California BABY!

WOW! It seems like months ago that we went to California, but it was only in April for Spring Break. I'm just way slow on the blog update. Little Miss Brookelyn had a Cheerleading competition in Anaheim, so we made a trip out of out. The plan was to travel with Brooke's friend Berklee and their family. We left the day before Easter and made it part way to Vegas. So yes, we spent another Easter in a hotel room and that amazing Easter Bunny found us there. Good thing we left him a note. Not too much excitement in Vegas, just a little fun in the pool then on the road again to California.

We made it safe and sound to California! We arrived the same day as a major earthquake in Northern Mexico, that we didn't even know about, but apparently shut things down at Disneyland and was felt in the Anaheim area. We rented a home in Anaheim and what a treat it was. We have no complaints there other than that we didn't get to spend enough time there since we were trying to do everything else California has to offer. The kids did have a blast playing in the pool and jumping off the roof into the pool (Brynnley & Tanner). Yes crazy kids, hope the neighbors didn't tell on us!























The first adventure was Universal Studios, it was a little rainy, but off we went. It turned out to be a great day since most the crowd was scared off by the rain.
Camden wasn't too sure about the dark tunnel during our backlot tour. That boy makes me laugh!













































The next day was off to Disneyland! It's always a good day when you wake up at Disneyland, right! Disneyland was great, but WAY crowded. I would not choose to go there during spring break again! We still had a great time and did good getting all the fast passes and getting in some good rides. As you can tell the kids did a good job entertaining themselves while they waiting in the ever so long lines!


















































Next we were ready for some down time and took a day to go to the beach. Before making it to the beach we met up with our good friend Whitney who just got a new job in California working for Volcom. We had some great fun shopping at the Volcom store. WHITNEY, your awesome! Now off to the beach to sport some new board shorts, sandals etc. We meet up with the Beck's at the beach so the kids had lots of great friends to play with.






Yes, it's true, Blake does know how to relax!

We had a great day at the beach. The boys then headed out to an Angels game. The boys all head a great time and the girls had dinner and some girl time.

We had one more day at Disney, which was fun for everyone except me, who got sick. YUCK! Maybe it was dinner the night before, but it was not fun. Later in the day I was able to join the crew, but there wasn't much riding for me that day.

Friday we snuck in a little more fun on the beach, before Brooke & Berklee had to check in for some Cheer practice. This time we went to Huntington. We rented bikes and enjoyed the sites of the beach. It was a beautiful day and I think we found a favorite Mexican food spot "Wahoo's". Yumm!



Now it's time for some Cheerleading! The girls cheered on Saturday then the boys and Brynnley all started their trek back home. Poor Brynnley stuck with a bunch of boys for many hours in the car! In case you are worried, she survived. Brooke and Berklee cheered again on Sunday, then they had awards. The girls ended up taking 2nd place in their division, which was great. We were all thrilled! They made a great showing for good old UTAH. After awards we started out trek back home.






The fun must always come to an end and now its back to reality! Overall a great trip, minus one sick day. Always great to travel with friends especially those that are "easy to travel with". Hey and maybe we can do it all again next year!

Spring Training 2010

Camden and I got to go enjoy some sunshine and some spring training baseball. When my kids turn 8 they all get a trip with Mom, so Camden and I choose Phoenix. We left early friday morning and got to Phoenix in time to catch the first of 3 baseball games. We watched the Cubs play the A's. Unfortunately the A's won the game. We got some awesome seats right on the front row above the Cubs dugout. It was a beautiful day and a great day for baseball.










































Day 2, opted for a little amusement park fun. We spent the whole day a Castles & Coasters. We mini golfed, rode rides, and hung with the amusement park crowd. Unfortunately I didn't take my camera with me, so no crazy face pictures today.

Day 3, Today we went to watch the Dodgers play the Reds. Today we opted for the lawn seating out by the bullpens. So fun to be able to play ball on the grass while watching the game. The only bad thing about this game was it was super hot and there is no shade out on the lawn. I know I usually don't complain about too much sun, but Camden was not enjoying the game. Eventually we walked around the stadium and found some shade for a while.








































































Day 4, before we headed home, we snuck in one more baseball game. Today was the Angels and the Royals. Today we opted for the shady seats, we got a little too much sun the day before. The seats were right behind the homeplate and were coveted seats by those who were sitting in the Sun. Today we got to the game early and Camden waited patiently for the players to come out of the locker room to get some signatures. He got his ball signed by one of the Angels pitchers and a catcher. He was pretty excited. We had to leave the game a little early to go catch our flight home. Overall a great trip! We loved the beautiful baseball fields, the pool at the hotel and some good old Arizona sunshine! I would totally do it all over again!

St. George

Spring is finally starting to show off its little face so, off we go for some fun in the sun! We headed down to St. George to enjoy Blake's birthday with a little warmth. On our way down we stopped and did a little hiking/exploring. I think we found the next canyoneering spot just outside of Leeds. There was a little too much cold water to deal with this time of year to attempt that, but maybe next trip. The kids still had a great time hiking around the area. For Blake's birthday we went out to do some biking at Little Creek Mesa. This is a great trail for the kids and all. We didn't make it the whole loop but enjoyed the afternoon doing a little riding. Birthday dinner for Blake at Chili's that night(I know pretty boring, but it was a busy weekend in St. George). Then some yummy ice cream cake for desert. Yum!! Happy Birthday Blake!

YSL Ski Race

One last post on skiing (at least until the snow flies again). The Youth Ski League Championships were held at Wolf Mountain this year and Camden got to participate with his team in this event. They had some fun races for the kids, including a combi race which is a slalom course that has a jump at the end. The kids had never done anything like this before. It was a little more entertaining than some of the races to see some of the wipeouts after the jump. Camden was very cautious and made it over the jump without a crash. We had a great weekend up in Huntsville for the race. Thanks Tatton's for giving up some beds for us so we didn't have to make the commute to the mountain both days. Camden had a great group of skiers in his group to ski with every Saturday and an awesome coach. Thanks for your work with the boys this year Coach Tiffany. We will miss you next year! What a fun season of skiing.





The little video is of Camden doing the combi race. The funniest part is Blake screaming in the background while he films. I just wonder if Camden can even hear him?

One more picture I better share since I said this would be the last skiing post for a while. Last Saturday Blake and Cam took one more trip to the mountain to enjoy some spring skiing. It was a beautiful day and some fairly fresh snow to ski on. I wish everyday were warm enough to wear shorts!

Happy Birthday Camden!

Happy Birthday to Camden! He is 8 years old today. What a fun little boy he is. I feel so lucky to have such a great kid. On Friday night we had a little birthday paty for him at Brighton ski Resort. We gave him a couple other options for what to do for his birthday and of course he choose his favorite thing, SKIING. So here goes nothing, we invited a few of his buddies and their dads to join us for some night skiing. We had pizza and cupcakes in the lodge part way through the night. The boys just wanted to tackle each other, but I guess boys will be boys. I felt a little bad for anyone else up in the lodge who was trying to enjoy a peaceful evening. They all had a great time. It's fun to see this boys grow up and have so much fun together.

















Camden was actually able to get baptized right on his birthday too! We feel so lucky to have such great and supportive family to join us for these occasions. Here are a few pictures of him opening his gifts and his baptism day. After the baptism we came back for brunch including crepes, another of Camden's favorites.

















Good Looking & Crazy Boys!













For birthdays at our house, the kids get to pick their favorite place for dinner. Well, Camden choose a family favorite, Arella Pizza. Yumm! They have the yummiest pizza and dessert and the people that work there are so great! I'm a little biased though since it is my good friends who opened it. We had such a fun night with both Grandparents joining us for dinner. Gotta love the birthdays!