Family Vacation 2016- Part 3

On the way home from our San Diego adventure we stopped for 2 days in Las Vegas. We ended up having so much fun there! We saw 3 shows, The V Variety Show, The Mac King Magic Show, and the Mat Franco Magic show. We really enjoyed all of them. Beth got chosen to come assist on stage at the Mac King show, and then James got chosen to help during the Mat Franco show! They both came away with fantastic memories, and a gift. Beth got an autographed magic book, and James got a deck of cards signed by Mat, there has been a lot of magic in our house since then! It really made their day! It didn't hurt that it all happened on my birthday, it felt like I was good luck! We also squeezed in a ride on the Highroller, lots of yummy food, a treat from Carlo's Bake Shop, watching the Gondolas in the Venetian, and walking our feet off. I think they will remember this trip for a long long time.

Beth with Mac King

 My crazy crew on the Highroller

Highroller Views of the Bellagio Fountains

It was sure fun having a birthday cupcake from Carlo's

 James posing with his autograph. See that big canon in the background of the poster? James got to load that with cards and hit the button to launch them. It was awesome! I wish we could've snuck a picture of them on stage together, I've never seen James smile so big.

Family Vacation 2016- Part 2

We love San Diego! We had so much fun. I'm not gonna walk you through every day, just know we were busy and having so much fun! We stayed in a cute little bungalow built in the 1920's. It was a nice spot, but could have used some air conditioning. :) We did as many fun things as we could pack in, and ate lots of yummy food, and walked a lot. Enjoy a photo journey of our trip.

Sea World!

Mormon Battalion Historical Site

Balboa Park

Mission Bay

Mexican Food! (Every chance we got)

USS Midway

Family Vacation 2016- Part 1

As summer came to a wrap we felt like we hadn't spent enough time together, we were SO busy this summer. So we decided we had to make time, so we planned what the kids called "Our Epic Family Road Trip", 8 days, 3 stops, and endless fun!

Stop One was Bryce Canyon National Park. We stayed in a little VRBO house in Hatch, Utah. I think its the tiniest little town I've ever stayed in, but it was lovely and quaint.

Just behind the house was a beautiful pond where the kids loved to walk and skip rocks. We spent a quiet afternoon and evening there our first night.

The next morning we got up early, drove to Bryce and had an awesome breakfast at Ruby's. We then drove into the park to see what we could see! We did a few little hikes and drove to all the view points. The kids really enjoyed it. The views are so awe inspiring. We saw everything we could until we were exhausted and then drove into Panguitch or a delicious meal at a local drive-in that was recommended to us. It was super tasty! We got a few groceries and went back to our little house to watch some olympics and relax together as a family. It was perfect.

The next morning we packed up, and headed out on the next leg of the trip... 8 hours of driving to San Diego!

Welcome!

Hi! Let me introduce myself. I'm a busy mom, a loving wife, a swim coach, an amateur photographer, and a wanna be lots of things (fitness freak, triathlete, pianist, blogger). I have two other blogs, but I couldn't keep up and felt too behind to catch up, so I decided a fresh start would be the way to go!

We just entered a new phase of life when our youngest child started 1st grade! I am no longer a mom of young kids, I'm a mom of all school age kids! Crazy! It doesn't even seem possible. But I'm loving the new phase. We've been traveling more, enjoying their independence, and I love seeing their true personalities emerge in full force.

So let me introduce my family:

 This is me and my husband, Ryan. He is the best. He's a great Dad, and a wonderful husband. He works from home as a software developer. We get to spend tons of time together and I'm extremely grateful for that. He enjoys tinkering on his computer, riding his bike, and spending time with his family. We have been married 12 1/2 years.

 This is Beth. She just started 5th grade! She is an extremely loving, sensitive, and creative person. She does tumbling and is quite good at it. She is super flexible and pretty much tumbles every where she goes. She also loves art, music, reading and spending time with her friends. She wants to do her best at everything and really wants to make sure the people around her are happy.

 This is James. He just started 4th grade. He is super intelligent, funny, and creative. He's our wild child when he feels like it, but he's also our most content to be by himself, quiet in his room with a good book or a pile or legos. He is an avid reader and Harry Potter fan. He knows everything there is know about Sharks, and loves learning about cars and other vehicles. 

 This is our baby, who isn't a baby any more, Kate. She just started 1st grade, leaving Mom and Dad home alone all day! She is super funny, loving, and wants to be in the thick of everything that is going on. She loves to play with her siblings and her friends. She loves to sing, dance, and tumble. She loves to be mom's helper, especially in the kitchen, she LOVES to bake with me. She is my little side kick and we sure love her.

So...now you know us all and we can get on with this blog. Welcome to our life...the life that seems to be running in fast forward!