Calaveras Big Trees

 During Spring Break we were lucky enough to have the Norton's drive out from Utah to hang out! They stayed at Aby's house for a little over a week, and it was soooooooo nice having them there. The whole week was full of fun family time and tons of activities. One of the first things we did was go to see the Big Trees in Calaveras. Surprisingly, neither Jared nor I had ever been there. As soon as we got out of the car, I knew it was going to be a new favorite place of mine to visit. It was absolutely beautiful there, and reminded me of how much I love the outdoors. The biggest surprise of the day, however, was Leila. Apparently nature is just her thing. She loved everything about it! She loved the hike, the sticks, the bugs (especially squishing the bugs with sticks!). and just getting to roam around and play in the dirt. Seriously, I am not sure that I have ever seen her as happy as I did that day.

Brooklyn and Christian were, of course, inseparable.

Wesley was the star of all the pictures. He made the best faces and poses.

Peek a boo, I see you.

Tree dwellers

Christian really caught onto the adventurous spirit while we there. He started off hesitant and unsure, but soon was jumping off platforms with everyone else.

Uh....there is something big and scary behind you Jared.

And of course, what trip would be complete without Mean Uncle Jared terrorizing a niece or nephew?

Christian was so excited about how high he was!

The majority of the group!

Christian tried to make a bow and arrow!

Don't mess with Leila and her bug-smashing capabilities!

"Look Mom! I have antennaes!"

We are obviously related.

That smile sums it up!

Christian Turns 4!

 My big boy turned 4 this March! For his actual birthday, he was driving home from Southern California where he and Jared had gone to celebrate the baptism of my nephew Jonathan. It wasn't quite an exciting day, but I promise we more than made up for it. Since he would be traveling on his birthday, Jared arranged for he and Christian to go to Disneyland the day before to celebrate! They had such a great time, that there are apparently no picture :) I was anxiously awaiting their return home so that we could do brownies and ice cream together. It was a perfect night.

Since I hadn't gotten to really celebrate with him, we decided to have a pizza party with Aby, Jake and Jamie's family at Pizza Factory. I surprised him with balloons and cupcakes and he had a great time celebrating with his cousins. What I didn't know is that Leila would have a complete meltdown (honestly, I thought her face was going to melt off she was screaming so much) if she didn't get to hold ALL of his balloons. The. Entire. Time. It was horrible. I tried just giving her her own balloon. No go. So we divided the balloons up (I mean, we were in public people and dinner hadn't even started. And yes...I know she rules the roost.), and that still didn't make her happy. She wanted them all. ALL. Luckily, Christian is the nicest kid I have ever met and eventually, he relinquished possession as he went to play video games, and kept the peace.

With my family, we decided to have a combined birthday party for Christian and Grandpa. Grandma made the coolest "dirt" cake ever! Complete with all sorts of dump trucks and excavators, etc...

Apparently it was a great night because these are the only pictures I have of the event! All in all, it was a great birthday month for my little boy. Happy Birthday to the sweetest, funniest, most loving little boy. I am so lucky to be your mom!

A Quick Recap

I know it is so late that it hardly warrants a post, but this is more for me than you, I promise. Here are some quick pictures of what we have done since I last updated in December!

Gingerbread houses for FHE! We did an advent calendar this year, and this is one of the activities. It was great fun!

But of course, all Leila wanted to do was eat the candy.

Christian was a big help with the decorating, but he was definitely better at delegating than the actual labor

Miss Cheekies passed out after a long day

This sums up her personality so well. She does what she wants, when she wants, and looks like a doll!

My first taste of Dutch Brother's hot chocolate

This year, Jared and I were on a mission to find the best hot chocolate in the area. For each date, it ended with a new hot chocolate place. We rated the hot chocolate itself, and the whipped cream!

My handsome man and I went miniature golfing for my birthday date.

Decorating the tree!

The kids and I made sugar cookies, and the frosting HAD to be red, at CJ's request. It looked like a cookie massacre!

Elf Christian helping us pick out the perfect tree

 These next few pictures are just some of my favorite candid shots from the season!

It was a great holiday spent with great family and friends! We are extremely blessed. It was actually a difficult Christmas, with few presents exchanged, but I love my family and my kids and can't think of a better gift then just being together.