love + merriment = family: thankful for family

grandpa, nana and babes

i have seen a lot of people showing daily thanks this month, which is so awesome. last weekend we had the pleasure of attending one of my dearest friend's wedding. months ago it was relayed it would take place in carmel valley. i thought it might be a good time to plan for an overnight with the hubby, a little get-away (even though a mini-someone has slept nose to nose with me for her 6 month life). as the weeks approached i knew this overnight was not in the cards. funny enough i was no longer interested in being away from my babies - even for 24 hours.

my sweet parents were on board to go to carmel with us and stay with the girls while we went to the wedding. i would pop back to the lodge to nurse when necessary. how wonderful is it to have parents and family that are able to do things like this for you and with you? we all had such a lovely time together, uninterrupted, quality togetherness that doesn't happen at home when there is always something to do, or somewhere to go. d and i decided to make a z-family-vaca out of it too, by taking the girls to the monterey bay aquarium the day before the wedding. e didn't stop talking about it for a week leading up to our departure, her favorite sea animal on the list to see: the jelly fish.

we arrived mid-day friday, had lunch and got-in to enjoy all the aquarium had to offer. every exhibit was so much more amazing than it had been in the past, when you're looking through your child's eyes at the wonder of the big sea. we saw the jelly fish, penguins, open sea, kelp forest, touch tanks, sting rays and a handful of other really cool exhibits. we got to the lodge, with two sleeping girls in the back seat, tuckered out from the stimulating day. enjoyed a delicious feast at the hotel's restaurant and saloon, before calling it a night. my parents arrived later in the evening and on saturday after exploring the village's shops and walks, spent the latter half of the day with the girls while we enjoyed the ceremony and reception. it was so nice to know the girls were having fun, getting lots of love and we were just 5 minutes away! it was so nice for them and so great for us! the ceremony was so sweet, beautiful and another testament to the importance of family. congrats carly and robert!

thank you mama and pops. the girls love you so much and so do we. xo