Trip to California- Beach, Pool and Park Days

It was pretty funny because Stephs house was far enough away that we could not keep driving back and forth, so we chose a few days to hang out with the cousins...go and see their apartment, go to the beach, go to their awesome neighborhood pools, and go to a few fun local parks. The funny part is that my kids wanted to hang out with Stephs kids everyday....they didn't care about spending money and going fun places..they just kept saying they wanted to play with the cousins. And a few of the days...Corey said to me..."mom this has been the best day ever...we had a good morning, we got to color with the cousins, swim with the cousins, and just play at grandmas." I was laughing because she considered that her best day ever. I guess my best day ever would be on a beach in Hawaii, laying out, with no interruptions, maybe reading a book or something. I just thought it was hilarious. They wanted to be with them every second of the day.

So we did get to go to the beach, and swimming at a few pools, and out to frozen yogurt, and also to a few parks. So we did have some fun days. And the kids also did a sleepover at Stephs one night and a sleepover at Grandmas one night also. In fact that night at grandmas house, we had Brett and Janice and Kyle (my relatives) over and Matt's cousin Marnie for dinner. We made those awesome PF Changs Lettuce Wraps. So freakin good. It was so fun to catch up and laugh. We always laugh when the Allans are around. I also had my high school friends and their kids over one night for dinner too. It was fun to see their kids and to catch up. But can you believe I forgot to take pics again. (I even went to the beach campsite in Carlsbad to see them on Sunday and forgot to take pics there also. )

My kids love the beach..Corey is really into the water and Cade loves the sand. Casen was not so sure about either, but he finally warmed up to the sand. He hated getting his feet dirty, but by the end, he was dipping his granola bars and crackers in the sand and eating them. So like I said he got use to it. Cade also became a better swimmer this trip. We went to a few pools with Steph and if I just let him get in the deep end and swim, he could do it. He looks like he is struggling to swim, but he floats on his back when he gets tired and he makes it all the way across the pool. I still have to watch him though because he makes me nervous and is not that strong of a swimmer yet. But I could tell my kids were really going to miss their cousins when we return home. I really did miss Utah summers though because California is nice weather, but not hot like Utah. The beach and pool were both a little cold with that ocean breeze. And wearing sweatshirts at night, in the summer, does not feel like summer to me.

Trip to California- Sunday Family BBQ

This weekend was actually really special because all my siblings were together again for 3 days. Becca had flown down a week before us for another friends wedding, Em flew in a day before I did, Mike came down from LA to stay for a few days and Steph just lives 40 minutes or so from my parents house. So we were all there together and it was so much fun and it felt so good to be together again. The last time we were all together was Em's wedding, 1.5 years ago.

So we had a Sunday BBQ at my parents house and we even broke out the Ping Pong Paddles and had a little competition to see who could hit it back and forth the most times without it hitting the ground. So much fun. Mike and Dad were the champions. (Pregnant brain- can't even remember the amount of times they hit it.) But the food was good, the cousins all got along and played together well, we all had some more time to spend with Becca's boyfriend and get to know him better, and Steph and Becca even broke out some old high school cheer moves. I decided not to join them because my 80 year old feeling body was not up to it, but I did manage to get a few ping pong games in with Em.

And Casen this trip was so funny. He started CHEEZING for all of grandma's photos. He was posing for all the pics. It was so funny and so cute. He never does that for me. All in all it was a fun night, but of course after each day or each event we did I was exhausted and ready to get my kids in bed and hit the pillow. Matt even said I was neglecting to call him everynight and say good night, but I was seriously that tired.

Trip to California- Karrie's Wedding

So our trip to California to see my family was fun, quite adventurous, and to be honest EXHAUSTING. I am not sure if I have talked about this in my blog yet because I just barely started telling everyone, but I am 13 weeks pregnant and so that is why it was exhausting. Traveling alone with 3 kids...one of them being a 1.5 year old, was a little rough. We had a 2 hour delay on our first flight out there and Casen was terrible on the plane, on both my flights, to and from California. Next summer...I will not be able to travel alone with 4 kids....1 being a 5 month old and Casen will be 2.5 years old. That just sounds scary. And being pregnant, with my 4th, I already am starting to feel 80 years old. When I am pregnant, I just do not feel like myself. So I am not complaining, just explaining why I was exhausted.

So the first day we were there, I just was recooperating from my terrible flight, but that Saturday night I took my kids to Becca's high school/college friends wedding- Karrie Miller. It was a great reception. My kids loved it. They had a chocolate bar, an awesome candid photo booth, and the dance floor. It was fun to be with my family, see a few old friends, and watch my kids have the time of their lives. Afterwards, Corey and Cade both said to me, " Mom, thanks so much for taking us there. It was so much fun." No problem. It was free and entertained my kids for 3 hours. So funny! Not to mention, Becca was in the wedding party and looked adorable. Loved Karrie's colors she chose.

My kids were all into the dancing, even Casen. Cade even tried break-dancing, which I have never seen him do before..especially on a wood floor. So it was fun to see them all come out of their shells and get their grooves on. My dad even got out there for a minute and showed off his MOVES- THE SPIN.

A Beach Day @ Bear Lake

Yesterday...I tried to plan a beach day at Bear Lake. I am either lousy at planning outings or summers are just busy for families...cause we invited like 7-8 families and it ended up only being me and Mandy, but we still had alot of fun and so did the kids and I am so glad we did it.

We went over about noon....to North Beach. Way cool beach. You drive your vehicle right up to the beach. So Nice. We tried to feed the kids lunch while they played in the sand and in the water. The temp. was actually perfect, but after about 2 hours....it started to get really windy and all of our stuff was blowing away.

My kids were making me laugh. I have not taken them to Bear Lake since Corey was like 1 years old. (So Cade was not even born.) So they were so confused.... WHY IS IT CALLED BEAR LAKE? IS IT LIKE A RIVER? CAN WE FALL IN? IS IS VERY BIG? WHAT IS A LAKE? So as we came over the hill and they saw the lake...all their questions were answered. OH IT IS LIKE THE OCEAN WITH NO WAVES AND IT IS NOT SALTY. AND THERE ARE NO SHARKS. They loved the water because you could walk out forever and it never gets too deep. They loved that. And it makes it easier for moms too.....not having to chase after your baby everytime he runs into the water. Even though the water is a bit chilly...it was hot enough the kids loved it. They played in the sand and played with the balls we brought and floated on the floaties. It was really a good time. Casen was hilarious though. He is such a GIRL. He hated gettting dirty...which is impossible to not get dirty with the sand. In the water...he kept getting mud on him and he would freak out. So then we would wash it off and he was better. It was funny. I remember Cade was like that when he was little.....when I took him to the beach in CA. he was the same way.

After we packed up to go home.....we stopped at La Beaus and got shakes and fries. Their rasberry shakes never disappoint, but my kids don't even get through a third of their shakes...I always forget how big they are. Then we stopped on the way home at the look out point and took pictures. Bear Lake is really pretty and such a fun vacation town. I think we need to plan a little camping weekend there soon. Daddy needs to come with us next time.

And these pics are disapointing of me...I am so WHITE and it is the middle of the summer. And I am starting to look prego. For those of you who do not know...I am almost 12 weeks prego and starting to look FLUFFY. And I hate tanning or being in the sun too long. It makes me sick! So there is a good reason that I am so WHITE. I need another spray tan.

When I get back from my parents house in CA...I want to plan another beach day here and get more families to come. SO FUN! Anyone want to come?

Fun Week with Cousins

My sister Steph and her family live in California now...pretty close to my parents. So we do not get to see them a whole lot anymore. When we take our yearly trip to Ca.....we do get to see them then, but not as much as we would like. The kids really play good together and have a fun time and I get to catch up with my sister. Her kids are Faith (9), Taylor (7), Wright Jr. (4) and Tristan (2). We use to get to see them like 10 times a year and now that they have moved to CA, we only get to see them 1-2 times a year.

So she was going to be in Utah anyway for her parents-in-laws mission homecoming...so she drove up a few days early with all the kids to spend a few days with us...and Auntie Becca go to come too for 1.5 days. We had alot of fun....alot of relaxing around the house, but also some fun activities in between the relaxing.

Steph arrived Saturday night at around 9 PM, so we just had enough time to let the kids play for 2 hours and then get them to bed. We did have a little time to catch up too.

Then Sunday...we took our 7 kids to the last 2 hours of church. We were not going to attempt 7 kids and two adults in Sacrament meeting. After church we had a nice lunch and by then Becca had gotten there to hang out with us . It is so fun to have the siblings together. We were just missing Em and Mike. Then that night we headed over to Grandpa's house in Wellsville. He always has alot of fun stuff for us to do. I stayed at his house cause Tristan and Casen had fallen asleep. And they took the kids over to the dam to feed the ducks and feed the horses. (I loved all the pics and wish I could have been in a few.) Then after the dam, the kids came and played in the Canal in front of gramps house...we walked over to the playground and let the kids play....rode the 4-wheeler....and went and visited Grandma's grave. All in all it was an eventful night and I am sure we wore Grandpa out. And we also got home to a great surprise.....daddy and all his friends home from Alaska....YEAH!

Then Monday...we packed up the kids and headed over to the Logan Aquatic Center, but it was closed for maintenance...so we headed over to the pool in Brigham City instead. We actually stayed for 3-4 hours and the kids loved it. There was a fun slide, a diving board, sand for sand castles, and a kiddy swimming area. Later that night.... we came home and had a yummy BBQ with hamburgers and hot dogs. Me, Becca, and Steph watched the Bachelorette too that night after the kids went to bed....Becca did have to leave half way thru to get home for early work the next day! Sad to see her go....

Tuesday we had a fun day in our backyard....letting the kids swim and do slip-n-slide. They really enjoyed the new slide we have too. Then later that night...we went and got some $5 pizzas and took the kids to a nearby park. They had alot of fun and it wore them out too. That night we made our own Bazookie cookie desserts and watched Americas got Talent and then put the kids to bed.

Wednesday was a quick morning of getting ready, packing and saying our Good-Byes. It was so fun to have them here...even though I am worn out and need to catch up on some sleep. We were up pretty late everynight chatting. I was sad to see them leave, but not so sad because we get to see them in a couple weeks .......me and the kids are headed to CA. to see Grandma and Grandpa and Family.

Another Enjoyable Alaska Trip

This year Matt, his brothers Toph and Chad, nephew Jaice, Dad Norm, and a few friends.. Mike, JD, Ammon, and Dean all went to Ketchickan. Once again it was a fun trip....a few mishaps along the way still didn't ruin the trip....a few guys missing their flight, the fishing boat they rented was cancelled for mechanical problems, and Matt feeling a little under the weather that first day.

They still wake up at 3 AM to go fishing and then go fishing at 10 at night, and come home so sleep deprived, but for some reason it is still considered a vacation for them.

The highlights are always the fishing of course, the Eagles, the Bears, and the awesome fish tacos and fish meals that are prepared. Matt always says the fish tastes so much better fresh, in Alaska, then after he brings it home and we cook it up. Maybe it is the chef? They did some fishing off the boat too. This year he said the fish were a little more clean and they look about the same size as last year. Another bonus for Matt was that he had his nephew there Jaice (10 ) to tease. Matt is such a tease. He kept teasing Jaice that he was going to tape him up with duct tape to the park bench outside where the bears were. So all of a sudden everyone was missing their tape. Jaice had hid all the tape in the house and he was hiding out from Matt. I think he thought Matt was serious.

All in all they had a good time and even Norm (dad) had a good time observing. (Norm just had surgery a couple months ago for Appendix Cancer and was still healing, but he still wanted to go).

Fun Week w/ Kiddos

Matt is in Alaska this week and the kiddos are missing him...especially Casen. Casen says "DADDA" like 50 times a day. It is actually kind of getting annoying. I am ready for Matt to come home....cause his son has an obsession with him. And Casen keeps seeing Matt's truck in the garage and thinks Matt is home....but really daddy is gone....they all drove together in a friends HUGE van to the Idaho Falls airport. And everytime I go out in the garage for something...Casen follows me out and I find him sitting on Matt's 4-wheeler and he is saying DADDA.

Anyway, we decided to take it easy this week. I had a lot to do around the house....so during the day...we would stay home and just veg and get the housework done.Then at night I would take the kids someplace fun.

One night we went bowling...which was pretty fun. Casen was quite a challenge though...not sitting in his stroller. The first game Cade placed first, me second and Corey third. And the second game...I placed first, Cade placed second and Corey placed third. (You do have to remember that they are playing with bumpers and I am not). But you know how much that bugged Corey. I had to hear about it all night...that she lost both games. She usually wins every game we play or at least does better than Cade. She eventually got over it.

I also took the kids to Firehouse Pizza one night for their awesome Bazooki dessert. So worth it, but once again Casen was a pain in the butt.

Another night we went to Golden Corral... the kids favorite eating place...and also moms favorite place for dessert. Casen actually did well there. I just kept finding stuff he liked.....the Nachos were his fav.

And another night I took the kids to see Toy Story. It was a cute movie...I even got teary eyed toward the end. Casen was a pain there too, but there was barely anyone in the theatre...so it was not too bad.

We had a fun week and a relaxing week, but we were excited to see daddy come home. Oh and Casen did go to his first week of nursery at church and he did awesome. It was such a relief. He did not even care that I was gone. When Matt came home...all the kids including Casen ran to dad with the best HUGS and KISSES ever.