Family Vacation Time

The last few months were a whirlwind with my book tour, training and Olympic Trials; I figured it was time for a much-needed vacation!

We decided to head to Apache Lake, about a 3-hour drive from Tucson, for a quick getaway trip this past weekend. We got to go boating, fishing, cliff diving, tubing, water skiing and the list goes on with some great friends.

It was actually Blaise' first time on a speed boat - he LOVED it. He also did some inner tubing; it took me forever to get him out of the water! While my husband was busy with a successful fishing trip, bringing home six large Mouth Bass, I spent the afternoon cliff diving, water skiing and inner tubing.

This trip was exactly what the family and I needed. It was so much fun that we are thinking of making it a regular tradition, especially in the Summer. There's no better way to enjoy yourself out in the Summer heat than floating in a refreshing lake. Wouldn't you agree? Plus it doesn't break the bank! Getting away for a weekend on the lake is definitely friendly on the wallet. 

What quick (and cost-friendly) getaway trips have you and your family taken this Summer? Sacha, Blaise and I are always looking for new places to go!

Favorite Mom Time: Haircuts!

Kid haircuts are just another “mom thing” you grow to love to do! And when your kids are young, the first few are a BIG deal. So like every other mom – I took pictures!

Blaise would not stop wiggling in his chair. As you can see, we distracted him with a lollipop and it worked!

A big thank you to Jenni at Mad Max Salon in Tucson - my little man couldn’t look more handsome now!

Have pictures from your child’s first haircut? Please share - I’d love to see them!






 

Stranger Than Fiction

Our Blaise

One evening my husband Sacha, who was my boyfriend at the time, came home from work and told me about a little boy named Blaise he'd met that day. Both Sacha and I really liked the name and started talking about what we'd want to name our baby if we ever decided to have one together.

After several years passed we found ourselves married, pregnant and again discussing baby names. I remembered Blaise and reminded Sacha how much we loved the name and suggested it would be a good option for either a boy or a girl. He agreed but proposed we keep it in mind and continue our search just in case we came across something we liked better.

For weeks this was a point of contention for us as I had already pretty much made up my mind but since I didn't want to fight over something that was supposed to be fun, one evening I gave in and brought home a half dozen or so baby name books to Sacha. He was very happy and thanked me for understanding his point of view. Then jokingly he picked up one of the books and said to me, "I'm going to close my eyes, flip open this book, point to a name and whatever it is we'll name the baby that."

He did as he had explained and when he opened his eyes I saw the expression on his face change from playful to astonished.

"It's Blaise!", he said.

"What's Blaise?", I replied.

"I landed on Blaise!", he exclaimed.

As I leaned in to look, without moving his finger from where it had landed he thrust the book in my face and nearly shouted, "SERIOUSLY LOOK! I LANDED ON BLAISE!"

We both stared speechless at the book and then at eachother for about half a minute before we began discussing our amazement and the statistical probability of the scenario that had just unfolded before us.

After an hour or so the shock lessened and Sacha, realizing he had been fighting something he shouldn't, closed the book and put it away.

He hasn't touched any of the books I bought him since.

To Miss a Child

As I board my flight and find my seat I come to realize I'm surrounded by kids, none of which are my own. There's a familiarity to the commotion that brings me comfort. A small boy in front of me starts to cry and instinctively I begin to wonder about my own child.  

I know Blaise is safe at home with his dad but as the physical distance between us grows so does a pit in my stomach.

It will be gone only when I see his smiling face again.