Thursday, August 31, 2017

April 2017


Since Scott and I just took a vacation, we figured the kids would like one too.

We spent the weekend in San Diego and had such a nice time as a family.

First stop was the museums in Balboa.




We made sure to swim a lot at the hotel...


and we hit up the Mormon Battalion.




The highlight of the trip was Sea World!






 A few weeks later we were ready for Easter.

We went to the annual ward Easter in the park.
My kids won't pick up their toys, but they sure know how to pick up a million Easter eggs.










Easter morning was so fun to watch. The kids loved their baskets...


especially the Pokemon cards.



Easter Sunday was great. We had a beautiful service at church...










and we hosted Easter dinner for Scott's family afterward.
Of course the night wouldn't be complete without one more egg hunt.









I had time to reflect on this special day and what it means to me. I love our Savior, and it's hard for me to comprehend the amount of sacrifice He was willing to make on my behalf. It's easy, however, for me to be grateful for Him and to see His hand in every aspect of my life. I love Him and I know that every good thing that I have in my life is because of Him.




The rest of the month consisted of a lot of play.
Max earned a toy at the end of the day at Disneyland for having no accidents. I let him choose whatever he wanted in the store, and this is what he came out with.




Max is such a hoot. He calls butterflies, "flying caterpillars" and is always making us laugh with his random comments.

We went to the temple this month as a family. Scott and I took turns going in, while the other walked the grounds with the kids. As I was about to walk into the temple, Max yelled, "Mom, wait! When you go in there, can you take a picture of Jesus for me so I can see him?"
My heart literally melted, and I turned around and gave him a hug. I love his sweet spirit and that he has a desire to know the Savior.

I love that these two are buddies...






Lots to report on our Kennedy...
she pronounces her name "Denny" so I've started to call her "Denny girl"
She calls boogers "bubbles"
She talks so well, and puts lots of words together "come on mom", "here go mom"
She folds her arms for prayer by smashing her hands together pointing down
and my favorite...
she poops in the toilet!!!!! (No pee yet)




March 2017

 Oh my goodness...can his school picture be any cuter??!!


These besties are the sweetest.


Muddy kids!



Sycamore canyon is our favorite to hike in the spring time.



But now, for the real adventure for this month.

Scott and I left the kids to go on a week long cruise to the Caribbean! I wish I could say I was excited to go, but this was my first time leaving the kids this long. My mom and sister did me a solid, and took good care of my babies, but it was the most stressful and nerve wracking thing I've done. 
I mean, I had severe anxiety about it for weeks.

But...
I'm so glad I got to spend this time with my hubby. After 6 years of no vacations without kids, we needed our alone time.
And guess what? We had a blast!



First stop...Puerto Rico!

Jungle, waterfalls, and beautiful beaches.






My favorite thing we did there was the bioilluminescent bay. 
We waited till dark, got in a kayak, and went through a river in the jungle to get to a bay. Then, you swipe your hand or paddle in the water and it lights up! It looked like neon blue/white fairies floating in the water. It was an experience I'll never forget.


Then we got on the cruise ship and went to St. Thomas.
The water was clear and it was nice to relax.





The prettiest beach was Barbados. It had the clearest water I've ever seen.


St. Lucia was my favorite day of activities.
We got on a boat with all our friends and toured the entire island.


It was green and lush, with 2 big mountains.



We stopped at a natural mud bath, then they took us to a natural waterfall to wash all the mud off.
We also went to a black sand beach and white sand beach. The snorkeling was incredible!


St. Kitts was known for the monkeys on the island. The beach was pretty like the rest, but it wasn't our favorite.



In St. Maarten we went to the famous airport beach. Planes take off and land right over your head. Sometimes when big planes take off, you have to hold on to the gate so you don't get knocked over.
this beach had the warmest water.




Back to Puerto Rico for half a day before our plane leaves. 


We met up with some friends to tour the fort.





I had the best trip with Scott, but at this point I was DYING to hug my kids.