The French Laundry

What really should be a once in a life time experience, I have experienced twice this year.

Dinner at the French Laundry.

This would be the second occasion.

This occasion was for Greg's big 4-0 birthday.

But let's give the French Laundry her proper introduction first.

Anthony Bourdain claims it is "the best restaurant in the world, period" (enough said for me I love that man) but for those Bourdain skeptics out there, Restaurant Magazine awarded it "best Restaurant in the world" in  03' & 04'. 

They book out 60 days in advance, and book the 60th day out within the first 10 minutes of opening each day. The meal itself is a 9 course menu which is changed everyday and is never the same. In short, a culinary experience of a lifetime.

And in short again, my husband is amazing and secured 3 reservations this year,

one of which was for the lovely occasion of Greg's birthday :)

The French Laundry has all this hype ($270 a plate will do that) But I was so pleasantly surprised at how non-de-script and understated everything was. Everything was immaculate and perfect, but understated.

One day, my backyard will look this good.

I wasn't going to go being 39 weeks and it being about a 45 minute drive and a 5 hour meal but bottom line I just didn't want to be left out! I felt great that day, had even planted flowers, so dinner turned into a no brainer. The only downside, I was a boat next to these beautiful women. 

Alas, but only 48 hours more of boat-hood.

The handsomest of men.

I had to ask Nate after this pic if it was difficult being the most attractive brother.

It is a culinary experience of a lifetime. They have perfected the art of fine dining. Their dinner service is like a beautiful symphony. You simply want to observe as they lay plate after plate down simultaneously with perfect precision. There is nothing on the menu that I think in my mind "mmm I want to go back to French Laundry for _____" yet everything was delicious and interesting to the last bite. You never feel overstuffed or underfed just simply comfortably content.

Again, a culinary experience of a lifetime.

And if you need reservations? That guy in the picture above can make it happen.

Lastly, Thank you Greg and Carie for treating us all to the French Laundry.

I'll celebrate a birthday with you any year ;)

It's all happening at the zoo

We took these dolls to the zoo the saturday before Dex arrived.

I had gone to my doctor Friday and being a 1 and 30% effaced and 38+6 he WOULDN'T strip my membranes and he WOULDN'T even discuss induction as a possibility. I was so depressed, I thought my body was making progress and I wasn't holding back on doing anything!

So alas, I had great plans of eating spicy food and walking myself into labor all weekend.

Enter Zoo.

Jon and Cass were free Saturday too! So Brig and Cleo got some much needed cousin time and a fun Saturday activity.

We stopped for hot wings on our way into SF and were still ahead of Jon and Cass by about 20 min (they have special jon & cass time :)) so we headed into the gift shop to have a look about.

Enter train pictured above.

Brig played with the worker and that train for a good 10 min then he wouldn't leave the shop with out it, then he wouldn't put it down for the next 48 hours.

 (literally, it got left at church the next day and we had to go back for it after Brig woke from his nap and realized it was gone)

At this point, the train still made noises.

Notice the finger pushing the button.

Cleo, Brig and the super fun lion to climb on.... oh and the train.

get me off this lion.... and train

the train did get put down for the iccee with a lifetime-worth of refills.

Gorillas! 

and... Brig playing with the train

monkeys!

and the train...

It wound up being such a lovely day. Although Brig really only had eyes for that train it was so fun to be with family strolling around SF zoo on a beautiful spring day.

The walking did nothing to put me in labor only guilted me into going to church the next day for I felt great.

 Cass put this together which is amazing and adorable.

Easter 2012

We DID have Easter at our house! Yay!

My boy was adorable, my easter dress had grown too small :(,  church was a brutal barrage of "any day now's", and dinner was well... made.

Everyday around here is an early day... so when Brig awoke at 6:00 and I became a zombie on the couch. He pretty much discovered his easter loot by himself. (thank heavens that bunny came before the sun arose!) But by the end of the morning we'd ingested our resurrection rolls, made it to church on time, and I even managed to make resurrection rolls for the YW's fabulous Easter lesson my advisors taught. It was good, and so good to have this day to reflect on our Saviors sacrifice and gift to us all.

The day before Easter we trekked down to Dublin to attend Cass's toddler "eggstravaganza".

I'm lucky she's so amazing and threw a beautiful toddler party because really we got all the necessary festivities accomplished with very little effort by miserable pregnant woman.

oh, and are you in tears by my adorable little easter egg boy?

I was...

Daddy is always more fun with a pregnant momma.

He helped Brig rock the egg hunt.

oh, the discovery.

what must he think? eggs? with candy inside?

what a novel idea people!

and that basket? So cheesy but so loved by my boy.

As you can see it was a very challenging egg hunt.

much thanks to Jayden's spreading :)

uh oh.... ya I was there.

and one of the worst parts of being pregnant in the end?

I couldn't hold my boy.

No lap sitting or holding... just side snuggles :(

Cass had about 8-10 of these beautiful huge balloons. Brig wanted one as soon as we walked in. 

of course there were more than 8-10 little tots so any mother knows giving one out is a bad idea...

well half-way through the party daddy to the rescue. Brig got his balloon, daddy tied it to his pants and he pretty much paraded his spoils around the party... then he went wilderness exploring of course. It was adorable, the poor kids Cass had to say no to after this was heartbreaking, but they really couldn't be too upset not with Cass's coloring, cookie decorating, delicious snacks, bubble machine, play tents, and mickey mouse music playing.

And there you have it... again

TALL ships

I heard the tall ships would be in town first part of April and with Dex's birth looming ahead in the near future and my exhausted pregnant butt I thought I would attempt this fun activity.

I recruited Asher to come along cause at 37 weeks I didn't think I could go it alone and plus he likes this kind of stuff.

They were doing walking tours from 4:00-5:00 pm

So we made the trek out to Bodega Bay only to arrive at 4:05 to find the tickets had been sold out.

we we're all disappointed. It was cold out in the bay and really windy but you don't take a 2 year old and a 12 year old on a 40 min drive for nothin' so pregnant body suggested we walk out on the pier to get a better look at the ships. 

My word I thought I was going to lose my son. It was SOO windy! The pier was this narrow concrete walk-way with insubstantial hand rails and I carried Brig the whole way. Which was at least 100 yards. Asher thought it was great cause really, it felt like a hurricane out there. But I kept having thoughts of Brig falling into the freezing water and big bellied mother jumping in after him and us just both drowning. 

Needless to say, when we finally stepped on solid ground and I could put Brig down, I was relieved.

(If you look closely in the background you can see the cement pier/walkway we walked)

But this guy was cute, and he was thrilled to the bone to have Asher in the car with us for over an hour.

He likes that cousin.

I would have liked to have stopped to get a special treat for these two boys for going on this fools errand with me... but alas, there was no way I was getting my pregnant butt out of the car, pulling Brig out, chasing Brig, all for a cup of hot chocolate. Truthfully, I was dreaming the whole time of how soon I could make it home to my couch, and praying I wouldn't have to stop for a potty break!

Oh, the end of pregnancy is bitter.

But we tried to do something fun and there you have it.