Aptly Put.

My friend Erika told me recently, "Kids have their own agenda. They don't give a rat's ass about your plans."

Aptly put and she has a right to say. She has three kids and is one of the most dedicated, joyful moms I know. The context of this conversation: we were discussing all the things about parenthood that we didn't expect and, once we discovered them, were not as bad as we had feared prior to having kids. A relative loss of control is one of them. Tim and I got an early lesson in relinquishing control when we thought baby peeper didn't have a brain. Longest, hardest two weeks of my life. Now we give up control over other, comparatively less important things. Like Easter weekend in Santa Barbara.

We had a great time - it was warm, different, and lovely. Tim and I embrace pretty much anything that removes us from our routine. Ada, however, does not share this sentiment. Don't get me wrong: I loved her version of the trip. It was full of wonderful surprises and delicious moments that I love reliving right now as
I sit to write this. It's just that mine might have included more sleep and less vomit.

The car trip takes about 5-6 hours down the El Camino Real. It is really beautiful in parts. I can imagine that sitting in the back of the car not being able to see or appreciate the rolling hills makes for a boring trip. As such, we planned ahead to have handy lots of games, snacks, Elmo videos and my purse. What could be more fun that sunglasses (I love how she juts out her chin to try to keep them on her tiny nose) and my favorite $20 Jane Iredale lip gloss?

I figured we were in for a magical weekend based on all these beautiful rainbows we saw rising triumphantly from the foothills.

Once we got to Santa Barbara we found some dinner and settled in for the rest of the night. We went through the bedtime routine, keeping everything as predictable as possible. Then I tried to put her in the P n' P. Oh forget it. I thought the hotel manager would be knocking down our door to ask us to leave for all the noise she was making. I hate to hear her cry like that. I mean, she's not even two years old so it's not like she's doing it on purpose to ruin my adult evening relaxation. She's in a strange place and scared! So I went to get her and she was so grateful that she threw up all over me, herself and the bed. The three of us slept together all night long. Repeat of Portland and Hawaii.

Pointing is the new favorite thing to do. Pointing to the sky, the birds, the bus, the doggy...and she can spot Elmo from miles away.

This baby and the beach are like peas and carrots. It just slays me to see her running along so happy and free.

Only hitch tot he beach is that she insists on being carried to the part where the firm, wave-packed sand is. She lets her father or I do the hard work of navigating the shifting sand. We're happy to oblige.

I love to see her like this: wind in her hair, bare feet in the sand, and a pensive smile on her face.

Her favorite game with Daddy was to give him a rock, watch him throw it down the beach, then fetch it for him. This went on for at least 20 minutes. Apologies for the terrible lighting...

It's one thing to feel so humbled when you realize you are the tiny human on the big planet. The sight of tiny her on this expansive beach? The limitless possibility before her makes me feel so excited for her.

After the beach we saw a bunch of kids running in the same direction with their Easter baskets so we followed them. The Santa Barbara Fire Department was hosting their annual eggstravagana! I nice fireman gave Ada a little hat, which she reached up to swipe off her head about 1/2 a second after this picture was taken.

Ada and the Easter Bunny are old friends (this is the same costume as the Easter bunny she had her picture taken with).

Tim tried to teach her about grabbing all the chocolate eggs you can get your hands on but she was not interested. She watched all the other little kids instead.

                     Slide = success.                                                             Carousel = failure.

We tried to lay down with her quietly for a nap but after her bottle (yes, she still gets one) she say bolt upright and was smiling and saying, "Hi, Ada." So we put her in the car and drove all of 2 blocks before she conked out and we went to taste some regional wines.

Bedford winery in Los Altos. There was a beautiful little courtyard there. She's technically running here - both feet off the ground simultaneously.

Tim kept asking me when Ada was going to fulfill her destiny as a daddy's girl. He bought her a cupcake for a dollar from some kids fundraising on the corner. After that she kept running to him for hugs. Right there in a grassy triangle in Solvang, Daddy became the preferred parent.

Longoria winery in Los Olivos.

Tim pulled over to a vista on the drive through the mountains back to Santa Barbara. Looking out over the valleys and mountains is breathtaking always. From her perspective it was pure exhilaration.

Saturday night the three of us were knocked out by 8:00.  I'm all about co-sleeping and bed-sharing families. Go with whatever feels right for you, I love it! I just don't know how these families do it. With her in the bed you can count on it not being a great night of sleep, but it will be long.

Easter morning back at Hendry's beach. Before I took off her shoes I noticed that someone who shall remain nameless had actually put them on the wrong feet.

The joys of being the favorite parent.

Baby feet make me crazy. Those sandy chubby toes...argh!!

Full of gratitude that this is my family.

We visited with a friend Tim has known since the second grade. In their backyard we orchestrated a little Easter egg hunt for Ada. This was more her speed with little board books and wind-up chickies.

Mo's BBQ in San Luis Opisbo. She insisted to carry her own Easter basket with her new treasures.

So there it is.  Easter weekend Ada's way. Once we were home we let out a deep sigh and went to be kind of early, happy to nuzzle into our own beds. There were a handful of surprises once we got home too but more on that a little bit later. For now, we're just getting back into the groove. 

Hope everyone had a great weekend too. Thanks for the comments, by the way! I love reading them and, I'll be totally honest here, my heart races a little bit when I see a new one was left :-)