Trip to Lake Tahoe

For my birthday this year, Gordon and I decided to make a trip back to Lake Tahoe.  We thought about going back to Breckenridge but in the end decided on Tahoe.  We would really like to take William skiing next year and figured taking him somewhere in Colorado would be much easier than California/Nevada.  The flight to Tahoe is 4 hours longer than it is to Denver and there is a 2 hour time difference (not a good thing for toddlers/babies).  So, that is how we ended up back in Tahoe....8 years later!

As you can see in the pictures below, we were much younger during our first trip to Tahoe!  When we visited Lake Tahoe in 2007 we were 25 years old, had been dating about 6 months, it was during Christmas time, we went with all of Gordon's family and it was not only our first real vacation together but our first time to ski together.  

Gordon and I have laughed looking at these two pictures.  We look so tan in 2007 and so pale now?!?  haha.  It was super windy when we took the picture this year (thus the squinty eyes).  As a matter of fact, it was so windy they ended up shutting the mountain down at noon that day.  :(  Talk about a waste of money!  Our flight into Reno was also really bumpy due to high winds.  If you get "plane sick" (nauseous easily) this is not the destination for you.  Apparently, they have high winds in Reno most of the time.  The only thing that kept me from vomiting on the plan into Reno was knowing that Gordon would then vomit as well.....he has a sensitive stomach!    

 We had a great long weekend away!  Traveling can be a bit tiring but it was so nice to wake up in the morning and have nothing we had to do...and we had the option to sleep as long as we wanted.  There was plenty to keep us busy during our 3 day stay.  Heavenly Village (walking distance from our hotel) has a movie theater, ice skating ring and there's even a casino to gamble at.  There wasn't much playing at the theater but we did rent a couple of movies in our room (The Interview was pretty hilarious).  I'm not much of a gambler but Gordon did walk out with some extra dollars in his pocket!  Our second day of skiing was a bust since they shut down the mountain but day 1 was a lot of fun.  Gordon and I got stuck on a newly opened trail with feet of powder.  It was nearly impossible to ski on.  Gordon took a couple of tumbles....I'll just say that I've never laughed so hard in my life.  #goodtimes #greatmemories.  And, when we weren't skiing....we were eating!  We ate at a few places that we'd been to before and tried some new places too.

Azul- Mexican food with the most refreshing margaritas.
Driftwood Cafe- Yummy breakfast with delicious pancakes!
Kalani's-  Huge selection of sushi and fish.  Great place for date night.
Fire and Ice- All you can eat....you build your meal and they prepare on skillet.  So fun!
Stateline Brewery- We stopped here for a quick drink and appetizer after a long day of skiing.  Their edamame is fabulous.

Since we Texans rarely get to dress "wintery" I had fun getting all bundled up!

J Crew vest |  Skinny jeans from Zara  |  Tassle necklace by Sweet Annie Design on Facebook  |  Splendid ankle boots (similar)  |  Anthropologie sweater (sold out)  |  Tom's wedge boots  

I'm so glad we had a grown up getaway.  It's just what we needed.  Every couple deserves to get some time away to enjoy each other!  It was kinda fun to be back at our first vacation spot.  It's amazing how much has changed since 2007.  I will say that Lake Tahoe isn't a place I'd take my young children to ski.  Getting up/down the mountain via the Gondola takes time and patience.  Breckenridge will be where we take William.  You just can't beat the fact  that it's ski in ski out, you can buy your lift tickets and rent equipment at your hotel!

Here's to hoping next years ski trip is even more fabulous!    

4th Annual RB Vacation

FiNaLLy!!!  I've finally gone through the 200 pictures we took while we were in Rosemary Beach back in May.  I'm sure Gordon and William are sick of my picture taking but I doubt I'll be changing any time soon.  The memories are too precious!

We had the best week in Rosemary Beach for the 4th annual Gooding Beach Vacation.  I was so much more relaxed this year.....knock on wood....things with William are getting easier in so many ways.  William's first year to the beach was hard just because he was so tiny and I was having to pump every three hours.  As soon as I would finish up and get down to the beach it was nearly time to head back up.  Last year was better but still not as easy as this year.  There was a lot of sand eating last year and he actually preferred to be at the house pool playing instead of the beach.  This year was perfect!  William loved the sand, by the fifth day he was mesmerized by the ocean, his grandparents spoiled him with ice cream everyday, Gordon and I got lots of us time and we all got much needed R&R.

As you can see, William became quite the beach baby!  He played, played and played some more.  We would usually head down to the beach an hour after breakfast.  William would play for an hour, eat a squeezy pouch, we'd go for a walk, he'd have another little snack, play for a little bit more and then we'd head up for lunch and naptime.  During that time Gordon and I had 2 -3 hours of peaceful beach time.  

We even went crabbing one night.  William still talks about the crab that bit his daddy's finger.  He says, "da beach, daddy, OUCH!" when he sees a picture of a crab.  The Gooding guys spent most of there days playing games on the beach.  William was pretty interested in the bean bag toss game.  

• Brandon and Ashley did a fabulous job, as usual, on the fish fry and shrimp boil dinners we had a home!
• William loved going on bike rides.
• Checking Aly Beach out with Daddy.
• My little man. 
• This. Melts. My. Heart.
• Playing with Uncle Grant. 
• Taking it all in with Aunt Em. 
• Those baby blues will get ya!
• Dinner at George's. 

Rosemary Beach is a little piece of Heaven on Earth!!  {more pics coming tomorrow}

Independence Day

On the last day of our trip to the JW we said goodbye to our sweet baby boy so he could go to CampNanaPapa!  William stayed in San Antonio with my parents another night before heading to West Texas the next morning.  Leaving William in San Antonio made things a little easier since I knew there was so much entertainment at the JW.  I still cried my eyes out on the drive home to Houston.  Unfortunately, Gordon had to leave town that week for business so this momma was on her own.  I was pretty disappointed about how the scheduling all worked out....but I ended up having a fun few days alone....happy hour at Perry's, went to see Maleficent, did some shopping, got my hair done, got a mani/pedi and when I got up in the morning for work I was out the door within 15 minutes!
 

Lunch Date!

Thursday afternoon we headed to West Texas for the July 4th weekend and to get our baby.  :)  Before heading to the airport we had a fun lunch date at Benjy's.  Thanks Nana and Papa for taking care of our sweet little buddy.  It was great to have some "ME" time.

{Playing with Uncle D} {Living the Good Life} {Fireworks!} {Watermelon with Skye}

We had a great weekend just relaxing at the house.  We hit up some of my favorite lunch spots, got to visit with my Grandpa and GG, took some long naps, stayed up way too late talking the night away, and got lots of pool time in.  We even did a few fireworks with William.  He couldn't decide if he loved them or hated them.  He would cry "bye bye" and a minute later tell you "more".   

{Feeding the baby goat at Pop and GG's} {SO happy to see our baby} {Lunch with D and Skye} {He had a fun weekend with Nana and Papa} {love} {Summer Mummers} {Watering with Nana} {Bubbles!}

Saturday night we got a babysitter so we could go to Summer Mummers.  It was a last minute decision so we didn't have the best seats.  I'm so glad we decided to go because we all had the best time!  You can't beat laughing the night away with your family while drinking beer and throwing popcorn.  

{To say he loved the Polaris is an understatement} {Learning from the best}

We even made time for shooting while we were in town!  Fun times.  I always hate leaving but luckily we'll be going back in September.  Until then I'll harass Gordon about moving back to this beautiful desert town. :)

Mini Vacation

The last weekend in June we had a mini vaca in San Antonio at the JW Marriott.  The last time Gordon and I were there I was 6 weeks pregnant with William.  We were so excited to take the little buddy to this fabulous resort....and we got to meet up with Nana and Papa! 
Getting to the JW is a breeze from Houston.  It's a short 3 hour drive with a Bucee's in between!  The first day we were there we rented a cabana.  It's definitely the way to go if you have a large group of people.  All the chairs get taken up super early in the morning so having the cabana with lots of seating all together is awesome.  You also get a mini fridge stocked with drinks, a shaded area (a plus if you have little ones so they can nap), and you get four lounge chairs in the water (again, perfect for little ones).  During the day we soaked up lots of sun, lounged on the lazy river, did the water slide 100 times, had one or two pina~coladas,  and just chilled.  In the evenings we got to listen to live music and play outside.  William loves music and watching people play the guitar so he was in heaven!  If he could talk I know he'd tell us this was one of the best weekends ever.  There was even a food truck outside that served food and adult beverages!  It was in a big, open, grassy area where kids could run around, throw ball and be as loud as they wanted.  A parents dream.  :)  

Last summer we stayed at the Hyatt Regency in San Antonio.  It's on the other side of San Antonio (closer to Sea World) and super nice as well.  The two hotels aren't much different in price, both have lazy rivers and both are kid friendly.  Here are a few things about each that we liked.

JW Marriott San Antonio:  Not only kid friendly but fun for adults too.  They have a huge bar with TVs everywhere.  Perfect for football season!  The kids pool was just right for William's age (slides, splash pad kinda stuff).  The BIG slide will be fun years down the road as well as the arcade room they have.  

Hyatt Regency San Antonio Hill Country- The Hyatt had a more outdoorsy feel to it.  It was surrounded by lots of trees and even had a nature trail that we walked through.  I don't remember there being much of a splash pad but they were in the process of building some big slides.  They did have several sandy "beach" areas off of the lazy river.  William really loved it last year!  I think you could even bring your own cooler with food etc into the pool area.  That may have changed by now?!?!?

Both places are fantastic!  They both offer child care/day camp for children 3 and up (that are potty trained).  It would be a great way to have some adult time and for your kiddos to meet friends and get some energy out for several hours.

Cabana Time  |  Squirt toys are the best  |  "Front roll, Mama!"  |  

Can you tell W wants to get down and run?  |  Relaxing  |  SO much fun!

My parents kept William one extra night in San Antonio before driving him back to Midland with them.  Leaving our sweet little buddy was so hard but I knew he was in good hands and would have a blast with his Nana and Papa!  They danced the night away after Gordon and I left.  Thanks goodness for pools, guitars and live music.  :)  

Birthday in Breckenridge

If you know me fairly well you know I had two pretty strong opinions before becoming a mommy.  #1 you can’t forget about your husband after your baby is born (he is the reason you have that baby after all)   #2  you should leave your baby every once in a while so you can spend quality time with your significant other.  With that being said.....if you know me post baby you know that I’ve never spent a night away from baby boy……UNTIL NOW!  Don’t get me wrong, I’m still a strong believer of #1 and #2.  But, sometimes it’s hard to get away.  Gordon and I do have date night at least once a month but until now leaving William for an extended period of time didn’t feel right.  The first 18 months of William's life he was nursing (I was pumping) and he didn't sleep well through the night (at least not consistently).  I knew I wanted our first vacation to be as relaxing and fun as possible (and that does not include stopping everything to pump every 4 hours). 

As the holidays wrapped up, the house started coming together, and William started sleeping like a champ Gordon and I decided what better time to take a vacation together than now!  AND, to make it even more fun we’d be going during my birthday weekend.  My parents had seen William the weekend before and they had a trip of their own planned to Las Vegas so the lucky winner of a weekend with William was Gordon's parents.   

I was of course anxious about being away from William for four days but knew he was in great hands.  I’m pretty sure that time apart is harder on the parents than the kiddo!  When Gordon and I got into the car to head to the airport he told me he was proud of me (for leaving the house without crying)….I immediately burst into tears but recovered fairly quickly.   

Colorado was beautiful (and a little cold at only 5 degrees on arrival)!  Before heading to Breckenridge we drove into downtown Denver for lunch at Rock Bottom Brewery (recommended by a sweet friend).  It was the perfect way to start our trip.  Delicious food, fun environment and yummy drinks.  Once we got into Breckenridge we valeted our car and didn’t get it out again until Sunday morning.  I love being able to walk everywhere I need to go!  Since sleeping in was on the top of our list of “things to do” we skied half days on Friday and Saturday.  It worked out perfectly!  We got lot of rest, watched a few movies, had lots of relaxing dinners and what's better than skipping the gym and hitting the slopes?!?!?

• Taking a "selfie" before hitting the slopes
• All bundled up!  Not an inch of skin showing.
• On top of Peak 9
• Ready to get back out there after a hot chocolate break
• Heading out for my birthday dinner
• Picture perfect scenery for my 32nd birthday!

Gordon and I had a blast skiing!  We hadn't been in six years so I was a little nervous about severely hurting myself..  haha.  Luckily, we both did great and even managed to stay warm in the cold temperatures.  Breckenridge got a record amount of snow while we were in town.  It literally snowed the entire time we were there.  SO PRETTY!

• Thankful for my Hunter rainboots from my mom and dad!
• Yummy dinner and organic margarita at Mi Casa (check it out if you're in the area!)
• Baby it's cold outside
• Breakfast at the cutest bakery, La Francaise, on Saturday morning.
• It doesn't get much better than this.  Heaven on Earth.
• Beer tasting!
• So peaceful and pretty

Although leaving William was hard and I missed him like crazy, I am so glad we took this trip.  I am refreshed, rested and rejuvenated.  It has made me appreciate the little things with baby boy even more and it was so nice to have so much time with Gordon.  We can hardly wait to take William back when he turns four for his first ski lesson.  You better believe I will take 1,000 pictures during that vacation because those little snow bunnies are the CUTEST. THINGS. EVER. 

Sleepy boy trying on his new shirt!

Kentucky

Last month William and I took a little trip with my parents to Kentucky.  Kinda random, right?!  The  national APHON conference was held in Louisville, Kentucky this year so we headed north. 
Gordon has been traveling once a week for work so he wouldn't have been able to take baby boy to school and pick him up while I was gone....so, baby boy came!  My parents were sweet and offered to come along to watch William for me. 
The night before we left town my parents babysat William so Gordon and I could celebrate our 3 year anniversary.  The next afternoon we headed to Kentucky.  The trip there was pretty rough.  To be honest, it was actually awful.  William has flown 10+ times and done GREAT.  For whatever reason this flight hurt his poor little ears.  He screamed for 25 minutes straight.  stressful and sad.  By the time we got off our first flight (in St. Louis to change planes) we were worn out and I was terrified of how the next flight would go.  I'll have to do a post on flying with baby tips!  Long story short, we never got on the next flight.  Southwest delayed the flight to 12:40am.  Nope.  Not doing that!  So, we rented a car and my sweet daddy drove us to Louisville!  We finally crawled into a bed at 3am.

BYE Houston!

The APHON conference was great.  I love being around other nurses that do what I've been doing for 9 years.  It's a tough profession.  It's sad.  Getting to hear others stories and just be with people that understand is nice.  They get it when most people don't.  Being the emotional basket case that I am lately I cried a few time .  But, I learned a lot and I had a great time with my family and W.
Kentucky was beautiful.  To be honest, I'm ready to move there!  The weather was great and the homes were beautiful (and reasonably priced....yep, I checked it out).  I have no idea what people do for jobs up there?!?!  I do know that I was a tad jealous. 

So, what did we do when I wasn't in meetings?  Well, The Ohio river separates Kentucky from Indiana so they have lots of beautiful scenery.  We had dinner on the water one night and did a lunch boat cruise one day while I had a long break. 

These pictures describe William perfectly:

• oooooohhhhhhh!
• Always pointing and looking at you in amazement
• Rubbing those eyes when he's sleepy (Papa had someone draw W!)
• Walking with Papa looking at the ducks, bridges, cars, water....

 On our last night we ate at Hard Rock Café.  My meeting was held in the downtown area so we stayed down there and went to an area called Forth Street Live!  There were a ton of restaurants that looked fabulous.  Baby boy loved the Mac 'n Cheese and the music.  He danced the entire time we were there!

Being a mommy and wife will always be my first priority.  But staying educated is also important to me.  I want to continue to grow and learn.  I want to be a good nurse to the sweet patients and families I care for.  Knowledge is power.  For me, being well rounded in all areas of my life makes me the happiest.  I've always liked the saying "don't put all your eggs in one basket".   Most of mine are in the family basket but I keep a few reserved for my friends, work, my brain and body. 
So, thanks TCH for allowing me to attend this years conference!

Rosemary Beach Part 2

Here's part 2 of our Rosemary Beach Vacation!

Life doesn't get much better than this!  Gordon and I had a fun lunch date at a neaby sushi place that was super yummy.  We also had a breakfast date at our favorite little café.  It's so nice to spend timetogether without any distractions.  We sure do love time with our little buddy but you gotta have some alone adult time every once in a while.  And let's be honest....William's grandparents love alone time with him too! 

If we weren't eating or at the beach you could find us doing this.....

 



 

I'm by no means an expect on 30A (my sister in law is though!) but I thought I'd post some of our favorite places. 

 

Our 30A Restaurant Itinerary:

 

Aqua Sushi:  This was our lunch date spot.  It's right in the middle of RB "downtown" area.  They had yummy avocado bowls and lobster nests.

Caliza Poolside Restaurant:  This restaurant's ambiances is fabulous!  If you're looking for a quiet beautiful place to have a cocktail with your honey.  THIS IS YOUR PLACE.  It's located in Aly Beach (one mile from RB). 

Great Southern:  Is located in Seaside.  You can ride your bike to Seaside (we've done it before) but it's a work out!  RB to Seaside is an easy 15 minute drive.  We went to Great Southern last year.  They had great grits and mojitos! 

Summer Kitchen Café:  This is by far our favorite breakfast spot.  It's right by the bike shop in Rosemary Beach.  They have the best French Toast and Breakfast Burritos. 

Cowgirl Kitchen :  Another must go!  Yummy, yummy, yummy.  Every year, by the end of the week, the waitress knows us.  Not only is their food delicious everyone is so friendly.  Some days we just stop in for a beer and appetizer.  The crab dip is terrific.  We get a ton of it to-go for the house during the week. 

George's :  I mentioned George's in my last post.  It's an adorable little cottage located in Aly Beach.  Nothing is bad on the menu.  I usually get the fish tacos but this year had a chicken wrap so I could share with W.  It's was super yummy.  Their sweet tea is something to write home about.  :) 

Paradis:  Mommy Notice....they don't have high chairs.  haha.  But...it's a great date night restaurant with a great selection of seafood, steak and chicken.  We took William here on our first night and he did great.  We just sat outside in case things got crazy. 

Bud and Alley's:  This restaurant/rooftop bar is located in Seaside.  They have a gorgeous view and cute t-shirts!  We haven't gotten the chance to go here in the past two years (since our infamous bike ride).  It's a great place to grab a drink while you're doing some shopping in Seaside.

Stinky's:  located in Santa Rosa.  Yummy fish tacos and curly fries! 

The Red Barn:  We went here our first year to RB.  Located in Grayton Beach it's a 30 minute drive.  Great place if you're looking for live entertainment and fun bar.   

 



Family Photo on Day 1

Picking Daddy up

Last full day on the beach

 

Deep sea fishing

Before going to Rosemary Beach I knew we'd want to have a "grown up" night out.  One of my girlfriends vacations in RB and had mentioned using a nanny service.  Here's her post about her trip to 30A.  She shared the nanny's info with me which I quickly used to get something booked.  We ended up using them, Nanny Can, on the Tuesday evening that we were in Rosemary Beach.  I asked for someone with experience...they ended up sending one of their managers who passed all 8 adults "inspection".  We didn't leave until it was William's bedtime so all she had to do was give him a bottle and put him in the pack-n-play.  I'll be honest, I get pretty anxious about leaving baby boy but I was able to have fun.  We all hopped on our bikes and rode over to Caliza's.  The weather was perfect, the wine was delicious and the company wasn't too bad either.  :)  I'm so blessed to have such amazing in-laws! 

I can't say enough how much I love Rosemary Beach.  The weather is always so nice, the beach is beautiful, it's quiet and the town is adorable with great restaurants.  Ashley and Brandon are able to drive from Birmingham and bring all the supplies for the annual fish fry.  It's perfect.  Next year will be even more fun with William!
Here's a few pictures from our little family photo session.  William wasn't too into it....

 

 

 

It's so crazy to see how much a child changes in a year!!  Hope everyone had a great summer too.  We are ready for FALL!

 



Rosemary Beach Part 1

This post is WAY past due but on a trip like this I take hundreds of pictures.  It is so hard to choose which ones to post!
Anyways, moving on.....at the end of July we headed to Florida for the 3rd annual Gooding family Vacation!  We love, love, love 30A and in my opinion there's nothing better than Rosemary Beach if you're looking for a family beach vacation.

Here are a few of the reasons we love going:

• Super easy to get to (not even a 2 hour flight from Houston to Panama City)
• It's family friendly
• Fabulous restaurants 
• Easy going with laid back and friendly people
• Best of all, you can ride your bike everywhere!  Getting in and out of the car with a little one can be tiring so I love it when we can avoid car rides! 

Our first stop after landing is usually the bike shop (after fish tacos at George's of course).  This year little William even got to join in on the fun.  He got a buggy!!

We spent lots of time on the beach and by our rental house's pool.  I took advantage of the pool while baby boy napped.  :) You can't beat getting some sun and reading a good book.  Luckily, William loved the sand!  The only problem was he wanted to EAT the sand.  He thought it was hilarious.  Yuck.  When the sand eating would start to get out of control we'd take him into the water.   He loved splashing into the waves and had a permanent smile on his face when he was out there with Gordon.  Once he was wet and sticky he didn't last much longer on the beach so we'd take him up to the house and let him play in the kiddy pool.  He loved spraying people's feet off with the water hose!  Such a boy.  A water hose, power cords and other appliances he shouldn't touch could keep him entertained for hours.    

 

If we weren't on the beach we were probably eating.  Gordon and I had a couple of dates, we had several dinners at home, a little Bachelorette watching (another annual tradition. haha. the boys love this one) and a grown ups night out.  In RB part 2 I'll have more details.  :)



• HI beach!
• The boys frying some fish
• Sharing with uncle Grant
• Picking the boys up from their deep sea fishing trip in Destin
• Being silly before dinner
• Practicing walking with aunt Ash

Stay tuned for more fun in the sun....Rosemary Beach Part 2!

Summer Fun

We've had an extremely busy summer (more on that later) so I've been bad about doing my weekly Wonderful Wednesday post.  So, I thought I'd post a few pictures that we've taken over the past few months.  Between summer vacations, our Sunday music class, and just everyday life we have managed to squeeze in some fun activities between all the "house stuff" we've been dealing with.

 

Made a stop by the snowcone stand in our neighborhood!  They get crazy busy on the weekends so going on a random Wednesday is the way to go.  I may or may not have asked G to stand in that outrageous line when I was pregnant.  :)

 We've had a million lunches and dinners at Memorial Park.

 

A couple unforgettable play dates at the Houstonian with some of W's best buds. 

 



Who says life ends when you have a baby?  Having fun watching Daddy play at TopGolf.  We can hardly wait to sign William up for golf lessons. 

We've even had a few date nights.  The picture above was taken at the new wine bar in Midtown, 3rd Floor. 

We've tried out a few new yogurt places.  The terry cloth outfits William has on in the picture above and below are from BabyGap.  They are on sale now so check it out!  They have been perfect for post swimming.  They dry easy and are super comfy. 

We've gone swimming with the Wilsons (great way to make the kiddos tired!).

Gone on some bike rides while we were in Florida.  Are his flip flops not the cutest things ever?!?!  Here's a similar pair that are on sale now!  They have a strap on the back so they don't fall off....perfect for babies.

 

And, last but not least, we had some yummy banana cupcakes at Sprinkles in Highland Village during one of our many play dates!

 

Hope everyone is having a great summer too!  What do y'all do to keep your little ones entertained?  I know I'll need some ideas for next summer.