alexa zurcher

California in December

 Trip Favorites:
-Baby Beach in Dana Point, we go there every time.
-Chronic Tacos – soo good!
-99 cent spoons and bowls from Target since we forgot sand toys.
-Hitting up the park and seeing Trolls in the theater
-Our kiddos running around in their swimsuits – while we froze 😉
-the 6 hour long distance phone call our kids made from the hotel…and cost us $200. 😉

Hello from…




. . . I R E L A N D ! 
We’re overseas for a business trip  – thank you Brian for having international clients! I’ve completely fallen in L O V E with Dublin – it’s simply C H A R M I N G. I could wander around this town for days, even if my toes are always freezing. 😉 I’m obsessed with all the colored doors, too – those deserve their own post! Here’s a few things from our trip that I wanted to jot (err, I mean type) down so I don’t forget: 

* The US Election is the hot topic over here. 
* In fact, we were even on the radio here in Dublin giving our reaction about it. Haha!
* Ireland hot chocolate trumps American hot chocolate every time.
* Scratch that, chocolate in general is way better. 
* Totally missing our girls, but walking miles and miles and having so much fun.
XO.

Hello Betty & a California Video!

“I’m happy anywhere I can see the ocean.”

I’m still finding sand in my mini van. You guys, I CAN’T get rid of it! Totally worth it, though. We had the best time with the girls at the beach. We quickly built sandcastles…that Addie quickly destroyed, and swam in the water (which was surprisingly warm!) We put together a little video of three of our favorite places we visited while on vacation. (See above!) 

One of our favorite stops on this trip was after a long day at the beach. We were all starving (something about being out in the sun all day, makes me like 10x hungrier!) so we stopped by Hello Betty Fish House in Oceanside. Cutest. Place. Ever. Check it out:


If you’ve seen any photos of our wedding, you know how much I love yellow + aqua blue 😉 
This succulent wall had me swooning. Currently googling how to make one of these. 
I love restaurant interiors – and this place did not disappoint. Look at those chandeliers! 
This tile!! (insert heart eye emojis here) 
Ellie was all about this gold, sparkly car parked inside. She pretty much thought it was the coolest thing, ever. But seriously, a gold car with SPARKLES? Yes, please. 
And then there was the food. I kid you not, this food was divine! We split the Baja Stone Crab and Cheese Dip (TOO GOOD!) and the West Coast Seafood Boil. I still dream about that boil – we finished off every drop of that sauce and my mouth is watering just thinking of it. It’s not often that I rant and rave over food that doesn’t contain chocolate or sugar – so you know it must be good. 😉
And the rooftop view! Think they’d let us pitch a tent and live up top? Ha! 
Oh California, you were good to us. Until next time! 

A Magical Surprise!

While we were in California last week, Brian planned the ultimate surprise for the girls. We woke up early, grabbed a quick hotel continental breakfast for the road, and when Ellie asked if we were going to the park, we just nodded our heads. 😉 As soon as E saw the Woody on the parking signs, she starting to giggle and giggle. “Is this a WOODY park?” When we told her where we were at, oh it was magic. She kept telling Brian “Daddy, why did you surprise me? You’re a genius!” (She’s obsessed with that word and it’s the cutest.) 
Addie was a bit older this time since our last Disney trip and it was SO much fun to watch her face light up and to see her wander down Main Street USA! (And no, we do not usually go to Disney twice in a year. Like, never ever. Totally spontaneous adventure!)
Addie was obviously a BIG fan of the tea cups. Ha! On a side note, Ellie rode her first “rollercoaster” in toon town and LOVED IT, so she went on it twice. Brian was SO proud. I love rollercoasters, but I’m becoming more of wimp after each baby! 
Sleeping Beauty is Ellie’s FAVORITE (though she’s never actually watched the movie all the way through) so when we saw her within minutes of arriving at the park, it was absolutely magical. Even though there was a pretty good line, the princess spent a good amount of time talking to Ellie and asking her all kinds of cute questions. Ellie’s dream come true!  
They look thrilled (ha!) but meeting Minnie Mouse was on high on the priority list for E, as well as riding on the “horsies” and Small World. We’ve heard A LOT of the Small World song since arriving back home. 
These Minnie ears kill me. Ha! Ellie wears them DAILY. 
Addie learned how to say WOW while we were there…cutest thing ever. She pointed at everything and said it over and over again. 
Addie also spent a good amount of time climbing on everything in sight – which made for some dirty hands and knees. I randomly packed these Johnson’s® new Head-To-Toe Cleansing Cloths in my backpack earlier that morning and they came in handy ALL DAY LONG. I loved that I could essentially give Addie a little sponge bath on the go as the wipes are huge, super soft, and made for quick clean up between baths. Never leaving the house without these (and I’m dead serious!) 
Pointing and saying WOW all day long. I wish I would have gotten more of it on video – so sweet. Thanks Brian for an unforgettable surprise and also to Socialstars for sponsoring this post. I’m sharing #JOHNSONS in my life as part of a Johnson’s® sponsored series for Socialstars.™ 
Find Johnson’s® on Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter.

Salt & Sand

A few photos from our sunny days at the beach last week. I think we’re all ready to pick up and move. 😉 We spent our time in a few different areas last week – first, Oceanside beach! I love the sand and the pier, but the shoreline was pretty rocky. The other beach we went to was Baby Beach in Dana Point. It’s in a harbor so there’s no waves and a great swimming area for the kiddos. We loved it so much, we went there twice! It was great for our little ones. 🙂 
That face! Ha, we could not stop her from eating the sand. :/
Yes, Addie, that’s how I feel too about still finding sand everywhere and on everything! 😉
Totally forced them into taking a photo with me. Please enjoy their fake smiles. 😉
She’s such a ham! 
Brian built Ellie a tiny little “pool” and she thought it was “GENIUS!” (That’s her newest word and it’s hilarious to hear her use it!) 
A perfectly placed umbrella behind Brian. Ha! 🙂

And just in case you were wondering: Girls polka dot swimsuit – Target | Ellie’s blue swimsuit – Target (old) | Addie’s cheetah swimsuit – old from Gap | My swimsuit – DownEast (all swim 50% off right now!) | Ellie’s floatie (we love this thing!) 

California Dreaming

Hello from California! We’re here on business…but it certainly looks and feels like play! 😉 When the opportunity came to participate in the Mermade Market we jumped on it…three days in Southern California? Yes, please! This handmade market is central checkout, which means I’m not there until it ends on Saturday. Best kind of business/family trip in my opinion. 😉
The second the girls saw the beach on the first night, they went wild! We didn’t even have time to put on swimsuits. We played until it was dark and even then, it was a struggle to get them to say goodbye to the sand and salt water. 
We spent a sunny day at Oceanside beach and it was wonderful! We built crab houses (little sandcastles for crabs, oh the childhood memories!), played in the waves, and I snuggled up with Addie while napped and watched Brian and Ellie run around the beach. Glorious!!
Bath time at the hotel was SANDY! As to be expected, of course. I always seem to forget my own shampoo and soap (hotel shampoo for the win! 😉 but I always pack the girl’s body wash and lotion. Nothing like a fresh, clean smelling baby after the beach! I always keep some lotion in the car as well, the girls love a good leg and foot massage in the car during long days of travel! (And not going to lie, I always use the girls stuff too. This Extra Moisturizing Baby Cream is ahh-mazing)

Thank you to Johnson’s® for sponsoring this post. We’ve used their products for years and they’re my personal favorite (the girls love it, too!). Their new line of HEAD-TO-TOE™ bath time washes, creams and cleansing cloths are perfect for home and on the go, and work so well on Addie’s sensitive skin! 
We have a little surprise trip for the girls planned today – all Brian’s idea! I’m seriously giddy about it. We’ll share a few sneak peeks on instagram today and more photos here next week. Happy Friday! xo
I’m sharing #JOHNSONS in my life as part of a JOHNSON’S® sponsored series for Socialstars™

A Video of New York!

Remember how we went to New York a MONTH AND A HALF AGO? I’m finally sorting through photos and I’m ready to go back! I mean, look at all that GREEN! 🙂 We had such a fun time with Brian’s family (and all of his extended family!) The girls were in heaven – they loved every minute of it. (Minus the ear infection that Addie got, poor girl!) We put together a little video of all our favorite moments – check it out below!
 


(All video was shot with our Canon Rebel, 50mm 1.4 lens, and our SJcam 5000x – similar to a go pro, just less $ 🙂

Welcome to New York

Hello from NY! 
I wish I could send you all a postcard. This place is beautiful and so GREEN! 🙂 
We’re here with the entire Zurcher family in upstate New York to celebrate Pops, Brian’s grandpa who passed away unexpectedly. (Pictures from our last trip to see him here!) We had a fabulous memorial service, with family and friends in attendance from all over the country. How grateful we are for families and our knowledge that we will see Pops again. 
We’ve been spending lots of time with cousins and even more time outside. Nothing like late nights catching lightning bugs, grass stained knees, and baseball games in the park. Pure joy! 
On a side note, Ellie has been requesting THIS song every time we get in our rental car. Brian’s thrilled with music choice, of course. 😉 
Here’s a few photos from our trip so far. 
^^ While we all got about 4ish hours of sleep on our red eye flight, Ellie slept for a solid 8 hours! ^^
^^ Happy baby at the airport! ^^ 
^^ Baseball at Brian’s childhood park. ^^
^^ Speaking of baseball…here’s a good picture of Brian for you! ^^
^^ Superhero on the swings! ^^
^^ We don’t get to see cousin Logan too often, so these two have been playing nonstop! ^^ 
^^ Playing raccoons with grandma til sunset. ^^

Rainy Roadtrip

While Brian’s parents were in town this month, we decided to take a Zurcher family roadtrip! They hadn’t visited St. George and April was a perfect time to take them before it got too hot. 😉 We loaded up the mini vans with snacks and packed lunches and waterbottles, and trekked a few hours down south.
Sadly our plan to show them “sunny St. George” turned into “wow it actually rains here in St. George” type of weekend. 😉 The first two days it poured! We found a few indoor activities – the Brigham Young winter home, Children’s museum, and the Tabernacle. In between the rain storms, the kids would beg to go to the pool, so we would! And we had it all to ourselves. 🙂 I also took the girls to some of our favorite shops downtown – if you’re ever in the area, check out Urban Renewal – my fav! 
Sunday came around and it was GLORIOUS. We went to a church meeting in the morning and walked around the temple grounds after. A picnic lunch later and one last chance for the kids to get out their wiggles, and then we hit the road home….back to more rain. Ha! 🙂 It was fun showing them our soon-to-be town and spending some quality time with the fam. 🙂
P.S. We adored the Children’s Museum (Ellie could have stayed there for hours!) Great place to take the kiddos, especially on rainy days! 😉 

And then we went to Disneyworld!

Once upon a time we went to Disneyworld and that three year old up there? HAPPIEST girl on earth. Boy oh boy, I wish you could have seen her oohing and ahhing over the princesses and Mickey Mouse EVERYWHERE! She was in HEAVEN. We spent two days in the Magic Kingdom and it was pure magic – for all of us! Plus, it was a totally different experience from the last time we were there. (It was 50 degrees and freezing, ha!) And while she had fun last time, she had a complete BLAST this time around. 3 years old is the magic number, man!
I ended up bringing my “big” camera with us, along with our little gopro, and I’m glad I did! I’m working on a post with our favorite Disneyworld tips and tricks, but our best tip? Umbrella stroller. Easy to carry, easy to fold for the tram, and we wouldn’t be heartbroken if someone stole it. Best $20 investment! 😉 
 
Our dear friends and Florida hosts are pro Disneyworld experts so they guided us all around and showed us all the tricks! 
Happiest little one. She loved meeting all the characters and LOVED the electrical parade. She also loved all the new people she met. One lady in line even got her to wave! 
DUMBO. We have a classic Dumbo picture book that we’ve been reading over and over again for the last few months, so Ellie was begging to ride Dumbo first thing. The best part about the ride is the indoor “circus” playground that the kids play on while you wait! 
Cutest little mama ducks and her babies. Ellie and I were dying over how cute they were! 
Ellie and Aunt Savannah. Boy oh boy, did Ellie ADORE Savannah. It was darling. 
BUZZ! Ellie is obsessed with Toy Story.
She wore those Minnie ears for two days straight. And had we not taken them off that night, she would have worn them to bed! 
She was a little timid around the few characters that we met, but she did give Jessie and Woody a giant hug! 
At one point while the boys were on a “big kid” ride, we stopped for a little snack time. Addie was ready to get out of the stroller, so behold, our makeshift picnic blanket (my jacket!) and snacks on the ground. Super classy. 😉 
Cutest bathroom area ever. Disney knows what they’re doing. 
Uncle Ryan and the two girlies! We loved hanging out with them and we also loved that they would watch our kids so Brian and I could ride something together. 
Addie got her first Oreo this trip. She pretty much thought it was the best thing ever. She’s totally my daughter. 😉 
Starstruck Ellie! She met her favorites – Rapunzel, Mickey and Cinderella – and she was just in awe. She wouldn’t say a word until we left and then she was super excited. 
So glad we had a few days to spend at Disneyworld! And seriously, so. much. fun. with kids. Pure magic, I tell you! xoxo

Look for the magic in the everyday.