The Olson Family: Carlsbad!

I haven't written in almost 3 weeks - which means there's SO MUCH to talk about! First things first, we had a blast in Carlsbad, CA. We spent 11 days there. This was the longest amount of time we've spent in Carlsbad, and it went the fastest... having a baby adds to the fun and makes the trip go by quick!

This was my 9th year going with Steve's family & they've been going for 21 years! This felt like such a different year for many reasons. 1 - We have a baby. 2 - It was cold and cloudy. 3 - There was an earthquake.

It was in the 60's the whole time & the sun hardly came out. One of the days was a record for being so cold. I'm NOT complaining because it was a welcomed change, but it was hard to sit on the freezing beach all day, which is our usual thing to do. Then, there was an earthquake! It was a 5.4 that hit near Palm Springs. Steve was in the elevator when it happened, and I was feeding Peyton in the room. Exciting stuff! I'll have to make sure I tell Peyton someday that he was in two earthquakes by age 3.5 months... especially since he'll probably only be in 2 earthquakes his whole life!

Let's talk about milestones - Peyton was on a roll last week! I believe that all the interaction really pushed him along. 1 - Laughing. He's been laughing for about 1 month now, but one night out of the blue, Steve was rattling his keys and making funny faces. Peyton was straight faced and tired. Suddenly, this huge laugh came out! Then Steve stopped and the laugh stopped. He kept repeating it and the laughs kept coming. I have a video I'll post later. Then, on the drive home, I was singing to him and the big laughs started again! 2 - Standing. With help, of course, this boy loves to stand. His legs are so strong (which I knew from kicking in the womb) and when you try to put him down, he locks his legs and just wants to stand. He can go for well over a minute. 3 - Talking. Another thing that he's been doing for a while, but O.M.G., he's not just cooing now, he's squealing, screeching, yelling - all sorts of sounds! And his face is the best afterwards... he either scares

himself, or is sooo proud. I love it! 4 - Rolling. He's got a while before this one happens, but he finally showed an interest in rolling over! 5 - Sitting. I think this will happen soon. He can sit without help for a split second. Such a BIG BOY! 6 - Grabbing. Another thing he's been doing is swatting & grabbing toys on his playmat. I'm not sure if I never noticed, but he's now grabbing them, holding on, and putting them in his mouth consistently. 7 - Sleep. Although this isn't a milestone, I have to mention that Peyton did so well being in a new place, crib, schedule, etc. He is so easy going, will do anything anywhere. He kept up his sleeping in until 6am and on late nights, he even slept till almost 8am. I know we've been blessed with a good and easy baby, and I hope our next one is just as good, otherwise we'll really be in for a surprise!

As for the rest of us, we spent our time on the beach, in the jacuzzi, shopping, farmers market, eating out, morning walks, San Diego, watching movies, napping... all the good stuff.

It was such a great trip and was so hard to leave, I almost felt homesick last night after we got home. But as the saying goes, all good things must come to an end!

A big thank you to Dennis & Joan for such a great family vacation!

~Sandy Toes and Salty Kisses~