San Diego Fall Break Trip

With Henry getting bigger it is getting easier to take a vacation together. So, for Fall Break this year we called Brian's aunt and borrowed their condo in San Diego, loaded up the van and had a great time. There is something so great about a road trip with all my boys. We always start out in the evening, the boys fall asleep in the van and Brian and I get to chat all the way.

The boys loved sleeping in the HUGE king-sized bed. We also had a picnic at the park, played tennis, swam and watched movies in the room.

The next day we headed off to Sea World to meet our cousins and have an exciting day. The shark cave was a bit hit and we saw it twice.

Waiting while Dad got the tickets. Some Japanese tourists were quite taken with our little crew of red-headed boys. I'm pretty sure they snapped some pictures!

I love these silly little men.

Henry at the condo reminded us of this bird at the park:

Hanging with the sea lions.

Elizabeth touching the starfish.

Luke loved taking them out of the water.

Daddy and the boys. They were finding the ASU colors.

Riding the rides with cousins.

Soaking wet from the raft ride.

Freezing Jeffey.

Standing by the Shamu car.

Sea World was the boys first "theme park" experience. We were there for half a day and it was perfect. We ended the night at a great pizza restaurant with our cousins that had a boat in the middle to eat in. It was all decorated for Halloween. We were so happy to meet up with Randall and Gayle and get the inside scoop on where to eat. And the boys love being with Caroline and Elizabeth anywhere they are...great times.

San Diego Part Two- Knot the Desert

One of Brian's friends at work owns an amazing boat that he docks in San Diego. He was so nice and offered it to us for the week. We stayed two nights on the "mini-yacht".
Brian rode with Wayne when he bought the boat. Taking our whole crew aboard was a little more challenging than the maiden voyage, but it was a neat adventure.

The fact that it was docked at the same hotel as our cousins and we were able to use all the ammenities made it awesome.

San Diego Part Three- Mormon Battalion

We had so much fun touring the Mormon Battalion in Old San Diego. It was very interesting to hear the story of the pioneers that were part of the US military and marched across the country to send money home to help their families cross the plains.

Again, we got to have cousin fun while we were there and loved spending more time with Caroline and Elizabeth. Uncle Randall was so good with Henry and pushed him around so we could sit with the rest of the crew.

Trying on the guns was a favorite part for the boys.

Panning for gold like Papa was also pretty cool. Ben quickly told the sister missionary that what they were finding was Iron Pyrite or Fools Gold.

Everybody was successful in finding some treasure.

Caroline was a big helper with the kids all weekend. They adore her!

Posing at the top of the tower. Cute cousins.

San Diego Part Four-The Beach

Our favorite part of the trip was definitely the beach. Playing in the sand tops everything for sure. We went back twice and can't wait until the next time. My boys loved being by the ocean. There is something so peaceful about just relaxing with the sound of the water in the background. I always think of my Grandma Percival when I am on the coast.

Lukes ended up being our water baby at the beach. He ran into the ocean, with not a care in the world. Sure it was cold, but he didn't care. We had to make sure someone was with him at all times, he was so fearless. I love this picture. We love the beach!

Henry LOVED it! We weren't quite sure how he would do with the sand, but being dirty was great. The boys could have spent all week building sand castles. I proudly told them that I won a sand castle contest when I was little and showed them my building skills.

Henry probably could have eaten sand all week if we would have let him. He was all smiles!

Love this.

Jeffey watching the waves.

Daddy and H.

Luke in the brief moment he wasn't in the water.

Jeffey and his castles.

Henry was so tired from crawling around in the sand, he crashed out and had a nap on the beach. Great end to a wonderful vacation. Fun memories!

Sewing for girls...Fun times!

I had the opportunity to sew outfits for my friend's little girls. It was such a fun project! She picked a boutique pattern and brought me some great fabric and let me create. Then she these gorgeous pictures taken.
Such sweet sisters and such a great family.
Poor Ben and Jeff had to endure trying on the tops at different stages to make sure they were turning out right!
Ruffles, pink and flowers...girly to the max. I love it! Thanks Ginger for the fun challenge.

Happy Birthday Baby Henry

Henry you are one! We love you so much and are so glad you are part of our little family. You are learning to stand and walk and will be able to keep up with your brothers soon. They LOVE you. You are everyone's favorite brother. Lukey loves to sit beside you in the shopping cart, Jefferson will sit and sing to you and feed you and Ben makes sure you are safe and happy. He is the one that tells me you are awake or playing in the potty (which you love!) and carts you around. You can say mom and dad and love to jabber in your own language. We think you are huge. You weigh 22lbs and are really tall. You are a great helper when it comes to making noise and messes. You love to empty out the cupboards, escape outside and eat rocks and dirt, climb in the dishwasher and unroll entire rolls of T.P. into the toilet. You are happiest in the bath with your brothers and crawl while dragging your right leg like Jeffey did. You always have a smile for anyone and can be quite the crowd favorite. I think you have the cutest smirk and that you look a little like all of your brothers. It is so fun to watch you grow and to see how patient the boys are with you. I'm so glad we got and "H"chy! I love you little boy. Happy Birthday.
You loved the cupcakes at your birthday party.
We had a family gathering with cousins and Grandma and Papa at our house on his birthday and a money cake at Grandma and Grandpa Jones' house on Sunday.
The boys helped me decorate Halloween cupcakes.
We had green ghoul juice and fun treat bags.
Ben helping Henry getting to his presents.
It is so fun to have cousins so close in age. Livi had fun celebrating her birthday again. I love these cute little squishy babies.

September Catch Up

When life gets a little rocky, I make messes. We had so much fun throwing cleaning to the wind and making "habitats" for the plastic dinosaurs I found early in the day.
My boys became obsessed with "silly bands" which proved great motivation for kind words between brothers. We have a jar and fill it with pom poms for all the kind things we "catch" eachother saying. When the jar is full we get a new silly band.
From my birthday until October break are a bit of a blur. The boys have become good self-entertainers as we have been busy helping Henry get better from what turned into pnemonia and strep. My poor baby lost 2lbs, however he is all better and gained all the weight back! He loves being where his brothers are, as long as they don't jump!
The crazy bunch!
Jeff's project.
Lukey is loving his "Mommy-Lukey" days when H goes to sleep and he can help me cook, clean or run errands.
He loves the special treatment and special treats.
Henry loves the peace and quiet and gets some great naps.
Luke and his project, we made this one while the other boys were at school and then had to make one for everyone else when they got home.
We loved playing in the rain with cousins.
I've found a little time to sew again, and am loving it!
I had to post this. When I went to check everyone before I went to bed, I found these two pretzels under the sewing table in the guest room. They really have such a fun time together and I'm sure they were pretending to be dogs and turtles before they drifted off.
Ben and Noah, soaked!
Best buddies. Fun times.