Lucas Turns 3!

My little man Lucas turned the big 3 this month! We had a small party for him and his closest buddies - watch this space for more on that - but we couldn't let his actual birthday pass without some fanfare.

Breakfast was a huge treat, a decadent donut cake piled high for the birthday boy!

Not your every day breakfast!

Huffing and puffing

Make a wish

In his birthday suit!

As luck would have it, both Cruz and my nieces had minimum days at school, so we picked them all up and had a birthday lunch at CPK.

Cousins

And because the donut cake just wasn't enough sugar, we stopped at CREAM for dessert.

Strawberry ice cream AND a cookie for the 3 year old

Here's wishing my baby boy a very happy 3rd birthday. He is a ray of light and sunshine in our lives and his smiles, twinkling eyes and laughter are infectious. He makes Randy, Cruz and I laugh every single day and shows us so much love and affection - we are so blessed to have this bundle of joy in our family and I am so thankful that God picked us to give Lucas to!

Carmel Valley Ranch

This year I decided to splurge for my birthday and we spent the weekend at the amazing Carmel Valley Ranch resort and what a treat it was! It was relaxing, rejuvenating and great for the entire family. 

After checking in, and to my kids' delight, we were escorted to our guest room in a golf cart - look at the smiles on those faces!

Excited!

Upon arrival in our room, it was my turn to smile with the complimentary champagne and a birthday card from the hotel.

Bubbly!

Our room was practically a one-bedroom apartment with a living room, large bathroom and comfortable bedroom. 

Home for the weekend

We kicked off our shoes, poured some champagne, and exhaled on our balcony while absorbing the beautiful scenery of the Carmel Valley. 

We finished off the evening with a great meal at the hotel's restaurant, followed by all-you-can-eat s'mores by a roaring campfire poolside! The kids were over the moon when they spotted the wagon piled high with marshmallows, whole chocolate bars and graham crackers. Ok, maybe Randy and I were too :)

The next morning we kicked off our day with a visit to the resort's organic garden and chicken coop. One of the farmer's assistants was on hand to teach kids about the different kinds of hens living at the ranch, their eating habits and how to care for them. The boys picked cherry tomatoes off the vine and fed the hungry hens. 

Up close and personal

After the "chicken chat" (as it's called at the resort), we walked down to the Clubhouse for breakfast, admiring the beautiful grounds of Carmel Valley Ranch along the way. In addition to the organic garden, the resort also boasts their own lavender fields. Guests can even sign up for classes on making your own lavender products like oils, hand lotions and soaps. We also ran into lots of wild turkeys throughout the resort!

Natural beauty

After a hearty breakfast, we headed on to our next activity - geocaching - a first for all of us! Geocaching is a real-life, hide and seek treasure hunt that happens all over the world. Participants use a GPS device to locate treasures hidden anywhere and everywhere, and log their finds online. The Ranch has their own version that is restricted to their property, and so we went ahead and tried our hands at it. Armed with written clues and a handheld GPS device provided by the Resort, we were off!

Cruz the navigator

Found a cache hidden in a pine tree

The caches are usually hidden and camouflaged. Once you find it, you open up the container, pull out the paper log, enter the date and your initials so you can show that you've been there. Then you can either take the "treasure" (in our case, little trinkets like beads, erasers, tiny toys) or leave something of equal value. Then you re-hide the cache for the next person to find.

It was a fun activity that the whole family was able to enjoy, and it also allowed us to explore the sprawling acres of the resort. Luckily it was a gorgeous sunny day, which made it even better. To cool down from traipsing all over the resort, we then hit the pool! We spent the remainder of the afternoon there and it was by far the best part of the weekend for me. Aside from swimming with the kiddos, I read a book, enjoyed a glass of wine, napped and sunbathed. It was the ultimate way to de-stress, unplug and just...be. 

Sweet escape

That evening, we ventured into town and had dinner at a yummy Korean restaurant. Once we again, we enjoyed a nightcap of s'mores by the fire!

Sunday was my actual birthday, and Randy surprised me with a spa reservation for even more pampering. I indulged in the 80 minute massage and relaxed even more in the spa lounge with some tea, and munched on dried fruit and nuts. Boy was it hard to leave!

Reluctantly we packed up and hit the road for home. As a final celebration of my 36th birthday, our awesome neighbors called us over and treated us to more champagne and freshly baked chocolate cheesecake! 

Cheers!

I knew last year's birthday would be hard to top (we were at a lobster bake in Maine), but I must say, this year's celebration did not disappoint. It was the perfect respite from our hectic lives, and I was surrounded by the people I love most - what more could a birthday girl ask for?

Household Chores

Anyone who knew my mother, knew she ran a tight ship in our household. Friends and family who visited our home often joked that she ran a boot camp, because my sister and I were taught at a very early age about household chores. We were told that helping around the house was our way of contributing to the family, along with doing well in school. I believe I was 6 years old when I began doing chores; my job was to set and clear the dinner table every night, wipe down and Windex the glass top. Every Saturday (and I do mean every Saturday), my sister and I cleaned our entire house from top to bottom. We weren't allowed to watch TV, play outside or visit with friends until the house was sparkling.

Growing up I resented the Saturday drill, and envied my friends who barely lifted a finger around their houses. And yet, now that I'm a parent, I can see the value in teaching this type of responsibility to kids. My kids are growing up with far more privileges than I ever did, and I worry about them developing a sense of entitlement or ingratitude. Now that Cruz is 6 years old, we've started implementing regular chores for him. They are pretty simple and straightforward:

• Make bed every morning
• Set the table for dinner every night
• Clear your and Lucas' dishes from the table every night
• Put away toys every night
• Every Sunday, empty garbages throughout the house

At this stage, Cruz mostly thinks the chores are fun, especially changing the garbages (go figure!). And because Lucas wants to do everything his big brother does, he ends up helping out too - win win!

Teamwork emptying garbages

Getting utensils on tippy toes

Pulling placemats

Setting the table together

Vacuuming

I think my mom would be proud that I am teaching my boys in the same fashion that she taught me, albeit I'm not quite as strict! It also makes me feel good that I am teaching them some life skills and beginning what I hope is a foundation of responsibility and hard work.

My 36th Birthday

I type this on the eve of my 36th birthday, on the balcony of my hilltop hotel room, overlooking the beautiful Carmel Valley. I don't hear anything but the rustle of leaves, an occasional bird call and the gentle swish of the wind. It is so peaceful and serene that it's easy to relax and move into reflection. I am grateful for so many things. I have an incredible amount of things to be thankful for and I try to be mindful of them every single day. But the saying goes, with age comes wisdom; here's what I've learned: My life is not without the ups and downs, stress, worry, negativity or difficult situations. But I have reached a place in my life that I have grown enough as a person to know that those things do not control me. I choose how to respond to the things life presents me and I can choose positivity and to be happy. I have learned that with the exception of extreme circumstances, we generally always have the option to be happy, and that is a basic yet very powerful idea to me. I hope that I will always have the strength, courage and clarity to choose happiness.

I don't actually worry about my age very much, because I think as the years go by, life gets sweeter for me. I don't mind that extra candle on the cake as long as I have friends, family and love. I look forward to the experiences, adventure and memory-making that await me!