The Cluff Family: October 2013

21 Months

9:45 AM

Chloe

Curly hair

Happy

Loveable

Observant

Excited

I only have three more months with my one year old before she becomes two.

Savoring it up.

Every last cuddle.

I don't know how I got so lucky.

She is my beauty.

Blonde curly hair. Blue eyes. Tan skin. A smile to die for

It is hard to not fall in love

She lights up any room and can make anyone smile.

Her excitement in life makes me happy. She is not afraid to shout, point, and smile from ear to ear with excitement. I love that about her.

She is a cuddle bug once she gets to know someone.

She loves hugs, kisses, and will even pat your back.

Mickey Mouse, Cinderella, and Rapunzel are her favorites.

Outside is her happy place and she loves going down the slide and playing with balls.

I love watching her explore the world around her.

She still loves it when daddy comes home and rushes to the door.

Chloe lights up the most when daddy dances with her.

Chloe learns a new word each day if not more. She has even started to babble-sing. We sing "The Wheels on the Bus" with her and sometimes we hear her singing "Mommas.... sh sh sh... Mommas sh sh sh." She also loves "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes" and "Itsy Bitsy Spider."

Her obsession with stuffed animals is adorable. She treats her animals like babies and carries them around everywhere and feeds them bottles. She is my little nurturer.

Getting ready for bed is my favorite time with her. She will pick out five books and expect me to read all of them before bedtime. I don't mind. We cuddle, sing songs, and turn the lights out.

Happy 21 months Chloe bear.

California Trip Part 2

9:15 AM

The next day we headed to the charming little town of Carmel. I fell in love with this town and want to retire here... seriously. We started the day shopping. We had to stop by the famous cheese shop where they he have 200 different cheeses from all over the world. They let you sample whatever you want. We sampled a few Cheddars and some brie. We ordered some brie and restrained ourselves from eating it too fast. We then headed down towards Carmel beach. We sunk our toes in the sand and watched the waves. Next time we plan to bring our bathing suits and towels because it was warmer than we expected. If you have a dog and want to live by the beach, Carmel is your place. Every other person had a dog with them and I've heard that Carmel is very accommodating for dogs.

We planned to drive the famous 17 mile drive around sunset so we could catch some pretty pictures of the coast. The 17 mile drive follows the coast (particularly Pebble Beach). It first winds you through a beautiful neighborhood where only the rich live. You also see three golf courses which includes the famous Pebble Beach Golf Course (Tanner was so excited). The pictures below are the pictures we took of the 17 mile drive. Enjoy!

If you look closely you can see Sea lions... tons of them.

This tree is called the Lone Cyprus.

It was sad when the trip came to an end but we were excited to come back to our baby girl. Thank you Mom and Dad for watching Chloe! This trip was a memorable one and quite possibly the best birthday week yet!

California Trip Part 1

9:00 AM

Tanner and I celebrated our birthday BIG this year. We splurged and spent three days by the Central Coast of California. It was a much needed break for both of us. Once we landed in San Francisco we got our rental car (a Nissan versa) and looked for the first food place we could find (In n Out) because we were starving! Then we headed down towards Santa Cruz. It was dark by the time we made it to the Wharf and I was hoping the boardwalk amusement park would be lit up but it wasn't... bummer. We did walk along the wharf with the brisk night time air hitting our faces. We listened and looked at the sea lions that cuddled for warmth underneath. The smell of fresh lobster and the sound of crashing waves proved that we had made it... finally... to the ocean. We have been craving the beach since our honeymoon.

The next day we went to Capitola Village and walked along the beach.

My hunk of a husband was so sweet and did everything I wanted to do... including going through the little shops that Capitola had to offer.

After the beach, we headed towards the gorgeous Red Woods. Pictures just don't do justice for how beautiful and breath taking these trees are. It just proves what an amazing artist and creator Heavenly Father is.

The largest tree in diameter (in this specific park) is 16 feet!

It is so cool what you can tell from history through a tree. The rings of a tree can tell it's age, whether it there was a drought...etc.

When there is a forest fire, the trees hollow out in the middle leaving an outer shell like the tree below.

Later that day we drove south to our next hotel in Salinas. We drove past some gorgeous strawberry fields and country side. For dinner we headed to Cannery Row in Monterey. We splurged for one meal and ate at the Fish Hopper. We had the perfect table that looked out to the ocean.

Since we were already paying a pricey bill we decided to not hold back and ordered the lobster and filet mignon... YUM is an understatement. The restaurant is also famous for their clam chowder so we had to order a bowl. It is by far the best clam chowder I have ever had.

After dinner we drove around Monterey and enjoyed the sunset on the beach.

I love the picture below because it just shows the romance that was in the air.

Tanner and I played around with the camera settings and the picture below is the same night just a higher ISO. It is crazy that it can look like daytime.