So this has been an on going thing for her the past couple of days. I know it will pass. It better pass. So Izzy (and Teddy, to much his dismay) are spending some quality time in the cool off chair. We have a time out mat but that is used for major things like, hitting, biting, or throwing. The cool off chair is facing the window where Izzy can look out and calm herself by looking at the flowers, bugs and the fence. There is no time limit to the cool off chair. She is free to dismount at any time she feels she is done releasing the small demon from her body. Day 1 was a success. However, there is no cool off chair in middle of the grocery store. Maybe I could leave her in produce and just go back for her later.
Her teacher at preschool told me... "She is, uhhh, very strong willed." Well first, that was a very polite way of telling me my child is stubborn and a beast. And second, DUH!! That is why she is here. (And to get an early start on education, of course.) By the way, Izzy does love going to school.
:: Best. Week. Ever.
Chris has the week off from school this week. And I have decided that I am never sending him back to school/work. We are just going to have to figure out how to invest our money so we make millions so we both can be Stay-At-Home-Parents. This week I got my husband back. The one who makes jokes, laughs at my jokes, holds my hand, helps around the house, plays with our daughter and is home. With Izzy being in school two days a week this allowed us some quality time to reconnect and mend some spots in our marriage. I'm in love with my husband once again.
Chris and I had a very rare opportunity on Monday. We had 7 hours to be alone during the week, during the day. So what did we do..... after dropping Izzy off at school we headed to retrieve the Harley and our gear and head north. First stop... Walmart, to grab a pair of cool looking shades to make me look even cooler riding with Chris (and to keep the sun and wind out of my eyes as well). As we jumped on the highway I started to get nervous. In the back of my head I started to think, this is sooooo irresponsible. What will happen to Izzy if something happens to both of us? That would be so sad if she had to grow up without both parents. Who would pick her up from school today? THEN... a husband and wife, I'm assuming, passed us in their mini van and as I watched the husband crane his neck to get a look at the motorcycle as he drove by I was thinking... that's right! I'm a BAMF!! You should be jealous of this hotness and the incredible sexy people riding this Harley. I was committed to the ride. And boy did we ride. It was fun. Having the wind kiss my chin and neck sent scents up my helmet and allowed me to take in the fullness of the warm fall day. Sitting there in silence for a couple of hours, alone in my thoughts as we passed farmers harvesting their crops, redwood trees, llamas, several Christmas tree farms, deer, and fields of avocados and garlic. I had a long discussion with myself. I had said to Chris the other day as he was hurrying us along the coastal trail "it's not about the destination, it's about the journey".
Definitely not the safest thing I've ever done but the pictures were sooooo worth it.
We had to slow down for some construction and this guy PASSED us on our motorcycle. I literally laughed out loud!!
Then I realized... this oh-so-famous quote means so much more to me and Chris. It's not just about traveling it's about any journey. It's not about surviving Izzy until she is married and on her own, it's about the learning process (for all parties involved) that gets her to where she is suppose to end up. It's not about a final weight goal, it's about what you learn to change your habits for the rest of your life to maintain that goal. It's not about the second baby, it's about enjoying the process of getting a second baby. It's not about the next duty station, it's about making the most of our time in this one.
We stopped at this little biker restaurant called "Alice's restaurant" where we sat on the porch and enjoyed some ribs, tuna melt and of course, some pie. We took our time and actually tasted each bite of our food. Time was our friend that day.
These guys were hilarious!! This is the second table they sat at and tried to fix with silverware and napkins to get it stable. The man on the right chatted it up with everyone!!
On Wednesday we had another day to ourselves. As soon as we closed the door to Izzy's school we rushed home to pack up our things for our next adventure together. We headed to Monterey to try a breakfast restaurant called "First Awakenings", I however can never remember the name has called it the following: Tuesday Morning, Early Awakenings, that breakfast place with the really yummy french toast, and Morning Wake Ups. Most of the time it's Tuesday Mornings. Anyway, the breakfast filled our bellies and we laughed with each other about a million silly things we discussed.
As the day went on our car took us to Santa Cruz for a little kayaking and then back to Monterey for a lunch out. Santa Cruz was foggy, for the first time ever, so we opted out of kayaking but still enjoyed strolling the harbor fantasizing about how it would be if we own a yacht. We saw two sea otters playing in the cove and a rowing team practicing. None the less, it was time spent together.
The sun was thinking about coming out.
Then my favorite part of this week... Loulou's on the wharf. It's this little shack located on the pier and their food is fab-u-lous!! Their service is out of this world. The people who are attracted to this little place are laid back, easy going and just there to enjoy the beach. As we sat there and giggled some more together I said, "This is what it was like before we had Izzy." While I would never trade Izzy for anything in the world, it was still nice to just be Chris and Ashley. It was exactly what we needed. I look forward to the rest of our week with Izzy. It's still fun. Just a different kind of fun.
You see that man right here in this picture? That is my husband. That is the man I married. The smiling, fun going, busy body who has been missing for the past three months.
I'm praying that this time together has made us both realize what is really important and that we continue to laugh more and enjoy this journey.... together.
Chris has the week off from school this week. And I have decided that I am never sending him back to school/work. We are just going to have to figure out how to invest our money so we make millions so we both can be Stay-At-Home-Parents. This week I got my husband back. The one who makes jokes, laughs at my jokes, holds my hand, helps around the house, plays with our daughter and is home. With Izzy being in school two days a week this allowed us some quality time to reconnect and mend some spots in our marriage. I'm in love with my husband once again.
Chris and I had a very rare opportunity on Monday. We had 7 hours to be alone during the week, during the day. So what did we do..... after dropping Izzy off at school we headed to retrieve the Harley and our gear and head north. First stop... Walmart, to grab a pair of cool looking shades to make me look even cooler riding with Chris (and to keep the sun and wind out of my eyes as well). As we jumped on the highway I started to get nervous. In the back of my head I started to think, this is sooooo irresponsible. What will happen to Izzy if something happens to both of us? That would be so sad if she had to grow up without both parents. Who would pick her up from school today? THEN... a husband and wife, I'm assuming, passed us in their mini van and as I watched the husband crane his neck to get a look at the motorcycle as he drove by I was thinking... that's right! I'm a BAMF!! You should be jealous of this hotness and the incredible sexy people riding this Harley. I was committed to the ride. And boy did we ride. It was fun. Having the wind kiss my chin and neck sent scents up my helmet and allowed me to take in the fullness of the warm fall day. Sitting there in silence for a couple of hours, alone in my thoughts as we passed farmers harvesting their crops, redwood trees, llamas, several Christmas tree farms, deer, and fields of avocados and garlic. I had a long discussion with myself. I had said to Chris the other day as he was hurrying us along the coastal trail "it's not about the destination, it's about the journey".
Definitely not the safest thing I've ever done but the pictures were sooooo worth it.
We had to slow down for some construction and this guy PASSED us on our motorcycle. I literally laughed out loud!!
Then I realized... this oh-so-famous quote means so much more to me and Chris. It's not just about traveling it's about any journey. It's not about surviving Izzy until she is married and on her own, it's about the learning process (for all parties involved) that gets her to where she is suppose to end up. It's not about a final weight goal, it's about what you learn to change your habits for the rest of your life to maintain that goal. It's not about the second baby, it's about enjoying the process of getting a second baby. It's not about the next duty station, it's about making the most of our time in this one. We stopped at this little biker restaurant called "Alice's restaurant" where we sat on the porch and enjoyed some ribs, tuna melt and of course, some pie. We took our time and actually tasted each bite of our food. Time was our friend that day.
These guys were hilarious!! This is the second table they sat at and tried to fix with silverware and napkins to get it stable. The man on the right chatted it up with everyone!!
On Wednesday we had another day to ourselves. As soon as we closed the door to Izzy's school we rushed home to pack up our things for our next adventure together. We headed to Monterey to try a breakfast restaurant called "First Awakenings", I however can never remember the name has called it the following: Tuesday Morning, Early Awakenings, that breakfast place with the really yummy french toast, and Morning Wake Ups. Most of the time it's Tuesday Mornings. Anyway, the breakfast filled our bellies and we laughed with each other about a million silly things we discussed.
As the day went on our car took us to Santa Cruz for a little kayaking and then back to Monterey for a lunch out. Santa Cruz was foggy, for the first time ever, so we opted out of kayaking but still enjoyed strolling the harbor fantasizing about how it would be if we own a yacht. We saw two sea otters playing in the cove and a rowing team practicing. None the less, it was time spent together.
The sun was thinking about coming out.
Then my favorite part of this week... Loulou's on the wharf. It's this little shack located on the pier and their food is fab-u-lous!! Their service is out of this world. The people who are attracted to this little place are laid back, easy going and just there to enjoy the beach. As we sat there and giggled some more together I said, "This is what it was like before we had Izzy." While I would never trade Izzy for anything in the world, it was still nice to just be Chris and Ashley. It was exactly what we needed. I look forward to the rest of our week with Izzy. It's still fun. Just a different kind of fun.
You see that man right here in this picture? That is my husband. That is the man I married. The smiling, fun going, busy body who has been missing for the past three months.
I'm praying that this time together has made us both realize what is really important and that we continue to laugh more and enjoy this journey.... together.
