Alisal Weekend

Last weekend, we took our annual family reunion trip to Alisal Ranch, a guest/horse ranch outside of Solvang. It is a beautiful place and we all look forward to going every year. In addition to our family time, the boys enjoy golfing and the girls enjoy relaxing by the pool and visiting the spa. We weren't sure what to expect with Abigail this year, but she was a champ and even stayed up late each night without fussing (8:30)... long enough for us to enjoy our delicious dinners. Here are a few of our pictures from the weekend:
On Saturday morning, we rode the hay wagon out to an old adobe on the ranch where we enjoyed a delicious pancake breakfast. One year, my brother decided to eat as many pancakes as he could and set a record... 24! (The record has since been broken, but we still love those pancakes!) Here we are by the stable, waiting to get on the hay wagon. Abigail wasn't sure what to think about the horses... I think she'll enjoy them more next year :)

The whole family in the breakfast area by the Adobe.

The Cowboys (my uncle, Matthew, David, and my dad)
Abigail, hanging out with Daddy in her first pair of jeans and matching jean jacket...
a little big, but still cute
Matthew and Tara went horseback riding and took a picture by the lake... they'll be getting married there in October (not that exact spot, but near the lake)!

Each night, we dressed up for dinner... Men are required to wear jackets!


We had a great time and are already looking forward to next year!

5 Months Old!

(I was having some issues with the post... the missing pics are now back)

"Wow, Mr. Bear! Am I 5 months old already?"

It is truly amazing how fast Abigail is growing and changing! I feel like I'm going to wake up (oh wait, I guess I would actually have to be sleeping in order to wake up, but anyway...) one day soon and she will no longer be a baby! Last week, she started to sit up on her own and now she has it pretty well mastered. Crazy!





I got a new app on my iphone called Hipstamatic that allows you to take pictures with a few cool filters (thanks for the tip, Becky!) I was playing around with the app while Abigail was sleeping in my arms the other day...here are a few of the shots I took:

(my favorite :)

It has also become quite apparent that Abigail is teething... she's drooling like crazy and sucking desperately on anything she can get her hands on. The most random teething remedy I've heard recently is to cut a green onion and rub the white root part on the gums... has anyone heard of this? I'm a little hesitant to try it, but if her pain gets bad enough, I might give it a try. Right now we're using frozen washcloths and teething toys. We'll just have to wait and see when those teeth make their debut!

On another note, David and Abigail made sure to spoil me on my first Mother's Day. One of the gifts I most appreciated was that David took Abigail duty all night long and fed her a bottle so I wouldn't have to get up. It was so nice! (Too bad it couldn't last.... ) In addition to some yummy blueberry scones and coffee in the morning, David and Abigail gave me these Mother's day gifts:
Flowers, Spa Finder Gift Certificate, and Murano glass necklace (Also, not pictured... a Loft gift card which I already used :) David is a very generous giver and always makes sure I feel loved and appreciated on special days like these = one happy wife and mama!

It was a very special day and I felt very loved! (I also made sure to tell my own mom how much I appreciated her... I have a whole new understanding and appreciation for her this year!!!!!)