Memorial Day Weekend

 We drove down to California for the weekend. We drove for two days and enjoyed ourselves the other two days. We went to surprise my nephew for his 8th birthday. We went directly to my sister's house and brought some balloons and surprised him at his door. He was shocked and excited. I dropped my mom and Joseph off there and they spent the whole weekend there. I then went to my friend, Stephanie's house. We had a fun first evening playing games and chatting. The next day we took our kids to Balboa. Christopher was with his dad.

 Stephanie and Logan

 We went to the end of the pier and ate lunch at Ruby's.

 We then went to the beach for a while. Emily LOVES the beach! She never wanted to leave.

 We then went over to the Balboa Fun Zone. We went on the ferris wheel and the carousel.

 Emily ate her very first caramel apple. She said that it was "The Best!!!"

 My little fish wasn't done with the water quite yet. When we got back to Stephanie's house she went swimming.

 I finally had to make her get out because it was about 8:30 at night. She went to bed easily and I enjoyed the night with my friend.

 The next morning, I said, "Goodbye" to Stephanie and I headed to Huntington Beach with Christopher, Emily and Lexin (Christopher's friend). Emily just loved being there. The big boys took her way far out into the water. She was in heaven.

 We then headed over to my sister's house for my nephew's party. The picture above is my brother and his wife. They are having their first baby in December. I am so excited for them. The picture below is my sister's kids. Tommy, the birthday boy and Rowdy, the sweet baby.

 All the cousins!!

Emily and my sister, Brandy

Rowdy in his cute jammies I got him.

After the party we headed over to my friend, Jamie's house. Emily and her daughter Maryn played barbies forever. We then had a bon fire and made smores. Then I got to go out with Jamie for a shake at Johnny Rockets and a movie. It was so fun just having a night out. Her husband is always so awesome to watch the kids so we can go out!

The next morning we gathered everyone up from where they were staying and got ready to go. This is one of Christopher's little brother's, Landen. It was a long drive home. It was so worth it just to see the people I love most. Two days is way too short, but it was a wonderful weekend!!!

Softball and Clogging

 Emily has been trying some new things. She had her first softball game last night. She was super nervous. She did okay and is excited for her next game tomorrow. I am just really proud of her for trying something new.

 Another new adventure for Emily is her clogging. Tonight was her spring performance.

 She did so good and had a beautiful smile the whole time.

 She was in the front on this dance and said she was the "star" of the dance.

 When she came back and sat down we all told her how great she did. She then said that she was "Born to perform!" She also said the she can dance and sing so she's the "whole package". She cracks me up.

 When she went up to get her trophy she was the first name called. She went up to the front and held her trophy up so proud. She kept it up the whole time. She said that she couldn't wait until her next performance. Looks like we might have a serious clogger on our hands. She drops out of things pretty quickly, but she is still going strong on clogging. I am so happy she has found something she loves to do. She seemed so light and happy after her performance. It's not often that she is truly happy, so it was a great night!!! Way to go Emily! I love you!



Easter & Student Council

 I guess I should post about Easter before it gets too late. Easter was simple. We dyed eggs.

 Then Christopher decided to boil an apple just for fun. The boys didn't like it, but Emily seemed to. My kids sure like to experiment.

 Emily left some eggs in dye overnight. They turned out interesting. This is Joseph and Emily all ready for church in their Easter clothes. Christopher didn't feel well so he didn't dress up. We came home from church and had a nice dinner. Very laid back. Just the way I like it!

Joseph ran for student council. So many people ran. I was so nervous about him winning. They pick only eight kids from his grade. He won!! Yay! He was chosen to be secretary. I am so proud of him. The student council kidnapped him and took him to breakfast. They blindfolded him and then made him wear this silly hat all day. He was so excited. I am so happy that he will have so many fun times in this new role. Joseph is my shining star!!!



Mexican Riviera

I was so lucky to be able to go on a cruise to the Mexican Riviera for seven days with one of my bestest friends a couple weeks ago. Here we are about to leave for our cruise.

When we first got on the ship we went to the main dining room for lunch. It was the most beautiful restaurant I have ever seen. There was lots of fancy food for Jamie to try and plenty of plain food for me. We ate there at least once a day. Most days two. It was so fun eating there in style.

Our room was nice, but the best part was our balcony. We had a private balcony that made for wonderful views. We left the door open all night and slept to the sound of the ocean at night. So heavenly!

Our first port was Cabo San Lucas. We tendered to the shore and did some shopping. Then we went on a super fun Rhino excursion. Jamie likes to drive and I like to ride so this was perfect for us. She is a crazy fun driver. We went over bumps and rocks and she even did 360's. It was great fun. We came across some very interesting things on this journey. There were some emaciated cows just stranded. Even a cow carcass. Gross! We were encircled by vultures at times. We even got stranded at some deserted restaurant in the middle of nowhere. Good times. Seriously it was super fun!

At night the moon shining on the water was so breathtaking off of our balcony.

Balcony again!

One super fun thing was coming back to our room at night to find these cool animals made out of towels on my bed. A different one every night. So creative! The next port was in Cabo too. We had a different adventure this time. I am sad because the photographer on our excursion was busy and they didn't let us bring our cameras, so no pictures. It was however, an amazing adventure. We went zip lining. It was crazy. There were 8 but, because the hiking got too hard for me we only did 5. We did the longest and fastest ones though. The last one is about half a mile long and goes up to 50 mph. Crazy! It was so fun. The guides were these young handsome boys. They were so kind and helpful. So chivalrous those Mexican young men are. It helped make our time even more pleasant. I love zip lining.

Our third port was in Puerto Vallarta. We got off the ship and got on a catamaran and headed to a private beach. It was THE most beautiful beach I have ever seen. You are greeted when you arrive and serenaded to as you walk onto the beach. Palm trees, hammocks, lounge chairs, very handsome young men to entertain you on the way over and then help you when you arrive. you were served drinks (water for me) on the beach. It was full serve for sure. They also feed you an authentic Mexican lunch. So good!

We went snorkeling. There is Jamie above under water. The visibility wasn't too good, but it was super fun and tiring.  My legs were so tired that I kept falling down and rolling in the sand when I tried to get out of the water. So funny!

They even had these cool Macaws flying around. It was a tropical paradise. I was so sad to leave and want to come back so bad.

Here we are on formal night. We had professional pictures taken, but the photographer thought we were a "couple" and our pictures came out looking like engagement photos. The worst part is they are displayed and people kept looking at them. We finally asked for them to be thrown out. When we think about it we laugh so hard we pee our pants. The cruise was so wonderful. The shows were so good. The game shows had us laughing. We even went dancing. We saw a hypnosis show. Hilarious!!! I had the most luxurious hot stone massage. We also joined the spa. They only let 100 people join from the cruise. It gave us access to private areas and our own pool, hot tub, hydro therapy tub, sauna etc. It was so relaxing and private. We had the time of our lives and so many memories. I love you Jamie!! Thank you so much for coming along on this amazing journey!! Sisters Forever!