Powerful: Derek + Laura

So 5 years later... Sorry it's taken me so long to post about the rest of our vacation. My goodness where does the time go? Moving on. So Friday afternoon we drove down to Newport Beach to spend a lovely week in the ocean air. We took Brooklyn to the beach, the pool, Balboa Island (a family favorite), Huntington Pier, and really just took some time to relax. I don't think Derek had gotten this much sleep in a a couple of years. We took naps when she napped. She slept like an angel. She must be a California girl. With her early bed time we enjoyed making dinner together, playing some brutal games of monopoly, and just enjoying each others company. Towards the end of our stay Derek's mom came to visit and on our very last day in Newport his Aunt Cindy made a long trek to see us and meet Brooklyn. It was so nice to have her there and she was great with Brooklyn. We took a walk along the beach and as she was holding and walking with B she fell asleep. Why she never does t

Every late afternoon Brooklyn and I love to pick a shady spot in the yard and spend some quality time outdoors. Sometimes we wait for Daddy to get home. Sometimes we take a nature walk. Always, she kicks and screams in excitement to all the wonder she sees. The afternoon breeze brings her extra delight. It's something we both look forward to all day long.  Thank you summer. 

There is just something about a beach vacation that sets your soul free. True relaxation. Not doing your hair everyday. Hiding your un-makeuped face with sunglasses. Wearing dresses everyday. The sun. The breeze. Waves crashing. I could go on and on about why my heart will always belong to the beach. We are truly blessed. My grandpa and grandma Fairbanks own a beach house in Newport Beach, CA and I have been vacationing there for over a decade now. Some of my most fond family time memories are found in this house. This time our little family was lucky enough to catch a week before the summer started to pick up. We wanted to celebrate Derek's graduation and enjoy some much needed family time. Derek was so busy with school that we really wanted to hang out, relax, and re-coop before work and finding a job started. Derek was able to spend so much time with Brooklyn and it was awesome. She loves having her dad around. For the first part of the vacation we stayed at Grandma and Gran

Our sweet Brooklyn is 5 months old. I think now would be a great time to just freeze time. She is so cute and fun I just want to have her in this moment for as long as possible. She has learned so much this past months and always amazes us with everything she is learning to do. We had some great adventures this last month. Probably the busiest of her life so far. She has the sweetest disposition and is growing in to her personality more everyday. We are so luck to be her parents. The first 3 months of Brooklyn's life were hard on me...my advice would be to not have winter babies while living in a basement. Rough. Anyways, the reason I bring this up because of how much I am enjoying motherhood. My body has done most of its recovering, she has grown out of most of her acid reflux problems, it isn't winter, she is growing so much, etc. All I know is everyday spent with her is a blast. Derek and I always get so sad when we put her down for bed that right before we fall asleep we l