CA trip Part 2

The fun continued the second week while in CA when the rest of our family arrived. Eric flew in mid-week, followed by Jen and Matt the next night. We went to Raging Waters (hadn't been there in years, a total blast!), more boating, and the beach again. We grilled kabobs and ate delicious fruit salads while enjoying my parents' beautiful backyard (and sitting in the jacuzzi!). Oh, and we can't forget all the "Wii" playing (mostly by the boys!) Lots of sun, laughter, and good company!

The kids really loved being at Grandma and Grandpa's. Austin adores both of them and had the time of his life! With Grandma, he enjoyed reading books, playing with transformers (showing her how they work), swimming in the jacuzzi, running errands, and trips to the Dairy to get ice cream cones. With Grandpa, Austin LOVED playing "laser beams/light sabers" with my dad's clamps, helping in the workshop, going to Lowes, swimming, and just being my Dad's little shadow. All in all, we had an amazing time, thank you Mom and Dad for putting up with us for 2 whole weeks! :)

A few pics from our trips to Santa Cruz and Capitola beaches...






A day at Raging Waters w/ Grandpa, Eric, Trish, Austin, & I








And more boating (this time with Matt and Jen)...my fave pic is the one of "flag boy" aka Carson naked! So stinkin' cute! Also love the one of Grandpa and Austin doing backfloats!









We took family pictures while everyone was there (last time we did that was 3 yrs ago!). Don't have any of the whole family yet, but here's one of our little fam!

CA trip Part 1

We got back from CA yesterday after 2 fun-filled, exhausting weeks! Seriously, my family knows how to have fun! :) Going through my pictures, there were so many good ones and I couldn't choose! So instead of telling you what we did during our adventures there, I figured pictures are worth a thousand words...(Brace yourself, I'm putting A LOT on here. I thought of doing a collage, but then the pictures would be too small.) Stay tuned for Part 2 in a couple of days!

We did a lot of swimming (our family favorite)...

We went to the Fair (on an extremely HOT day)...

Of course, what's a trip to CA without going boating (another favorite)!

We spent a day at the Exploritorium in S.F. Love that city!!!

CA, here we come!

We're off to CA for a couple of weeks to spend time with my family. Eric's joining us at the tail-end of the trip, as well my other family members. Fun times ahead with pictures when we get back...

4th of July

For the 4th of July weekend, we played it low-key this year. We were going to go to Logan and spend it with family, but because of other circumstances, ended up staying in Boise. It was a super hot weekend too! We spent some quality family time together going to the pool a couple of times, getting ice cream, and walking along the Boise River Greenbelt. We also BBQ-ed and watched fireworks with friends. Kids loved the fireworks, Austin especially loved the sparklers because he could hold them himself and Carson sat mesmorized by the lights and loud sounds. All in all, it was super fun and we're glad we stayed around for the weekend! For some reason, my camera isn't functioning normally and some of the pictures are a little fuzzy, so not the best pictures!







On the 4th of July I feel so blessed to live in this beautiful and amazing country. I think TOO OFTEN we take it for granted, but I'm reminded by the news and even having traveled overseas, how lucky we truly we are to live here. Even in these perilous times of economic and financial crisis, of wartime, and uncertainty, we live in a secure and safe country where we have the opportunity to express ourselves, worship how we choose, and have abundant opportunities all around us. We are certainly better off than most of the world and I thank my Heavenly Father every day to live here.