2011 Summer Vacation–Second Stop Knotts Berry Farms

After we left Vegas we headed to Buena Park to go to Knott’s Berry Farm.  The kids had such a great time.  It was fun to see Braden get so excited about riding all the thrill rides.  All three kids were pretty brave!  I realized that my body is older than I think it is.  It took me longer to recover after each ride! 

This is Parker’s First Roller Coaster ride.  It was actually so curvy and bumpy, Rod and I were dying but Parker loved it and had to ride it again!

This was Parker’s first “Big Roller Coaster Ride”.  He was very nervous.  I think he liked it, but did not want to do it again.

Rod's best friend from his childhood, Daren, met us there with his two boys. (They are in the car with Braden.) We love being able to spend time with them each year when we go to California.

Halle LOVES Brian (Daren's son). It is so funny to watch them interact. She bosses him around like she is his girlfriend!

We stayed at the Embassy Suites and loved it.  The kids just had to go swimming before we left for San Diego.  (Notice Braden did not participate, he was so excited to have the chance to watch cable TV.  We got rid of it several months ago, so he was trying to make up for lost time!)I know this picture is blurry, but I thought it was so funny.  Parker and Halle weigh about the same, yet she is picking him up!?!?  I’m surprised that she didn’t bump her head!

This is the view from our room.  It was all indoors.  They offered a cook to order breakfast.  It was all so cozy and convenient.  I loved it!There was even a pond with huge gold fish in it!  I would definitely stay here again!

2011 Summer Vacation–First Stop Vegas

Right after the Fourth of July Parade, we headed to Vegas for our first stop on our vacation to San Diego.  We stayed in a great hotel that was just off the strip and Casino FREE and smoke FREE!  The room was great.  The kids loved how high up it was and the pool was awesome.This was a rare moment to have Dad swim with them!  He doesn’t hit the pools often!The pool was a little deep for Parker, but with a Mom who will lug him around, who needs to swim?!?!This was the view of the pool from our room window.We took the kids to M&M World and then tried to find dinner.  I will never walk the strip with children again.  It is always bad, but on the 4th of July it was 10 times worse!We got up early to head for Los Angeles, especially to beat the traffic.  These windows were great for watching the fireworks.We loved this hotel and would definitely stay in it again, but will NEVER walk down the strip of Las Vegas again!  Lesson learned!

Fourth of July Parade 2011

Halle and Courtnie ready for the big show.  (Courtnie slept out for the first time this year!)Parker is ready for the BIG balloons!!The boys who slept out!Rod’s smiling cause this is the first year in a long time that he hasn’t spent the night on the parade route! 

We just love the parade!!

This was one of the best entries!  It was a little spooky!

It was definitely more than your average parade!  We are so grateful to live in the country that we do!!

Wesley turns 18!!!

It’s hard to believe that my oldest is 18! Where did all the years go? We had a nice evening. We took Wes to dinner and then drove by our friends car lot and let Wes pick out his birthday present! (I’ll post a picture later.)Wesley wouldn’t stand for anything else but a chocolate cake from Costco for his birthday!Wes is actually the oldest out of his group of friends, so he is the first to turn 18! Happy Birthday Wes, here’s to the future! WE hope all your wishes come true!!

Halle’s Little Moments

Halle has had some great “Little Moments” this past year. Here are a few of them…..She and her best buddy Syd, decided one day since they had matching shoes that they should be completely matching the next day at school. This is what they came up with, right down to fixing their hair the same way!She loved having some great friends in her school class this past year. Syd and Marlee were tons of fun to have around!She was thrilled when I accompanied her on her last field trip of the year to Thanksgiving Point Gardens.This one is my personal favorite. She really wanted to take a cooking class that a neighborhood girl was having at the beginning of summer. I told her I thought it was too expensive and that she would have to raise the money herself. She and I made cookies and then she walked all over the neighborhood selling them. She raised almost all of the money to pay for her own cooking class. She had a lot of fun and I was proud of her for working so hard.

Parker Graduates from Preschool

Parker had a great year going to two different preschools. He was often tired after a long day, but when I asked him which one he would give up, he couldn't quit either of them because they were both so much fun. Here are a few pictures of his end of the year program. I included a video because I know his Grandma will get a kick out of it. He really got into every song and sang his heart out!

Good job Parker on another great year in preschool! Now... on to Kindergarten!

Braden Plays Lacrosse

So when it comes to aggressive team sports, Connor has always been the one in our family who loves to participate and gives it his all. You can imagine my surprise when Braden said that he wanted to play Lacrosse this year! I wasn't sure what to expect because aggression is not one of Braden's personality traits, but with a lot of support from Connor and Rod and also a great coach and team, Braden learned alot and had a great season.

He even made some great assists.

This is what the little kids did while I watched the game. I couldn't believe a school would have a play structure like this! Wow! It was really high!
Good job Braden trying something new and being dedicated! We are so proud of you!