California!

We had an AWESOME trip to California last week! We took two days to drive there and back, and the kids did great with the long drive. Who knew they would be so entertained with books on tape! We stayed with Aaron's grandparents in their basement apartment in Atascadero, which is only about 20 minutes from Morro Bay. Morro Bay is cooler than what you would expect for a CA beach and reminds me a lot of the beaches in Oregon. But not even the chilly temps could keep the kids out of the water.

We also spent a day in Avila. It's only a short drive south of Morro Bay but much warmer. I loved the little town and the beach was so much fun. We lost Rylie on the crowded beach for about 20 minutes which was terrifying! We thought we would find her in a complete hysteric but she had kept her cool and remained super calm in her search for us. I thought she was so brave. WOW...nothing has scared me that bad for a long time and I'm sure if she had been missing just a few more minutes I would have been the one in hysterics!

Aaron and the kidlets with Morro Rock in the background.

We also went hiking in Montana De Oro (Mountain of Gold) State Park. We took a trail that followed the bluff along the coast line. The geology and rock formations were really cool.

That same day we also drove north and toured a quaint little town called Cambria. We also visited the elephant seals. Although they were just laying around...molting their skin (lovely), they were still fun to see.

Aaron's grandparents were extremely hospitable! It was fun for the kids to hear their great grandpa tell stories about when he was young. We absolutely loved our visit with them and the memories that were made.

Of course the kids spent a lot of time playing in grandpa and grandma's yard. They LOVE the tire swing!

Uncle Craig took our family picture in the yard. Can you see my expanding tummy?

Already??? What's up with that!

Part of our vacation was also spent visiting my brother Andrew and his sweet family just outside of LA. We spent a lot of time just visiting and the kids and daddies all slept in the backyard. They have two super cute boys that the kids loved to play with.

Sam's favorite thing to do was pulling his little cousins and siblings in this wagon. Somehow we acquired it and it ended up tied down to the top of our van as we pulled away, Utah-bound.

Seating for seven!

Last week Aaron and I decided to set the table instead of asking the kids to do it. We set the table for the usual 6. We then scooted the highchair to the table and set it as well. When the kids came to dinner they all glanced at the high chair, but no one said anything. Sara saw it and instantly thought it was for her, but we put her in her usual dinner spot at the table. Sam seemed to wonder the most about the high chair and had a perplexed look. No one said anything so I continued to put food on the plate that sat on the high chair. I even cut the food up in small bite-size pieces. Finally, Sam asked, "who's the high chair for?" I answered him, "for the baby!" "You mean Sara?" he asked. "No, not Sara. It's for the baby." All the kids were staring at Aaron and I with questioning looks...anxiously awaiting some clarity. Kaeli muttered under her breath, "maybe mommy has a baby in her tummy." I smiled at her and nodded, but she still didn't seem to get it. The kids kept looking around wondering what the heck was going on and Aaron finally broke the news to them, "Mommy has a baby in her tummy!" They were all very excited and Rylie instantly perked up and said, "Are you going to the hospital tomorrow to get it out?" Unfortunately the wait is much longer than that. Our new little arrival is due on February 16th...just a little under 7 months to go....

Here's a picture of our little bean:
(I got to hear the heart beat this morning)

Stewart Falls

On Saturday we went for a little hike to Stewart Falls. So green and pretty!

Hmmmm?

I think Aaron has been spending WAY too much time in France!

Happy INDEPENDANCE day!

This is why I love the 4th of July!

Homemade strawberry ice cream!

Frisbee in the park while we wait for FIREWORKS!

Patriotic Pops!

Sparklers!

And of course lots and lots of SMILES on super cute kids!

Oquirrh Mountain Temple

We attended the Oquirrh (pronounced: O-cur) Mountain Temple Open House on Friday. It was a busy day and we ended up waiting over 2 hours to get in. It was worth it to walk the halls of the temple with my little family. We like to call this temple "our temple" because it is within our district. Sara still yells, "The temple! The temple!" or "I see Moroni!" each time we drive past. What a beautiful temple!

Mr. Smarty Pants