Grammie and JoePa come to Cali!!

We had been so excited about Grammie and JoePa coming to visit and we had talked with Riley about all week...especially trying to get her to practice saying their names! JoePa comes out "PaPa" and Grammie is "GuGu"...they'll take it for now!

We were headed to San Francisco last Thursday afternoon when I got a call from my dad...they had made it to San Diego and didn't have to change planes but they weren't being allowed to taxi to the terminal because of a security breech...great...he said he didn't know how long this would hold them up!!! He called back shortly after saying that a live grenade had been found in the airport at a security checkpoint and the airport was completely shut down...he told us to head back home but we had faith and kept going...besides we would have sat in CRAZY traffic if we had turned around so on we went. Thankfully he called half an hour later saying that it had been some sort of toy grenade and the idiot was arrested so they would be on there way soon...all in all it only delayed them an hour and we were so thankful! With all the traffic we hit we didn't have that much time to spare anyways...just enough to take Riley on a ride on the AirTran to see the planes land and take off...she had fun!

We met them inside and Riley walked right up and held her arms in the air for one of them to pick her up...and she had the biggest grin on her face...it was great! She was so happy she offered to carry JoePa's bag...it was just a little big for her though!

We made our way down to Fisherman's Wharf to eat at Scoma's again...it is just so yummy! Riley was great and was just so happy to be with her Grammie and JoePa...she ended up making it the entire evening only passing out in the car a few minutes from the house!

Loving the attention!

Friday we got up and took my parents on a tour of the area and we also took them on a tour of the base...our last stop was at Pena Adobe park where the boys threw the football and we all walked for over an hour...it was just starting to get really hot when we left!

Riley...I mean Jason...decided to share goldfish with the ducks and geese...we had quite a following!

After our time at the park we took them to one of our favorite Mexican restaurants, Chevy's, and we all chowed down on some food! After lunch we went back to the house where Riley and the boys napped and my mom and I snuck out to Suisun Valley to check out the farmer's market!

There are TONS of farmer's markets all around here and Riley and I visited one a few weeks ago but I had heard great things about Larry's Produce which didn't open until last Saturday so that's where we headed and it was fabulous! Any kind of fruit and vegetable you could imagine...many that I had never even heard of! You get a wheel barrow and push your way around picking out your goodies...by the time we were done we had a wheel barrow full of food!

We decided to have our own feast and that we did! I normally don't document food that much but this meal is worth it's own post...it was soooooooo good!

We had grilled Halibut with a mango salsa made with all our fresh fruit and veggies, grilled asparagus, eggplant, zuchini, squash and corn, roasted sweet potatoes, and even grilled toast!

Here's the man behind the grill!

Me and my dad!

Me and my mom

And here it is...my plate FULL of food!

And of course for dessert the one and only Paula Deen's Strawberry Shortcake...surprisingly no butter in this recipe but loads of other bad stuff to make it so yummy!

Riley has really started to practice her mothering skills with all of her "buddies"...here she is sitting with them and JoePa all in a row!

Saturday Riley played outside as we all drank our coffee and enjoyed the cool weather before the heat set in so she went down for an early nap...when she woke up we decided to get lunch and hit the pool for a bit! My parents had heard about In-N-Out and wanted to see what the fuss was all about...so we picked some up and ate it at the pool...they LOVED it!

Riley playing with JoePa...she played for a long time at the pool and did not want to go but with the temps surpassing 100 we didn't want her out in the sun for too long...back to the house for a nap...for all of us!

We decided to head to Napa to drive through more of the vineyards and have dinner downtown!

I decided this would be a great time to break out the little Mexican halter dress that we bought for Riley on our trip to Cancun...it fits perfect and it was so cute on her! We also got her some leather flip flops but she couldn't keep them on so we put her jellies on instead...she loved her dress!

Here's Riley with her Grammie and JoePa on our way out the door!

We had been to Napa once and seen a few vineyards on the roadside but hadn't really driven the highway that has one vineyard after another so we took a ride and checked everything out...it's just so neat to see the perfect rows of grapevines all over and up and down the hills...I can't wait to spend some time actually touring the vineyards and tasting some wine...white wine that is!

After our scenic drive we went downtown to meet up with the Cameron's for dinner...we tried a couple of places but they didn't have enough room for us with the kiddos and all and we finally snatched a table outside at what turned out to be a great restaurant. It was still pretty hot but we were in the shade and it ended up feeling great while we ate!

We put Riley and Cooper together so they could play and we could enjoy dinner...Riley's wasn't so sure about it at first!

Here's the Momma's...Jen and I!

When we saw these faces we knew it was a sign to get the bill and head home...we took them out of their highchairs and let them run amuck while the guys handled the tab!

Here's us with my parents after dinner...they were about to show E.T. on this movie screen behind us in the park...how fun would that be...sans kiddos!

Riley was a trooper and wanted to walk all the way back to the car and she did...it was only a few blocks but that's a lot of little steps for a big girl!

We had so much fun with my parents here and hate that they are already back home...just too quick! We took them to the airport this morning and decided to head to the Embarcadero in San Francisco to grab brunch since we were there...we eyed this little cafe on the corner with an outdoor patio and it was a great find! The prices were SO reasonable and the food was great!

This is the patio that sits right on the bay!

Me and Riley...she was making all sorts of funny faces!

We love you Grammie and JoePa and can't wait to see you again!

Let me invite you in...

Well I am finally ready to post pics of our house and give you all the grand tour! I have been working on this post for some time and every time I was ready to publish it I would finish another small project and want to update it...so here I am almost a month later actually ready to publish! Since we have family and friends all over this country and world, for that matter, consider this a chance for us to invite you into our home!

We have much more room than we had at our house in Arkansas so furniture/decor has been shifted around and we have purchased some new things. So sit down, relax, and enjoy the tour!

Guest Bedroom

This room inherited our old bedroom furniture and our old living room curtains...a new combination but one that worked out really well! We actually painted this room although you can't really tell...let's just say I thought the paint I chose would have a little more color in it...oh well it works for now!

This is the smallest room in the house and somewhat of a tight squeeze for the furniture but we made it all work. It has an adjoining bathroom as well for our guests to use as well as a big closet that serves as storage for all of my decorations and such!

Before...

After...

Dining Room

This room is huge and we really didn't have much furniture for it so we bought several new pieces to fill this area. We have our dining room table along with a small sitting area and it works well. I was able to put my cross wall up on the opposite wall and plan to refinish my Grandmother's desk and transform it into a table to sit under the crosses. Just in case you were wondering I am working on filling the frames with pictures so they look funny now with the same pic of some random little girl in them!

Before:

After:

Living Room

I shared some pics of this room before but here's a few more! We LOVE this room and spend a lot of time here...it's completely open to the kitchen which is what I have always wanted so I can be involved in play time or TV watching even if I'm cooking or cleaning up! Our couch fits just great and that's pretty much the only furniture we have in here.

Before...

After...

Kitchen

We didn't really do too much here...I thought we might paint it the same neutral brown color as the rest but considering we were way in over our heads on the parts of the house we had already committed to painting it did not happen! We may paint it eventually but for now this is how it is...I did make some curtains for the windows and that's about it!

Before...

The Unpacking Stage...craziness!

After...

Master Bedroom

We were lucky to receive a king size bed from my parents and new bedding as well! We flip flopped some furniture around and bought a few new pieces as well to make up our master bedroom and we love it! We have an adjoining room which works perfect as our office / craft room and it's a great use of space! We have an antique dresser that I still need to refinish and paint that will go in our bedroom as well...pretty much my last project...woohoo!

Before...

After...Miss Riley's Room

Riley has a bigger room than she had before and I am still hunting for a few additional wall hangings but all of her old decor works just great! We painted her room a peachy pink color that looks perfectly girly! Riley has a bathroom across the hall where she gets her baths so I made a new shower curtain and it's now a shabby chic bathroom that she can grow into!

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After...

Playroom / Overflow Guest Room

With the models that our neighborhood offered there was an option to have a third car garage or a 4th bedroom...the original owners opted for the 4th bedroom and it works great as a playroom / overflow room for guests! It is sort of a hidden room as you have to meander through the laundry room to get there and it's awkward in the sense that it's shaped like a third car garage and it has no closet...yet more reasons why it's a perfect room for what we are using it for!

We ALL love having a separate playroom for Riley...a place where she can not get into trouble and can make a complete mess! She plays in here alone if we need to get ready or get something done...we play in there with her often as well...and sometimes we pick a few toys and bring them out in the living room / kitchen! We used our old guest bedroom furniture in here so if we have extra guests they have a bed to sleep in as well!

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After...

Backyard

This is one of our favorite parts of the house...we haven't spent quite as much time out there in the past few weeks because it's been pretty cool in the evenings...we're looking forward to a heat wave!!! We love to eat dinner out here and just sit out and hang with the dogs! Riley loves to play out here as well. We have golfers drive by all the time but it doesn't bother us at all! We've added a few flowers and our patio furniture but that's about it!

Before...

After...

I am taking a stab at growing my own herbs...so far I have basil, parsley, thyme, and cilantro...all is well except for my cilantro...I might have to try that one again! We use the basil ALL the time and it grows back so fast...it's so great!

Is this not the coolest looking flower ever?

My neighbors gave me a clipping of this cool plant...they couldn't even remember what it was called but they have gotten several other plants out of single clippings so mine is planted and I hope I get a few more of these awesome looking flowers!

Well that's our crib...hope you enjoyed the tour!