Rachel Kaye

Happy New Year!

2012-01-29T17:57:00.000-08:00

We had some friends over to celebrate the new year. A lot of them had kids, so we decided to do an East Coast time celebration for the little ones. Here they are, waiting for the ball to drop -

Trying out the apple cider in fancy cups -

Happy New Year = lots of loud noise!

After playing some games and struggling with kids for hours to go to sleep, we celebrated West Coast time with the adults! Bobby was taking lessons from Derek on how to pop open the champagne -

James, helping us get ready -

Bobby had this huge confetti canon for the big moment. It surprised us and left a mess! Our friends, covered in confetti -

The champagne we could no longer drink due to confetti contamination -

Just a small portion of the mess I had to clean up the next morning!

It was a wonderful time to celebrate the new year! Excited to see what 2012 brings!

Our Christmas

2012-01-28T17:46:00.000-08:00

After getting home from our SoCal trip we had our own "Christmas" morning. The boys were ready!

The boys got a train table (got a great deal from a friend's fundraiser yard sale) -

Bobby got 80's Scene It. He enjoyed posing like some of the people on the box -

The most fun gift was one we've been waiting to give Caleb for over a year. I picked up this kid's drum set on Freecycle like 2 summers ago. We had planned on giving it to Caleb last Christmas, but they ended up in storage after the fire. Anyways, we were excited to finally wrap up some drum sticks this year!

There was a clue - which led him on a hunt for clues all over the house. My parents did this for me many years as a kid and it was fun to pass along the tradition.

He was surprised -

And loved them!

It was a great final Christmas celebration. :)

(Oh and I love finding great deals for Christmas gifts!)

Sibling Christmas's

2012-01-20T20:47:00.000-08:00

The day after Christmas we drove down to my brother, Joel's, house and celebrated with them.

Micah was excited to open gifts -

Mom was excited for more kitchen stuff -

My wonderful bro and his wife (who are now three with their first son!) -

The boys loved their new Star Wars guns and enjoyed putting them to use right away -

Until Micah got hit in the head point blank - if you look carefully you can see the red circle right next to his eye.

After gifts, we took a walk to the park to play bocce ball. The boys were excited to use their new scooters!

The guys, playing the first game -

It was so great to all be together! We spent the night with them and then met Bobby's sister for lunch the next day.

The boys were excited to see their cousins -

Ryan got a dodgetag game -

Caleb loved his Star Wars lunch box -

Noah got monster bowling -

And Micah got a big Tonka trunk!

After lunch we enjoyed the beautiful weather and just hung out. The boys had fun rolling down the hill -

The adults had fun debating and catching up. And I got some quality Luke time. I love that kid -

So fun to see our families. We are so blessed!

Christmas Day

2012-01-19T15:07:00.000-08:00

We had a great Christmas with my parents. After stockings the boys started opening gifts. One of their first was their favorite - scooters (and helmets)!

Caleb was also very excited to get a Ben 10 Blaster - something he saw on a comercial a long time ago and has been asking for ever since!

My parents know what Bobby likes -

Isaac got some exciting gifts, including a TV!

And Laker tickets!

My mom, opening one of the many kitchen gadgets she got.

After gift opening and lots of relaxing, the boys tried out their new scooters -

The guys also spent some of the afternoon putting together Isaac's new TV stand.

It was not without it's frustration!

And of course, we had a lovely Christmas dinner -

It was a beautiful and relaxing Christmas. Thanks, Mom and Dad!

Christmas Eve

2012-01-18T14:42:00.000-08:00

The boys got all dressed up for Christmas Eve and I got some cute pictures -

We also helped out at my parent's church service. Micah got his moves on while we were waiting for the service to start -

For the service, Bobby helped with slides and sound. I got to do the children's message. I don't do public speaking all that often and I was nervous! But it was fun -

The best (and worst) part was our kids involvement. They had learned this little solo for a song, but when we practiced earlier in the day only Caleb wanted to sing. However, that night, of course, Micah decided he wanted to join him. He unexpectedly ran up on the stage and then got mad when he couldn't hold the microphone, which led to lots of crying. Bobby came on stage to help take care of Micah, which then meant he couldn't start/stop the music track and caused a sound issue later. Anyways, Caleb sang wonderfully through all the madness and overall I'm sure it wasn't as bad as it felt while I was onstage experiencing it all! You can always count on almost-3-yr-olds to cause a ruckus!

After the service we went home and opened our traditional Christmas Eve gift - pjs!

It was so neat to be a part of my parent's service and so fun to have Caleb's first of hopefully many solos! Great memories!

Sledding

2012-01-03T21:10:00.000-08:00

We another relaxing day in Big Bear that included a little more snow and some sledding fun!

My guys exchanged some snow balls -

And then came after me!

Micah chased me for awhile and was determined to get me!

So fun. We even got to see the new Mission Impossible movie and get a little date. Another great day!

Big Bear!

2012-01-02T19:06:00.000-08:00

Because we had to bring Isaac home (he came home with us after Thanksgiving to help with construction downstairs) and because we could, we went to Big Bear to celebrate Christmas with my family this year.

We got there late on the 21st, then the next day was spent just relaxing and hanging out with family. The boys were reindeers most of the day, and Grandma enjoyed every moment with them -

My cousin, Dawn, and her family came up for the day. It was so great to see them!

It was super cold (like in the 20's!) but we still spent a little time outside enjoying the snow. There was lots of throwing snow!

Had to get a picture of this - that little pine tree was our Christmas tree in the apartment last year. We bought a live tree and gave it to my parents to plant in their backyard. So cool to see it's still alive!

It was a perfect day and start to our Christmas!

Advent Pictures

2012-01-01T18:21:00.000-08:00

Didn't do daily pictures like a couple years ago, but still snapped a few pics of some of our favorite advent activities.

We did advent readings / candle lightings each week. The boys loved helping light the candles.

Making gingerbread cookies -

We also told a different part of the Christmas story each week, then did an activity and coloring page to go with. This was from the first week where we talked about trust - they are trusting dad to lead them through the obstacles.

Christmas party with friends. The kiddos watching a movie -

White elephant gifts -

The boys learning about and pretending to be St Nick -

We also had little friends over for a pizza and Christmas movie night - and to give parents a night out. It was so fun!

We also went caroling with some friends. There weren't many people home, but the boys loved it!

My little caroler -

It was a little crazy to try and fit a new activity into every day - with the remodeling of downstairs, starting a new CYT session, and regular life . . . but it was fun and worth the memories!

Advent Activities

2011-12-31T09:46:00.000-08:00

I'm all caught up with pictures! Woo hoo! Finally. Now I just need to keep on top of it and never let myself get 6 months behind again! :)

So, this is a post without pictures and mainly for myself. In the midst of our construction downstairs, Bobby's "procedure," and a lot of other craziness, I managed to do our advent activities this year. Here are the activities we did counting down to Christmas this year:

1: Decorate the house
2: Get a Christmas Tree
3: Santa Cruz Holiday Parade
4: Christmas Story part 1
5: Dance to Christmas music
6: Celebrate St Nick's Day
7: Make Christmas cookies
8: Hide-n-Seek with nativity scene
9: Make ornaments
10: Christmas Party
11: Christmas Story part 2
12: Get gift for Adopt-a-family
13: See Santa
14: See Christmas lights (Vasona)
15: Christmas movie night
16: Caroling
17: Santa Cruz'n Christmas
18: Christmas Story part 3
19: Birthday party for Jesus
20: MAH Trains
21: Roller Skating with class
22-24: Fun in Big Bear

As I'm writing this, it's only Dec 18, so I'm sure in the posts to come there will be pictures of our time in Big Bear for Christmas. Can't wait!

Santa Cruz Holiday Parade

2011-12-30T12:59:00.000-08:00

CYT - the youth theater company we work for, was in the holiday parade this year. The boys love parades so went to watch. It was a very cold morning, but beautiful and the kids were still smiling -

Caleb loves doing random poses for pictures -

The start of the parade -

Yay CYT!

It was a typical small town parade - with lots of local groups - very cheesy, but fun because we saw a few people we know walking in the parade. Caleb even said at one point, "This is the best parade ever!" Love it.

Christmas Tree

2011-12-29T21:00:00.000-08:00

We went to the best place ever to get our tree this year (thanks, Kertsons!). You get to pick a tree and cut it down yourself - and ALL their trees are $25. So awesome! They were so friendly and helpful too!

We spent a lot of time walking around looking for the right tree. The boys ran all over saying, "Let's get this one!"

They also love posing for pictures -

We found a huge cedar tree that we decided to get. It is by far the tallest tree we've ever had! Both the boys had to help dad cut it down. They lasted all of 30 seconds.

Then Isaac had to step in and help -

Bobby was worn out!

But we finally made it home and started the decorating. As Caleb gets older it's so fun to watch him be able to enjoy and participate more fully in all the festivities.

Micah was excited too -

But he couldn't quite figure out how to hang the ornaments on the tree and ended up just handing us ornaments and telling us where to put them.

The finished product -

I love our tree, but it's already fallen over twice - even after we got a new, better stand! We've lost a few ornaments in the process too and it's so annoying. I've had to decorate and vacuum so many times . . . .

But looking back at the picture, it's so pretty, I guess it's worth it!

Family Photos

2011-12-28T09:00:00.000-08:00

After San Diego we drove to Big Bear to spend a day with my fam, including Joel and Erica. I didn't get many pictures of our fun day together, but while we were all together we got some family pictures. It's so awesome to have a photographer in the family! And although they aren't nearly as good as Joel's, I got a bunch of random shots as well. :)

Sea World

2011-12-27T09:00:00.000-08:00

The day after Thanksgiving we went to Sea World. We got passes last year and so every time we are in San Diego we try to visit. They had some special Christmas stuff - like a snow area, which the boys really enjoyed. It was a great way to spend our last day in the SD.

Thanksgiving

2011-12-26T09:00:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving was awesome! It was a perfect day.

Megan was up early getting the turkey ready. She did an amazing job hosting and making most of the food!

The cousins, all dressed up for the holiday.

Megan also set a beautiful table -

Each person had a place setting and I helped by writing the names. Don't look too closely, I misspelled my brother's name!

My parents drove down to spend Thanksgiving with all of us as well. Here's some pics of the boys goofing around -

Then Tim, Isaac, Caleb, and Ryan played football outside for awhile. I got some fun pictures -

We did a lot of relaxing and talking. It was awesome -

Carving the turkey -

Our delicious spread -

Dinner time!

And then more rough housing with the boys -

It was such a special Thanksgiving. It was bitter sweet celebrating in Donna's house - brought back lots of memories. It was great to spend the day with both sides of our family - I love them all so much!

San Diego

2011-12-25T09:00:00.000-08:00

And now it's Christmas Day and I'm getting ready to post about Thanksgiving! :)

We went to Bobby's sister's house in San Diego for the holiday. We went a couple days early to hang out and meet our new nephew, Luke. Bobby's Aunt Linda and Uncle John were there as well and it was great to all be together.

I spent a lot of time rocking Luke and enjoying a baby who wasn't mine!

He's pretty adorable!

The boys were also excited to meet their new cousin -

The night before Thanksgiving some extended family came over and we had a yummy time hanging out at the table -

Aunt Linda and baby Luke -

My cute nephew, Ryan -

Trick or Treat

2011-12-24T17:34:00.000-08:00

Seems kinda weird that this post about Halloween is going up Christmas Eve . . . but oh well. Merry Christmas everyone!

On Halloween we went trick or treating downtown with some friends. Micah was feeling kinda sick that day, so he just rode in the stroller the whole time. It's always crazy busy but really fun.

We had fun spending the holiday with friends -

And ran into some other friends -

My little Darth Vader -

Bobby got a lot of attention. This guy was one of many who took his picture -

Besides Micah being sick, it was a great Halloween!

Pumpkin Carving

2011-12-23T15:20:00.000-08:00

We also had a pumpkin carving party in October. It was so fun and probably something we'll do every year. I had to take a picture of the food - there was so much yummy stuff - and of course a cute themed table provided by the hosts, Bryon and Cheryl.

The kids liked the food too!

Tic-tac-toe and Facebook -

Hanging out and working hard -

Planning . . .

My pumpkin -

The finished products -

We had prizes for the best and worst and most creative. It was so much fun!

Halloween Meetup

2011-12-22T15:13:00.000-08:00

Our Meetup group had a fun Halloween gathering at a nearby park. Of course, Micah refused to dress up, but he still had fun playing with friends and making a yummy spider!

Halloween Party

2011-12-21T11:40:00.000-08:00

After missing this party last year, we made sure to get the right date this time and had a blast with our old neighbors, the Dyers. They host a fabulous party!

Here they are in their pacman costumes -

Micah was not into wearing costumes this year. Such a bummer, because he was so cute in it! But somehow we bribed him enough to wear his costume for two minutes to take a family picture.

Caleb wanted to be Darth Vader this year, so we went with it and were all Star Wars characters -

Han Solo (in carbonite, trying to take a drink) and R2D2 -

We ate yummy food, decorated cupcakes, touched gross things, but the boy's favorite part was the dance party -

And the glow sticks! Natalia agreed -

And my favorite part was getting to spend time with great friends!

Pumpkin Patch

2011-12-20T11:37:00.000-08:00

The end of October, Creative Play met at a pumpkin patch. It ended up being just me and Kendra, but it was fun. We got a lot of time to just talk and catch up on random things - which hardly ever happens!

Micah was again, very grumpy and not wanting to take pictures. But thankfully, Amber was happy to pose!

More Apple Picking

2011-12-19T11:32:00.000-08:00

The next week, on a much colder day, Creative Play went to Gizdich for apples as well. Micah started out having a very grumpy morning -

But after awhile he got over it. Pulling the wheelbarrow helped!

Eating apples with friends helped too.

I love Gizdich!

I also love Micah's messy hair!

Story and snack time -

It was a great morning with friends. We love our time with Creative Play!

Apple Picking

2011-12-18T09:47:00.000-08:00

I should be blogging about Caleb's birthday party now, but can't find all the pictures - so it will be coming. :) On to October . . .

Our Meetup group met at Gizdich Ranch to do some apple picking. It was a beautiful day (as you can tell by the shorts!) and we had lots of fun!

School Birthday

2011-12-17T19:59:00.000-08:00

My mom also got to help with taking a treat to Caleb's class for his birthday. It was so fun!

My handsome 5 yr old -

Karaoke

2011-12-16T11:03:00.000-08:00

My mom wasn't actually here for Caleb's birthday, but she gave him his birthday gift early while she was here. He was very excited -

Micah was too.

She got him a karaoke machine. The perfect gift for my little performers -

Wilder Ranch

2011-12-15T10:56:00.000-08:00

In September my Mom came to visit the week before Caleb's birthday. We took her to one of our favorites spots that she hadn't visited yet - Wilder Ranch. This fall I also started watching a little boy for a friend two days a week. So the four of us had a beautiful morning there.

Gee-Gee

2011-12-14T08:48:00.000-08:00

I have one of the best grandmas ever. These days she goes by Gee-Gee, short for Great-Grandma. She recently moved with my Aunt and Uncle from Modesto, CA to Tucson, AZ. Before they left and moved much further away, we took an afternoon to visit them.

Here she is showing the boys some pictures from one of her first visits with Caleb.

We got some nice pictures with her -

It was so great to see them all - especially my grandma. She is such a woman of God, young at heart, and passionate about her family. She is such an inspiration to me and I love her dearly. Thanks for taking such good care of her, John and Deb, and letting us come visit. Can't wait til we see you all again!

Labor Day BBQ

2011-12-13T08:05:00.000-08:00

We had our 2nd annual Labor Day barbecue at Harvey West Park. It was a great time.

Kiddos had fun playing with bubbles -

And there was lots of yummy food to share with friends -

Love this family!

And the best part was the egg toss. I love ridiculous, fun, group games!

After the adults had their fun we let the kids play too -

Notice Micah's face - we need to teach about how your eyes should always be on the ball!

Cuz the egg seriously cracked open on his head! It was actually pretty hilarious and he was great about it!

Kyle and his winning egg -

Peyton was sad about her egg breaking -

And Micah was smiling, even with egg on his head. :)

Fun peeps -

We had so much fun celebrating with some of our favorite people. Can't wait til next year!

Tahoe

2011-12-12T14:06:00.000-08:00

After camping we drove to Tahoe to have a weekend with our Missio Dei friends. We played a lot of games, relaxed, laughed, and spent a day on the lake.

We all rented kayaks or stand up paddle-boards.

Christal and I had the boys on a paddle boat (or is it pedal boat?). One of those things where you pedal to make it go. It was hard work - sore legs and crazy to control! But we still had fun!

That day they were having a cardboard boat race. So hilarious!

Caleb loved it!

The last day, we went to this beautiful beach and listened to some local bands.

Katie and Micah - enjoying the sun and snacks.

Random face -

Great weekend and end to our vacation!

Downieville

2011-12-11T08:19:00.000-08:00

After Hairspray was done and before Caleb started school, we took a week of vacation. We started by heading to Downieville for some camping with our good friends, James and Jill.

We spent a lot of time on the river - even though the water was freezing! Because it was cold we also spent a lot of time in the boat. Thank goodness they had one! The kids loved it.

All the kiddos on the rocks across the river -

We finally got Bobby to jump in the water after being pushed around in the boat -

It was cold, but he did it!

Warming up in the sand -

After the river we spent a lot of time relaxing and playing at the campsite.

The next day we went to another great spot in the river and took the boat down the rapids (not seen here!).

Caleb was not a fan of the rapids.

But we cheered him up by hunting for fish -

We ate good. :) And although it took forever, it was fun cooking baked potatoes on the fire!

Smore time!

I love the dirty faces!

This trip reminded me of how much I LOVE camping. Although it is a lot of work - there is nothing like getting away from all the madness and technology and comforts - and really relaxing and just enjoying each other. It was a great time and we are so thankful to have friends that invite us along on their vacations! Thanks, James and Jill!

Lawrence Welk

2011-12-10T08:00:00.000-08:00

This was a last minute trip - but with a small break in the Hairspray schedule and a potentially unused time share week, we made the trek to Escondido.

Friends and family met us there and we did a lot of relaxing and swimming!

This little guy is so adorable -

Some pictures from feeding and chasing the ducks -

Great quick trip - glad we made it happen!

Creative Play

2011-12-09T07:51:00.000-08:00

They also joined me at Creative Play (a story time group I do). It was great to have them, but our warm beach/park day ended up being very chilly and cut short! But we still did story time!

It was so great to have them all here. I am so lucky to have such great family and friends!

Hairspray!

2011-12-08T07:44:00.000-08:00

This summer Bobby was in Cabrillo's production of Hairspray. It was a ton of time and kinda consumed our summer - but he loved it and did an AMAZING job.

While everyone was here we all got to go see it! Of course we couldn't take pictures of the show itself, but we did get one outside the theater. And hopefully some of you saw Corny Collins on Facebook. :)

That night we came home and played some Quelf. Such a silly game!

They had to hold hands . . .

It was a crazy late, but super fun night!

Big Basin Hike

2011-12-07T07:31:00.000-08:00

We had more visitors in August as well. A summer visit from my friend, Patience, overlapped with a visit from my Mom and cousin, Dawn, and her daughter, Kimberly. They were close by for a wedding, so stopped by for a couple days and we had tons of fun together!

Our first activity was a hike in Big Basin. The boys were excited to follow the map and find the numbers along the trail.

It was so beautiful!

In a tree -

Through the top of the tree. Crazy what a fire can do!

With Dawn and Kimberly -

My cute boys -

The whole gang.

It was such a great hike and we had a yummy picnic lunch afterwards. It was a great start to lots more fun to come!

Pizza My Heart

2011-12-06T23:09:00.000-08:00

We also did a lot of eating out - yum! I got some pics from our trip to Pizza My Heart (my first time there!). It was yummy, the kids loved the Wiki Stix, and the drink machine is the coolest!

It was a great time with family and we were so glad to have them visit! Thanks, Megan and Tim - come again soon! :)

Beach Time

2011-12-05T23:04:00.000-08:00

We spent some time at Capitola Beach as well. It was so relaxing and gorgeous. I love living by the beach!

On the way home we stopped for ice cream. Micah thought it was yummy!

Strawberries!

2011-12-04T22:56:00.000-08:00

While the guys were off doing something (I can't remember what), we went to Gizdich for yummy strawberry picking.

Everyone had fun picking and showing me their strawberries -

Except for Micah, who just wanted to snack -

I don't know what was going on when I got this pic, but I love it!

So fun!!!

Highlands Park

2011-12-03T22:39:00.000-08:00

The week after the wedding we were visited by Bobby's sis and family. It was great to have them and we did some fun things while they were here.

We first visited Highlands park (at the request of my mom, who was still around after traveling with us to Oregon). It's a beautiful park next to a river in Felton. We started with some climbing -

Then moved on to swinging. I love these sibling shots!

Then it was time for a walk to the river -

Where the boys threw rocks -

And got dirty bottoms!

Lake Shasta

2011-12-02T22:24:00.000-08:00

On the drive back from Oregon we made a stop at Lake Shasta. We were going to really stop and stay the night somewhere, but the thought of spending another full day in the car with little kids made us want to scream. So we just made a quick dinner stop - grabbed some grub and had a picnic by the lake.

It was so beautiful. The boys of course had fun throwing rocks in the water.

Did I mention it was beautiful?

After a while we ended up with some almost naked boys really enjoying the water. :)

One day they will probably hare me for posting these pictures, but I just can't help it!

Wedding Day!

2011-12-01T21:50:00.001-08:00

Time for the wedding! I don't have any pictures of the wedding itself, but I got a bunch from all the festivities beforehand.

The wedding was held at this beautiful winery. The reception area -

And the gorgeous lawn where they had the ceremony / dancing -

The view was amazing!

They also had an amazing bridal room where we got ready. It was the perfect place for a bride to relax!

Hair time -

It was a really relaxing and fun day. We got to do a lot of this -

We got a special visit from Zain -

He's so cute!

Kari got a gift from Clark. She was surprised, excited, and trying not to cry. It made for a great face!

It was a necklace with a single pearl - one to be added each year. So sweet!

Then Kari got a visit from her dad . . . and there was more trying not to cry!

Kari and one of her brothers -

Kari and Karissa -

Kari and some other girl -

Dress time -

Kari and the cutest ring bearers ever!

The bridesmaids -

All the gals -

It was a beautiful day and a beautiful wedding. I was so thankful to be a part of it!

Rehearsal Dinner

2011-11-30T20:06:00.000-08:00

The next day was the rehearsal, which they had in a beautiful park across the street from the hotel.

Praying before we started -

They had a large bridal party!

After rehearsing we had a yummy dinner nearby. And they gave some nice speeches and gifts -

Great time!

Family Barbecue

2011-11-29T15:51:00.001-08:00

The next wedding celebration was a barbecue for Kari's extended family. I love Kari's family and they often feel like my extended family. It was great to meet some new friends, and visit with some others I hadn't seen in a long time.

Our time started with assembling programs!

There was a lot of great food and a lot of lounging and talking.

The happy couple -

I was so thankful to be there. I love that family!

Bachelorette Party!

2011-11-28T18:18:00.001-08:00

This past July one of my best friends got married! The next few posts will be about our trip to Portland, Oregon for the wedding festivities.

I got to fly up a few days before the rest of the fam. After a day or two of helping with wedding details, we had our first celebration - the bachelorette party!

It started with dinner -

She opened some gifts and then had to add some silly accessories to her look for the night.

Then we walked around Portland and watched Kari complete her scavenger hunt.

Asking a wise couple for marriage advice -

Her beautiful toilet paper veil -

College buds -

Something was really funny -

Karissa and me - the party planners and maid/matron of honors. :)

So fun! A great way to celebrate Kari!

CYT Parade

2011-11-20T10:00:00.000-08:00

On the 4th of July, CYT (the youth theater company we now work for) was in the shortest parade. It supposedly is the shortest parade route in the Guiness Book of World Records. But let me tell you, because of how many folks are in it, it is not the shortest parade as far as length of time! :) We had to be there really early and we began the morning with a LOT of waiting.

Here's a bunch of pictures of people waiting, including some blue genies (we were celebrating our latest show - Aladdin) and two of my favorite people who I now work with -

This is how Caleb felt after awhile -

But then we got to start the parade! The boys were excited to wave their flags -

One of the coolest parts was the camel. It was part of the show - and during the parade it spit water at everyone. So fun!

The tough ones who had to be in the camel!

At the end of the parade, we found some food and hung out with our new friends. The artistic director's daughter is just a little younger than Caleb and they have a lot in common. They had fun getting to know each other. And although it looks like they were kissing - it was just intense conversation about Aladdin. :)

All in all, it was a long, but fun morning. And we get to do it again soon - in the Santa Cruz holiday parade! Woo hoo!

More Fun with the Parsons

2011-11-19T11:00:00.000-08:00

Last summer our good friends from Southern California spent a day with us after a week at a summer camp near us. And this summer we were fortunate enough to make it work again!

We took a nice walk along the Capitola Pier. They have two older boys and they were great with our kids. They loved the pushing the stroller . . . almost as much I loved them pushing the stroller! :)

They just laughed and had so much fun!

Enjoying ice cream after dinner. I love the faces -

Thanks, Parsons! We love having you!

CP at Wilder Ranch

2011-11-18T15:40:00.001-08:00

One of our other fun adventures with Creative Play was to Wilder Ranch - one of my favorite places.

While we were waiting for friends we had a snack.

Then we said hi to some of the animals. Their favorite part was feeding the goats!

Some other friends joined us for our farm story time and then we got a close look at the horses and rode some "horses" of our own.

So thankful for our friends!

Family Hike

2011-11-17T07:17:00.000-08:00

One of our family days this summer we went on a hike - in this beautiful area up Zayante somewhere. There was a sign at the beginning warning of snakes. Caleb loves looking at signs, could tell what this one meant, and would not let go of Bobby's hand for a very long time!

We finally convinced him not to be scared and we really enjoyed the rest of the hike . . . well, everyone but Caleb did. You can't tell by the pictures but every 30 seconds he was complaining that he was tired and asking when we would be done. We decided we need to hike more often and get him used to it!

After the hike we had a picnic lunch. Micah again was in a good mood . . .

. . . and Caleb was really grumpy!

But after some joking from dad, he couldn't keep it up!

We had fun running around, enjoyed the sun, and took lots of pictures.

I love my family!

Bobby's Birthday

2011-11-16T07:00:00.000-08:00

All Bobby wanted for his birthday was to brew! So his gift was a brew kit with a full day to relax and make some beer! Here he was at the brew store in the morning, exchanging the kit I got him for one he hadn't done before. :) He also got some new supplies.

He was excited -

A good lookin' man not a day over 25!

That night we had a nice dinner . . . ignore his face - he liked it!

And we had to have a cake! Caleb was excited.

I think Caleb enjoyed it more than anyone else!

A great day to celebrate a great man!

CP at Gizdich

2011-11-15T07:00:00.000-08:00

One of our favorite excursions over the summer is to Gizdich Ranch to pick strawberries. And going with Creative Play made it even better! It was so fun picking strawberries with some of our favorite people!

Obviously, Micah likes eating more than picking.

The whole gang -

Story time!

Grandma with baby Kaitlyn -

So cute!

Date Night

2011-11-14T14:47:00.001-08:00

These pictures are from an amazing date night Bobby planned for us awhile ago. It was in the summer while Bobby was doing Hairspray - I can tell because of his tall hair! :)

On our way out we saw this snake in the middle of our road - so crazy!

I love my creative husband! He took us to Petroglyph - this fun place in Santa Cruz where you paint pottery.

It was so refreshing to just sit, talk, and use some creative juices. I decided to paint a plate as a gift for Kari's upcoming wedding.

This is what the plate looked like when I was done. But after they fired it, the colors were so much better. Unfortunately I did not get a picture of that!

On the back I put their initials (Kari and Clark).

Bobby painted the coolest vase - inspired by Van Gogh's Starry Night. Next time you are at our house, ask to see it. :)

After painting we had sushi. It was seriously yummy!

Thanks, babe - for one of the best date nights. I love hanging out with you!

Monterey Beach

2011-11-07T09:05:00.000-08:00

After the park, we went across the street to the beach - just because it was beautiful and we could!

Caleb had fun collecting rocks -

And digging in the sand with some other kid's toys!

Micah ate sand.

It was great and we love hanging out with grandma!

Dennis the Menace

2011-11-06T08:19:00.000-08:00

My mom has wanted to take the boys to Dennis the Menace park in Monterey for a long time, but it's never worked out . . . until this visit last summer. We had fun!

The boys LOVED the train. They probably would have climbed on it the whole time if we had let them. But all that climbing up high made me very nervous!

They also enjoyed the slides, more climbing, and lots more slides!

And we spent some time running through the maze. They are so cute!

It was a great time with my boys and my mom!

CP San Lorenzo

2011-11-06T07:25:00.000-08:00

Over the summer Creative Play met at different parks each week. And by summer we mean Santa Cruz summer, which extends from May to October! :) Anyways, here are some pictures from one of our first park days at San Lorenzo Park.

My boys love the snake slide there (although Micah was a little too scared to go down it!).

My boys also love the tire swing, especially with great friends. I got some good pics -

And then even MORE friends joined us! So fun!

After a story time about ducks, we walked to the pond and fed some.

Running back to the park -

I am so thankful for this group and so many wonderful friends!

Baby Kaitlyn

2011-10-13T19:00:00.000-07:00

Our good friends, James and Jill, had their 3rd baby girl in May. It was so fun to visit them in the hospital and meet Baby Kaitlyn.

Caleb was so excited to meet the new baby.

Micah wasn't quite sure what to think!

Cute sisters!

Congrats, friends!

Mother's Day Lunch

2011-10-08T19:46:00.000-07:00

At Caleb's preschool they had a special Mother's Day Lunch for all the moms. (Yes, this happened just before Mother's Day and yes, I am still that far behind in my blogging!)

They got all lined up -

Then sang a couple of really cute songs for us, including a special rendition of Twinkle Twinkle -

And Caleb's favorite, M-O-M-M-Y (like Bingo). He stil sings it sometimes!

Then we had a yummy lunch (and got our cards and hand-painted vases).

Caleb had fun running around with his friends.

And finally a big goodbye hug to his amazing teachers -

Loved that preschool and so thankful for it! Can't wait til Micah gets to go!

Beach Day with the Kertsons

2011-10-03T15:03:00.000-07:00

As I look out my window it is raining and feeling like fall . . . but here's a blogpost to remember the warmer weather and wonderful summer! :)

Just some pics from a random beach day with the Kertson gals.

We had time to play in the sand -

And time for snacks (yay for sandy strawberries!) -

Time to enjoy the beautiful view at Capitola Beach -

Time to splash in the water -

Time to have fun and be silly -

Time to warm up in the sun -

And time to enjoy some of our favorite friends!

Our New Home

2011-09-27T20:53:00.000-07:00

So, we've been living here for about 6 months now and I'm finally posting pictures! But it gave us plenty of time to finish moving in! Here's a bunch of before and after photos of our new home -

This is what our home looks like as you walk down a scary steep driveway. This was taken before we owned it, but it pretty much looks the same today. We've done hardly anything outside.

It is on a hill, so we have three stories. The top level is two bedrooms. Here's the boys bedroom:

The biggest project we had upstairs was closing in these openings. They were in both bedrooms and looked down onto the floor below - kinda like a loft. We decided to do away with them for noise and safety. Here's our bedroom before and after:

The bathrooms needed the most work. They were dated! Here's the upstairs bath before and after -

This is silly, but I love this part of our house. I've always loved stairways full of pictures and now I have one!

On the main level is the main living areas. We didn't do much to the kitchen or dining room, except paint.

Same for the living room. It's a long, awkward room, but I like how it turned out and I love the balcony and natural light on the far end.

And here's where we probably did the most work. This is the bathroom on the main level. It was fun to see it come together!

Also on the main level is the deck. We LOVE it! Didn't do much to it, but clean it up and add our junk!

Finally on the bottom level is another bedroom. Well, it doesn't have a closet, so right now it's a guest bedroom. The boys love the cubby under the stairs. It was their favorite part of the house! We didn't even paint down here . . .

. . . but that's because there is more work to be done! Behind that door is a creepy area under the house that the previous owners started doing something with! Hopefully soon we are going to be finishing. We're gonna knock out a wall, make a closet, and it will become our bedroom. (Hopefully to make room for more kiddos upstairs!)

Don't know if I've mentioned this yet on my blog, but we did most of the work ourselves and there is no way we could have done it without my family. My parents and brother came up for a whole week, slept on the floor in this empty house, and worked their butts off for us! They tiled all the bathroom floors, helped paint all the walls, hooked up our fridge and washer/dryer, put in the toilets and vanities, removed a door and put in a wall, cut down a ton of brush outside, and basically allowed us to move into a house that was liveable! They are amazing and I can't thank them enough. Love ya, fam!

Egg Hunt

2011-09-02T20:07:00.000-07:00

We also celebrated Easter with our annual visit to SCBC's egg hunt event. It was fun and the kids love it. We jumped and played the games, including the pig races!

We also got lots of eggs!

Micah loves candy and I love this picture of him trying very intently to get at it.

The best part was getting to spend time with our friends!

The little ones were both saying "cheese" in this picture, but they were definitely forced smiles! And Amber is not sure about Micah and the candy in his mouth! So funny -

Easter Eggs

2011-08-28T19:58:00.000-07:00

In March we purchased our first home! Not something we ever expected, but God provided! Anyways, I'll be posting before and after pictures soon . . .

But one of the first things that happened after we moved, was Easter. So one crazy morning in the midst of moving and getting ready for Easter Sunday, we dyed eggs with some kit I had packed away for years and found when we moved. :)

The boys worked hard . . .

Ta da!

Happy Pirate Easter!

Kari's Bridal Shower

2011-08-27T17:15:00.000-07:00

And the main reason for my trip to SoCal - Kari's bridal shower. I got to be her matron of honor and I was glad I was able to attend and help a little for one of her showers. This one was a tea that her aunts and cousins put on. They did an amazing job with the food and decorating!

Everyone enjoying the company and the food -

And I hope Melinda saw this one where she is sticking her tongue out!

Then it was game time - the part I was in charge of. We wrote some memories and advice for Kari and then practiced throwing the bouquet.

Kari showed she was ready for the big day . . . at least for this part of it!

Ready for the gift opening - Kari's cousin, mom, and my mom (who was very excited to be able to come as well).

She got lots of fun gifts (like hand embroidered towels from grandma) -

And a little lingerie. :)

Bouquet ready for the rehearsal.

Some snapshots - Kari and her cousin (also a bridesmaid) -

Kari with her mom and grandma -

Beautiful bride-to-be and mom of the bride -

Us!

So fun and thankful to be a part!

Knott's Berry Farm

2011-08-26T17:08:00.000-07:00

We also got to visit Knott's Berry Farm with my mom and Isaac. I didn't take many pictures - which is okay. We already have a ton of pictures of my kids going on rides!

But these pictures pretty clearly describe the stage my kids are in. Caleb is getting older and loves way more rides (although he is still very afraid of going on roller coasters).

Micah is 2 and does not enjoy all the rides -

Both my boys think Snoopy is cool and like him from a distance.

Thanks, fam, for more fun memories! :)

Balboa Island

2011-08-25T18:56:00.001-07:00

One of our days in SoCal was spent with some of my favorite people on Balboa Island.

The fam - mostly enjoying the ferry trip -

Myself, Kari (best friend from college), Kim (her cousin), and Clark (her fiance - now hubby!)

We walked around and enjoyed the beautiful weather and views -

Caleb immediately took to Clark and spent most of his time with him, talking about superheros and Star Wars -

Then we stopped a bit, in an area where we could dip our feet in. Micah was all about the water -

And got in deeper . . .

. . . and deeper. All smiles!

He ended up in his only dry clothes - a sweatshirt and a diaper!

Caleb didn't want to go in the water and mostly played and wrestled with the big kids.

He loved it until he got a little wet. Such a stinker. :)

A few snapshots from the day: my beautiful mom -

Cutie patootie -

Buds -

Happy couple -

Fun times!

Pye's House

2011-07-04T21:27:00.000-07:00

While in SoCal, we stayed with my oldest friend, Patience (not that she's old, we've just been friends the longest!). We had a great time at her house. The boys loved playing Mario Carts and with all her fun toys. And we found some great costumes -

Our time was full of normal life things - meals, sleeping, hanging out, and more meals! It was so great and felt like home. For our favorite meal we got to make our own pizzas -

Such a great time. Thanks for you amazing friendship and hospitality, Pye!

Kari and the Park

2011-07-03T21:11:00.000-07:00

In March I took a trip to Southern California with the boys - to visit friends and family, but mostly to get to go to a wedding shower. My good friend from college, Kari, is getting married (next week!) and I get to be her Matron of Honor! Since she lives in Portland, I knew her family shower in SoCal was my best chance to get to help with one and I was very excited it worked out.

A couple days before the shower, I met Kari at a park and we got to just hang out and play with the boys. My boys love her and it's easy to see why! Here's my favorite pics -

It was a great day and there was lots more fun to come . . .

Tsunami?

2011-07-02T23:18:00.000-07:00

We got an early phone call on the morning after the horrible earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Bobby's aunt was making sure we had heard about it and weren't in danger. We hadn't. Later we got a reverse 911 call letting us know we might want to evacuate. We were living right across from the beach, so we watched the news to see if we should be worried. It looked like we were alright, so we stayed and took pictures during the 'tsunami.' This is the most exciting one I got -

Yeah - not much to see, although we did kinda notice the water recede a little and then come back. What a random day for us and a tragic day for Japan.

Barber Shop

2011-07-01T22:48:00.000-07:00

The thought of spending money to get my kids' hair cut makes me cringe - but it was getting crazy long. So I mentioned maybe giving the boys a buzz cut to Bobby, and then came home one day to this on the bathroom door -

So cute! They boy's hair will be much shorter in the posts to come. :)

Muddy Beach Pictures

2011-06-30T22:43:00.000-07:00

These pictures are from February - some random sunny day after some rain. The kids needed to get outside and we lived across from the beach. Here's the result -

A Random Park Day

2011-06-29T22:31:00.000-07:00

We had some family time at nearby Neary Lagoon. I love this park! Here's a bunch of pics -

Caleb loves these tracks in the cement that lead to photos and info about the animal that makes them . . . but he was not happy about getting his picture taken!

We swang and played and goofed around -

And then we walked down to the lagoon to the feed the ducks.

There were a ton of ducks!

Micah was very excited about it -

Caleb was just cute (and sometimes loves to pose for pictures) -

Just as we were finishing, a brave duck came and said hello -

We finished our walk around the beautiful lagoon -

Caleb found this sign and asked what it said . . . oops! We're already teaching him to break the rules!

Towards the end our kids got tired and rode the rest of the way on our shoulders -

It was one of those afternoons that makes you thankful for the simple times spent together!

Micah's Party

2011-06-21T22:01:00.000-07:00

If you hadn't guessed from the cake in the last post, we had a crayon party for Micah. Because we were living in our tiny apartment at the time, Christal and these amazing roommates of hers let us have the party at their house.

Those giant crayons were around for decoration, but inevitably became swords.

We had a lot of artistic time -

Everyone signed this t-shirt for Micah. He LOVES wearing it!

Then we watched Micah open presents -

And had cake! (I have to point out the pictures in the background. I printed out some pictures of Micah to make them look like coloring pages. They turned out so cute!)

Can't believe my little boy is two! We are so thankful for him. Love you, Micah!

Micah's 2!

2011-06-20T21:53:00.000-07:00

Micah's was the last birthday in the crazy string of birthdays! My mom was able to be here for it and it was so great to have her around.

We started the day with pancakes. The boys' favorite breakfast and grandma's specialty.

I think Micah liked it -

We didn't do much else that day, except get ready for his party, which was that night. So we made a cake -

And licked the spatula.

Micah was not sure what to think of it -

Maybe he was freaked out by the giant crayons, but I thought it was pretty cute!

Peyton's 4!

2011-06-19T21:39:00.000-07:00

Peyton is one of Caleb's best friends and in February we got to go to her amazing cowgirl/boy birthday party. Caleb was really excited but for some reason got all grumpy and shy when we got there. Even a cool stick horse that neighed wouldn't cheer him up -

He wouldn't even get in the picture with the rest of the kids. He was the only one not in it. All the kids got a hat, a horse, and a bandana they could color. It was so cute!

Soon after that, they started the games. And a little competition got Caleb back to his normal self! He takes games very seriously -

The rest of the party was so fun. We ate, blew bubbles . . .

. . . helped keep track of the presents . . .

. . . and of course sang happy birthday and ate yummy cupcakes.

Cowboy Caleb and his horse, Speedy -

Adorable Amber (the birthday girl's lil sis) -

Happy Birthday, Peyton!

So Cute!

2011-06-18T21:33:00.000-07:00

One last post about Chicago. It was so fun getting to hang out with just Micah. Being the second child, he doesn't get as much one-on-one time as Caleb, so it was so awesome to spend some special time with him. And I got some crazy cute pictures that I have to share.

He loved playing in the snow -

Love this one!

He loves those fingers -

And is this not so hilarious!?!

Oh, and I had to post one more picture of Zain. It didn't make it in anywhere else and is too cute to not include!

Old Friends

2011-06-17T21:21:00.000-07:00

Bet, Kari, and I were best friends in college. And although we've all kept in touch, there have been very few times since then that we've all been together (I think it had been like 5 years!). It doesn't help that we live in three different states! Somehow we were able to plan it so that me and Kari could fly out the same time to meet Zain - and it was so fun to be together to celebrate Bet's new addition to the family!

One of the fun things we got to do was see Bet play hockey. I knew nothing of hockey until I met Bet and it was so fun to see her play!

Here she is in the middle of it (she's the goalie) -

Post game -

Best buds -

We also had so much fun with the kiddos! I am thankful for how much my friends love my kids! And am so excited to love theirs. Here's a bunch of pictures we took on our last day together -

Thanks for letting us come visit, Bet and Erik! We had an amazing time and are so excited to watch your little one grow!

New Buddies

2011-06-16T19:46:00.000-07:00

One of my bestest friends got the most amazing Christmas gift last year - a little boy from Ethiopia. Zain is now over a year old, but I got to fly to Chicago a few months ago to meet the cute little guy. Micah got to come with because he wasn't quite yet two and could fly free. :)

One of the best parts was getting to see the boys interact - even with the age difference. They were so cute together. I'm gonna do a couple posts with pictures from this trip - this first set will be of them.

We arrived and almost right away they became fast buds in the tub. What better place?!?

"Z" for Zain -

Looking out at the snow (or "no-ing" as Micah called it) -

Goofing off before dinner -

Micah had to try too -

We had lots of meals together. Here's Micah's full face -

And here's Zain's -

They "flew" together - curtesy of Bet airlines -

And danced! Cute chicken lips -

They're definitely buds -

So fun to have kids alongside your best friends! I look forward to more in the future! :)

Carlsbad is not my favorite place

2011-06-15T14:15:00.000-07:00

At least not on this day!

So the next day was Bobby's half marathon in Carlsbad. He left way early to get our there. I stayed in Chula Vista, had a hectic morning getting kids ready to go and then we endured the hour drive, hoping to see him cross the finish line. After a long and cranky drive for the kids, we arrived. The finish line was at a mall (ridiculous!) and the only parking was way on the other side of it. It was a HUGE mall and we had to walk for like 20 minutes to get to the race area. I of course had no stroller and just in case you were wondering, Caleb hates walking. He whined the ENTIRE way and I switched back and forth carrying one child and then the other to try and keep us moving and everyone somewhat happy.

After all this, I knew we were cutting it close. When we got to the race area it was a mad house. There were sooooo many people. We inched through the crowd (Caleb still crying) and got to the finish line . . . just as Bobby called me to say he's been done for awhile and where was I? We inched back through the crowd (Caleb still crying) to find where Bobby was waiting. This was how he felt -

And this picture shows how Caleb (and I) felt -

After getting over my frustration, we walked around the expo area for a bit, cheered up, and then decided to head out for a celebratory lunch! That's when it all went downhill again. I was not going to drag Caleb all they way back to our car and Bobby was parked much closer so he was going to give us a ride (without car seats in his car!!! oops!). Turned out to be another mistake. There were so many people trying to leave the mall, the traffic was like nothing I had ever seen. After inching and maneuvering for about an hour (with cranky, hungry, and illegally seated children in the back) we finally made it to the van. Only to decide we were done with the car and eat at the Pat and Oscar's at the mall! Crazy, right?!?!

At least the food was good and we had plenty of "quality" family time!

Yay for Bobby and all his hard work! :)

Sea World

2011-06-14T13:58:00.000-07:00

We had this trip planned with some friends to go to San Diego for the weekend so the guys could run a 1/2 marathon there. Due to some sick kiddos, they ended up not being able to join us, but we still had a fun trip (for the most part - please see next post!).

The first day we were there we got to take the boys and their cousins to Sea World. It was a full car!

We saw a few of our favorite animals. The walruses were the best that day - they were so active and came right up to the window while we were there. Ryan thought it was pretty cool!

Then we rode a few of the rides -

Ryan had the best faces!

And we ran around the water area too -

That night we went to some shopping area on some beach somewhere. I feel like I should remember, but I can't! Oh well. It was fun and the beach at twilight was cool.

Love our family in SD!

Amber's Birthday

2011-06-04T20:05:00.000-07:00

Our wonderful friend, Amber turned 2 in January and we go to attend her party at Happy Hollow. Before going into the park, we had a picnic lunch outside. The kids had fun running around -

Especially Amber . . .

Then we opened presents -

And enjoyed a very cute cake!

Then it was time for all the rides!

I don't think we saw many animals, but we had a great time with friends! It was fun celebrating with you, Amber! :)

Birthday / Co-op

2011-04-08T21:22:00.000-07:00

Over my birthday, Bobby and I led worship at a meeting for pastors in our association of churches. It was a great conference. We heard from an author we really admire, we got to stay in an amazing hotel room overlooking the ocean, and we celebrated my birthday with a perfect dinner at a yummy restaurant. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera!

The day after we got home, I hosted our co-op group. Me and a few other moms take turns watching all the kids one afternoon a week. It's a great group of kids and they have so much fun together. My mom was around to help this week, so we took all the little ones across the street to the beach.

We flew kites -

Dug in the sand -

Climbed -

Collected treasures -

And took some cute pictures on the logs -

After the beach, we had birthday cake! My mom made me a huge cake and this was the perfect opportunity to celebrate with my own kids. I was happy to share the sugar and they were glad to sing for a piece!

So fun to have my mom around for my birthday -

My birthday treasures - tulips from an amazing friend, a view of the beach, and some shells I collected from our great weekend.

Oh, and there was a beautiful sunset!

Just a Quick Pic . . .

2011-04-07T21:19:00.000-07:00

. . . of my "batman."

Happy New Year!

2011-04-06T21:16:00.000-07:00

This is how we celebrated - lots of food, fun games, and fun friends. :)

We were ready to welcome a new year!

More Beach Pics

2011-04-05T21:11:00.000-07:00

Another chance for the boys to have fun with sticks and sand, while I had fun with the camera.

Boardwalk Bowl

2011-04-04T21:35:00.000-07:00

We figured since we lived so close we should take the boys bowling. Caleb was very excited -

We all had fun bowling -

Caleb would sit at the end of the lane and just watch his ball. So cute.

And I'm pretty sure Micah's favorite part was the food!

I love my family and am so thankful for the stuff we get to do together!

Micah

2011-04-03T16:52:00.000-07:00

For Christmas I got myself a new camera. :) I took an opportunity with Micah at the beach to try it out. It was fun and he's pretty cute.

I love him.

Christmas!

2011-04-02T16:18:00.000-07:00

Merry Christmas! :)

We had a beautiful and early Christmas morning . . . very unique living in a tiny condo across from the beach!

Caleb was very excited to open his stocking! Christmas was so fun now that he could understand and appreciate it more.

After stockings and cinnamon rolls we opened way too many gifts! Here's a few of the highlights:

I love this picture of my dad playing with the "lazer shooters" that Caleb got.

We wore Micah out. He was happy to have a new chair of his own!

This picture makes me smile. Like my new Glee shirt? And yes, I'm married to a Star Wars clone who drinks New Castle.

After gifts we had a yummy lunch/dinner. There was no table to sit around, but it was still fun!

Isaac got a Kinnect for his Xbox.

So during naps and after kids were asleep, we skied -

. . . and went hang gliding -

. . . and had a blast looking like fools!

With the Christmas train ride tickets we got free passes for mini golf at the Boardwalk. So, in the afternoon we used them. It was a fun way to celebrate and just have fun together!

Caleb had a blast playing -

And Micah was still terrified of the cannons and we had to hold him and pass him around the entire time!

It was an amazing day with family, celebrating the birth of Christ. And Micah's shirt was very appropriate for the day -

Hope yours was as merry as ours. :)

Christmas Eve

2011-03-19T13:52:00.000-07:00

Weird to be thinking about Christmas in March. Oh well! One of these days I'll catch up. :)
So, for Christmas Eve we got all dressed up and had a great service at Twin Oaks Church in San Jose (where Bobby leads worship part time). Then, after much discussion, we ended up at In-N-Out for our Christmas Eve dinner! It was perfect and I think it might have to be a new tradition!
Everyone loved it . . .

. . . especially since there were chocolate shakes involved!

Then we drove home, got into our new pjs . . .

. . . and let the boys each open one gift.

Micah opened this spiffy train -

And Caleb got this cool guitar and microphone set. It made for hours of fun! He looks just like his Dad! :)

I also tried to take cute Christmas Eve photos with the boys, but that's nearly impossible with a 4 and almost 2 yr old after a long day and chocolate shakes! Here's what I got instead -

Merry Christmas Eve!

Christmas Train

2011-03-14T14:12:00.000-07:00

After getting home and settling into our new place, my parents and Isaac came and spent Christmas with us in Santa Cruz! It was fun to stay home and still get to celebrate with family. While they were here we went on Roaring Railroad's Christmas train!

The fam, waiting for the trip to start -

Caleb was a little excited -

Bobby had to hold his breath through the tunnel -

Caleb was very excited to see Santa and Mrs. Claus on the train, but when they came around he wouldn't go near them. Micah would, as long as daddy was holding him. But you can see he was still a little leery -

We enjoyed the cider and candy canes -

And loved singing carols together -

It was a fun way to celebrate with family -

Disneyland!

2011-03-13T20:35:00.000-07:00

When Donna passed away, a good friend of hers bought us all passes to Disneyland. Donna loved to go to Disneyland at Christmas time and it was great to go in honor of her. We thought of her often, missed her greatly, and had a wonderful time together as family. Here's a bunch of pictures -

More Marche-Christmas

2011-03-12T20:08:00.000-08:00

I got Megan's pictures! Yay! So, these ones all look way better because she is a better photographer and has a great camera. :)
Before we got down to San Diego for Christmas, they had the boys for a week and they did some fun Christmas activities. They wrote letters to Santa -

And made a gingerbread house -

They are so cute!

And here are some more pictures from our Christmas celebration. This is one of my favorites of Ryan -

Star Wars gun - Caleb loves it!

And some better pictures of Bobby opening his gift. See - I told you he was excited! :)

After kids were asleep, we played some games. And despite how it looks in the picture, we had a blast!

Marche-Christmas

2011-03-11T14:00:00.000-08:00

We also spent a few days with Megan and Tim - we celebrated Christmas and spent two days at Disneyland (pictures to come!).
The boys were very excited - and all ready in their Christmas pjs!

I love Ryan's face in this picture!

Thanks, Linda and John, for the cool shirts! My boys wore them on Christmas Eve!

Bobby's face doesn't show it, but he was very excited to get a pair of Toms shoes. Megan and Tim got him the exact same pair I had just ordered him for Christmas! We must have good taste! :)

It was a great Christmas, but not the same without Donna. We missed her greatly!

Beukel-Christmas

2011-03-06T16:41:00.000-08:00

After 2 weeks of craziness and figuring out life, we took a trip back to SoCal - to pick up our boys and to celebrate Christmas with our siblings. Our first Christmas was with my brother and sis-in-law. We had an yummy dinner and then exchanged gifts. Micah finally understood this part and had so much fun -

We got our annual pajamas -

The boys got some Toy Story pals that came with new bedding for their new home -

And from Uncle Joel and Aunt Erica - swords! They know my boys so well! :)

Caleb was very excited for his light saber and Joel got him practicing with the trash bag.

Great memories!

Temporary Home

2011-03-03T13:08:00.000-08:00

After Thanksgiving, we left our boys in Southern California. They stayed with my mom for one week and Bobby's sister for another. It was a long time for them to be gone, but it gave us a ton of freedom to find some place to live!
We lived at Mt Hermon for one week, while we searched Craigslist and dealt with insurance stuff. (Side note - get rental insurance!!! Totally worth it if something happens.) We had a ton of great people that helped us pack and move everything that we could salvage into a storage shed. Then we moved into this great vacation rental we found on Craigslist. They rent it out monthly in the off season - and it was about what we were paying before and it included all utilities. And it was furnished, so we didn't have to worry about replacing big stuff right away. It was such a blessing! (Another side note: this was our second move in 6 months, and we're about to move again . . . I hope we stay put for awhile!)
So here is where we are living now - and have been for the past three months.

Yes, we live above a pizza place. The pizza is pretty good too. We eat there more than we should! Here's a few pictures of the inside - mostly just for my own memory - so I can look back and remember how great, small, and unique this place (and time in our lives) was! :)

This is by far the best part of this place - we have a view of the ocean. We live right by the Boardwalk, which has it's pros and cons, but the view is awesome.

I am very thankful for this little place we're been able to call home, but I can't wait to move!

Thanksgiving!

2011-03-02T20:48:00.000-08:00

After the fire, we spent the night at out wonderful neighbor's house. Then we had plans to go to Southern California for Thanksgiving anyways, so we just left a day early.

We spent the first day just hanging out with my parents, enjoying the snow in Big Bear -

Is he not the cutest thing ever?!?!

We even did some sledding down the neighbor's driveway -

The next day we had a great Thanksgiving at the camp where my parents work. All of my mom's side of the family on the west coast came for this amazing feast! It was awesome that we could all get together. And my mom did an amazing job hosting.

A lot of the family stayed at the camp for a couple days and we had so much fun. We did a lot of lounging -

And the kids did a lot of playing. My cousin Jeff was greatly loved and he was so good to the little ones -

And we enjoyed the winter weather. Caleb was amazed that he could eat an icicle.

We had lots of fun sledding. Even my uncle Clare joined in the fun -

Caleb got really brave and decided he wanted to go down by himself. In this picture he was doing fine, but a couple seconds later he flipped over, freaked out, and refused to go down ever again!

So, he built snow castles instead -

Of course, there had to be a snowman. He made for some cute pictures.

Snowball fight!

At night we played games. And we brought Quelf. It was played a couple nights and made for lots of laughs and little sleep.

The fort my cousin, Sandy, had to build and hide in for one round of turns. Love it!

And here's a couple quick videos of my cousin, Dawn, and my brother making fools of themselves -

It was so great to really hang out with family I rarely get to see. We had a wonderful time and it was nice to get away from all the craziness at home for a few days. Thanks, everyone, for a memorable Thanksgiving!

A Fire . . .

2011-02-22T13:50:00.000-08:00

. . . in our house! It was the weekend before Thanksgiving. We were at our neighbor's house for a "Thanksgiving" meal. As we were cleaning up after dinner and getting ready to go home, James said something was going on at our place - and we all went straight for the door. Smoke was pouring out everywhere!
We knew it had to be the horrible floor furnace. We hardly every used it - it was in the hallway, got super hot, and the kids couldn't step over it. Most of the time we kept a rug over it. Anyways, we had company over, had turned it on very low and then Bobby didn't know it was still on and put the rug back on it. The fire chief said it looked like it trapped in just enough heat to start the fire in the super dry joists under the floor.
So, Bobby ran in the house with some fire extinguishers and put out what fire he could see in the hallway. Our neighbor called the fire department and very soon there were so many fire trucks in front of our house! It was crazy - very surreal. Fairly soon after getting into the house they came back and said that the fire was out, the damage was pretty much contained to the hallway, and as soon as they officially cleared the house we could go inside.
However, there was still quite a bit of smoke coming from the house . . . and then more and more fire fighters entering the house and poking around and under the house . . . and then fire fighters were climbing on the roof. We knew something was going on. The next thing we knew, they were poking through the roof and we were seeing flames rising above the house. We thought it was coming from the roof, but found out later it was coming from the boy's bedroom window. I cannot describe the feeling of sitting there, watching your home in flames, being able to do nothing. I just cried. And then your mind thinks of silliest things, like the Christmas gifts I had just bought that morning and hidden in the boy's closet . . . now certainly gone.
Apparently, the fire started in the floor then traveled up the inside of the wall and into the roof above the boy's room. After getting the fire out in the hallway, but continuing to see smoke, they could not find it. When they poked through the roof, the oxygen got to the fire and it engulfed the boy's bedroom.
You may have already seen these on Bobby's blog, but here's some pictures. This is the hallway, where the fire started. That black spot in the middle of the floor is where the floor furnace was.

Here's the hall closet, into the boy's closet - all gone.

A few shots of the boy's room -

And everything that was in the boys room, they threw into a huge pile in the yard. That piece of burnt bunk bed makes me so sad. I loved that bunk bed.

Although the rest of the house did not have fire damage, there was smoke damage all over the place - and all our stuff got thrown into the center of the room like this. It was the same thing in our bedroom. Our house was such a disaster!

So thankful that we weren't there at the time, that we were close by and caught it early on, that we had renter's insurance, and that our lives are full of caring people who helped us in the long weeks that followed.

Dress Up!

2011-02-21T13:43:00.000-08:00

Caleb loves to wear costumes. I found this cool knight costume on clearance at Toys R Us. My awesome friend, Patience, came for a visit and they had fun with all our dress up stuff! She is such a good sport, amazing with kids, and looks great with a huge nose -

Ditch . . . I mean "Sick" Day

2011-02-19T15:01:00.000-08:00

The day after Halloween our friend Christal (who's a teacher) took a "sick" day. It was great. We played mini golf at the Boardwalk. Caleb had a blast. He loves the pirate theme - Micah, however, hated the cannons that were very loud every 10 minutes or so. We had to hold him the entire time, passing him around so we could play!
Happy boy -
Not so happy girl. She lost . . . (and I guess I did too).
But some pizza across the street made us all feel better -
Gross -
Who knew that a month later we'd be living over that pizza place!

Halloween

2011-02-18T14:17:00.000-08:00

So, the event we were most looking forward to for Halloween was our neighbor's huge party. Unfortunately we didn't read the invite too well and thought it was on the actual day of Halloween. However it was really the day before . . . the same day we spent at Avila. We totally missed it and didn't even know. So horrible. Anyways, we were bummed - but happy that last minute we went downtown with our neighbors on Halloween to do some trick-or-treating.
We themed our costumes. Caleb wanted to be a knight, so Micah was a dragon, Bobby was a munk, and I was a princess -

We had so much fun walking downtown and getting treats from all the stores.

Indiana Jones, a knight, and a yummy cookie -

Peek-a-boo and more yummy cookie -

And of course there was some sword fighting -

One of the most fun parts was seeing all the crazy costumes. This one was my favorite. They were each a half of a pear . . . get it?! Then they would kiss and make a whole pear. So cute.

That night we met James and Jill at our old church for their Harvest Festival. We had fun on another hay ride -

Caleb wanted to wear his horse costume. Here he is with Super Girl Jenna -

I hung out with Micah most the night. He had fun chasing ducks around the petting zoo -

. . . but enjoyed all the games most of all!

It was a wonderful Halloween with wonderful friends!

Avila Farms

2011-02-17T13:37:00.000-08:00

Every year our friends go to Avila Farms in San Luis Obispo for the pumpkin patch. This is the second time we've joined them and it's a long drive, but tons of fun!!! There had been tons of rain the prior days, but the day we went was super gorgeous.
We first went on the hayride. Waiting in line -

Self shot on the crazy, muddy hay ride -

Then we spent a lot of time feeding the farm animals they have there. The kids loved it!

Then there was some running around in the wet hay!

And this was the amazing shot we got before Caleb had a meltdown and we had to leave. :)

Kids Korner Parade

2011-02-06T07:39:00.000-08:00

Wow. Am I really still blogging about October?!!? Crazy. Time to speed up.
Anyways, Caleb's preschool did a Halloween parade. Here they are getting ready for it. I love the teachers there. And this is one reason - notice Captain Alphabet!Waiting for the parade to start -
Walking out. Caleb's the knight -
Lining up -
My goofball -

Pumpkin Patch

2011-02-05T21:03:00.000-08:00

Creative Play spent one rainy Friday in October at the local pumpkin patch. We had fun wandering around, looking at pumpkins -

Then we did the corn maze -

- and somehow got majorly lost. We just kept walking and walking and found ourselves all the way at the other end of the field. In the far off distance we could see the roofs of the buildings where we wanted to be!

It took a long time, but somehow we finally made it out. The kids were very happy!

We finished with lunch and playing around the hay bales and tunnels.
It was a great morning!

Natural Bridges

2011-01-18T09:48:00.000-08:00

My mom came to Santa Cruz to watch the boys while we went to Hume Lake. While she was here we made a trek to Natural Bridges. We took a hike -and looked for butterflies -
and snapped some pictures in the beautiful scenery!

We then walked to the beach cliffs and the boys threw rocks -
while we enjoyed the view -
and each other!

Hume Lake

2011-01-15T21:52:00.000-08:00

In October our association of churches sent us to the pastor's retreat at Hume Lake. It was a great time to relax, refresh, and hang out with other couples in ministry.
The last day we took some time to take a hike before heading home. It was so beautiful!

We climbed up this rock and enjoyed the view -

And somehow we got the timer to work so we could get a picture together!