Happy 3rd Birthday Elise!

Elise,

3 years ago today, a very special little girl joined our family...YOU! Ever since your arrival, daddy and I have spent virtually every waking moment enveloped in your world. We see what you see, love the things you love, and strive to make your life experience the best one possible. We've experienced the highs of your baby milestones, and are now awestruck by how much you have grown.

At three-years-old, we envision the world at your miniature fingertips. You are a little ball of energy who never misses a beat, you thrive off being involved and active, which bedtime aside :), we love. You question how things work, and surprise us daily with your clever quips. You are quite opinionated and vocal about your preferences, however, you are also the most thoughtful and kind little girl; you never want to see anyone upset, and act as the most mature little problem-solver I know. You are incredibly sharp; a very quick learner in all that you undertake. Mom and dad are taken aback by the things you know, much of which you learn at preschool with your many friends. You are very social and love playing with other kids. The more you grow and mature, the more of a joy you are to know. Your baby sister, Alina, looks up to you and you have never let her down. You are always there to lend a hand and make things easier for everyone else; this is a quality we greatly admire and love about you.

You are an amazing little girl with an incredibly bright future ahead of you. We are honored to be your parents, and get the opportunity to experience your life unfold before our eyes. While we don't know all the specifics of your future interests and the choices you will make, what we do know is that we always will be cheering you on from the sidelines in whatever makes you the happiest. We will forever be your biggest fans. 

Happy 3rd birthday beautiful girl!

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

The Girls Preschool Photos - Summer 2012

Alina's first preschool photo, isn't she adorable!

Sweet Elise posing for her photo, she's almost 3

Precious little baby in purple at 10-months-old

Our playful girl hamming it up for the camera

Happy Father's Day 2012

Daddy and Alina on their first Father's Day together

Love this photo of daddy and his number one fan, Elise

While every day is a celebration of daddy in our household, it is nice that he has his own special weekend of heightened appreciation. As I sit here thinking of what adjectives to type, to best capture the pure awesomeness that is daddy, I feel like there truly aren't enough. He is everything the girls could ever want or need. They are both enamored with him, and he is 100% their hero. It is so special to be able to say, that because of him I have no doubt in my mind that they will ever grow up lacking in encouragement, affection or emotional support. I like to playfully refer to him as the "tiger dad" of the family; he's constantly striving to teach them more, get them involved and ensure that all their needs are not just met, but exceeded. He cares so much for his three girls, and I genuinely can't imagine a better expression of love than what shows us every single day.  Thank you dad, for being everything we could ever want and need. Happy Father's Day! 

Alina's special footprint Father's Day card for daddy

He got spoiled by his girls as usual

Destination: Big Sur, California, Part 3 - McWay Falls & Nepenthe Restaurant

Beautiful McWay Falls - Big Sur, CA

Family Photo

McWay Cove is gorgeous from every angle

Nana and Papa posing for us

House with a view is right

Beautiful Big Sur coastline from The Waterfall House site

On our final day in Big Sur, we visited stunning McWay Falls, right off Highway 1 across from Julia Pfeiffer Burns State Park. I had seen a few photos online prior, but let me tell you, this place is absolute heaven. It is impossible to take a bad photo here; it really IS that gorgeous. It's not everyday that you get the opportunity to see tide falls (waterfalls that empty directly into the ocean). In fact, there are only two other tide falls in North America, one in Point Reyes, near San Francisco, and the other in Hawaii, so as you can imagine this place is quite unique. There is a short hiking trail, right off the freeway, that leads you to incredible views of McWay Cove, Falls, the rugged coastline and the vibrant cerulean blue Pacific. Even more interesting is that once you reach the trail end, you will find the former site of "The Waterfall House", where Lathrop & Helen Hooper Brown once lived. It's pretty amazing that they got to wake up to these gorgeous views every day.

Our very last stop in Big Sur, was lunch at Nepenthe Restaurant. The restaurant has amazing panoramic views of the coastline, great food, and they make a pretty excellent Bloody Mary as well. I had to try, "The Famous Ambrosia Burger", and it did not disappoint. Lunch was very enjoyable and Nepenthe Restaurant was the perfect end to our Big Sur weekend vacation, the only unfortunate part was that it had to end. We all truly enjoyed the beauty of Big Sur, and could have stayed even longer. Next vacation must be one week minimum!

The Phoenix at Nepenthe Restaurant

The gorgeous view by our table

The girls enjoying the day

Delicious Ambrosia Burger

All six of us enjoying our lunch with a view

Last coastal views before heading home

Purple Sand of Pfeiffer Beach - Big Sur, CA

Beautiful purple sand at Pfeiffer Beach - Big Sur, CA

  

The girls exploring Pfeiffer Beach

Adorable baby beach bum

Elise playing by the sand with her cousin, Tyler

Beautiful views at Pfeiffer Beach

 

Purple sand paradise 

During our first family camping trip a couple weeks ago, we had the pleasure of spending the day at gorgeous Pfeiffer Beach in Big Sur, California. This is one of the most beautiful Northern California beaches we've visited. It is a bit of a hidden paradise, off scenic Highway 1. I think much of the draw of this beach, is the fact it has purple sand (due to manganese garnet deposits in the rocks); a very unique find. We had to do a bit of exploration to find the areas with purple sand, it is not everywhere, but still certainly noticeable in particular locations. 

The girls had such a great time exploring and playing with their cousins! Elise and her cousin Tyler have so much fun together. They really are the best of friends, and she loves spending time with him. Alina wasn't so sure what to think of all the wind and sand, so she didn't venture much further than her beach towel. This is her third trip to the beach; she is becoming quite the little traveler. All-in-all it was a very fun day at beautiful Pfeiffer Beach.

Beautiful scenery around every corner

Building their sandcastle

She wanted to make "sand angels", cute

The kids playing at the beach

 

Laughing and running from the waves, so cute

It's hard to leave such a gorgeous place