Spring Break- Part 1

So the younger boys have already been on Spring Break for 1 week. Tanner had seminary and school during their first week off. The littles patiently waited for Tanner to get out of school so the real fun could begin. Even though the littles had 2 weeks off for break, they would tell you that the "REAL" fun started this week.

We kicked off the fun by celebrating John's 46th birthday. The boys were super excited for him to open his gifts and the cards that they had created for him.

 

 

 

We are so thankful for this guy and his 46 years of life. So thankful that we get to call him ours. He is a wonderful husband and father. He is kind. He is talented. He is smart. He can fix just about anything. He is all about basketball(just finished up March Madness and Hot Shots). He lives to watch his boys play/excel and their activities/sports. He loves to coach the boy's various sports teams.  He works so hard to allow me to continue to  stay at home with the boys each day and for that I am so thankful! We wish him nothing but love and extreme happiness for his 46th year of life. Happy Birthday, John boy!

After presents and birthday cinnamon rolls, we hopped in the car and headed out on our adventure. Our first stop, Grandma Sandy and Grandpa Randy's house. We got to see my siblings and all of the cousins. They boys loved playing with all of their favorite cousins. While we were there, we took a drive and did a lot of "remembering when" and were amazed that San Jose still continues to grow and change! We spent the night at my parents so we could head out bright and early and begin our Spring break adventure.

New Year's Eve

We rang in the New Year at home. We had a little photo shoot with our 2012 glasses. We enjoyed some of our favorite appetizers and treats...cream cheese bean dip, Little Smokies wrapped in bacon(covered in brown sugar and honey), peppermint ice cream/Oreo dessert and homemade hot chocolate. We watched Ryan Seacrest and Dick Clark ring in the year. We watched the ball drop at midnight in Time Square and the boys banged their pots in pans out front with the rest of the neighborhood.


















We are excited for the thought of a new year, filled with new adventures and memories.

Memorial Day

As if my 1.5 hour workout at Fitness MD this morning wasn't enough(lots of running/weights), we decided to go on a family hike. It was a nice little jaunt to the Hidden Falls waterfall. It was the perfect day for a hike. We had promised ourselves (last year) that we would not be staying home for one more Memorial Day.

We enjoyed all of the wildflowers along the trail.














Some of us(ugh-ummmmm...Brody) definitely enjoyed the creepy crawly things a little more than others. We had to stop and look at each bug that he found along the way.














The waterfall was beautiful and peaceful. We wish we had packed a picnic lunch to enjoy at this spot. We will be prepared next time!





















Brody did an amazing job on the hike. We were a little worried and wondered if his little legs could keep up. Happy to report that he did keep up with everyone and was excited about everything.





















We were able to snap our 6 people, 12 times photo(May) in the nick of time. Nothing like one day to go. We always take this monthly photo with the timer. Today's backdrop was the beautiful stream on our hike. The boys loved skipping rocks and wading in the water.














We are now home. We have a Tri-Tip on the BBQ, corn(sweet)on the cob boiling on the stove, watermelon sliced and the makings for a green salad all ready to assemble. We haven't let this day pass without pausing to remember and thank all of the men and women who have served and who are currently serving our country. We appreciate all of their hard work so that we can enjoy our freedom on a daily basis. We are very humbled when we stop and really think about what it means to be an American and to live in this great country.

p.s. I am trying to decide if I will get on my treadmill or not tonight. I think I am a glutton for punishment today!

Hum Baby

During day two of our San Fran escape, we hit AT&T Park and enjoyed a Giants game. They played the Atlanta Braves.










I seriously have never seen a more beautiful baseball stadium. The view was breath taking. The atmosphere in the stands was F-U-N and the fans were fierce.






This little Giant(whose Mom dressed him in Braves colors by accident) fell asleep during the 5th inning and had to be carried out of the stadium.




Favorite memories from today included the gorgeous view for 9 innings. Watching Timmy pitch live. Joining in with the entire stadium while singing Journey's "Don't Stop Believing"(I may or may not have got a little teary eyed during this). Watching Pat Burrell(one of my favorite players) play ball. Watching my boys enjoy their first Major League game(1st for 3 out of the 4). The Giants lost but it was still a amazing day at the ball park. Go GIANTS!

city by the bay

The boys had two whole weeks off for Spring Break this year. We took it easy during the 1st week and during the 2nd week, we went had some fun! We headed to the city. During our first day there, we went to Pier 39.





The boys loved all of the specialty shops. They wanted to buy something from each and every shop...even the Sock Shop -LOL! They settled for some candy out of the barrels.




The boys met the Pier 39 Sea Lions for the first time. We had a blast watching them and listening to them bark.


You can't hit Pier 39 and not have a bowl of Clam Chowder in a bread bowl. YUM!


After Pier 39, we made our way towards Lombard Street. It was a first for John and the boys. They thought it was so cool. Next, we headed towards the Golden Gate Bridge. Instead of driving across it, we got off on the exit right before the bridge and stumbled upon Crissy Field. One word...A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! We had the best view of the Golden Gate...a new family favorite. The boys brought their gloves and baseballs and we spent about 2 hours playing baseball and playing along the shore. It was awesome.








We ended our day at our hotel. My sister, Amber and her 3 boys met us there and the boys had so much fun swimming in the Hotel's indoor pool. It is NEVER dull nor quiet when these 7 cousins get together.

we {heart} San Francisco

We ended up staying the night at my parents house after my Mom's party. The boys had a break(Monday)from school due to Presidents Day. We decided to spend the day in San Fran.

Can you believe that John and I were born and raised in the Bay Area(and have been to San Fran many times)and have never been to Golden Gate Park? Well, today was the day.

First stop, The Tulip Gardens. They are located inside of Golden Gate Park. The tulips were all red(be still my heart) and so beautiful.
*Warning: lots of pictures in this post. There were too many good ones to leave any out.









Next stop, Koret Children's Park(located inside of Golden Gate Park). We had looked this park up online and knew that there were cement slides and thought the boys would love it. We were right, they loved it. Cement Slides and a great structure to climb on...total boy fun.



You can't tell in this photo, but the kid next to Garrett had a Frisbee Velcro-ed to his rear end. You could tell they were locals :-)...no waiting for cardboard for that kid.



We grabbed sandwiches for lunch and headed to the beach. This was a new beach for us and has now become a family favorite. Check out the view! We will be heading back to this beach once the weather warms up & we can't wait!



The clouds did not stop our boys from hitting the water.





This boy was so proud to be wearing his SF Giants jersey in SF.


This boy wouldn't hold still. He was worried the waves were going to crash on him.


Some nice lady was willing to take some family photos for us. I loved that she didn't snap just one. She took like 10. This is my favorite and will be our 6 people twelve times photo for February.





















Our last stop in San Francisco was the Golden Gate Bridge. We drove across the bridge and the clouds parted and there was sunshine. It was gorgeous and clear. We had a perfect view of the city.








We made out way out of the city by driving along the Piers and Fisherman's Wharf. You know it was an awesome, fun filled day when this is what you find in your back seat on your way home.