Fashion on the Fifteenth

Button up: Old Navy

T-shirt: Urban Outfitters 

Necklace: PacSun

Pants: Old Navy

Boots: Old Navy

I didn't even realize I was a walking Old Navy ad until I wrote down where everything was from! I feel like I hardly ever shop there...then again, I hardly ever shop...but that seems to be where most of my clothes come from. 

When I started thinking about what I was going to pack for our big vacation, I knew I wanted some thick leggings, the kind that you can wear and not have to worry about your butt hanging out. I have seen them on people before, but had no clue where to get them. So, I asked a friend who I had seen wearing some and she changed my world. She told me hers were yoga pants. So I researched and ended up buying some workout pants/leggings from Old Navy and using them as leggings. Let me tell you...MY WORLD IS CHANGED. 

These things are so stinking comfortable. They are definitely the way to go when traveling. They are as comfortable as pajamas, but look way more put together. You can't see through them at all and they are thick, as far as leggings go. As an added bonus, they didn't fall down when I was wearing one of the kids in a carrier. Usually my jeans do, but these didn't. 

I also have to say, I really like how they look with boots. Plus, they work really well with my chambray shirts (yep, I have more than one). Like I said, my world is changed! 

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Isla is Three!

The little GIRL who lights up our home with sparkles, glitter, pink and her huge personality is THREE today! It's kind of fun that she gets to have an extra long birthday...32 hours to be exact...spread across two continents. Of course, that also means that she will be celebrating part of her big day trapped in an airplane. But, that isn't all bad, given that she will have a little tv (built in the seat in front of her) at her disposal full of all sorts of tv shows for her to choose from...though, if it is anything like the trip over, she will watch Mickey Mouse Club House the whole time.

Later this week, we will properly celebrate this little girl. But, big celebration on her birthday or not, she means so much to us. I love you Miss Isla Grace and hope you have an amazing birthday and an even better fourth year of life.

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Edinburgh

There is something about going back to a place you are all to familiar with. You have the ease of getting around without directions. You feel a sense a peace. Then again, you have a list a mile long of things you want to do because you know what you are missing out on if you don't!!!Oh, Edinburgh. It is such a magical place to me. I had never been there before we moved there and this place stole my heart rather quickly. There is something so magical about the castle in the middle of the city, the cobblestone streets, the flowers everywhere. Then, there are the old bay windows, the cozy cafes and the beautiful bridges. It really is a special place. We had the privilege of not only visiting some of our favorite places, but also catching up with some old friends. I got to see a few of my old work mates, and even managed to sneak out for dinner one night. We also had fun playing in the park with one of Ian's old work mates and his kids...who oddly enough we also met up with when we went to Vancouver, Canada a couple years ago. After living in drought conditions for a while, I was almost shocked by how lush and green it is. It was so beautiful. Not to mention, the chill in the air and actually needing a jacket and scarf...while California is still suffering through temps in the high 90's. Even with a jacket on, Connor was cold. He asked how he was supposed to keep his face warm! 

 

 

  

 

 

My only regret is that we didn't have more time to spend in Edinburgh. I really want my kids to fall in love with the place that has stolen my heart. And, hopefully we can manage to make it back for another visit in less than four years this time!

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Connor: Sometimes it seems hard to calm him down, but take him somewhere like a huge train station and it is shock and awe. 

Isla: Where Isla goes, tabby cat will also go. This little (dirty) cat has been with us everywhere on vacation..including on the ground in public places a few thousand too many times.  

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2014."

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Paris

Traveling with kids is just so much different than without kids. All the travel guides usually don't tell you the cool places to take kids. Thankfully there is pinterest these days and I spent time on there researching places to go and things to do with kids in each city we went. The weather in Paris was amazing the whole time we were there. It was in the 70's and sunny. It made spending time outside at many of Paris's amazing parks a breeze. 

We spent a lot of time in parks just playing. There is a huge park, Champ de Mars, that the eiffel tower is at the beginning of. Besides tourists walking far enough back to take full shots of the tower, the park really doesn't have tourists in it. And, there are THREE different play areas for kids in it! One was practically at the base of the tower and had amazing views. For a while, we were the only people in that play area. It was like our own little paradise.

Paris is full of carousels. It seems like there is one everywhere you look. And, the kids did a stint on a double decker one that had a view of the eiffel tower. But, the really cool one was a little hand crank carousel tucked back in a park. The French man operating it obviously loved his job. He would make the kids laugh and laugh...which considering that there is a language barrier proves that language isn't everything. 

There was also a petal car track in the park that the kids tried out. It was again run by a French man that seemed to love children. He cheered Connor on...of course, I don't actually know what he was saying...and both kids got excited and loved it.

The flat we stayed in was an airbnb find. It was about half the price of a decent hotel room. I really wanted us to stay close to the tower, since that was the main reason we were going. Not only was it close, but we had a view of it too. Both kids liked watching the tower "sparkle" each hour. And Connor even woke up one morning and checked to make sure the tower was still there.

 

We did a ton of walking around in Paris. One day we walked 7.5 miles. Connor actually did pretty good walking, but in the end, ended up on Ian's shoulders. Isla actually took a couple hour nap in the stroller while we were walking. Aww, the time change...it actually has her napping daily! Of course, nights aren't necessarily the best ;)

 

When we left Paris, we took a flight to Edinburgh. Isla fell asleep while we were checking in for the flight. She even slept when we took her out of her stroller and went through security. At the door to the plane, she woke when we took her out of her stroller. She literally went mental. She was kicking and screaming and I was afraid they were going to throw us off the flight before it even started...the flight attendant was kind of being mean to us about the whole thing, as if we planned it! Once we were in the air, she calmed down. But, it was a lot of crying, kicking and screaming before that. Let's just say I am not ready for our long haul flight back to America next week!

After the perfect weather we had in Paris, it was a slight shock to the system to get into Edinburgh and have the highs be in the low 50's. But being able to cozy up under a bunch of blankets in bed is one of my favorites, so I didn't mind. More on our trip to Edinburgh to come...

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Eiffel Tower

We just finished up a four day stint in Paris and, well, so much happened on the eiffel tower that I thought I would start with there. Paris will definitely see some action at some point because I am just a little trigger happy and have WAY TOO MANY pictures. But on to the eiffel tower...and a fraction of the too many pictures I took there.

I originally hawked the idea of adding Paris to our trip because Connor has been obsessed with the eiffel tower for well over a year now. It all started with a little statue of the tower in our house that I got when I went to Paris with my family when I was 19. Both kids have been so excited about the eiffel tower. Then, a week before the trip, Connor declared that he didn't want to go up in the tower. Uh, WHAT?!? After talking to him, I realized his real fear was of people stopping the elevator (you know, pressing the elevator stop button). After telling him there was an elevator operator, all was fine again.

 

A couple days before our trip, I was looking at tickets to the tower online and realized you can buy them online and bypass the long lines. Score! I went to buy tickets and every day we were in Paris was sold out. I was gutted to say the least. Then, my 'ole friend google helped me discover that apparently you can only pre buy tickets online at least 3 months in advance...as if I plan anything that far in advance! 

Knowing the line to buy tickets, then get up the tower, were going to be long, we were armed with entertainment with the kids. Connor was so excited, he didn't need entertainment. And, the line went rather quick anyway. When we got on the elevator and Connor saw the elevator operator, he said, "You were telling the truth about the elevator man!" Glad to see you have so much faith in your mom, kid! 

We finally made it to the top (you have to wait in another long line on the second floor to get up to the top). We headed outside to check out the views and enjoy some fresh air after being sardined in an elevator. Connor got insanely hyper and wanted nothing to do with being up there. And, it got worse when we decided to take a family picture up there. He was hysterical, so Ian finally put him down. And, about 20 people were standing around trying to convince Connor to at least stand in front of us for a picture. It was nice that so many people wanted to help, but also super embarrassing that we were a spectacle for so many. Even going inside to the enclosed area didn't help Connor. I told Ian it wasn't worth it and for us to just go down. 

We went back down to the second floor to change elevators to head down to the bottom. While waiting in line for that elevator, some Asian ladies took great interest in Isla. In broken English, they asked to take a picture with her. I said yes. I totally thought Isla would flip when one of them picked her up. But, no. Girlfriend was enjoying all these ladies doting on her. It was actually quite funny.

On the way down, we stopped off at the first floor. And, that was the perfect stop for us. In fact, I think it redeemed our trip to the eiffel tower for me. The first floor is literally at least six times the size as the top and practically no one stops there. It made the perfect place to stop with kids. They could run around and be themselves. We didn't have to worry about them hitting other people or loosing them in the crowd. We still had rather good views. And, there are some crazy glass floors that you can stand on. I will be honest and admit that I was slightly freaked out standing on the glass, but it was really cool. 

So there you have it, the eiffel tower in like a thousand word essay! No one ever accused me of being short winded :) Now back to vacationing I go...

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Connor: On the Eiffel Tower. He was oh-so-excited about the elevator operator and how the elevator operated. Once we got on top, he didn't want near the edge, as he was afraid of falling, even though we were completely enclosed. 

 Isla: The face of determination. Even after falling on this big rope ladder, she got back up and did it again. 

"A portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2014."

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