Arizona adventures



The kids and I needed some sun so we hopped on a plane and went to visit family in Arizona!  It was quite the adventure to say the least.  We started off the trip by sitting in first class (thanks Uncle Jon for upgrading us)!  The first 2 days were the best weather, and of course Carson and I would both be sick with a stomach bug.  Yuck.  We still had fun despite feeling rough.  We stayed with Grandma Marcia and Papa Mike in their condo and we got to see lots of family that we only see once a year or so.  We also got to help Great Grandma Arylss and Papa Willis celebrate their birthdays.

Rylee made Grandma Arlyss a bracelet for her birthday.  She was quite proud of it.



We explored the Goldfield Ghost Town.  We toured the Ghost Town by horse and carriage.  The kids were in heaven.

A view of the Superstition mountains.  The kids also learned about cactus's.  Rylee was obsessed with the type of cactus that can "jump out and get you."  I never knew there was such a thing.  Crazy!  We took a train ride around the town, ate ice cream and enjoyed the scenery.  It really is a cool little town!

 

This was the condo pool.  The kids spent a lot of time here!

We visited Riverview park one cloudy day.  Such a cool park.  Tons of things to play and climb on.  There was even a zip line!

Another day we went to the "Lost Dutchman Days" rodeo and carnival.  The kids tried cotton candy for the first time... thanks Papa!  Of course they loved it.

We even got to go to one of Grandma Arylss' band concerts.  Rylee especially enjoyed it and even made Grandma play her clarinet for her when we got back home.  The kids danced to the music and put on quite a show for the crowd.

We spent lots of time just hanging out and playing cards.  Another fun trip in the books!  Where should we go next??

This is a video of the kids dancing to Grandma Arylss' band.

Is this really February?!

 What a beautiful, warm weekend.  I can't believe it's February.  I am absolutely loving it!  My parents are down in Arizona for a couple of months so we decided to take some friends and go check on the beach house.  =)   We spent the weekend fishing, walking the beach, and just relaxing with good company. 

We had a couple of wish lanterns left from our weekend in Chelan so the boys sent them off Saturday night.  It was so beautiful watching them fly into the night sky with all the stars.  The kids loved it.  We told them all to make a wish.  Rylee wished for a pony, Ronan wished for a tree, and Carson didn't want to wish for anything (he was being stubborn).

Happy 3rd birthday Carson!

I took the day off to celebrate Carson's birthday with him.  I initially thought we'd do a mother-son day but he decided he wanted sissy there too.  We drove down to check out the Olympia Children's Museum.  It is amazing.  We spent lots of time hours playing and exploring.  The kids had an absolute blast.  

One of Carson's favorite parts was the water feature  (I know, big surprise).   Rylee enjoyed the "emergency" area and had to give Carson a check-up. 

After the museum we stopped at Starbucks for coffee (much needed for me after 4 hours at the museum) and cake pops. 

For dinner we went to Red Robin for Carson's favorite- mac and cheese.  He got a kick out of the Red Robin crew singing happy birthday to him.  He also really enjoyed the free sundae,  =)  Then back home to open presents.  He got a new scooter, sword, matchbox cars, and pool toys.  Lucky guy.

 

 

Happy birthday to my sweet little man!  I can't believe you are 3.  You are still a little love bug.  You climb in bed with me almost every morning for some extra snuggles.  You are definitely trying to be independent and self-sufficient.  Sometimes it can be a struggle getting dressed, putting shoes on, or buckling the car seat because "I want to do it."  You are learning quickly and are so smart.  You just recently moved up the next class in school (Dino 1), and I can tell you feel like a big boy now.  You don't even cry anymore when I leave.  You are pretty much all potty trained.  You have an occasional accident, but I know that's normal.  You even stay dry through the night!  You love playing with your sister and doing artwork.  You still love cars/trucks/trains/planes and all things boy.  You recently discovered nerf guns and love shooting "bad guys."  You have such a big heart and I love watching you learn and grow every day.   You are 3 ft 2 inches tall (75th percentile) and weigh 35 lbs (90th percentile).  I feel so blessed to have you as my son.  I love you so much!

Party!

We had some friends over last night for a dinosaur themed 3rd birthday party.  I didn't get many pictures because we were all too busy having fun!  It's so cute to see all of our kids playing together.  I remember a day (seems like so long ago) when we had parties and there were no kids.  No stress, no worries.  Now all my friends have 2 kids each and our parties are loud and chaotic!  I wouldn't change a thing.

Carson and Rylee helped make and decorate the cupcakes.  They are such good little bakers.  I frosted them and they helped put the sprinkles and dinosaur rings on top.  They were very proud of the finished product! 

Winterfest 2015

 We took a last minute weekend trip to Lake Chelan last weekend with our friends Elisabeth and Sherman (and their 2 kids).  There was a "Winterfest" festival going on in the town we stayed in, Manson.  It was really fun.  They had lots of fun activities going on.  Live music, wine tasting, good food, ice sculptures, wish lanterns, and a little bit of snow for a late night snowball fight.

 The kids had a blast playing together.  Ronan (3) has a little crush on Rylee, but Rylee has a little crush on Theron (the baby)!  They were all so cute to watch.

Cheers to a spontaneous fun weekend with great friends!

A little snow getaway

We were craving snow so we took a quick overnight trip to Leavenworth.  I love Leavenworth.  It's so close, but feels like a vacation!  There is so much to do and see.  There wasn't a lot of snow, but it was enough for us to go sledding!  We even woke up to it snowing Sunday morning. 

We played in the snow, ate brats, shopped a little,  went swimming in the outdoor (heated) hotel pool, and of course watched the Seahawks win!!  Sometimes it's just nice to get away.

Quality snuggle time.  I love these two so much!