My backyard has been a MAJOR work in progress for the past year.  I am excited to say that after twelve long months of construction my backyard is finally in a state in which I can sit back and enjoy it!  We contracted out the patio area where we had flagstone installed over the previously existing concrete, installed a fire pit, and erected a built-in BBQ. 

Completed Patio Area

Matt's favorite feature of the entire patio is the concrete counter-top which he helped pour and polish.  He stained it by himself and I am more than satisfied with the beautiful result!

Gorgeous built-in BBQ with custom concrete counter-top

Matt's second favorite feature is the redwood furniture that he bought and stained himself.  The table was actually created using blueprints Matt created himself.  We don't have chairs for the table yet....that's on the to-do list this weekend :-)

Custom-made redwood patio furniture

My contribution to the backyard has been a bit more colorful, edible, and well...organic.  In other words....gardening!  With the house we inherited grapevines, an apple tree, a peach tree, an orange tree, and a beautiful, yet wild rose bush/tree/thing.  Honestly, I'm still figuring out how much pruning and watering each of these plants need. It is yet to be seen if I have my Father's green thumb.

Grapes!

Rose bush/tree/thing

I have also been working hard planting the plants that I want.  The first thing I did when I moved into this house a year and a half ago was to plant three olallieberry vines...and they are THRIVING!!!!  I should have delicious berries within the month.

Olallieberry vines

My friend Chris helped me plant some more colorful additions to the yard.  I have two hydrangea bushes, two azalea bushes, and a bunch of other pretty stuff that I have no idea how to identify.  I love everything but I'll wait a few weeks for the flowers to fill out before posting pictures.

Hydrangea bush

As much as I love all the pretty new flowers and impressive handiwork around the yard and patio, my favorite view is still my beautiful daughter.  We pulled out the pool today and she entertained herself for a good forty minutes while I tended to my flowers and trees etc.  She's such a good girl :-)

Savannah enjoying her swimming pool

Savannah sitting in Daddy's new patio chairs

Pictures don't do justice, so please come visit!!!!  We didn't do all this work and spend all this money to keep it to ourselves.  We have a huge table, a great BBQ, a very enjoyable fire pit, and a large lawn...and NO CONSTRUCTION!!!!!  Wahoo!!!