santa barbara

on our way to santa barbara we stopped in santa monica. we cruised around and i was delighted when i was able to enjoy a pinkberry. pinkberry is the most amazing frozen yogurt with every kind of topping you can imagine. i was able to get a pinkberry every day for the rest of the trip...mmmmm....

then we arrived here...one of tom and laura's friend's home in santa barbara....paradise. it was a beautiful home and we so enjoyed our time there. what a great way to conclude our vacation.

again, charlie loved playing in the ocean. bill would run him in and drag him out. he would lose it giggling.

charlie being a goofer.

while in santa barbara we went to a famous dive mexican restaurant. i was delighted.

we went wine tasting one day. tom and bill definitely enjoyed most of the wine, but it was beautiful in wine country.

charlie smelling the strawberry, watermelon scents of the wine.

walking up and down the path at fess parker.

charlie loves his grandpappy! what a great picture.

charlie was able to meet a chicken at a lavender farm we stopped at.

thank you tom and laura for such a wonderful vacation. we had a blast!

san diego

we're off! a 4 hour airplane ride with a constantly moving child is quite the feat! thank goodness bill was there so we could trade him back and forth every 3 minutes. we spent most of the flight trying to keep charlie from attacking the lady next to me. also, when the drinks came by bill handed charlie the diet coke (it was closed) when he was up on his shoulders and yep - charlie dropped it and it fell in the way back corner of the plane (we were in the last row!) and burst. talk about embarrassing.

almost immediately after arriving we were in the toddler pool. it was perfect for charlie. the pool was between .6 and 1 foot deep.

charlie loved being tossed into the pool. if you put him into the pool you had to be prepared to be tossing him into and out of the pool the entire time. he would continue to go in and out of the water until his lips were blue and shivering. he has unlimited energy.

after the pool, he was sprinting across this perfectly manicured green in the middle of the resort. i guess he was sick of sitting after being on the airplane!

on friday morning we went to la jolla to walk around the beach town and check out the seals that have taken over the city's beach. i loved this little cupcake shop. they made mini cupcakes and they were delicious.

here are the seals. they have totally taken over the beach and we heard both sides of the story of whether or not the seals belong there. there are seal activists that stay at the beach constantly to watch the seals. they saddest thing is that some people throw rocks at them (to get them to leave), but since the seals are "pupping" (having babies) right now they are not allowed to throw rocks until july. they were fun to look at, but stunk! charlie loved them.

bill's favorite seal. he loved his smile. bill also enjoyed how lazy the seals were. if they wanted to move they would not roll onto their bellies to go forward they would flop while still staying on their sides.

we had lunch at this adorable cafe near the ocean, brockton villa. charlie tried his first clam chowder and became obsessed with it.

happy after enjoying his clam chowder.

after visiting la jolla we went to coronado to look around. i was pretty much spent by this time of the day so it was short visit and we didn't really check out the island too long, but we did get to see the huge hotel and beach. charlie enjoyed running into the ocean.

saturday morning we went to the san diego zoo. we probably should have gone to sea world because as you will see by the pictures below charlie liked the aquarium exhibits the best.

bill and i before a delicious dinner out with tom and laura at the restaurant addison. we had a 7+ course meal. it was unbelievable.

our adorable family before the final party saturday night. and yes - charlie is wearing a linen shirt with linen pants....love it!

charlie was stunned by all the people and was just taking it all in.

charlie with his grandma schmitt. he loves her. he honestly cries when he has to go back to me. also, this was charlie's fake smile. he was so overwhelmed that it was all he could muster up.

here are some pictures of the grand del mar. this bouquet was in the lobby and i was obsessed with smelling the flowers every time i passed them.

this was the dining room in our suite.

just one of the many pools.

a sitting room in the resort.

in our bathroom.

1 of the master bedrooms in the suite.
the living area. the picture above the mantel - yep it is a tv - the picture scrolls up. to the right of the living room was a great den with another huge tv.

charlie was a champ of a traveler. he basically didn't miss a beat with his sleeping. he took naps when he could get them (in the stroller, car, or missed them) and ate pb&js constantly. we were so proud of him. he also loved soaking up the attention of both grandparents, mom and DAD! on sunday we left for santa barbara...

highest of highs and lowest of lows

what a week! i will start with the high. we had the most wonderful family vacation in san diego and santa barbara this past week. bill, charlie and i met bill’s parents in san diego (del mar) on thursday. tom and laura had amazing accommodations because tom is the current chairman of NAMM (big deal in the music business) so we bummed along to enjoy the presidential suite at the Grand Del Mar and it was over the top. after the NAMM meeting concluded on sunday we headed up to santa barbara to stay at one of their friend’s homes in Montecito – again over the top.

in san diego we were able to do and see many different things each day. we often did something in the morning to mid afternoon and then came back to relax by the pool before getting ready for a delicious meal. in santa barbara, we biked around, went into wine country for a day, and played with charlie in the ocean. we had unlimited time with bill and charlie was just delighted to spend so much time with his daddy and grandparents. it was a fantastic vacation and i would love to go back to the san diego or santa barbara areas. i will post more pictures from the trip in the next few posts.

last night we arrived home late and were confronted with reality. bill had to go back to work so he spent most of his night reading up on the disasters that happened when he was gone and pouring over papers, emails, etc. i spent my night unpacking, laundry, emails, mail, etc. we both went to bed well after midnight, but we were excited about what thursday would have in store. i had my 8 week OB appointment for baby schmitt #2 in the morning (most of you are now learning that i was pregnant).

so this morning, bill went off to work and i got charlie up and we headed to the drs for an 8:30 appointment. bill planned on sneaking out of the OR to come to my appointment so we could both see our baby’s heartbeat. bill arrived at the appointment and i met my doctor. we did the typical exam stuff and then she brought in the ultrasound. i couldn’t wait to see that little fluttering heart. i can still remember seeing charlie’s and it was such a special moment. she started the ultrasound and i didn’t see anything. she moved it around a bit and still nothing. that is when i knew. baby schmitt #2 was in heaven. we were both stunned and sad. my OB was so kind. we were able to grieve a bit in the room, but i was still in shock. bill went back to work and by the Grace of God his consultant noticed something was up and told bill to go home. he spent most of the day with me and charlie. we are saddened by the loss of our child, but we are blessed beyond measure and are so thankful we have a God who loves us. we rest and trust in his Sovereignty and his plan for our lives. we know we will see our little one in heaven one day.

a wonderful friend reminded me of these encouraging verses:

Psalm 34:17-19

The righteous cry out, and the Lord hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. The righteous may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers them from them all.

Isaiah 43:1-2

But now this is what the Lord says, He who created you, oh Jacob, He who formed you, oh Israel. "Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, they will not rise up over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze."

the parties - 2

this birthday party kicked off on thursday night when nana and pops arrived. they brought a huge fish balloon that charlie loved.

having a blast playing with the fish balloon and pops.

this afternoon, danny, laura, mary, pete and margit joined us for an afternoon celebration. the weather was beautiful and we had a wonderful time celebrating charlie.

opening gifts in the sunshine.

loving his little people noah's ark set from nana and pops.

spending some time with uncle dan.

uncle pete and aunt margit made charlie this amazing stool. thanks pete and margit! check out charlie's adorable green keens. love them!

he loved playing with the tissue paper while standing on the stool. definitely not safe.

now for the climax. the cake. i was inspired by a friend who makes her kid's birthday cakes. she told me they were not that difficult and that she enjoys making them. so i was determined to make charlie a dog cake. i wanted to find a shaped dog cake pan, but they are impossible to find (unless you go on ebay). so i decided to turn a lamb cake stand into a dog...more specifically lily. you be the judge.

lily the real dog.

lily the cake dog. check out the "angel wings". i have to give credit for the color of the icing to bill. he was my sous chef and mixed icing until his arm was sore.

so proud of the cake.

getting carpel tunnel putting the stars on the night before.

charlie chowing down on his piece.

i love the chocolate cake in his eyelashes.

lastly, laura gave charlie these little pillows she found in germany. they are beautiful and we gave one to charlie tonight for bed time. he usually bunches up his blanket to make a pillow so he was pumped to curl up on his new pillow.