John and I have wanted to do a “wine country” trip for a while and finally had the chance to get away without kids for a couple days this May. We went to Healdsburg (same general area as Napa and Sonoma) and loved it. We enjoyed great restaurants and a couple of our favorite wineries that were beautiful in person. It was a short, but sweet, getaway and we hope to get back soon.
Author Archives: kelsimellor
Spring Break in Punta Mita 2019
We snuck away from the endless winter in Park City to get warm in Punta Mita. The days were filled with beach, pool, snacks then repeat. Johnny couldn’t get enough exploring for sea shells, rocks, and crabs. Charlotte was in her mermaid element and also enjoyed collecting anything shiny on the beach. She even set up shop at one point selling or trading her collections. John and the kids created a new pool game called “Stinky Gorilla” where the kids would attack John and he would throw them across the pool. I think John looked at it as a way to get some exercise, and the kids just thought it was fun! I watched from afar and had several moments of a new found freedom with these adventurous, independent kids.
One highlight to remember was our family surf session. All of us went out to catch a few small waves with surf guides. John, Charlotte, and I stood up several times. Johnny still might be a little young to stand up, but at least he got out on a board. He ended up exploring the beach and was ecstatic to find a live sea urchin.
We were also thrilled to have some friends in Punta Mita at the same time. One of Johnny’s best friends, Jane, and her family came to visit along with another fun Park City family. The adults were able to steal away one evening to have a lovely dinner at our favorite spot, Sufi, while the kids stayed home to play.
Punta Mita continues to steal our hearts. It is truly our happy place where we can completely relax. There must be something in the air or the margaritas that keeps us coming back.
Charlotte Turns 7
Charlotte… she’s like the sun, moon, and stars all at the same time.
She enters a room and fills it with light. At times, I need to find shade but I’m always inspired by her confidence which allows her to see every new experience as an exciting conquest. To her, this is Charlotte’s world and we’re all lucky to be in it. She’s inquisitive, smart, creative, outgoing and seems to have endless energy.
When the night comes, Charlotte calms me with her wisdom. Her favorite book right now is 100 Most Influential People and she asks daddy to read it to her every night. Her questions are always from a place much older than 7. Afterward, she asks for snuggles from mama so we can have some girl talk. She likes to chat about her friends and how to handle recess situations. For instance, she started a “Girls’ Club” this spring and was insistent on the rules and being chief. She listens and tries, but ultimately her inner drive takes over which sometimes just doesn’t fit inside a 7-year-old body.
Charlotte fills her days with school and many after-school activities. She just completed her first year of dual immersion. She loves Spanish and is always up for more with daddy at dinner or teaching Johnny and I in the car! She also enjoys ice-skating, skiing, gymnastics, theater, swimming, and (sometimes) piano. At home, she loves legos, barbies, crafts, making potions, our undivided attention, and playing with Johnny.
Dear Charlotte, I love you beyond measure. Happy 7th birthday. Thank you for teaching me and letting me witness you take on the world. I’m honored to be your mother.
Below are pictures from her actual birthday on April 3rd when we still had two feet of snow outside and then her birthday party in May when we invited all of her friends over for a Harry Potter themed party with a climbing wall.
Disney Cruise
For winter break we decided to try a Disney cruise through the Caribbean. Our main motivation was to let Johnny experience some Disney magic since he was too young to remember our first and only trip to Disneyland. The cruise was Marvel Day At Sea which meant superheroes were everywhere. Of course, Charlotte was able to get in on the magic when she met and twirled with the princesses.
Our first stop was the island of Cozumel where we were able to kiss, hold, and swim with stingrays. Afterward we found a beach with a giant floating Wibit out in the ocean. All four of us played on this thing for hours laughing each time one of us slipped off – probably my favorite moment of the cruise.
The days at sea were filled with lots of people and then even more people. The kids didn’t mind as movies were blasting from the giant screen. They also they visited kids club a few times where they made slime, had superhero training, and even became official Marvel Agents.
The evenings on the cruise were quite a delight. We enjoyed dinner in a different themed dining room each night and also went to the live theater where we saw Cinderella and Tangled. The kids were in awe and a little Disney magic was felt by all of us.
The last stop was at Disney’s private island, Castaway Cay. We loved having a day with a little less people as we played in the sand and swam in the calm ocean. Charlotte played alone for hours making us pretend-stew with sand and leaves. Johnny spent a lot of time underwater looking for seashells. John and I were happy to have some reprieve from the ship.
Would we do it again, no. Did Charlotte and Johnny think it was an amazing experience, yes. And that, I guess, is what parents do.
Things to remember: a night in Miami, Johnny meeting all of his favorite superheroes, popcorn at the movies and live theater, the stair climbs, dinner with the Tangled cast, passing Cuba, standing in line to meet princesses, ice cream machine, loud movies at the pool, lots of people, fireworks, pirate night, Johnny and Charlotte dressed up as Captain America and American Dream, bubble baths, our waiter and waitress, mama’s anxiety, missing our connecting flight in Atlanta (maybe we shouldn’t remember that one), Disney magic felt by all of us.
Below are pictures from the stingray experience:
Christmas Card 2018
We love the annual tradition of exchanging Christmas cards with family and friends. We like to choose a different theme in hopes of capturing the overall sentiment of that year. 2018 had a magical, Adobe Photoshop twist to it. Little did we know it would be John’s last year at Adobe so the theme turned out to be even more momentous than expected.
We really do think Charlotte and Johnny hung the moon and stars… and are even there to catch them when they fall. Thanks to Phillip at Manicproject and Adobe Photoshop, we were able to bring our vision to life (or at least to a 5 x 7 Christmas card).
Christmas in Playa del Carmen 2018
Once again we were able to talk Santa into meeting us in Mexico. We celebrated Christmas for about an hour and then enjoyed seven days together as a family in one of our favorite places.
Rosewood Mayakoba was such a great place to return to. It’s the kind of place where everyone knows your kids’ names and it feels like a big family. Upon arrival, we rode a little boat through the lagoon to our room while looking for baby crocodiles. From there, we tried to slowly inhale each breath of warm, humid air.
We chased butterflies and found flowers on our way to breakfast… after the kids had already jumped in the pool. We took walks to the beach through the “jungle” where we saw coatis (a Mexican critter that’s kind of like a raccoon). The beach had an endless amount of seashells for Johnny to find which was his main focus most days. He dug so hard in the sand that his fingertips were raw. Charlotte oversaw daddy’s sand castle construction site where she cracked the whip on all of us – we successfully built a pretty awesome Christmas tree in the sand. Lunch time consisted of nachos, hot dogs, and quesadillas on the beach. I think we applied sunscreen seven times a day and got pretty good at it, but the kids never liked it. Our dinners were filled with delicious food and a relaxed ambiance… so relaxed that Johnny fell asleep at every dinner or maybe he was just wiped from the sun, pool, and sand. We didn’t mind. It’s a good sign of Mexico.
We left Rosewood a couple times to explore. Our first outing was a boat trip along the coast by Tulum where we were able to snorkel and see a sea turtle, stingray, and moray eel. Charlotte and daddy explored farther to see a starfish and a few more strange ocean creatures. Our kids (and us) were blown away with this amazing Wild Kratts episode brought to us by Mexico. Afterward, we relaxed and enjoyed a lovely lunch and Johnny fell asleep once again on my lap as we sailed back to Playa.
Our second outing was to swim with dolphins. We’ve done this before but it’s been a couple of years so Johnny had mostly forgotten. We were awestruck with these amazing creatures. Our faces tell the story much better than words (below). I think Johnny and Charlotte do an excellent job of bringing out our curiosity or amazement or maybe just our inner child. It’s a beautiful thing to experience life with these brave kids.
To sum up, we had a blast and still really like the idea of Mexico for Christmas. There are more moments and warm fuzzies than words and pictures can ever explain, but are felt deep down. We hope these are building blocks for our kids and us. Each day together is a gift and that is all John and I will ever want for Christmas.
Things to remember: Alebrijes, bike rides, dinner in the garden, Wolfy and Chiquita, Charlotte making sushi, Big Boom, the rain storm, Sebastian the iguana, dolphin foot-push, stock market crash, Coco on the beach, two magical kids.
Below are the dolphin pictures (I had a hard time eliminating):
Arkansas
Little Rock, Arkansas has our hearts in every way. We were lucky enough to spend Thanksgiving with Uncle Roy and Aunt Patrice in this lovely, heart-felt place where the woods are deep and the people are abundantly warm. It’s strange how time can slow down and the edge wears off… I wonder if the south holds this virtue or maybe it’s just Roy and Patrice.
John loved showing the kids where he grew up, went fishing, and looked for critters. John, Roy, and Johnny disappeared often looking for anything that moved. Charlotte and Patrice were able to work on knitting pot holders and preparing Thanksgiving dinner while talking about all the things that matter. I was a grateful bystander witnessing depth and goodness in every way. As I always say… please slow it down. There’s a magic that exists in Little Rock and especially with Roy and Patrice. I hope we can put a stone of it in our pocket until next time.
Things to remember: The Little House, bird watching, breakfast next door, Ozark Outdoor Supply, salamanders, Pinnacle Mountain, Roy’s place, beehives, Leawood, Timothy, yoga room, hummus, corn hole, woods, critters, fall leaves, Big Damn Bridge, Thanksgiving, Charlotte losing a tooth eating brussels sprouts, family, gratitude.
Paris 2018
The nights were long and the days were short and our souls were filled with the love and romance only Paris holds.
I met John for a quick four day weekend in Paris sans children. We used our adult superpower plan of staying on Utah time which meant we stayed up until 3 am and slept until noon. We saw the city of lights come alive at night and talked for hours over dim candlelight while enjoying delicious food and amazing wine. Our love grew deeper for each other and for this city. Thank you, Paris.
Ginger and Nashville
After much anticipation, we welcome our new baby girl, Ginger. It’s been years in the making… finally Priscilla has a sister and we all have a new puppy. For those of you that know our history of labs from Memphis, you may remember we started with Elvis (RIP), have had Priscilla for about 7 years, and are now adding Ginger. If you want to see the connection, Google “Elvis, Priscilla, Ginger” – it’s interesting.
Charlotte and I were happy to hop on a plane last October to pick up our sweet baby girl. We landed in Nashville and had a fabulous girls’ night out. The next morning we woke up early to drive to Memphis where we were able to meet Ginger and see where she and Priscilla are from. The cotton fields were blooming and puppies were stealing our hearts. We barely made it back to Nashville to get Ginger on our flight home to Utah. The rest is history… (and puppies are hard). We love you, Ginger. 
Kauai, Hawaii
My brother decided to have a destination wedding… we quickly said yes.
We did Kauai in four days and three nights. Maybe it was our lack of sleep or maybe the island is truly mesmerizing. Either way, we left in awe and wanting more. We saw the sunrise every morning, did our first helicopter ride, rode a catamaran along the Napali coast, caught an octopus (and let it go), saw dolphins swimming free and in the wild, tried to catch crabs, lost a tooth, woke up before another sunrise, fell asleep before dinner was over, and loved every second.
Most importantly, we were able to witness and celebrate love and marriage in a majestic setting where Charlotte was a flower girl and Johnny was a ring bearer and where true love was felt by everyone. We were honored to attend such a special event and can’t wait to see the life these two create together. Congratulations to the new Mr. and Mrs. Jackson.
And, Kauai, we will be back soon, I hope.
Things to remember: Johnny sleeping through the helicopter tour of Kauai and Charlotte on the microphone; Charlotte getting the dance party started; water slide; catching a gecko and having it lose its tail; family time; the redeye home.
