moments that make it all worthwhile

Travelling cross country with two very active 20 month olds is not easy. Throw in an ear infection (which was thankfully diagnosed the night before our departure so that Lexi could start on antibiotics) and I was afraid that our Thanksgiving trip to California might turn into disaster. I’m not going to lie, there were moments of struggle and exhaustion, and the girls were more fussy than usual due to jet lag and being away from their normal environment and routine. But there were also so many magical moments that made all of those hassles more than worthwhile. Moments like …

Cousins meeting for the first time. Both girls loved Grady. Lexi is a natural little mama. She wanted to constantly hold Grady and would run and bring him a blanket or lovey if he was crying. Now every baby she sees she hopefully asks, "Gaddy?" Kenzie was ready to “play” with Grady and needed to be reminded to be gentle at times.

The girls having fun with Omi K, Aunt Inken and Uncle Andy (and mom & dad) at the playground!

Kenzie practicing her engineering skills with Uncle Andy.

Getting to bond with my handsome little nephew and witnessing Inken & Andrew with their son.

Enjoying delicious food, wine and conversation with family!

Hiking through the redwoods with my girls.

Watching the sunset over the Pacific Ocean.

Letting the girls play in the Pacific Ocean for the first time. The water was freezing but that didn’t stop Kenzie from wanting to run right in. By the time we left she was soaked and covered in sand .. our little beach bum : ) Lexi was not so sure about it .. she was happy if she was being held but wasn’t a big fan of the cold water or the sand sticking to her (or anyone else’s) feet.