Maryland!!!

In August we flew off to Maryland to visit Grandma and Grandpa M. It was really nice to have this trip to look forward to all summer and it ended up being one of my favorite weeks of the season. We hadn't been out to Maryland since Christmas of 2011 which seems crazy and it was so fun to be back. We loved being there in the summer and being able to swim in Ben's parents beautiful new pool and hot tub. The girls loved perfecting the skills they learned at swimming lessons this summer and  Rosie was brave enough to jump off the diving board. We did have one rough afternoon where Gwenie toppled out of her floatie right in front of me while I was comforting Evie and I looked down and saw her looking up at me from under the water! So scary! She was fine but my heart was racing a million miles a minute and I took her inside to snuggle her. Ben was busy getting the girls out of the pool and had to run Evie into the house to go to the bathroom. Then Rosie went and jumped off the diving board and had forgotten she wasn't wearing her floaties anymore. Luckily Auntie Cindy scooped her up right away but she had a good scare. It was too much drama for one afternoon and a good reminder of how fast things can become very dangerous. Besides that incident, it was so fun to swim and play games and sit out there and read everyday. 

I loved that Rosie and Evie were finally old enough to really play with their older cousins. They would disappear for hours at a time in intricate games of school and house. Hannah and Callie were so sweet to them. All the little girls got to go to a princess day camp for three of the mornings which they loved and then they would come home for swimming and playing and wienie roasts and movies. It was a kid dream week. We also spent a day on the river tubing and wake boarding and playing on the muddy shore. All the cousins played a very involved game of mermaids and mermen under the dock. We spent one evening out at a candy candy shop and eating dinner on the beach. Becca and Daniel blessed sweet Maebelle while we were there and it special to get to be there and get to snuggle tiny baby Max too. I'm so glad everyone ended up coming out for the week. It was so good to see everyone and be all together in a very full house.

Ben has such a fun family. There is a such a wonderful spirit in their home and I love being there.

Hawaiian Holiday

                            

The last week of June we headed off to Kauai for an adults only vacation and it was unbelievable. We had been talking about doing a trip like this for a long time and it had been a sure thing for a year... but no amount of preparation time would have made it easy for me. I had a ton of anxiety over leaving the girls, especially Gwena and agonized over whether I should bring her along with us or not. I felt really guilty about quitting nursing but knew it wouldn't be a true vacation trying to entertain a baby all day at the beach. Plus in order to get there cheaper we were driving all night to Vegas and I was dreading the travel days with my little pip.  I thought for awhile I'd take my pump along with me and try to keep up my supply but within a couple weeks of us leaving, Gwena started being less and less interested in nursing and they stopped being the sweet, quiet sessions I had been loving. So that definitely helped me make my decision to leave her and it was the right one. 

We had such an awesome time and were completely relaxed. We missed the girls but they did amazingly well and were in phenomenal hands. My awesome friend Lindsay watched them and took them to do all kinds of fun things everyday, kept them all completely happy and on a schedule, built them fabulous A-frame tents, and kept us updated on everything that was going on. We missed our girls far more than they missed us. It made us a little sad to not have them with us to play in the sand and splash in the waves. But it was a much needed break and so liberating to be able to be away and not feeling guilty or rushing back home or worried that they weren't on their best behavior. As soon as we were on the plane, I didn't worry about a thing. I regret that I spent an entire six months racked with anxiety over leaving the girls and laying awake at night writing instructions in my head to Lindsay for ridiculous things like "how to make a cheese roll-up". Everything went perfectly and it was good for all of us. I also wish I had been a little more laid back as far as spending money once we were there and let Ben eat to his hearts content. He deserved a week of complete freedom. Oh well...maybe next time. :)

Ben and I took a long lay over in Oahu on the way to Kauai and toured Pearl Harbor which was awesome and walked Waikiki beach. Once we were all together with my family we spent the week laying at the beach, reading, swimming in the ocean and pool, paddle boarding, and late night hot tubbing. We went on runs and walks on the golf course and went on a long and very muddy hike to Secret Beach on the Napali Coast where my mom almost died. We went to church and toured their awesome community garden, saw The Fault in Our Stars, watched World Cup games, and shopped around spouting horn. We ate a lot of meals at Dukes, enjoyed Puka dogs, and many orders of delicious malasadas (fried dough). 

It was so nice to just be myself and to enjoy Ben and my siblings and parents, especially my little brother and Rachel who had flown over from Texas. No nursing, no nap and bed times to keep or meals to plan or snacks to pack or anyone to take care of besides myself...in such a gorgeous setting.  It was truly blissful.