Wednesday, March 19, 2008

California Fun





This last week, Jace and I got to go and visit my friends and family in California. We had a Great time! Some events that took place:

1) Morning walks up and down the hills of Thousand Oaks. I got a great work out every day pushing the stroller or being pulled/dragged by the dog and visiting with my mom.

2) Walked around the Simi Valley mall where Jace got to ride the train around and attempted to sit on the Easter Bunny's lap. (maybe next year)

3) I got to see one of my best friends, Lane and her sweet new little baby -- Lily Claire. She was so adorable and happy. I was lucky enough to help out with her bedtime routine and sing sweet songs to her.



4) Trip to the water fountain that started off exciting and fun and ended with lots of crying and frustration from Jace because he wanted to stay longer, of course. This boy is fascinated with water.

5) Heath drove up on Thursday and that night we all watched Dan in Real Life. It was a really cute movie! I love spending time with my parents. I'm such a homebody.

6) Pedicures with my mom... thank you, mom! It's so expensive in AZ so I always take advantage of the lower prices in CA. It's probably the only thing that's less expensive in CA.

7) Friday night with good friends: The Olsens and the Moberleys. It was so fun to get together and see how much all of our kids have grown. Gavin and Jace had a rising game of baseball in the backyard and the night ended with the kids all watching Ratatouille on the couch. It was great to catch up with old friends. (notice Jace--every time he pitches he thinks he has to wear a catcher's mask...it cracks me up...he uses anything he can conjure up)

8) Grandma bought Jace some Easter paint to decorate eggs and we had a great time getting messy and being creative. Jace was very proud of his creations.

9) Jace and Haylee debut as the next American Idols. Kids are so imaginative! They used the guitar holder as the microphone and an ab exerciser as a guitar. :)

10) We tried to go to the beach and it was soo cold and windy. The sun was out but it was NOT a beach day. We got all the way down to the water and the wind was blowing so hard that the sand was whipping into our legs so fast it stung!! I turned around to see Jace completely covered in a sweatshirt--face and all. We turned around and got back in the car and over to a park instead.

11) We celebrated my Dad's and My Grandma's Birthdays!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY. I made mini cheesecakes with a strawberry topping instead of cake. I hope everyone liked them.

12) Easter Egg Hunt-- for young and old. Everyone came to my sister's for the party and we certainly had fun! It was so nice to have us all together. Heath and I are the only ones that live outside of CA, so we miss a lot of the family gatherings. The kids LOVED the Easter egg hunt and got their candy fill....and the adults got a chance too. My mom had a hunt for the adults and she hid a golden egg...filled with something special. It was fun! Heath found it too. It was $5 and a silver dollar. It was the perfect amount...enough to be grateful and not too much for everyone to be jealous. It was the anticipation of it all that made it so fun. Thanks MOM.

13) Snow on the way home. We drove out of Hunginton Beach and saw snow on all the surrounding mountains. And about 30 minutes out, there was snow so low down to the homes. I couldn't believe it. I knew we had a cold night and it definitely showed. Anyways, it was picturesque.

14) Rainbows. We hit a huge storm outside of Phoenix and it left a beautiful rainbow behind. Rainbows never get old and they always remind me of the Lord's promise. He does keep his promises and he blesses my life daily. It's an outward reminder of his hand in our lives.

15) FAMILY - need I say more? I love my family.