Balboa!

Monday my dad took the day off work so he could spend it playing with us down at Balboa. We took the ferry over to the peninsula, which I had actually only done once or twice before. It's a fun little free boat ride. The kids loved it.
The kids went on the carousel and Auntie Jules was sweet enough to take Talia on her first carousel ride! She was so cute and made noise the whole time. They had these little mini horses that were stationary, so it was perfect.
We also went to the arcade for some good old skee ball. I loved it! The boys did a couple little games and rides too, then they played a game of air hockey. It was hilarious watching Weston and Davin battle it out (slooowly) in air hockey. Weston won, but Davin got a couple points on the board too. Good things we had some tickets so the boy could pick out a prize because Davin was on the verge of a meltdown when the air hockey game was over. I think it was his favorite. Davin picked out a rainbow slinky and Weston got a pair of play handcuffs. Oh my that boy was in heaven. Arresting everyone, locking himself to the stroller . . . ready to play cops and robbers.
We stopped for a slice of pizza then we rode the ferris wheel. Auntie Jules is the best and took the boys with her so Ian and I could enjoy a kid free ride. It was a gorgeous view and a beautiful day.
I couldn't believe what a trooper Talia was. She didn't fuss or cry. She just hung out in her stroller and chewed on toys and watched all the commotion around her. She's such a good baby. We took the ferry back to the car and drove around to where we were renting a little boat for the rest of the afternoon. We cruised the harbor and looked at all the beautiful homes. Mom had packed a picnic, so we ate on the boat and touched the water.
By the time we got back in the car we were all exhausted from hours in the sun and wind. The kids got a nice nap on the way home. What a fantastic day! Thanks Mom and Dad!

California!

We just got back from a wonderful week in beautiful California. We enjoyed spending time with family, playing lots, and relaxing a little. :) We drove out last Friday. It was a long day in the car, but the kids all did really well. Talia got a little fussy here and there, but you can't blame her. We managed to only stop three times. First we took a little break in Beaver.
Our next stop was in Mesquite. The kids picked McDonald's for lunch. No surprise there. They had fun running around on the play place and we all ate and stretched. Even Talia ate some yogurt. She's such a big girl these days.
Our last stop before my parent's house was in Baker. Man, it was hot! We stopped in for some ice cream at DQ and it barely kept the heat at bay. Good thing it was cooler in La Habra.

btw about 4 seconds after Ian took this picture the thermostat said 111 degrees.

We made good time and got into town in time to go out for dinner at the gourmet food trucks. It was a fun experience. I was surprised at how crowded it was! We ate tailgate style and visited. We were all tired though, so as soon as we got home the kids crashed.

Saturday morning I took the boys in the "pool." It felt so nice. Once we all got dressed and going (after lunch) we went to the nickelcade to play some games. Ian loves the Nickelcade by my parents house because it has his favorite game, Prop Cycle. :) He spent the entire time playing on it. We earned some tickets and got the boys some fun little toys.
Afterwards we drove over to the bowling alley and got to cosmic bowl in the middle of the afternoon! I have to admit that I kind of prefer bowling with the lights on. I do better. Oh well, it was still lots of fun.
Mom and I went shopping after bowling. I hadn't been to the Brea Mall in probably 8 years. So many things had changed that I hardly knew my way around. Weird. I got something new to wear to my high school reunion. That night I went to a wedding with my mom. I didn't know anyone there except the Green's, but it was still pretty fun. They had a shaved ice "bar" with gourmet shaved ice flavors. I had the root beer float one. It was amazing. Seriously.

Sunday we went to church. I enjoyed seeing old family friends. Weston loved visiting another ward and Davin was pretty stoked about all the different toys to play with in nursery. That evening we went to dinner at the Green's. It was such a blast! We don't get together too often anymore, but Blake and Paige, Jordan and Freesia, and Vance and Quinn were all there, so we had dinner and homemade ice cream then stayed up late playing Things. Good times.

Party Time!

On Friday night I threw Ian a 30th birthday party! It was low key and tons of fun. Ian's boss, Steve, and his cute wife, Erin, were so generous to offer their home and backyard for the party. They even provided on site babysitting (thanks Marian and Caroline)!

I didn't take nearly as many pictures as I should have, but I did get a few. I wish I had taken a picture of the food because it looked so pretty, but alas, I didn't. We had veggie bars, delicious fruit, tortilla chips with homemade guacamole, fresh salsa, and artichoke parmesan dip, candy, and cake.

We set up badminton and ladder ball on the lawn, ate, and had lots of good conversation. It was fun to see friends and have time to visit. The weather was perfect and I was very proud of the balloon banner I made (with help from the lovely Jackie!). :) I hope that Ian enjoyed turning 30!

The table and balloon banner (tutorial and inspiration for the balloons HERE and HERE)

Playing badminton (Steve, Shawn, Ian, and Marian)

The party in full swing. Good times.

Time for cake! We couldn't get the candles to light in the breeze, so Ian blew out a match when we were done singing.

Happy 30th Birthday Ian!!! I love you!!!

Last Hurrah

Our Discovery Gateway Children's Museum pass expires next week, so yesterday we spent the day playing for the last time. They had a fun summer exhibit with lots of giant size games. The kids thought it was pretty great. Yesterday was also a "Member's Only Morning," so we went early and got to enjoy some less crowded time in the museum with our friends. The kids signed up to do a craft and all made paper puppets. Weston's was a spider and Davin's was a puppy. It was a very fun, but exhausting day.
Weston had wanted to build himself a fort out of his Megablocks the other day and he was sorely disappointed when I told him that he only had enough blocks to build his fort up to his ankles. He spent about half an hour building this one in the construction zone. I was impressed. He sure loves to build! Future architect?
In other news . . . Davin is quite the outdoorsy child. Weston likes going outside, but he gets tired and hot after a little while and is ready to come in. Davin, on the other hand, LOVES to go outside and is sad every time I tell him it's time to come in. He especially loves going outside to play in water. I love watching him enjoy the simple, carefree days of childhood and summer.

Birthday Fun!

Today is Ian's 30th birthday. I can't believe I'm married to a real, grown up adult. :) I am so grateful to have Ian in my life. I love him so much and hope he enjoys his birthday week!

We kicked off the fun with a quick visit from my parents. They stopped in last Friday on their way up to Yellowstone. It was fun to have them for dinner. They stopped in again on their way home from Yellowstone. This time they got to stay Friday night and all day Saturday. Saturday we swam, went out to lunch, the girls shopped while the boys fixed the washing machine, and then we celebrated Ian's birthday.

This one's for the auntie's! We got this bib at the Carter's store. She really does love you all!

He got to open a few presents. Weston made him a special card. We gave him ladder ball. My parents gave him Portal 2. Now he just needs a few spare minutes to relax and play!
We had ice cream cake roll. Ian blew out a candle for each decade. I hope he made a good wish!
After cake we went and saw Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2. It was very fun to watch the conclusion to the series. I enjoyed it and already want to see it again. I made Ian take this awkward picture with me to prove we were there (someday our kids will be amazed that we saw the Harry Potter movies in the theater). :)
It was nice to have Ian home with us all day. I'm glad we were able to go see HP7.2 opening weekend too. It was so fun to be in a packed theater and to cheer at all the good parts.

It has been pretty hot lately. The boys got some squirters from the dollar store and have been playing outside with them almost every day. Davin figured out how to refill the water bucket all by himself. He makes a mess, but at least I don't have to go out there and do it for him every ten minutes. When I came out and saw that he was using the hose by himself, he told me that he made a puddle and that it was chocolate milk. :)
Weston preferred playing inside with his Legos and his sister. He is always asking if he can take Talia's picture. He told me he is going to ask Santa for his own camera so he can take pictures whenever he wants to. I think it's a great idea. What a great weekend we had!

Growing Up

Today Talia is 7 months old. She is growing up so quickly! The week after we got back from Portland she started sleeping through the night. I think she had a little growth spurt that week too because in addition to sleeping through the night, she took long 2-3 hour day time naps for a few days. She still doesn't have any teeth, but both of the boys got their first tooth when they were 7 months old, so I'm expecting one to pop up sometime soon.
I have been trying to be more diligent with feeding Talia solid foods. She eats real food at least once a day, sometimes twice. So far it looks like she will be just as difficult an eater as my other children. She clamps her mouth shut for veggies, but opened it wide while I fed her tiny pieces of ice yesterday afternoon. Good thing she's cute. ;)
Speaking of growing up . . . Weston made this picture in primary on Sunday. He was so excited to show it to me and asked how many more years until he would be 19. I said lots and lots of years, but then I got a little sad inside knowing how quickly those years are going to fly by.
Weston is such a sweet boy. He loves the gospel and absorbs it like a sponge. He is the one who is always telling me how we need to be better about reading our scriptures every day (he's right). He loves going to church and learning/acting out scripture stories. He is also the one who loves to play with Talia. He lets her chew on his toys and makes funny faces at her. I love this kid!

Sunday Drive

This afternoon we needed to get out of the house. The kids were home all day yesterday and just going to church today wasn't cutting it. Ian suggested we take a drive up the canyon. He then looked up easy, short trails. We ended up "hiking" up to Lisa Falls in Little Cottonwood Canyon. It was actually a real hiking trail, but the boys did awesome and it was nice and short. The falls were awesome too! There is still lots of run-off right now, so there was lots of water tumbling down. Talia seemed enthralled with the noise and movement of the water. Weston found himself a walking stick and we saw some bugs. It was a good way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
On our way home it was raining. It's actually still overcast and cool so I decided it was the ideal summer day for baking cookies. It has been SO nice to have Ian home all day with us today. We sure have missed him this week. Happy Sunday!
PS-Give this a listen. It will make you feel good. :)