San Diego - 1: Arrival!

We have been so looking forward to our Spring Break trip to San Diego this year! The flights were priced right so we decided to book a trip at the last minute and head south since we enjoyed it so much last year. Packing up the Phillips clan is no small effort, especially since we were determined to not check any bags. So - this is how we rolled - literally.

The flight was definitely worth it! By the afternoon we were in a beautiful condo with a view of Mission Bay and had a playground right outside our door.

 We headed down to the park again after dinner for a sunset swing.

 Today we played at the beach by our condo most of the day. It was 80 degrees, perfect for a dip in the water and building sandcastles.

 

 After lunch we splashed around the condo pool - definitely a perk with these three. Edison and Charlotte are both in "minnow" swim class at the Y. Their freestyle is starting to look pretty good.

 After dinner we walked over to the ocean side of town and played on the beach during sunset. It was stunning and the waves were spectacular.

 

Nana's Back and My Birthday Was Magic!

Nana is back after her winter on the desert. We are so excited to have her back! The kids loved all the awesome gifts she brought back. Reed has been dragging his new stuffed racoon everywhere!

My students surprised me on my birthday with: balloons, a really nice poster with the kindest sentiments written on it, the doughnut fairy, flowers, candy, cards, and an amazing sweatshirt that I love! I am so lucky to work with them every day!!!

 Meanwhile, I celebrated with the family at Preservation Kitchen's outdoor patio followed by very yummy chocolate cake at home and really thoughtful presents from Eben and the kids.

 On Saturday, we took the kids skiing. It was 50 degrees on the mountain. The game plan was for me to ski with Edison and Charlotte in the morning while Eben took Reed to the cabin to check in on things, then we'd meet up for lunch and switch Reed duties so Eben could ski. The only problem was that the kids were DONE skiing by lunchtime due to the warm weather and sloppy snow. So we took our picnic lunch to Deception Falls and did the hike. The amount of water flowing was incredible!

 

 We stopped at Nana's for another birthday cake - Charlotte provided the inspiration. Then they had a sleep over party while Eben and I went home and hosted a birthday party for our friends. What a great weekend full of family and friends!

APRIL: Matt and Paige Get Married!

We headed to Auburn, Alabama to celebrate Matt's wedding to Paige! We were so fortunate to share in this big event and of course, the kids had to come to Uncle Matt's wedding!

 Eben was honored to serve as Matt's best man. It was fun to help him prepare his speeches for the rehearsal dinner and wedding reception. Though I did lose him as my best man for the weekend!

Awww - Paige and Matt during the speeches at the rehearsal dinner. I loved hearing the wonderful things that friends and family had to say about both of them.

 

We had stayed in a beautiful, roomy suite that enabled us to have the kids in the living area at night while we kept a separate bedroom.

 The master bath had a HUGE tub. Reed loved it and swam in it for hours.

 We went off schedule due to the traveling and time changes. Reed was frequently at loose ends. This was one happy afternoon where he wore himself out and crashed for a late nap.

 The hotel had a lovely pool. While the weather was on the cooler side, it felt great to be outdoors after we spent Friday sheltered inside from thunderstorms and heavy rain.

 Rather than swimming, the kids created a few different games involving waterbottles as we had no other toys. I love watching them work out how to play together and their inventiveness.

 At the United Methodist Church for the ceremony! We were not able to take pictures of the ceremony, so hopefully we will have some later from the photographer, because they were so beautiful!

 Charlotte loved her new dress for the occasion. She called it her "wedding dress." Too cute. She had fun with Addie on the dance floor, a daughter of one of Paige's cousins.

 

Love this one with Eben! Kids were a handful, though - note the little hands creeping up for attention!

  We arranged a babysitter for the kids so we got to enjoy all the festivities, like the amazing and talented Perfect 10 Band at the reception.

 The garter...

 Eben giving the best man speech. So handsome!

 

 Sunday morning we said goodbye to Auburn and the lovely union of Matt and Paige. After a late flight out of Atlanta, we were back to our house at 10:00 at night.