I’m much too tired to be writing a post right now but I have to because I know tomorrow is going to be jam-packed full of new bloggable things and I can’t have this backing up business. If I don’t write about it now, I’ll get back from vacation and have a whole weeks worth of stuff to talk about but I won’t because I’ll be tired and already forgetting all of it. So maybe I’ll write about it with only half of my brain and hope that’s better than all of my brain that has forgotten half of what happened.

The last two nights we’ve stayed at a bed and breakfast in Trinidad. The Trinidad Bay B & B in fact. It was really nice. Toby wasn’t so charmed by all the “charm” but then Toby is an old fart. I loved it.

The decor, the fancy sheets, the sea shells… everything. AND then of course there is THE VIEW. The view is actually why Toby chose this place. He looks at things on google earth and has the whole world figured out. He knows where he’s going before he even gets there.

Did you know you can see the swells of the waves in Trinidad from google earth? You can. They are that big. The coast gets pummeled here. But Toby didn’t just choose this bed and breakfast based on google earth. He actually grew up here and has known about this view since he was a kid.

It’s a great place to stay because Trinidad is beautiful. There are tons of trails to hike on and amazing view to take photos of. Of course everything is five hundred times more fun when it is not raining so it can be a bit tricky timing your visit but we managed. It was pretty rainy when we first got there but absolutely gorgeous the next day.

We hiked around a lot, showing Baby Bug what mushrooms and blackberry branches look like. We trudged over rocks and brambles and mud puddles. It was great.

At one point we came upon a sheer cliff that dropped down to rocks and surf below. I don’t know how I didn’t see it coming since we had been walking along looking at the ocean very very very far below us all along. But I didn’t. When we got to the edge, I walked right up to it and almost lost my lunch. I was that close to just walking off the edge. I actually got physically ill just thinking about what might have happened if I had Baby Bug in my arms and she pulled one of those wiggly toddler moves. I still don’t want to think about it.

Thankfully Toby did know about the sheer drop off and was prepared with Baby Bug in a vice like grip. I guess I’m a lot more afraid of heights than I thought I was. I didn’t take any pictures of that view but I did take about a thousand of all the others.

And there’s more here.

I should write about how toddlers don’t belong in fancy bed and breakfasts and about how I am so sick of traveling… but I think I’ll save that for another day. We are not home yet but I need to retire to my not-as-cozy-as-home bed and get some z’s before Baby Bug wakes me up at the crack of dawn. Tomorrow we are going to explore a possible future town we might live in and I am VERY excited about that.

Where was I? Oh yeah! Cousins! Do these two not look alike? One is six months younger and that would not be Baby Bug. It was so funny to see them size each other up for the first time. They are the exact same height but one can talk up a storm. The other one is super quiet with those big eyes that suck your soul right out of you.

I love her. I love all my nieces but this one just crawled into my heart. I wanted to take her home. She wanted me to hold her right away which made Baby Bug really jealous. It was kind of interesting to see how Baby Bug reacted to another baby getting my attention. Things might be a bit tricky when and if we decide to have another child.

Maybe by then Baby Bug will be a “big girl” and won’t need so much mommy-cuddle time. Or maybe I will grow another set of arms and a lap twice as big (I think I’m already working on the double size lap). I have no idea. I’m just kind of winging this mom gig by the seat of my pants and that seems to be working so far.

Christmas did not disappoint this year.

We dressed up in our finest just-pulled-out-of-a-very-over-stuffed-suitcase clothes and headed over to the Grandparents house as early as we could pull ourselves together. Baby Bug finally got to wear that dress I bought for her last year for Christmas. I guess that is one advantage of having a micro-kid… she fits her clothes longer. She looked so cute prancing around in her “skirt” as she calls it.

I don’t know what I was thinking… I was busy with the shop and being a mom and for some reason I thought it would be okay if I didn’t get everyone gifts this year. I’ve gone all out other years and really pulled it off. Like that year I got everyone Chinese robes. I’ll never pull that off again. So I guess I didn’t even try. What a loser I am.

I got the kids presents but I never quite pulled off the something-very-thoughtful-and-meaningful for everyone else. I am SUCH a scrooge. Toby said, “Oh, don’t worry about it.” But I knew in my gut he was wrong and sure enough… he was. Why do I ever trust a man about these things? Especially a man who thinks birthdays are for kids. Never again, I tell you. Never again.

Everyone got us very thoughtful and special gifts. In fact we are so spoiled I think I will have to go home and make personalized stationary or send them all a fresh-baked pie every month. I’m so pathetic. Like check out this hand-held tri-pod from my mother-in-law (Toby’s step mom). You know, because I always take pictures of myself from arm’s length. It’s like she KNOWS me or something. Even Toby, Mr. PhoTOGrapher himself, thought it was pretty cool. That was fun. I got hours and hours of enjoyment out of that toy. I’m sure you’ll be seeing a lot of it in the future.

She also got me a whole box full of Paris things. PARIS! The city that stole my heart. An Eiffle Tower Christmas ornament, a book about Notre Dame, a little black and white art nouveau ash tray (that I will use as a little dish of course since I do not smoke)… Someday I am going to have a whole room in my dream house devoted to things from Paris. It may be a bathroom but still… there will be a Parisian themed room.

My mother-in-law knows that what’s really important about getting toys for Baby Bug is that I like them. Right? Isn’t that what it’s all about? Just kidding. But she couldn’t have made me happier when Baby Bug opened a Parisian trunk that had a Madeline book and doll inside! Madeline! I LOVE Madeline!!! I always have. I wanted to get Baby Bug one myself but just never quite got around to it.

It turns out I’m not the only one who is in love with Madeline. My father-in-law told me all about Ludwig Bemelman and how he (my father-in-law) has been a fan of Bemelman’s illustrations since he was a kid! My father-in-law even has this really old book from the 40’s that I’m coveting quite a bit. There is so much in this world I do not know about. So many amazing illustrators, so little time!

I thought that was the cherry on top. I thought Baby Bug made out like a bandit with her many books and puzzles and stuffed toys… But no. Nope. They had to go and spoil her rotten!

My kid got a four-wheeler. A motorized vehicle! I dreamed about having one of these when I was TEN!!! She is such a lucky duck. Of course she hasn’t quite got the hang of it and there seems to be some trouble with charging it but I just know this is going to be a big hit around the house. I know she is going to be tearing around our little apartment, giving the house cats hell. Can’t you just see it? I think Pounce will permanently take up residence in the closet. It’s going to be hilarious. I can’t wait. I know I always say I don’t want big plastic toys that I have no place to put but I think I will make an exception for this. This is fantastic.

(See her tongue sticking sideways in that picture up there? She’s concentrating. My Dad and Toby do the exact same thing. I think it’s adorable.)

Christmas is not all about gifts of course. There was some apple picking and gourmet dinner eating, and eggnog drinking… and of course some goofing around with the relatives.

My family is a hoot. (Baby Bug took that photo by the way.)

Next up: Cousins!