Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Our road trip

It's been a while, but I wanted to share our RV experience that we had at the beginning of the month when we traveled to San Diego, CA. Well, we started out in Pheonix where we stayed the night at the Hilton and probably got our best night's sleep there at the Hotel because the next day we picked up our RV and headed towards Calif. Here are the kids as we're getting ready to leave. We're all so excited. I was going to try to not use Jesse's laptop for movies because I wanted a break from all media and so I had games for us to play, new coloring books for them and was just looking forward to the adventure. Well, as we started down the high way I tried to get out some things for the kids to do and the ride was so bumpy that it made things very difficult. I gave up after a couple of hours and ended up getting the laptop out! I layed down next to Claire in the back and tried to sleep, but it was so bumpy, the baby would not stop kicking. She was probably wondering what was all the racket about! So, we arrived in San Diego late at night and decided to just spend the night in a Wal*Mart parking lot. The next morning I made eggs for all of us (we had cold cereal the rest of the week because after this day my energy level shot way down!) and then we went over the Sea World!

Bryce and Cameron rode their first real rollar coaster ; "Journey to Atlantis!" It's looks pretty scary AND you get wet....let's just say that I was glad to be pregnant that day so that I didn't have to ride it.
We spent two days there and loved it all. The weather was overcast and about 65 degrees. There wasn't a lot of people there so that was nice when it came to rides and finding a seat. While watching the shows Jesse always put us just barely in the "Splash Zone" and I was sooo worried I was going to get wet and cold, but we only got splashed a little at the dolphin show. It made things interesting anyway. So then on the way out of Sea World we drove by a u-pick strawberry farm and I just had to stop and get some yummy strawberries! So, while Claire slept Jesse watched the boys and I treck through the mud and pick some strawberries. Our shoes were just sinking in the mud, but it was soo worth it!
The next day we took a break from the Amusement Parks and spent the day at the beach. We were lucky because it was the only day the sun came out. Still too cold for me though. Bryce and Jesse on the other hand were gun-ho about getting into the water. Jesse bought some boogie-boards and when Jesse helped Bryce catch a wave all I could hear from Bryce yelling sufer words like, "AWWWESOME, EXCELLENT!" Meanwhile, I let Cameron and Claire buri my tired legs under the sand. Afterwards, we walked down the boardwalk and had ice cream and then later ate at an outdoor restrauant that had a surfer machine. We had fun watching people wipe out.





After that day we headed to Lego Land which was so neat. I never knew you could make so many things out of lego's. Bryce couldn't wait to hit more rollar coasters whereas Cameron wasn't getting talked into doing one for awhile. There's too many things there to go into, but one thing that I think the kids liked the most was when they got to drive their own little lego cars. It was set up like a real street system with stop lights and other signs and when they finished they got their drivers license. They're so proud!


One of our favorite snacks there was the Granny Apple Fries. SOOOO GOOOD!!! I really want to learn how to make them someday. After a day and 1/2 at Lego Land we drove up to Anahiem and went to Medival Times. We had a good time cheering for our night (who died) and experience eating a full meal with our hands. That was kind of our last who-ra beacause after that we drove back towards Phoenix. We spent Sunday afternoon with Jesse's College buddy Rob Warcup and his wife Sarah. They made up some good food on the grill and we had a good time with them and their kids. The next morning was spent cleaning out the RV (which was the hardest part) and returning it back to the rental place. Needless to say we got home feeling more tired than when we left, but all in all it was wonderful getting to have some personal family time. You can check the slide show for more pictures of the trip.

Sunday, May 18, 2008

Tag, I'm it!

1. What were you doing 10 years ago?
Ten years ago around this time I would've probably just graduated High School (class of 98). I remember being excited for a new chapter in my life and wondering what the future held, but also I was very sad to leave all of my friends from High School. Our class of about 350 people were all very close. That summer (actually I left on my birthday, July 2nd) I was going to travel to AUSTRALIA for a 2 week trip down under to play some volleyball along with some other people representing New Mexico. Then, it was off to college to work my rear-end off some more in volleyball (it pays the bills right!) and school. I also hoped to find my true love there as well, but that didn't happen for another 3 years.

High School picture

2. List five things on your to do list today. (I wish it were only 5 things)

Well, since it's Sunday I'll list what I have to do tomorrow.

*Finish organizing Bryce and Claire's room. (We put a little toddler bed in the Boys room so that Claire wouldn't be bothered by the baby at night. She acted excited about sleeping in it, but tonight she wanted back into her old bed. I think it's going to take time. I have 8 weeks for get her used to it. )
*Laundry
*Clear my desk especially and the rest of the house!
*Take the kids swimming
*Go on a date with Jesse to celebrate our anniversary.



3. Snacks I enjoy.

Chips and salsa, cold cereal with fresh blueberries or bananas (whatever I have on hand), popcorn, something sweet that I can sink my teeth into.


4. What would I do if I were suddenly a billionaire?

I would totally build my dream home(s) with a huge room for all of my 1 to 2 year food supply and other things I might need. I would help all of my family get there's filled up too. I would travel and scout out places to build vacation homes for us to visit. Also, I'd invest in either wind energy or solar energy. Who, knows what I'd do!


5. List three bad habits!

I hate to list them, but I guess I'll pick the ones I don't mind sharing... :)

*Starting a project and taking forever to finish. It's hard to stay focused and motivated on a certain task when you're constantly interupted by the kids, life, etc. Especially sewing projects.
*Thinking the grass is greener on the other side.
*Leaving the folded laundry in the basket forever before I put it away. I just hate putting away laundry for some reason!

6. 5 places I've lived.

*Las Cruces, NM (My home now for 3 1/2 years)
*Mesa, AZ
*St. George, UT (loved it!)
*Forest Grove, OR (loved it!)
*Hobbs, NM (some college)
*Artesia,NM (where I was raised) I threw in just one more town.

7. Five jobs I've worked at.

* Lifeguard/ swimming teacher during High School
*File clerk at Yates Petroleum
*Wal*Mart (I was in the Manager Trainee/Future Buyer Program)
*My current job and most important...being a mother!

8. Five things that (some) people might not know about me.

* Someday I want to get really good at the violin and/or cello, but everytime I try to practice my kids try to steal the bow from me. Either they want to learn too, or they're trying to tell me something. :)

*I know this is silly to mention, but it's something no one knows...but, beautiful music makes me cry. Not like a baby, but just get teary-eyed. The first time this happened was at a Yanni concert in Oregon. Jesse and I went and I was pregnant (which might explain the tears), but in general ever since I've had kids I'm able to feel different about music.

*I love acting. I'm probably not very good at it, but someday I would love to join the city drama club. If my family did it with me it would be even better. Comedies would be the best.

* In High School I did Volleyball (played in college as well), Swimming and Track and was named Miss Bulldog for exceeding in those sports. I worked really hard, so I feel justified in bragging just a bit. When I'm going through something physically hard (like childbirth) I think back to my hardest practice days and that helps me get through it.

*I just did a radio ad for my father-n-laws campaign. He's running for congress and you can listen to it by clicking on his picture. It's pretty funny and I had a good time making it. It reminded me of the good ol' days when my sisters and I would record ourselves and make up different skits and stuff.

*I have to add one more...in the beginning of my meeting my husband Jesse we were playing Ultimate Frizby and afterwords we were playing around with the football and when I saw Jesse kick the ball up in the air for what seemed like 500 ft and noticed he looked so dang good doing it I couldn't help but notice him even more. I had to get to know who this guy with an amazing smile and strong legs was! The rest is history.


I tag my sisters Jeanine, June and Janet, my mom, Jenae, Abby P. and whoever else want to participate!

1. Post the rules

2. Answer all the questions about yourself

3. After you are done posting, tag 5 people

















Claire Turns 2!!

CHEESE!!!

The cake I made Claire was taken from the Family Fun magazine and was suppose to be like a sand castle, but for some reason a few of the cones kept falling and breaking off pieces of cake and then when I tried to pipe frosting on it the tube got clogged and it wasn't piping out the way I had planned. So, I gave it to Cameron and Bryce and let them pipe out and do with the blue frosting whatever they wanted. Her favorite gifts were the little purple and pink tricycle (she can't quite reach any of the boys pedals on their bikes) and a little monkey stuffed animal that we're trying to keep away from getting chewed up by Bandit. Claire is growing more precious to us everyday. We love her very much.