Day Trip: Tahoe City

Topher Tutt surprised me with an overnight trip to Tahoe for our 6th anniversary!! We thought about leaving both kids behind but a) then I would've had to pump before and during the trip and b) I kinda really wanted Bronson to see Lake Tahoe.  It turned out really fun and I'm glad we took them. Next year though: NO KIDS.

We stayed: in this little lodge/guest house. Toph used AirBnb and it was awesome! I cannot stress this enough. Wood floors, a full kitchen (that we never used because Jim Gaffigan's right, vacations are about the food), a loft bed, washer/dryer; loved it.

We ate: a lot. Hacienda Del Lago for a dinner (good but not the best Mexican food, duh), Rosie's Cafe for breakfast (so cute!),  Syd's Bagelry and Espresso for lunch (the smoothies were way overpriced but the sandwiches were delish), and Jiffy's Pizza that we ate on the beach for our last dinner there. (My favorite place! I was extra hungry and pizza on the beach is just good.)

We played: at the Tahoe City Library (a great place to feed Everly, play with new toys,  use some free wifi, & hang out til the weather got a little bit warmer at the beach) and Commons Beach! It was so gorgeous. We went kayaking, built a sandcastle, & I repeat read a book (Jean and Johnny by Beverly Cleary. I'm 12.) I'm ready to visit again.

Toph has been hearing me wax annoying about Tahoe since I went last August. I love it there! It was so sweet to be surprised and get to go back. Sitting in the lake on a kayak was just overwhelmingly perfect. I have the sunburn to prove it. 

the state of the union- 6

These are the very first cell pics of me trying on my wedding dress!! (I just found them all the way back in my 2007 archives!) I carefully hid them from Topher so he wouldn't' know what my dress looked like.

First pic as The Tuttles!!! (Kinda. I didn't change my name for like a year ...)

Last year we went back and took a few pics in our wedding fancies for our anniversary.
(Ev was  there!!! 8 weeks along at that point.)

So six years.

I really like making lists so I asked Toph what the best thing from each year of our marriage has been (after he was all, "Like I can remember what happened when!") and he said:
1- You graduated
2- I graduated
3- Bronson was really fun
4- I had a great summer job
5- I graduated law school
6- Passing the bar, having Everly, getting a job (more than one! cheater)

And I said:
1- Working on the duplex
2- Finding out we were pregnantus!
3- Having Bronson!
4- Living in Davis/Law School
5- Watching Bronson grow and become more hilarious by the day
6- Everly!!


Marriage has peaks and valleys, but it feels like, as time goes on, the peaks come around more often and the valleys don't seem like such a big deal. We're still so far from perfect (and I'm not even gonna say that we're always perfect for each other. Sometimes I'm a total freak and perfect for NO ONE to be around) but things are good. We get better and better as the years go by. Just like denim trends. (That's the saying, right?)

Happy 6 years, Tizzoph! Thanks for all the inside jokes, TV show marathons, tech support, clean laundry (!!), and more than anything else; for Bronson and Everly!  I like our family. A lot. :)

the park

Proof that we braved the (non existent, this is CA) elements and went outside.

Proof that Bronson loves his sister (at least for a photo op). 

Proof that I still lug my big camera around because it's so fun to use.

The park by us is pretty great. We hang out there a lot and it's a special treat when Topher comes along. Mostly because then he gets requested as swing pusher and my arms take a break. 

End of list.

Day Trip: Monterey/Pacific Grove/Carmel

We took a day trip! To Monterey, CA! And Pacific Grove and Carmel. They're all real close to each other.

We ate: at First Awakenings. Pancakes as big as a dinner plate, breakfast burritos as big as Everly! My pancake was rocking raspberries, granola, and coconut. I ate it up. I loved it so.

We played: at Dennis the Menace Park and the beach. At the park, Bronson (and Topher) had a grood (no typo) time going down the slides, running through the maze, across the bridge, and to the mini rock wall. I had fun feeding Everly and she had fun staring at her hand. The weather was perfect and it wasn't too crowded.
The beach was gorgeous but freaked me out because I'm scared of all the things. (Ex: Bronson getting too close to the busy road right by the beach, Bronson getting too close to the waves and being sucked away; writing out my fears is not therapeutic. Stopping now.) But the water was bluer than blue and the sand was ready to be castled.

We visited: The harbor seals!!! I lost my voice yelling things like, "Loose seal!" and "Bronson! Look at the seals!!! They're so cute! BUT DON'T GET TOO CLOSE!!!"

Yep, just a nice relaxing day with the fam.

a weekend

We visited a retirement home to sing songs to the men and women retiring there. Bronson was on board!! Not. Never.

She wouldn't sing either (underachiever) but she sure did cute the place up.

Lego hoarding, sister cuddling, and the flying baby! 

Oooh, a picture of shoes! New concept!! But really I'm just glad I've been sticking to my goal to jog a little bit more often. I'm even kinda liking it? Kinda.

I've been on the hunt for my fave choc chip cookie recipe this year (to balance out the jogging) and so far these are my fave!!! They're a hybrid recipe. More on it later. 

I'm now one of those people who lives for the weekend. Having Toph around so I can take off for some alone thrift + grocery shopping is looked forward to. The extras like family library trips, picnics, and cookie baking are needed.
To balance out a week full of work, parenting, and not spending as much time together as we'd like, we soak up the weekends and put the kids to bed a little bit earlier than normal. 

What's better than a quiet apartment and re-watching Arrested Development episodes in preparation for the next season (that hopefully lives up to its predecessors!!)?

I don’t understand the question, and I won’t respond to it.