Family Trip to San Diego

We just returned for a fantastic family trip to San Diego, CA. We went for Jason's youngest brother's wedding. We decided to go and stay the whole week and make a fun vacation out of the event. Here are a few photos, and I am working on a slide show I will post soon. We had such a wonderful time - the girls are at a fun age and they loved Sea World, the Zoo, the beach and all the wedding festivities (especially wearing their pretty princess dresses). Mia's favorite part was getting to work with a dolphin trainer to play with a dolphin (Kaloha) and feed her. We are so happy Jordan found a So Cal girl to marry, so we can enjoy all it has to offer. Not long after arriving back to TX, Mia had a breakdown while loading the bags into the car at the airport, and through her tears said she wanted to move to San Diego because it wasn't hot there. Lily would not agree, she is happy to be home. We learned on this trip that she has a very sensitive nose and all of the scents of seafood, the sea lions on the pier at the beach, animal smells at the Zoo, etc. made her sick (to the point of gagging) and she kept holding her nose the whole time. While walking through La Jolla she cried to go back to the car because the beach smelled too bad. At one point Jason asked how she liked San Diego, and Lily's response was, "I don't like it - it smells." And now when she looks at the photos from our trip, she refers to San Diego as "the stinky beach."

Mia and Lily at Sea World.

 

The girls posing at the San Diego Zoo.

 

The family - at the wedding rehearsal dinner the night before the big day.

 

Our princesses - at the wedding reception.

 

Another fun discovery on this trip - our girls are dancing fools. As soon as the music started at the wedding reception, they kicked off their shoes and hit the dance floor. I'm not sure where Lily learned to dance, but she looked like a pro. After the last song played, we had to carry her outside crying because she still wanted to dance. Mia made the rounds dancing with her dad, her grandpa, her cousin Kaiden, and the groom!! So fun, but we were all very tired. We spent the last day playing on the beach with all of Jason's family - we don't see most of them very often so it was fun to all be together.

Visit to the Aquarium

My girls swim like fish in the pool, and love to look at fish when we are out of the pool. I have been wanting to take them to the giant aquarium downtown for months, and we finally went a few weeks ago. It was hot!! But there were lots of fish and sharks to see, and great rides to enjoy. The highlight was getting Mia on the giant ferris wheel...it took lots of persuading by her friends and her little sister (our dare devil) - but she finally did it, and smiled the whole time. Mom, on the other hand, is not a fan of heights or rides and I was ready to get off as soon as it started.

 

 

 

 

Mia - future Bearkadette!

I am back and trying to catch up on some of what has been going on here this summer! Mia was excited to participate in a Bearkadette dance camp that the high school drill puts on for the elementary school girls. Our babysitter, Sarah, is a Bearkadette and she was one of the coaches for the Kindergarten class - Mia loved it!! She got to learn dances and cheers and then perform for all the parents. No surprise to those who know her -- Mia won "Most Energetic" from the Kindergarten class. :) This fall they will do the same performance at one of the high school football games during halftime. She still does the dances around the house when we jam to "Beat It" and "You're the One That I Want" - but I think her favorite part was getting a makeover by the older girls before the performance.

Mia and Lily, getting ready to go to the final performance.

 

Mia, in line and ready to dance!

 

Mia and Sarah

 

Ella, Mia and Katie - all future Bearkadettes!!

 

Back at Home for the 4th of July

Back to summer in Texas - we got home from our trip in time for our annual neighborhood parade on the 4th of July. The girls rode their bikes, but tears were shed as they complained about the heat. Mia kept saying, "I want to go back to Utah." Neither of our girls are made for hot/humid weather. We will be spending lots of time in the pool to stay cool.

 

 

 

UTAH TRIP - Cousins!!

Ok , to appease meemaw (my mom) we had an afternoon photo session trying to get some good photos of all the grandkids together. That is never an easy task with 6 kids ranging in age from 17 to 2, but we got a few good ones despite the fact that Lily and Hayden were in no mood for smiles.

We love being with the cousins, and miss them so much. What a good-looking groups of kids!!

 

 

 

Mia and Hayden - BFF!!

 

The hardest part of our trip to Utah is saying goodbye to Hayden - he and Mia are such good friends and play so hard together. It was made a little easier this trip since Hayden had the stomach flu our last night there, so we said our goodbyes over the phone. But Mia cried, and she kept telling me she wanted to stay in Utah so she could see him every day. I hope they continue to stay close and are still BFF years from now.

UTAH TRIP - Hiking Adventure

While in Utah we were determined to enjoy the mountains and weather as much as possible! We took the girls on a fun hike and they loved it!! Lily and Mia even ran most of the way up (possible future trail runners?!). We walked through "the jungle" as Lily called it, and crossed over the river with ropes, on logs and little bridges. It was a great adventure, and something we can't do while living in Texas. It was a family adventure we will always remember, and the girls are still talking about.

 

The mountain hiking divas!!

 

 

Both girls loved the cold river water. We kept stopping to skip rocks or splash cold water on our faces. So fun!!

 

The girls and I did attempt this hike a second time with my sister and some of her kids -- that hike was not as fond of a memory. We ended up with several bloody knees and arms from falling on rocks and lots of tears. We'll have to try it again next year. :)

We also spent an evening in the mountains having a campfire and making Mia's favorite treat - s'mores! It was fun to get dressed in sweatshirts and jeans and enjoy the warmth of the campfire. In Texas we have had several s'more nights with our neighbors, but standing over a portable fire pit and sweating to death doesn't make the s'mores taste near as good. Utah s'mores are the best!!

UTAH TRIP - Oquirrh Mountain Temple

We just got back from a wonderful 2 week trip to Utah - the weather was perfect!! Besides a rough start of pink eye (in both eyes) for Lily we got off relatively sickness-free, which is unusual for our visits there. We did end with Mia's hand being closed in the car door (thanks to mom), but thankfully nothing was broken.

Here are some photos from our morning at the Oquirrh Mountain Temple open house. It was a great opportunity to take the girls through an LDS temple and show teach them a little more about them. It was such a nice experience for our little family. The temple, and scenery around it, was beautiful.

 

After being so good walking through the tour, they had to get their sillies out!

 

 

We miss the mountains so much down in Texas. Nothing beats the image of those mountains against the bright blue sky.