Back to Life...

back to reality.

why is it so hard to get back into the swing of things after a vacation?

this past week has been a whirlwind. i have wanted to blog since our return, but there has been no time. between catching up on the piles of laundry, cleaning my house, restocking my fridge, and catching up on lost sleep i have been so crazy busy!

we arrived home two weeks ago, Sunday evening from a quick get-a-way trip to Puerta Vallarta. the kids had a little vacation of their own at Nani and Papa's house. when we walked through the door that night, i asked cade how his vacation went and he said, "great mommy!" guess a little get-a-way was just what the doctor order for all of us.

i had a wonderful time with steve, his brother phil, my s.i.l. cindy, and my in-laws inelda & orlando. we stayed right on the beach at the club regina resort.

here are a few of my favorite things that we did:

- zip line course in the mountains

- dinner at senor frogs

- sweeping up in pool volleyball against a crew from Michigan

- reading by the pool

- bargaining on the beach with the locals for stellar silver/red coral earrings

- sleeping in

- ordering a gourmet breakfast every day

- lounging

- eating fresh guacamole daily

it was the perfect balance of relaxation & activity...i savored every moment!!!

Dinner at Beer & Tacos

{so yeah, you know what we had}

Breakfast al fresco

Senor Frogs here we come! You order guacamole, you make it!!!

B.B.Q. bib for the youngB.B.Q. bib for the young at heart

Picture Perfect Views

Wordless Wednesday...one year ago today!

TRUEism

{i love this}

I had to reread it several times for the enormity of it to sink it,

but once it did I became intrigued by it's clarity.

Kinda like a little mantra for the month.

Fun, Fun, Fun in the Summertime Sun

About 2 weeks ago we pulled out the trusty inflatable pool for the first time this season. Last year, Gracyn was so little that she just sat on the sidelines watching brother have all the fun, but this year she was more than ready to rumble in our "pool." Honestly, they could care less that it's only about 4 feet wide and holds about 3 inches of water. Watching them that afternoon you'd think they had the best pool in the whole state!!!

Cade and Gracyn, you were both were both so happy this afternoon that we all stopped what we were doing just to come out and watch you laugh. I wish I could stop time and keep you this small for just a couple of more years, but the one constant in life is change. And I know you will outgrow me long before I outgrow you, so just for today I savored the simple pleasures of life through your eyes.

Good times folks. Good times.

Menu Monday

A quick and easy dessert that looks anything but...this Ghirardelli Chocolate Orange Torte turned out splendid and tasted divine with a scoop of vanilla bean Blue Bell on top! Have a group of friends over for coffee and dessert one night, like we did, and serve up something simple! Don't make hospitality more complicated that necessary. This dessert is easy entertaining at it's best!!!

Ghirardelli Chocolate Orange Torte

SHHHHHHHHH.....the secret is that it's made out of THIS brownie mix!

Even the chocolate ganache is included.

See...lookie here. Give it a whirl.

After all, doesn't Chocolate Orange Torte sound more

"adult" than come over to my place for coffee and brownies?!??

TRUEisms

{image uploaded and originally stitched by alli coate}

Petting Zoo Pals

On Saturday morning my parents took the kids to a local petting zoo! The kids have never been to a true petting zoo before, so this was a new adventure for the foursome! But judging from the pictures and reports from Cade, we won't be strangers to the petting zoo anymore.