california: week 4&5 (disneyland, northern california + a day in the dirt)

oh man, we have had a crazy few weeks! we are looking forward to getting some normalcy back in our lives, or at least to not live out of a suitcase any longer! there has been some endless nights/days/early mornings, and some tired tired faces on those days, BUT we have enjoyed every second of it, and so has little willow.
and while im on the subject, (do you really want me to get started? cause i could go for awhile!) let me tell you something about this girl...she is up for anything! she has gone with us everywhere, done everything we have done, had some late nights and early mornings herself, but has not made more than a few peeps! (then, it was no more mr nice baby, not joking!)



a few weeks ago we went to disneyland with some very special people, clays sister and her cute cute little girls. maile came too! she loved all the sights and sounds and colors! serious, she was in baby heaven. here is what the day looked like....

her first impression, main street madness!

then she met mickey,

then she rode the jungle cruise (with her cousins and grandma maile, of course).

she rode the tea cups,

then she took a sleepy disneyland nap.

she rode its a small world, and pirates of the caribbean too.

and to top off the night, we rode the carousel. it was indeed a happy day. 

the next day we started the drive up the 101 to northern california. we drive up every year to visit some dear friends of ours. it breaks our hearts to only spend a few days with them, but its better than nothing! 

we stopped in san luis obispo to see our friends, josh and faith sarr. she was just days away from holding her baby girl! 

we finally made it, and got to spend a few sweet days with the brodersen family. they are the best, and their boys the cutest, are they not?

we also popped down to the city a few times to have lunch with some more dear friends.

and even brought willow along to her first concert, to see yet another friend release his first ep. 

(look him up guys, here)

and thennnnn, the day after we got back from sf, we started the long and tiresome week that is, a day in the dirt. yet for some reason we look forward to it every year, its like we forget about the crazy dirty madness? its a great time to spend with friends, work hard in the sun, and get paid for it all!

the super awesome, waiver signing, wristband giving, money taking, no baloney accepting, crew.

willow was like the front gate mascot. to us, she was the only very-important-person in attendance that year.

i think we got about three showers that week? yes, ew. its called "a day in the dirt" for a reason. willow, however, managed to get a bath every night in our camper van of a home (even with  lack of running water the last two nights. mothering success!)

and that concludes this disneyland-northern california-day in the dirt segment of our california trip. we leave for ireland in just a few short days. dang, time to start packing.

feeding the hungry (greedy) ducks

california: week 2 & 3

we've done all sorts of things these past few weeks. here are some pictures to fill you in since the last update! 

willow sits on tables in public places, and also on things with wheels that are much to big for her, but she doesn't care about either.

all of our driving back and forth, means a whole lot of packing and unpacking, and it also means some nice sunrises and sunsets to see along the way. 

it was a bit chilly last weekend, so we had to bundle up! she enjoyed some quiet time out on her auntie's lawn, and enjoyed a good swing on the very porch that all of her aunts and uncles once swung.

we do alot of hanging out at grandma sally's, (we also hang out in her trees and pools). we eat good food, have good chats, and make good family memories.

we hang out in targets (exercising terrible parenting, sorry) and hang out in restaurants, eating loads of american sized salads and drink loads of american sized iced teas.

i got a much needed haircut, and it feels kinda great (although 5 inches lost is something im mourning!).

for halloween we were a sushi plate. she was a tasty piece of salmon sushi and we were ginger and wasabi. no body got it. haha. (yeah well, we thought of it and created it in two hours. give me a break!)

all in all, we are having loads of fun. we're looking forward to the second half of our trip. please don't go by too quickly!

on being willow worrells mother: month 6

being willow worrells mother means having to be patient on the first night of her sixth month, because that is the night she chose to have the worst-est, sleepless-est, craziest night of her short life!

being willow worrells mother means letting her eat her dinner through a straw sometimes, because sometimes she is too hungry to wait for spoonful after spoonful.

being willow worrells mother means always putting a few pillows around her when she is sitting up, because i know that she gets a little too excited at her big-ness and will topple backwards when she is showing off.

being willow worrells mother means being extra watchful of her when she is in the bathtub (the only way to have a bath nowadays is sitting up, you understand), because i know that if i don't she will have a baby baptism of sorts, because somehow all those rolls become buoyant in the tub.

being willow worrells mother means making penelope (our naked cat) hang out with willow as much as possible, because i know that even with all the scratching, pulling, and biting (all coming from willow, of course), she is SURE penelope is her best friend.

being willow worrells mother means always having another toy hidden but at the ready because i know that willows attention span is very limited when it comes to toys and she tends to get antsy quick if there isnt something new and exciting replacing the old straight away.

being willow worrells mother means finding the line between a "toy" that is not a toy at all, but has just enough of a danger factor to keep willow as happy as a clam all day long.

(month 4 & 5)
(month 2 & 3)
(month 1)

punkin patch

we all went to the pumpkin patch yesterday, to pick a pumpkin or two, and because what good is it being in america in october if not to go to the nearest gigantic parking lot full of over priced pumpkins and smelly ride attendants? and i might be biased, but i think willow was the best pick of all the pumpkins there. 

(i melt. riiiiight?)

she met her uncle thomas for the first time, who was working there and got her a teeny wristband and so kindly let her have a go down the slide!

it took some meticulous combing (not joking, we have video proof) through a tub of tiny pumpkins, but she finally chose her gourd. and proceeded to eat it.

and then i carefully chose a pumpkin, baked a cake out of it, and we all ate it!