Beach Day

No trip to California is complete without a visit to the beach.  We did the beach in style this time - and I am so glad we did.  Wyn and Dee Ann got a night for us with their time share so we all went, including Nevaeh, for a fun over nighter.  We had a great view of the ocean from our room.  It was windy, overcast, and a bit chilly, but we didn't mind one bit.  Even Trent braved the water for a few minutes (not that he had a choice. :))

 I LOVE watching the kids play in the sand, the freedom of just playing outside and creating is wonderful - no lines, screens, crowds, oppressive rules, just freedom to play.  Makes me wish I was a kid again and didn't mind sand - everywhere!

 Nevaeh let me bury her and turn her into a mermaid. :)

 Brandon let me turn him into a shark - though he couldn't hold still for very long. :)

Oh - isn't that a wonderful view!  We LOVE the beach!  I often wonder why we bother doing anything else when we visit.

California - We're Back

Having family live in California has its perks - like several trips.  Our niece Rebecca was getting married at the end of May, so we made a trip out of it.  Brandon had to miss a few of the last days of school, but that's ok.  We kept the trip a complete secret from the boys until the morning before we left.  When they woke up it was like Christmas morning for them with prizes waiting on the couch for them.  We were hoping for a better reaction, but it took  awhile for them to put it all together that we were going on vacation. 

 We can't go to So. Cal. without visiting Sea World.  Once again we had a wonderful time there.  Wyn and Dee Ann were kind to take care of Trent for us, so it was a very easy and relaxed day. 

 We LOVE Shamu!

 The new entrance with petting area was a hit for Brandon.  He actually got to pet a shark!  :)

 Grant was especially happy about the rides and wanted to go on all of them- unfortunately he wasn't tall enough for the big rides, but the kid rides were good too. :)

 Grant seemed to like the sea turtles the best - can't say that I blame him - I love them too.

 Brandon of course wanted the biggest toy he could find in every gift shop :)  Sorry buddy, not this time.

 We all enjoyed the dolphin show. (well maybe not Jared so much, the birds are just a bit weird and out of place for his liking)

 Brandon loves to feed the animals - its good training for when he is a professional animal man. ;)

 Grant however wanted nothing to do with feeding or touching the animals despite my best efforts.

 This was the first time we have ever done the sky coaster over the bay, the boys thought it was wonderful, and it was, it was a great break from walking, and the views were wonderful.

 Brandon made a friend at the dolphin viewing area. :)

 We also rode the sky tower, per Grants request, we had never done that before (I think you used to have to pay?) it was also lots of fun.

 Leaving is always so hard - especially when your parents wont buy you souvenirs.  Brandon REALLY wanted this shark.  We told him we would be heading back to California for Thanksgiving, so maybe if he worked hard and saved his money he could buy it next time we visit.  We will see if he actually does work for and save his money?  How badly does he want that shark?

Happy Birthday To Me

So a week before my birthday we found out our dishwasher had been leaking slowly, leading to a total kitchen overhaul.  Which meant for my birthday our kitchen was in the garage and our home was turned upside-down.  So we celebrated my birthday away from home.  We had so much fun visiting Temple Square for our anniversary, that I wanted to do that again for my birthday.  We had dinner in City Creek at the New York Cheesecake Factory - it was SOOOO yummy - especially the raspberry, lemon cheesecake.  YUM!  After dinner we took a carriage ride around Temple Square - the boys thought that was awesome.  It was the first time since our wedding day that Jared and I had been on a carriage ride too, so that was super fun.

 After the carriage ride we checked in on the local Peregrine Falcons again.  We were lucky enough to see both the mother and father out flying around, that was pretty cool - even if we didn't get to see their famous stoop (very fast dive).  For some reason I was really interested in watching the three chicks progress to adulthood.  This is a picture I took one day while watching them through the web cam.

Brandon was his sweet self and pick several dandelions from our yard for my birthday.  I am always happy to encourage this, because it is so sweet and it helps with the weeding - How embarrassing that we had that many and they were that big.  However, they do make for pretty weeds :)

It was a very good birthday!  I am happy I was able to spend it with my family.

Graduation - A First of Many

Grant "graduated" from our neighborhood co-op preschool.  This preschool was so much fun!  I loved working with each of the mothers.  They each put in so much time and effort into making this a great preschool for our boys.  I am so happy that our four boys were able to become such great friends and that they were able to learn so much in such a fun way with each other.  I am also tremendously grateful for the friendships that I was able to make with each of the moms!!

Daeman, Patrick, Tyler and Grant.

 Ms. Karen - Daeman's mom.

 Ms. Cami - Patrick's mom.

 and Ms. Sharece, Tyler's mom.

 Brandon also advanced from kindergarten this year.  He LOVED kindergarten.  He was in the Spanish dual-immersion program.  I was so impressed that even after just one year (really one hour a day) he began to pick up the Spanish accent.  He loved both of his teachers, Mrs. Mason (English) and Mrs. Sabey (Spanish), but he had an extra special bond with Mrs. Mason because she, like him, loves animals, especially whales.  She was also so great with him, full of love, compliments and encouragement.  I am so grateful for good teachers and their impact on my children!

 Mrs. Sabey

Mrs. Mason
One of my favorite things about Brandon in kindergarten was being able to go in once a week for the whole day to help in the English classroom with their centers.  It was so fun to be in the classroom with the kids again, and to see them progress and get excited when I came in.

Bridal Veil Falls Walk

The Saturday before Mother's Day we took the boys on a walk around Bridal Veil Falls in Provo Canyon.  I love living so close to so many beautiful places.  The boys had a wonderful time climbing around, throwing rocks, feeding the fish, and exploring. 

 I love this little boy and his darling smile.