first snow

Guess what? We got our first glimpse of snow overnight! To some it may sound horrifying- snow in mid October but to this Michigan native it's a welcome blast of cold air that I'm hoping will kill off the fruit flies and calm mine and Lucy's allergies. In honor of the cold and cozy weather I've got this recipe going in the crockpot right now for dinner tonight.

Last Friday on a whim I decided to surprise the kids with a chalkboard wall. Now that Gray is getting bigger and wanting to do more things with his sister the little one we had just wasn't cutting it anymore. The kids were thrilled and it's been keeping them busy at crucial times like when I'm trying to make dinner- the reason I chose a spot just off the kitchen. It's also fun to see what Lucy decides to draw. My favorite so far is the one she made of our family walking our dog, Trixie. I sat one night after dinner and had some coffee while she drew it. She was saying things like "Does daddy have a big head?" and "everybody gets a smile and a yeesh (leash)" I love that kid to pieces.

hello there: checking in

Hi guys! I swear I'm still around, I just haven't felt much like blogging lately and I always swore to myself this was a fun only zone not a chore. All that said though life has been crazy busy. We went to Southern California back in July and I had always meant to do a post about it.

We had so much on the first part of our trip visiting Disneyland and California Adventure with Nick's family. Lucy and Gray were in absolute heaven. Lucy still talks about it every.single.day.

The second leg of our trip we headed north to Santa Monica. Nick did some research and found the Channel Road Inn via an article in the New York Times travel section. It was perfect for us and I highly recommend them. They were very accommodating for our young family and perfectly located near all the fun spots. 

Gray loved digging in the sand. The scenery wasn't too shabby either. 

At the outdoor mall the street was lined with these really cute dinosaur fountains. 

A friend had given me some insider tips on where to visit in Santa Monica and one of them was this great little neighborhood splash park. This family loves a good splash park!

It was such a fun trip!

We were also hanging out with some pretty sweet Alpaca's a couple of weeks ago a few miles from our house. Lucy and I both are now obsessed with owning one (or two). They could live in the barn in the backyard right? 

I've also been working on Elizabeth Gray. The fact that it's so hard to keep up with and busy is a great problem I'm thankful to have. 

You can find me on INSTAGRAM at sarah_arkanoff posting often.