Did I Mention I Hate Making Lunches?

1 1/2 peanut butter jars, two jam jars, and a mostly empty Nutella jar later I am done making sandwiches for the school year.
*maybe*

Outdoor Ed with Brynn

Well. I went off to Outdoor Ed for the week. I'm not sure if I was more scared of being the "responsible adult in charge" at camp, or leaving Rich as the "responsible adult in charge" at home while I'm at camp with no cell service.

The days were full.  They scheduled the kids almost the entire day with hikes, classes, tab time, and meals.  We had a tiny bit of free time, but not much.  I really enjoyed my quiet time in the mornings.  Getting up early and reading the bible in the middle of the redwoods with a cup of hot coffee was pretty much the perfect way to start a day for me.


 Meal times were loud, but we always had fun.

 

The speaker for tabernacle time was an illusionist.  He was pretty amazing, and had us all totally stumped.  I loved how he wove the gospel into his illusions and told the kids how much God loved them. 

 There were 3 classes a day, and each one involved some sort of hike and outdoor activity.  I thought this was going to be the hardest part, but it was actually very fun.  The beauty of the redwoods made each class so much better!

 (Yes...I *might* have been hugging a tree there....)

On one of the hikes, the kids had a chance to become part of the "Banana Slug Club" by having a banana slug hang out on their nose for 10 seconds. 

 We had the chance to do one of the obstacle courses too.  What a blast! It was called the Pinata, and everyone...including me...loved it!

The girls wrote me thank you notes when we got back.  Some of them made me laugh!

So thankful for the opportunity to share these things with my kids!

Apple Blossom Parade

We cheered on the kids in their first small town parade thing. 
They really loved it and I loved sitting and watching.
I got to hang out with Deeter and we ate free ice cream, drank free yerba mate tea, and enjoyed the scenery.

 

Sunday Best

Because goggles are TOTALLY necessary for church.....

Heels

Sometimes I put on fancy shoes when we go out on dates. 
And then I walk around in them for a couple minutes.
And before I fall, I take them off again, and put on my converse or my flip flops.
Safety first.....

Happy Anniversary

I know he loves me when he makes a quick trip to the store before I get up in the morning so that I can have creamer in my coffee. 


















And I know that he loves me when he writes me sweet poems when we've already agreed that our "gift" to each other was the trip we just got back from.
 

















And I know that he loves me because he tells me every single day...in lots of different ways.

Happy 14th Anniversary!
We made it through another year. 
Definitely not the easiest. 
And not the funnest. 
But I couldn't ask for a better person to share it with.

Road Trippin'

Day 1: {Santa Rosa - Ventura} We left on a much anticipated (much dreaded) road trip March 25th. 
We hit 4 states, had many, many, many hours in the car, and plenty of "are we there yet" questions.
 
3 hours down into the trip we had:
1 complaint of carsickness.
15 complaints of hunger.
7 questions of time left.
1 pair of split pants.
Good times. Good times.

*deep breath*
We've arrived in Ventura..
We survived Day 1.
And for the grand finale the kids to swim before we cram ourselves into 2 queen beds for sleep.

Day 2: {Ventura} Swimming. Finishing up homework so vacation can really start. Ocean breezes. Kids body surfing. Not enough sunblock {not my fault}. Learning how to work with resin. 76°. Palm trees. Hawaiian food for dinner. Sounds of snoring children soon.

Day 3: {Ventura} Surf lessons from daddy. Representing our local surf spots. Swimming in the pool. Picnic on the grass. Saturated with new {to me} knowledge from the "maker" world in my four classes today. Learning how to use this awesome camera. More swimming. Habit Burger. Bed.

 

 

 
(It's a sick thing when my favorite part of the "pre-beach prep" is pinning my children down to smear sunscreen all over their faces.)
 

 Just sent Rich out to surf even though we just saw a dolphin....or a shark.
Can't remember if there's a surfing clause in the life insurance policy.

Day 4: {Ventura} Laundry. Identifying our room by the Lego man in the window. Huge hotel bills that we don't have to pay thanks to work. Bye-bye ventura.
We are all sad. Mostly because we will be driving for 8 hours to get to our next stop.On our way to Prescott Arizona!


 
 

Check "seeing Joshua Trees and cactus" off my bucket list.
There was so much beauty even in this flat landscape.
So amazing to see!

 
 
Day 5: {Arizona} 504 miles (plus a few extra because we *may* have gotten a bit off track) driven. Mojave, Joshua trees, breaking bad trailers, tumbleweeds, open space {be still my heart}. Arizona is beautiful.

Day 6: {Arizona} bee stings, picnic lunches, montezumas castle, Sedona, amazing amazing scenery, dinner and playing techmo bowl with cousins. And a photo to prove that I am actually on this vacation too...




 
 
And then Nolan woke up on Day 7 with this reaction to the sting....awesome.

Day 7: {Arizona} swollen eye bee stings, GRAND CANYON, and antibiotic drops for Maeve's swimmers ear. And that's about all the drama I can handle today
 


 

 There is not a photograph in the world that can do this place justice. It's breathtaking, gut snatching and mind blowing all at once. God's creation is awesome.

 And of course there is Lego Dude who comes with us everywhere....

 Day 8: {Arizona - Utah} goodbye Arizona. Hello Nevada, Hoover Dam, Las Vegas, and...Arizona again. Goodbye again Arizon.  Hello Utah.....finally.
In other news. We have the least amount of kids here at the hotel...lots of big families!!! Hello Mormon country.


 



Note to self: Utah is 1 hr ahead. This becomes important when you need to get your whole family down to the free breakfast before it's over......

Day 9: {Utah} Zion National Park. Hiking, checking out waterfalls, seeing incredible scenery. And we celebrate a day of fun with one last walk/dance to the hot tub.











Day 10: {Utah - Nevada} Too many miles (way to many), said goodbye to Utah, hello to arizona, then goodbye to Arizona for the final time, and hello to Nevada. Rich's wrists hurt from driving.  Its his "driving injury".  Extraterrestrial Highway. Lunch stop in creepy desolate rest stops. Reno and "the fanciest hotel we've ever been in". Now creatively finding ways to sleep all of us in a 2 queen bed room.




(Today's math problem: if each yellow clothespin stands for 1/2 hour of driving at the speed limit, then how many times will mommy cry during the day?)


Day 11: A day of rest. Uno games in jammies. Making breakfast from all the leftovers in the cooler. Watching Nolan talk to every single person in the pool, while simultaneously getting sunburned and windburned..... Dreaming up plans with the hubs. Much to their dismay, I had to drag the family into Hobby Lobby. Dinner out. And now cozy in our room listening to the kids talk and laugh with each other. My kind of day.



 

Day 12: {Nevada - Sacramento - Home}
It's 28°.
And snowing.
We don't have chains.
And I'm wearing my very last clean outfit...dress and flip flops.
Good times.

4 States, so many different climates and different types of scenery.  

Such a memorable trip!