I've decided it's time to learn some mean photoshop skills. Here is the archive of pictures, after many failed attempts and serious bribery, to take a good Easter picture of the kids.
After all that, I think we decided to go with...
THIS ONE!!!
Monday, April 25, 2011
That's the Best Lookin' Mud Pie I've Ever Seen!
She even "garnished" with leaves and baked it in the sun overnight! Gotta give that girl points for creativity.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Avery's Princess Party!
For Avery's birthday this year, she decided she wanted a princess party. Of course, right? But the problem was squeezing one into our already busy schedule last month. So on a Wednesday afternoon, we had a mommy-daughter luncheon with a few of Ave's girlfriends. So fun! It was a great time, the girls decorated cupcakes and just had a great time playing together.
Saturday, April 2, 2011
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
Love This Girl!
Seems like I blinked and now Avery is already four years old. Five years ago, Ben and I were shocked to find out, just three months after we got married, that we were pregnant and she has been surprising us ever since! This girl is so passionate. She is amazingly strong-willed and very driven and it has been so wonderful to watch over the past year how that has become one of her greatest assets. But while she can be very serious, she definitely has a little "goof-ball" in her.
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Mexico Cruise!
It was hard to leave the kids, yes I was in tears. But once we adjusted to the idea that we didn't have anything to do, no diapers to change, no dishes or laundry to be done, and we could pick up and go without working around nap times and potty stops - we were in paradise! We met so many wonderful people (Matt and Rachelle!), had the most amazing food I've ever eaten (yes, we even ate escargot!), and had many adventures and great times in Cabo San Lucas and Puerto Vallarta. The people of Mexico are so welcoming and they always went out of their way to make our excursions and our time spent there a blast!
We left Long Beach on Sunday and made our way to Cabo. On Tuesday, we arrived and enjoyed the beautiful 85 degree weather. We enjoyed the sun, did a little shopping around the port, and of course, enjoyed a yummy $3 Margarita by the water! Did I mention I love Mexico? On Wednesday, we went on a zipline tour in the desert. Wow, that was an adventure. After they warned us about scorpions and really big spiders along the trail, I was a little hesitant to continue, but it was an amazing, very challenging experience. We left Cabo on Wednesday night and made our way to Puerto Vallarta.
Puerto Vallarta - This was the moment I fell in love. The lush jungle surrounding the city and blue-green waters. Here, we attended a show called Rhythms of the Night. They boated us to an exclusive location along the beach, we ate dinner and watched an incredible show under the stars. We left port that night and headed back to Long Beach.
We did so many amazing things, but one of our favorites was on board. We had the opportunity Chef's Table, where the head chef prepares a meal for this event alone. They only allow 24 people to do this, so it was a privilege to be apart of. He explains in detail each component of his seven course meal, took us on a tour of the kitchen and galley where all the food is prepared and we sampled six appetizers the chefs had prepared. As if this wasn't enough, seven of the top chefs were there serving us. These were the kindest people from all over the world, and they shared their lives and stories with us. The level of hospitality, creativity and service they provided was indescribable. It was fun to be apart of something they take such pride in and love so much.
We were so blessed to be able to take this wonderful vacation for our fifth anniversary. (Thanks mom and dad and Summer and Tyler for keeping the kids!) It was incredible experience and we had an amazing time. Despite missing the kids terribly, it was great to spend time with just us and awesome new friends!
Monday, February 28, 2011
Yes, Still Here!
So where exactly have we been? January started with Ben leaving for school in Alabama for six weeks. That left me in charge. Scary, right? It wasn't so bad, the kids adjusted really well and we stayed extremely busy. Then as soon as he got back, the flu hit each of us big time. Ugh. But on a much happier note, considering I haven't mentioned this, we head to L.A. on Saturday to pick up mom and dad, then on Sunday... bon voyage! We leave on our seven day cruise to Mexico, just Ben and me! We are very excited, despite a little hesitation to leave my babes for that long, but I know they will be in good hands and I'm sure mom and dad will spoil them rotten. That is, if they can keep up with them!
Avery is doing great in school, and it seems her imagination is expanding daily. As for Graysen, he is learning and saying new things everyday. He has SO many words, some of his newest words are 'go', 'cookie', 'papa', 'cracker', 'up' and 'cow'. Between him and Avery, they keep us very busy and always laughing!
And on a totally random note, Sunday will mark two years here in California. Not sure how it has happened so fast, but it has been an amazing time. Can't wait to see what God has in store for us over the next year! And as we are already forced to consider options for our next assignment it has me thinking about the things I love the most about living here...
My very favorite thing is that even in January, the middle of winter, I can wear sandals!
Fresh flowers, we can get beautiful flowers any day of the week and for like 5 bucks! They make my kitchen a much brighter place.
Strawberry are almost never out of season. With our city being completely surrounded by strawberry fields, they are always amazing!
Oh and of course, Trader Joe's. I don't know what I ever did without you?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
