Spring Break!

That's right. Today is Weston's first day of his Spring Break and that's what it looks like outside. It's still coming down too. Blah.

Now that the travel log posts are done I don't have much to blog about. Normal life around here isn't all that exciting. I did Davin's birthday post before he had his birthday cupcake, so here's the picture from that. He loves to blow out candles. As soon as I lit them across the room he started blowing.
This past Saturday we all went to the aquarium to see the new penguin exhibit. It was pretty crowded since it was the opening weekend of the new exhibit, but we still had a good time and the boys loved watching the penguins zoom around.

I decided to be extra ambitious on Monday. After dropping Weston off at preschool Davin and I went grocery shopping at Walmart. We came home, put groceries away, rotated the laundry, and had a quick snack. Then we went to story time at the library. Davin had fun. We read books until it was time to go pick Weston up.

After the kids napped we went to Gardner Village. It was super windy and I didn't exactly find what I was looking for. I did find a really cute dress that I had tried on back in December while looking for something to wear for Ian's company Christmas party. It was now on clearance for $9.75. Yeah, I bought it. Hopefully I will have occasion to wear it before December. :) Unfortunately for the kiddos the ducks were not interested in bread at all. We did get some candy buttons at the candy shop though and they thought those were the coolest.

Finally we went to Winco to use our super awesome coupons. Winco won't let you stack store coupons with manufacturers coupons, but I still got some pretty great deals. (3 cans of tuna, 3 boxes of pop tarts, 2 bottles of ketchup, 2 boxes of Cheerios, a case of root beer, 2 packages of bacon, and 2 pounds of cheese for $15)

We didn't get home until almost 6pm, but did I stop for fast food? Heck no! I came home and whipped up some Roasted Red Pepper pasta. It was yum. Seriously it tasted like a dish from Macaroni Grill. You can find the recipe HERE. I just served it with a green salad. Even Weston said he wouldn't mind eating it next time (this time he requested regular jarred red sauce). The evening ended with baths and a great Easter FHE by Ian. Whew! What a day. I never said normal life around here wasn't busy.

Yesterday I took the kids to Target to get Davin's 2 year old pictures done. I dressed them both though and was hoping to get some of them together too. They were on their game and we got adorable pictures in about 15 minutes. I was just so tickled that they turned out so cute. Can't wait to get them back so you can all see them!

Davin had a Target gift card from his birthday, so after pics we browsed the toy aisles. I told Weston he could pick out something little since he shared his birthday money with Davin. Weston didn't quite get what I meant by little, but eventually we all agreed on what to get. Weston picked out a squishy green tree frog. Davin got a 4 pack of Cars cars, a new bubble gun, and a GI Joe guy who makes sounds and can karate chop. I don't think Davin has put down his new Lightning McQueen car since we took it out of the box yesterday. So cute.

I sure hope the weather improves for the Easter weekend, but in the meantime I plan on snuggling in to read Love, Stargirl. Happy Spring Break!

Last Few Days

We spent a lot of time outside enjoying the 80 degree weather the last few days of our California trip. On Friday we drove out to Palmdale to spend the day with the Williams family and Ian's parents. The drive was pretty smooth and we got there just in time for lunch. We spent the day just relaxing and visiting. The boys got to play with their cousin, Preston, and we all got to hold Todd and Jenni's new baby girl, Brooke. She is adorable. I didn't do a great job taking pictures while we were there so I don't have any of us holding her.
Ian spent part of the day on his computer putting together the beautiful program for Lynne's memorial service. I know that was a sacrifice for him to have to take time out of his day with his family to do that. I hope he knows how much it was appreciated. It looked lovely. Both the kids were tired, so we tucked them in to sleep and got to stay a little later visiting. Good times.

Saturday morning Joy and Rachel came back down for Lynne's funeral. It wasn't until the afternoon, so we took the kids to the park before lunch. Joy and I went to grab In N Out for lunch then we got ready for the funeral. Lynne was such a unique and loving woman. She made everyone feel special. It was a gift. She was the YW president when I was a teenager and we were friends. I was so blessed to have such wonderful leaders. Even in the last few years she was checking up on me on Facebook, making sure she got to see me when she was in Utah, and she always held my kids at church when I was visiting in CA. I am so grateful that I got a chance to go visit with her before she passed away. And that it worked out that I could attend, and sing at, her funeral. There was so much love and true celebration of her life there.

I had to run as soon as the funeral was over so I could pack and get to the airport. It was kind of a close call with catching our plane because the line at the JetBlue counter was out of control. Luckily they made a call for passengers going to Salt Lake and we got to go to the front of the line. The flight home was uneventful, but we didn't get in until late, so we were all pretty wiped. It was nice to be back in our own beds.

Weston came down with a cough/fever thing the last day or two we were in CA. Davin caught it too, so we went to the doctor on Friday and found out both the boys had ear infections in their left ears. Now we are on antibiotics. Hopefully we'll all be healthy again soon! Life has mostly returned to normal. I always have a little bit of "back to real life" depression after a vacation, so last week was a little rough, but I'm determined to make this week better. So far so good. Weston finally went to school today, but this was the last day before his Spring Break, so it doesn't really feel like he's back. It's supposed to be pretty nasty weather here for the rest of the week, but I'm crossing my fingers that it will clear up for the weekend so we can have an outdoor Easter egg hunt on Saturday. I'm missing the warm weather, but I have to admit I still enjoy getting to wear my fuzzy socks for a couple more months. :)

Beach Day

We always look forward to spending a day at the beach when we are in California. The kids love it and Ian and I love being out in the sun. This trip Jules had the day off work, so she got to come with us! Another perk of beach day is stopping in to give hugs and visit with my grandparents on our way (they all live in Long Beach). First stop was Grandma Snowball. She is so great to visit with. She even sneaks the kids extra candy from her dishes. We picked fresh oranges from her tree too, but let's be honest, Davin thought they were balls and they kept him entertained in the car the rest of the way to the beach.
Next we drove a little ways down Palo Verde and ended up at the Cal State Long Beach Institute to visit my Grandma Olson who works as a secretary there. She was so happy to see us. The kids loved playing all the free video games, ping pong, and Foosball in the game room. Grandma was especially excited to see Jules with us because there was this boy that she blatantly tried to set Jules up with. He got her number and everything. It was hilarious to watch. Too bad Jules has a boyfriend (we like you Kurt!).
We made one final stop on our way to the beach at In N Out. We took our lunch to our friend Pooh's house and ate with her. Pooh is the best. She has this fabulous house right on the beach and she is always so generous about letting people throw parties there and stuff. She is also the nicest woman to sit and chat with. After we ate and changed we hit the sand. It was sunny and gorgeous, but the wind was a little chilly. The kids wanted their shirts on. I wanted a tan.
We built a sand castle, then when we thought the tide was coming in we let the kids trample it. The beach was pretty dirty. When we asked Pooh about it she said that they haven't been cleaning it lately because the grunions are spawning. If you're dying to know more about grunions, click HERE.
Me and Jules taking a self portrait (trust me, Jules, this was the best one we took). Beach hair=ick.
Jules was trying to show Weston how it's done. She splashed a lot and Weston just stared. I was impressed with her height!
Ian with the jetty in the background. When we had been on the beach for about 20 minutes Weston started whining that he wanted to go home because he was cold. Auntie Jules must love him because she volunteered to walk him over to the jetty to watch the boats coming and going.
Davin and Auntie Jules. I love Davin's crazy hair. It's just not fair that Jules gets to have such cute hair even at the beach.
I got a few minutes of prime relaxation time laying on a towel in the sun on the sand with no kiddos nearby while Ian took Davin on a walk down the shore and Jules and Weston were at the jetty.
It was a long day and the boys were exhausted. Davin was out within seconds of being strapped in his carseat. Poor kid. I think it was another successful beach day though. Sigh. Gotta love hitting the beach in mid-March.

Back to the Travel Log

I apologize if these detailed posts about our trip bore you, but I want to have it all here so it can be included in the blog book. We left off on Tuesday of our visit. We had a pretty slow day on Tuesday. We slept in, took the kids in the spa, then that afternoon we went with my mom to her choir rehearsal. My mom conducts the Intermediate choir in the Southern California Children's Chorus. As part of a reward for a fundraiser she dressed up as Cruella DeVille for her rehearsal. We tagged along to help her out, take pictures, and dogsit Chloe. Her choir moms dressed up as puppies. Aren't they great?
We didn't get home until the kid's bedtime that night, but I thought it was fun going to choir again. Ian and I went out for ice cream after the kids were in bed. Yay for dates!

Wednesday was my birthday! It snuck up on me this year. I can't believe I'm 27. It sounds so adult. I got to sleep in again. When I woke up Ian asked what I wanted for breakfast and I said a donut! I miss real donuts, so I try to have one when I'm in CA. Ian was getting all ready to take the kids to get donuts when I went out to the dining room and there was the big pink box of donuts already on the table with a Happy Birthday note from my dad. He's the best.

We were lazy and all watched Beauty and the Beast after breakfast. By noon we were finally ready for the day. We went to Target (of course) with Auntie Jules, then we all went out to lunch at BJ's. I wanted my birthday pizookie. It was delicious.
Later that afternoon we drove to LA with my parents to go see CATS. We got there in plenty of time, so we wandered down Hollywood Blvd. and found a little pizza place where we could eat out on the patio and watch all the St. Patrick's Day crazies.
When it was time for the show we walked back down to the theater and met up with Jules, Kurt (Jules's boyfriend), Ashlee (who did my hair), and Daniel (Ashlee's boyfriend). Joy and Jim got there after we had sat down. I wasn't really sure what to expect from the show, but I loved it!

It was not your typical musical. There wasn't much plot to speak of. The lyrics of the songs didn't even really help you understand what was going on because they are all taken from T.S. Elliot's poems written in 1939. But the singing and dancing was fantastic. The story was basically about this group of cats who meet once a year. The purpose of their meeting is to choose the one among them who will be re-born to a new cat life. The rest of the show introduces a bunch of different cats and tells about their talents and personalities. The point being that cats are much like us. Anyway, my favorite parts were the dance sequence in the first act, Grizzabella singing Memory (seriously, goosebumps), and Gus the Actor cat. It was such a fun thing to do for my birthday! Thanks Mom and Dad!

Next trip post . . . beach day! Stay tuned.

Happy Happy Birthday Davin Dear!

Today my baby is two years old. That seems unreal. When Weston turned two he was such a big boy, but Davin is still my baby. We had a party in California, so today we let him open presents when he woke up. We spent the rest of the day at the Discovery Gateway Children's Museum. It was super fun for all. We took a short break for lunch then went back and played some more. The museum had plenty to keep both the boys entertained. It was periodically crowded since school groups kept rotating through, but most of the time it wasn't too bad. Here are some highlights from Davin's 2nd birthday day.
Davin's favorite places in the museum were the ball room and the water table. We literally spent an hour playing at the water table. Weston loved it all and ran around pretty independently.
Weston was loving all the costumes in various rooms around the museum. This was the actual theater room, so both of the boys wanted to dress up and do a little show. I have no idea what Davin's costume actually was. Maybe a duck? Weston thought his froggy hands were awesome. Enjoy the show!

Happy Birthday Dav Man!

Knott's Berry Farm

Last Monday we spent the day at Knott's Berry Farm. I have lots and lots of fun memories from this theme park because we had annual passes there growing up. We used to go in the summer in our bathing suits and just ride the water rides over and over. The day was perfect. It was almost too warm, 87 I think was the high, but it was nice to be able to wear shorts. It wasn't very crowded at all. The kids mostly just walked on all the rides in Camp Snoopy.

Camp Snoopy was the perfect place for Weston. He could go on all the rides. He thought they were so fun. Davin could go on most of the rides with an adult too. He was a little less expressive about how much fun he had, but I do think he enjoyed his day too. The only ride Davin was not a fan of was the Log Ride. He cried after the big drop. Weston laughed. :) My mom and Auntie Mel came along for the day, which was fabulous because they helped out with the kids. Ian, Mel, and I got to go on a couple big roller coasters. We especially loved walking onto Montezuma's Revenge a couple times. Such a fun ride. It was definitely a successful amusement park day.
The first video is of Weston riding his first roller coaster, the Timberline Twister. As you can tell, he loved it. He said it was fun because it tickled his tummy.

This video is of Davin and Snoopy. Davin was so funny and just kept his chin tucked down in his shy pose and skirted around Snoopy. Finally he got close and Snoopy started petting his head. Apparently he liked that because he would have stayed there all afternoon. The other little girl thought being petted looked like fun too and they both took advantage of the time with Snoopy. The characters at Knott's aren't nearly as crazy-in-demand as the ones at Disneyland.

I'm so glad that we did Knott's this trip. We all had such a good time and it was cheap. If you are planning a Southern California trip and can't afford Disneyland (I mean, who can really?) I highly recommend going to Knott's Berry Farm. Our whole family went for less than $100.

Speaking of deals . . . today I went to Target to pick up my prescription sunglasses. Of course we had to browse (especially since I had a gift card in my wallet), so we got some popcorn and wandered around. Turns out they had racks and racks of clearance. I ended up getting three tops, a cardigan, and a sweatshirt jacket for Davin all for $17.50. Regular price it would have all been $79.95. Deals make me smile.

What is making you smile this week?

Home Sweet Home

When I think about going home I think of California. It will always be my home even if I never live there again. It was so fun to be home for a whole week. We had down time, busy time, and, for sure, fun time. California loves me and gave us 80+ degree weather almost our entire trip. We celebrated birthdays, ate good food, went to Knott's Berry Farm, the beach, and LA. I got to spend a few days with all of my sisters. I got my hair done. We got to visit with Ian's parents, grandma, aunt and uncle and cousins in Palmdale. I got to visit with my friend, Lynne, who died of liver cancer while we were there and then attend her beautiful memorial service before we left. I got to see both of my grandmas. I read an entire book. I got tan. I went on a date with my hubby. I hugged and played with my nieces. I slept in (cause amazingly my kids did too). We went to the park. And we loved every second of our trip.

I will probably do a few separate posts about some of our bigger outings, but we'll start with last weekend when all my my sisters were home and the cousins got to play.

My boys waiting to board our plane. I can't stop laughing at Davin's face.
Saturday morning Mom made Swedish pancakes for breakfast then Mel and I spent the morning at the salon getting beautified by Ashlee. It was fun.
When we got home the Henshaw's were there, so after our visit with Lynne all the cousins went in the "pool." Ian and Grandma B volunteered to be the chaperones. :)
After the pool all the kids had baths. It took 3 baths to rotate them all through. Auntie Mel was a trooper and bathed all 5 kiddos. After baths Davin and Rachel watched a movie.
Lizzie brought her Fancy Nancy ABC book to read to us. She has excellent French pronunciation. :)
Just before dinner we did Davin's birthday party. It was Mickey Mouse Clubhouse themed. We started by all wearing our Mickey ears. We played Don't Wake the Giant. Ian pretended to be Willey the Giant and the kids had to try to steal the stuffed Mickey from him without waking him up. Then we played Mickey Says (like Simon Says). Finally we did a treasure hunt where Toodles gave the clues. I think the big kids got it more than the little ones, but Davin had fun too.

Davin got lots of fun presents. Thanks everyone! His favorite was the new ball popper though. He was shaking because he was so excited. Saturday night we all visited, played Bunco, and stayed up too late. Sunday we made it to church on time, except Ian who wasn't feeling well, and stayed all 3 hours! Aren't you impressed? Sunday was a pretty low key day of family. We enjoyed our corned beef and cabbage dinner. After dinner Lizzie read her book to the entire family. Davin kept sticking his big head in my shot of Lizzie, but she was so cute reading like a big girl! You can see her in the background. I wasn't kidding about her French being awesome. Her daddy spoke French on his mission.
Joy and her family headed home after we had dessert and I had opened my birthday presents. It was such a great weekend all together. The boys had fun playing with their cousins and will miss them again until our next visit. Hooray for family weekends! Back to the title of this post. It is also nice to be home in our own space and beds again. We got home late last night. Weston is kind of sick, so we are taking a slow Sunday with Ian and I tag teaming so Weston doesn't give his germs to the entire primary.