First Family Trip!

A few weekends ago we didn't have any plans and decided to go on a family trip. With our 6 year wedding anniversary this month (June 18) and an amazing year for Owen, we celebrated with a trip to Mendocino. I have been going there for years with my family, and Chris and I were engaged there, as well as celebrated our first anniversary and our pre-Owen babymoon there. We felt it was fitting, however finding lodgings with less than 2 weeks notice was tricky. We had a few conditions: a kitchen, and more than 1 bedroom. With an infant, especially with an infant who wakes at least 3 times per night, it is imperative that we sleep in separate rooms. We ended up finding a wonderful home (3 bed, 2 ba, wow!) Called Gull Cottage on VRBO. I had never used that site before, and man, there are some great places to stay in Cali. We were pleasantly surprised with the cost, and the home was very nice. It had a hot tub, a great layout, and a distant view of the ocean. For 2 nights, the 4.5 hour-5hour trip is kinda far, but we were willing to make the trek. Owen is a fantastic traveller, we stopped only once on the way there because we knew he needed a change. He wouldn't have cared if we kept on driving! Once there, we even went to 2 restaurants as a family, which we have never done before. Owen was quite entertained throwing anything and everything onto the floor. We also made some therapeutic purchases for Owen in the cozy town of Mendocino, a puppet he can feed, a harmonica, and a tube that makes noises when you blow into it. These were all recommendations from his OT.
We enjoyed a beautiful hike along the headlands.
This was the only picture on the headlands where he was kinda of looking at me, he was so distracted by the sounds of the seals as well as the plants.
Owen's favorite thing to do is be pushed around in his stroller, while he is standing. Yes he is buckled in, but it doesn't look like the safest thing... He stands up and gets a look on his face like he is just the coolest thing around. We went to Frankie's for some homemade ice cream. Chris got cookies and cream, and I enjoyed their ginger flavor. Owen really was into the rest of Chris's cone. On the way home he even took a nibble out of it. I promptly moved into the backseat just in case he decided to take more down. (When we got home, I bought 3 different kinds of cones, but he has yet to nibble on them again...)
We hiked down to the beach during one of Owen's feeds. The backpack worked perfect, and the pump fit right into the red pocket pouch. He was in a milk coma, and was almost asleep in the backpack.
My boys on our beach.
When his feed was almost done, I took him out of the pack, and snuggled him right to sleep. Chris dug a little sand bed (so that his head would be elevated) and the little angel fell fast asleep!!!
For almost 2 hours!! We were worried he was cold, so we kept putting random articles of clothing on him to keep him warm, but he didn't seem to mind. We use the ocean noise maker at home, so he must have felt at ease.
Once awake, he did enjoy the sand.


The house we rented was situated on a large grass lot. We saw huge turkeys, deer, and rabbits, just like home!
It was a very successful trip, and we cannot wait to travel more. Owen slept well the first night, Chris and I enjoyed the hot tub, relaxing, making dinner, hiking, and breathing the ocean air.