quick getaway

May started with a super quick getaway to San Jose for Melissa's birthday and Aubrey's baby shower...got in Friday afternoon and met Melissa for dinner at Santana Row, but first a quick visit with Diana, Shirley and Mari...thanks for meeting me ladies, always love seeing you guys :)
dinner at Left Bank
Happy Birthday Melis! Cheers to life changing Crossfit :)  Melissa got me and Dee into it and really should be a spokesperson for them...hee!
 
ahhh the spa at Burke Williams, was so nice to hang out with my sisters!
Aub's shower the following day
Congrats Aub, so excited for your bun in the oven :)  how cute are these!

 stopped to see my godson, Christian who was celebrating 29 months...got lucky and got a hug this time, he usually doesn't like me!
 then left super early Sunday am, just in time for church and the Zappos Family Picnic with the fam.  This year it was at Circus Circus Adventuredome...I will not travel before 6:00am anymore...I was so tired, I don't know why I do that to myself sometimes

but the kids had fun so it was okay...we had never really been to ride the rides
 after rides, games, popcorn, cotton candy, went home and napped!

Jaylin and Jayson's birthdays

Wednesday nights at Cheeburger Cheeburger is family night and they have a crazy balloon maker and face painter there, so we decided to get Jaylin's birthday celebration started a little early :)

Then the following morning we surprised her with breakfast in bed, not really a surprise, this girl expects it :)  Confetti pancakes, not from scratch, found them in the freezer section :)
dinner at her choice, Mimi's cafe
then that weekend a pool party at Green Valley Ranch with a few of her friends

 I like Green Valley cause they have a sand area for the kids
 being silly...
chicken fingers & sliders for the bday girl

favors, needed a quick idea for something that wouldn't melt in the hot sun, found these on pinterest, bubble wands with a tag and then got gumballs because they were so pretty :)
her third and final birthday wish at Elephant bar that night for dinner
 before crashing out at the hotel...her face is all sunburned and red!
Their birthdays are exactly a week apart so the following Wednesday had to go back to Cheeburger for Jayson's pre birthday celebration so he could get a balloon
and a basketball painted on his face

 luckily all he asked for was a birthday party at school and dinner at McDonalds...at least one of them was low maintenance this year :)
so that's what we did, birthday party at school with pizza, cupcakes and goodie bags...tried to make avenger cupcakes...Can you believe the grocery stores did not yet have avenger theme anything in the bakery...crazy!
  having fun
our baby!
 dinner at McDonald's with Auntie Dee and Uncle Mathew...Lola and Lolo joined us too

Memorial Day Weekend

Had been going back and forth on going to the beach Memorial Day Weekend...was checking the JetSuite deals on FB Thursday on my way home from work and they had Las Vegas to Santa Monica and Palm Springs, so I jumped on it and took the one that was leaving the latest so the kids wouldn't have to miss school...so Palm Springs it was.  The plane only seats four so daddy drove to meet us on the other end.  So lucky Jay doesn't mind driving and really wanted us to experience this!

 here we go...

me and Jayme on one side
Jaylin and Jayson on the other...I was nice and let the kids have soda, only when they are sick or on a jet :)  they were a little too excited, especially Jayson, he drank it so fast, he ended up spitting up

 ooooh
found snacks!
this boy was all set, found headphones on the plane for his DS, his snack, very busy!

this one was reading...what is that around her neck?  her blankie :)
the pilot let Jayson check out the front
 we left at 3pm, arrived 40 minutes later...Jay left Vegas at noon, so we ended up having to wait for him, but it was totally fine, the little airport had comfy chairs, a tv and computers for the kids to use, and snacks, so they were fine
 
stayed the night in Palm Springs, yelped restaurants in the area...went to Cafe Italia and were surprised when the waiters broke out in song...it wasn't over the top or cheesy, they were really good!  Was fun to watch, dinner and entertainment!
 Thought we'd check out the living zoo while we were there, but were pretty disappointed...waited in line to feed the giraffes but by the time it was our turn, they didn't want to eat anymore :(
saw a few more animals, but that was pretty much it, was pretty small
 hung out at this cute coffee shop called koffi...cute outside area...Jayson just relaxing!
we were done with Palm Springs and headed over to Irvine to meet Melissa, Neil and Tyler who were driving down from San Jose...checked in and went swimming right away!
the next morning we went to Laguna Beach, back to Madison Square Garden cafe
for a german apple pankcake :)  we tried to talk Dee into meeting us, but she already had plans
kids table
spent a few hours at the beach...started out dry
left soaked
running with daddy...after the beach Melissa and Neil took the kids to see Avengers for their 3rd time while Jay and I watched What to Expect When your Expecting.  It ended up being a very exciting, fun, somewhat last minute trip...Private Jet, Palm Springs, Beach, family!
On Memorial Day we were back in Vegas and at the pool, met Auntie Tip and Auntie Vanessa at Mandalay Bay
 boy was it hot!  seriously after that, we had had too much sun and all dark, so we'll be taking a little break :)
and what better way to end the holiday with Boiling Crab and friends :)

Boston!


Jay and Aaron had to go to Boston for work to see New Balance, so Bea and I decided to tag along for vacation!  We had two full days on our own to tour the city while the boys were at work, but did have the evenings and a full day over the weekend to share with them and show them around since by then we were pros in the big city :)

view from our room at the Lenox Hotel, right in the heart of downtown, a block away from the "Rodeo Drive" of Boston, Newbury Street...
the pics don't do it justice...such a fun, cute, quaint place!
 so nice out...we really did get lucky with the weather, it was supposed to be rainy and humid, but instead perfect!

 surrounded by beautiful churches...felt like there was one at every corner

 loved having meals outside...started our 6 hour walking adventure with a yummy breakfast
 lemon ricotta french toast...may have been my only non-seafood meal on the trip :)
crossing the Longfellow Bridge, on our way to Cambridge...
walked around Harvard Square and the campus...was so pretty!
memories of Gilmore Girls and Gossip Girl...hee!
took the subway back over...passed through Beacon Hill, the richest neighborhood in Boston...love the brownstones, was really feeling the history there :)
and seriously the only place that sells macarons and only on Thursdays :)
did you know Boston was the first place in the US to open a chocolate shop, first jelly bean shop too, lots of firsts here...learned that on the duck tour :)
Boston Public Gardens
back to Newbury street for lunch at Stephanie's for my first lobster roll of the trip, had one every day :)  Had to compare and try different places...hee!
met up with the rest of the gang for the Red Sox Game
but first had to change into my new balances :)  of course Jay ordered us some matching ones...they came just in time
Love Quincy Market...cute shops, restaurants/cafes
first thing that caught my eye...
the deep fried dough guy :)  very memorable...I mean the seafood was great, but not like it tasted any different than some of the other seafood places on the west coast...this dough though was soft and so good, different from funnel cake, but just as good!
got the kids their gifts here and had my second lobster roll, the best of the 3 from Boston Chowda...I won't bore you and post all 3 lobster rolls :)

 Duck Tour time...half land and half water tour, on the half truck, half boat vehicle that got it's name when they were used during WWII, code name was DUKW...most were made by women since most men were fighting in the war, so movement of when women started leaving the home to go to work
learned a ton while on the tour
dinner at the highly recommended seafood chain, Legal Seafood...I'd say my favorite meal besides the dough :)  the crab cake was really good
Of course by Saturday, our full day with the boys the weather turned to rainy, but luckily it was in and out that we still got to do what we had on the agenda...did you know that Sam Adams was a great, clever politician, but not a great brewer, they just used his name and the picture on the beer bottles is actually Paul Revere because he was more handsome?
free beer tasting, tried 3 different kinds
Freedom Trail, walking guided tour...the State House, the dome is made of real gold

cemetery where Paul Revere, Sam Adams were buried
the balcony where the Declaration of Independence was read
with our tour guide from the 1800's

stopped at the North End, Little Italy for canolis at Mike's Pastry, not a huge canoli fan, but they were good, had every flavor you could think of...being there made us want to watch "The Town" again :)
on our tour we learned about the Omni Parker House, it's the oldest still operating hotel in the US, supposedly haunted, but more importantly where Boston Cream Pie was first created :)
so we went back for a little scare and pie!

prettiest Boston Cream Pie I've had, but not as sweet as I am used to but maybe that's how it was really supposed to be, it was really good


Great trip!  The history, the people...I swear Bea and I kept saying, "Boston people are so nice"!  They really are...people seeing us looking at our map would tell us where to go, the bus driver gave us a free ride and directions.  Plus it was so nice to double date with the Triches!  Bea and I are the same, want to be up and out all day not wasting time :)

View from the Hilton where we stayed the second half of the trip!  We will be back...there's talks of making this an annual trip :)

and special thanks to the guy that made it all possible, New Balance rep Butch!