Posed pics...

Getting my kids to pose for pics is never successful. I took a lot of them all together and none have them all looking at the camera and smiling! sigh....

This is my favorite that I got once we were all done with our picture attempts.

Sea World

We have never taken the kids to Sea World and my work had discount tickets, so we went twice while we were in San Diego. I didn't bring my camera in the 2nd day so I only have a few pics. We had a great time though, it was more fun than I expected. There are quite a few rides now, play areas for the kids and the shows were a lot of fun!

Before we got into the park Avery kept asking to hold a pink baby dolphin, we only found a pink whale  but she loves it and now carries it around everywhere.

We always sat in the soak zone for the shows and enjoyed a few good splashes!

San Diego Day 1

All of us could hardly wait for our family vacation this summer! We wanted to do a beach vacation and hadn't been to San Diego for a couple of years so that is where we chose. We had a wonderful time and wanted to stay longer!! (if only hotels and eat outs didn't cost so much )

We stayed in La Jolla close to the temple.  Avery thought it looked like a castle and was excited to walk around the grounds.

Dad brought his skim board he "engineered" last time we were at the beach so everyone took turns getting pulled through the waves.

A pic of our hotel right on the beach, it was perfect!!!

Following tradition we eat at Joe's Crab Shack and walk out on the pier every time we stay in San Diego.  My bucket of crab legs sure was yummy too!

End of the School Year!

Yeah school is finally out! While we like going to school a lot it is always nice for summer to come and for everyone to get a break from the same old routine. The boys did well this year. Even though Josh was one of the youngest in his class he excelled. He learned to read this year and is ready to sail into 1st grade. Ethan did well as usual too. He got all A's and was the only kid in his class to be moved on to division in math. I'm proud of my boys and hope we don't get too rusty over the summer. 

Avery loves to grab her back pack when it is time to go the school for anything.

Josh really liked his teacher this year, she has a great sense of humor just like him. 

Ethan received his awards for exceeding standards in both math and reading.

Science Center

Our family bought the year pass for the Arizona Science Center when it was a good deal on living social. Last month we had no plans on a Saturday and so we decided to take a little trip downtown. The Science Center is always fun, even though we've been there a few times there is always something new to see and our old favorites to do again. 

I always love Josh's enthusiasm.

We had a hard time convincing Ethan to lay on a bed of nails but in the end he did it!

Our family favorite is the weather experience! 

Avery wasn't sure if she was scared or excited by the weather.

I tried many times to get one pic of all of my kids together.  After looking through my 15 photos unfortunately this one is the best : (

After the Science Center we met up with Grandpa Bob and went out dinner.

Mother's Day

Ah Mother's Day has come and went again. It is always one of my favorite days. My family always tries to do something to make me feel special. I loved the handwritten cards I got from my boys and the breakfast in bed I was served. Michael rented a Bobby Flay video for me to watch while I was eating breakfast in bed and Joshua woke up early to run in and wish me Happy Mother's Day with a kiss on my forehead. I feel so lucky to be a Mother. I do believe it is a special calling and a big responsibility.

I saw this video on a friend's blog and wanted to share. I hope everyone had a good Mother's Day.

 

 

Zoo Day

Last Friday I woke up with the idea that everyone should stay home from work/school and go with me and Avery to the zoo! Luckily it wasn't too hard to get everyone on board, and we had a special family fun day. 

 After we got in the zoo and got past all of the school children we raced to the giraffes since that is always my favorite exhibit.  Only Joshua and myself were brave enough to feed them and let their long black tongue touch us.

Ethan was excited to see a Rhino, and Joshua was convinced that it was a Triceratops and the dinosaurs really live on earth today.

The monkeys were every one's favorite this time and yes we are handing them branches to eat, in our defense they are within reach of the monkeys so they are probably aren't too bad for them : /

Ethan was so proud of himself for feeding a petting a goat!

Avery is still the lover of all animals that even closely resemble a doggy.  This goat was perfect for her and liked to be snuggled.

I barely got Ethan to agree to touch a stingray and here is proof.  Joshua was all for it and Avery did not want to put her hand in the water at all.

We had a fun but exhausting day. It was already really hot out but I'm glad we were able to spend the whole day together.