Is This Really Happening?

Okay, so things are getting down to the wire. In one week Nate and I will be on the sunny beaches of beautiful Cabo and in 2 weeks from today we will be on a plane heading to our home for 3 months, Naples, Italy. In the meantime, we are just doing everything we can to prepare for our trips and pack up our apartment that we've decided to let go. We have A LOT of shopping to do this weekend (the two suitcases we have just aren't going to suffice) and A LOT more packing (plan is to be totally packed up by Wednesday when we leave to OC for Cabo).

But here's the thing... in the midst of all this I can't help but wonder, is this really happening?? It's seriously hard for me to grasp that we will be traveling to these distant places and, quite possibly, not coming back to San Diego (I know I keep mentioning this, and someday I'll elaborate more, but for now, believe me). Nate and I know full well that we are leaving the US not knowing what the future holds for us and will come back with a decision made. It's crazy to think about, but I'm so glad it's here. And I can not wait to take what life has to give us head-on with my two favorite guys by my side (and one in-side). Que Sera, Sera!

Nothing Special, Everything Perfect

My birthday came and went and here I am, a 29 year old (SAY WHAT?!). The day didn't include anything too out of the ordinary, or anything extra special... but it was perfect.

I started the morning by making a household favorite, wheat waffles with peanut butter and syrup. Personally, I like to add sliced bananas on mine ('cause why not?!). Since Nate was off and his birthday was the day before (when he did have to work), it was a little birthday treat for the both of us.

After, Landon and I headed to Stroller Strides where I taught a class and where Landon got some playtime in the park after. When he was good and worn out we picked up Nate and grabbed a delicious Easy J's sandwich (my favorite). Lando then took a nap, we got some resting time and then later that night it was date night for Nate and I.

After realizing that we were leaving in 3 weeks for Italy and could possibly be moving from San Diego after, I decided instead of trying anything new or fancy, I just wanted to hit up "our sushi place," Surfside. It's always fun to go sans Landon because we can sit at the sushi bar where we are friends with the sushi chefs. I have to say it was definitely my best sushi experience while prego because our chef Aki made me some delicious prego-friendly rolls that made me feel like I was doing the real thing. Deeeee-lish!

This about sums up my 29th birthday and while it probably doesn't seem like much to others, it was honestly my favorite birthday to date. Knowing this makes me realize how lucky I am to lead the life I do and how happy I truly am. I still thank my lucky stars that Nate FINALLY made his move that July day 7 1/2 years ago (didn't think he'd ever ask me out!!). Wonder what next year will bring?

It's Been a Good Week!

I take that back, it's been a GREAT week! Starting from last Tuesday here's all that's happened in our lives.

1) As previously mentioned, the amazing Ewan arrived last Tuesday.

2) That same day, we learned we are in fact, moving to Naples, Italy for 3 months! Yes, sirree, the Butler clan (#2 in belly) will be lucky enough to spend 3 months in beautiful Italy. And check out THIS place, where it looks like we'll be staying (upon approval of friends already in Naples). Pretty nice, huh?!

3) We got to celebrate this little one's first birthday.

Kaylee loved her lunch with family and walking down the pier with her birthday balloons.

And she especially loved her birthday dessert:

Which Landon didn't mind, either:


4) We also got to check out #2:

And what did we learn?!!

IT'S A BOY!!!

Yep, Landon gets a little bro and we couldn't be happier. Secretly, I must have wanted another boy because I started crying when I saw the ultrasound. It's just gonna be me and the Butler Boys, I guess :)

See, a great week! More to come on Italy... seeing as how we leave in a month!

San Diego Blackout 2011

You may have heard about the major 12 hour blackout that happened last Thursday here in San Diego. I thought you might like to see pictures of how we got along with out electricity, internet, or phones...



I guess you could say we survived ;)

Sea World Regulars

Okay, so we aren't really "regulars" yet, but with Sea World down the street and the great Fun Pass deal (pay for a day, get the rest of 2011 free), we figure we will be hitting Sea World pretty frequently. This last weekend was someone's first trip to Sea World... Guess who?... Nope. Nate's! I'd taken Landon once before, but Friday was actually Nate's first time to Sea World. We had a great time checking out some of the exhibits and the dolphin show. Fortunately, because we live so close and get to go free the rest of the year, we didn't feel like we had to do everything. It was a great first trip!

We checked out the Beluga whales with their funny heads:
Our favorite part was definitely the polar bears. We timed it perfectly where we saw the trainers lay out the food and then let the bears out to eat. One came extra close to the glass so Landon got a good look:
He was pretty cute checking them out with his daddy:
I guess because they had just been fed the polar bears were WAY more energetic than I had ever seen before. One kept playing with this blue barrel like you might see a kitten play with a ball of yarn. He would even climb onto the edge of the cliff and then pounce on it in the water. It was so awesome to see. What can I say, I love polar bears :)
We also checked out the penguins:
And then finally we went to catch our one show of the day, the dolphin show:
It was pretty hot out as we sat waiting for the show to start, but someone didn't want to keep his hat on... Can you tell why we call him q-tip head?

Too much fun...
leads to complete exhaustion:
It was a good day and I can't wait to return again. With Sea World Friday and beach days Saturday and Sunday we definitely had a great weekend :)

A Note From the Worst Blogger Ever

I don't know what to say. I have absolutely no excuse for not updating about our wonderful holidays, about the great weekend we had when my parents came to visit, about anything really! I just really stink.. and I'm sorry.

I guess I just haven't felt like blogging in awhile. To be completely honest, I don't feel like writing this post right now. But I'll give you all a quick update so that you don't think that we have fallen off the face of the earth.

What have I been doing? Well...

• I found out that I will be teaching American Literature to 11th graders next semester. I'm really looking forward to working with the older kids. The first novel we will be studying is The Great Gatsby. I barely remembered reading it in high school, but I am LOVING it right now. It definitely is helping me get excited for my new endeavor.
  
• I've been COOKING. I love cooking! I'm really trying to cook a lot and try new dishes. So far the lasagna, enchiladas, goulash, baked penne, etc. has all been delicious. I'm thinking about becoming the next Giada (without emphasizing Italian pronunciation when saying things like "lasagna" and "mascarpone" - annoys me!). Not only have I been cooking, but I've been cooking while stretching our dollars. So far, so good!
• I've been relaxing. I'm really slowing my life's pace down a good bit in an attempt to stay healthy and well-rested. It's seems to have been working since I am yet to catch any bugs flying around this season. KNOCK ON WOOD!

That's about it, really. Nate and I are happy as clams and can't believe we've been married 8 months already. Time flies!

I can't make any promises, but hopefully I'll update again soon :)