DAD visits

We drove to Sausalito one day and spent a couple of hours playing at the Discovery Bay Museum right on the Bay. The kids loved it.

This was right up their alley.

A fake starfish, but Carson didn't know any better.

Climbing the crows nest. Love the view behind him.

Painting on the windows. Who knew that could be so fun?

Playing with colored sand.

Future musician in the making?

Construction zone. No hard hats needed apparently.

Gorgeous day on the Bay.

This might be my favorite picture of the day. Can we say like father, like son?!

Me and the honey enjoying the view and scenic drive along the coast.

Marin Headlands.

Sausilito downtown. Tons of sailboats on the Bay. Carson couldn't get enough of all the boats.

Balancing rock art??

The only "family" picture we got all weekend, and neither of the kids were a fan of taking it.

Gotta love all the cute restaurants and shops in Sausalito. If I was a millionaire, this is where I would live. Seriously. Talk about a picturesque town.

There was this crazy parrot guy along the street who kept trying to get me to do stuff with it (like kiss it). Austin wasn't so sure about that, as you can see.

The boys enjoyed LOTS of DAD time (aka wrestling time). They couldn't get enough of it.

Another favorite pic, even with Carson's hand in the way. I love ALL three of my boys.

We went to visit a friend who has horses. The kids loved feeding them carrots.

And they LOVED the zipline. Captain A could've done this ALL day. No joke. It was boy heaven!

Carson DID NOT want to get off this horse, which he called, "MY horsey". I thought for sure he might be a little afraid at first. Boy did I get that wrong. He loved every minute riding Missy.

Austin did too, and was a pretty good rider.

The boys riding together. I thought for sure this would be a disaster ending with someone getting hurt, but they did very well on Missy together.

Carson eventually wanted to try the zipline.

And he loved it, of course. Our boys are fearless!

We even got to pet a pet buffalo, named Cheyenne. How random is that! She was a little smelly though (she got sprayed by a skunk the night before).

We ended the day by picking cherries. They were delicious!!!

We had the BEST visit with Dad this past weekend. We hadn't seen him for 2 stinkin' months! I can't believe we went that long, but it was well worth this trip! The boys were Dad's little shadows all weekend long-playing, wrestling, catching up on Star Wars and Tom & Jerry episodes, and lovin' on each other. This distance definitely made us appreciate each other more and we can't wait to be as a family again in less than ONE month, when we go home to Boise. Our weekend was action-packed with Austin's birthday festivities, a day in Sausalito, horseback riding, cherry picking, the movies, and lots of chillin'. Good times!!!

May the force be with you!

The birthday boy, all grown up.

Our attempt at Star Wars light saber cupcakes. Yeah, I know they look more like candles than light sabers, but hey, we're not professional! Plus, the boys were impressed with them and that's all that counts.

We sent the boys on a scavenger hunt collecting Star Wars memorabilia. They loved it.

They had to take turns putting the puzzle together which was a picture of where the next clue was. Perfect for 5 yr olds.

Off and running to the next clue. Austin was a great leader of the pack.

And of course, Carson trailing behind, just trying to keep up with the big boys.

Hitting the Darth Vader pinata. Always a hit.

It only took a few swings to knock that sucker down.

Getting ready to dig into the cupcakes.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY AUSTIN!!!!

Make a wish!

Opening presents.

Group hug. Such cute boys.

The gang. At first we felt bad that Austin only had a few friends to invite, but we quickly figured out that five 5-yr old boys is MORE THAN ENOUGH. Boy, do they feed off each other's energy!

Opening Carson's present-a Transformer.

He got a scooter (his old one got stolen) and Carson of course, wanted to ride it right then and there.

He got Lincoln Logs from Grandma and Grandpa.

Carson playing with the toy he got for Austin.

Blowing out the candles one more time.

Austin turns 5!

I seriously can't believe that our first-born turns the BIG 5 today! In so many ways, it seems like yesterday since he was born, but in other ways, I can't even remember our lives before him (or his brother)! What a ray of sunshine Austin is-always bounding with endless energy, a smile and friend to everyone, always full of witty remarks, a zest for life, and a happy-go-lucky attitude (the kid doesn't have "moods"). He definitely has a "bigger than life" personality! Since Austin was born, he has kept us on our toes!

What I can't believe even more than the fact that he is turning 5, is that Austin will be going to kindergarten this year. WOW! He is so ready too. He's been excited for this big milestone since he was 3! We are so blessed to have Austin in our lives and it is truly a miracle that he is here. We love him more than we can express in words and are proud of the "big" boy that he is becoming! Here are FIVE things that we love about A:

1. He never ceases to forget saying prayers before meals or bedtime. It just goes to show how close to the Spirit these little ones are. Always trying to choose the right. I love that about him.

2. Austin is a friend to EVERYONE. I know I have said this before, but it truly amazes me how easily he befriends people. He makes friends with the elderly, the missionaries, older kids, younger kids, kids his age (boy and girl), and of course, animals too. People are instantly drawn to his charismatic and outgoing personality too, they instantly fall in love with him!

3. I love that Austin LOVES his little brother. Now that Carson is older, they can play together and MOST OF THE TIME (not always, they are siblings after all), they play great. Carson is Austin's little shadow, and luckily, Austin doesn't mind. He loves to have a little buddy to play with all the time. It's so cute to watch them together.

4. Austin is such a smart kid. He has always been extremely MECHANICAL. He can build or put together ANYTHING. Legos, Kinex, Tinker Toys, you name it, he can build it. And he can follow directions too, he is very detailed oriented and always wants to complete the task (which is a very good thing! :) Austin has always been very verbal and articulate, and has a memory like nothing else. We hope this will serve him well when he gets to school!

5. Austin loves to read and learn. He has always LOVED reading books and has quite the collection now, thanks to Grandma. He loves to learn about how things are made, how they work, and just has a natural curiosity for everything. When watching movies, he asks a MILLION questions and won't settle for a mediocre answer. I'm afraid that by the time he gets to 5th grade, his "smartness" will surpass that of his parents! :)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BUDDY!!! WE LOVE YOU!!!