Water fun on the boat!

When I was talking to my dad I realized that I had forgotten one of my proudest moments as a mother these last few weeks. My son Cole is usually not one to try anything new, especially if it seems scary. But the prospect of a blue-raspberry snow-cone was too much to pass up and onto the knee board he went! That's right, he went knee boarding! I was so excited for him to try something he thought was so scary and when he was done he was so proud of himself! He enjoyed it quiet a bit and wants to do it again soon. Thanks to Rylee for setting an example of adventure to help him see that it's not so bad!

Cody and Kate

Probably the most exciting thing to happen during my trip was my brother-in-law Cody proposing to his girlfriend on the airplane before they got there. He had a script written out that he gave to the stewardess on the plane that she read over the speaker and he got down on one knee and asked her to marry him and, of course, she said yes. Most of us hadn't met her yet so we were excited to get to know her and to continue to get to know her. Welcome to the family Kate!

What was fun for me is they let me practice taking pictures on them. I think I learned the most about what I like and don't like during this photo shoot. We were seriously limited on time so we weren't able to do it at the best time of day, but it was fun to take them around the farm and use different creative spots. Thanks for your patience guys! Hope you liked some of them!

To see some of my favorites click HERE

Hello Again!

I can't believe it's been so long since I've blogged! So here is you're warning, there are a number of posts to follow all about our adventures in California this last month.

Life on a farm

I love that we get to raise our kids on a farm soon. There are so many important lessons to be learned! And what great adventures to be had! For instance, riding on tractors!



Helping to take care of the new baby chicks, ducks and geese.

A true farmer!





















And the all important looking through rocks for lizards! We had so many fun adventures just on the farm. Riding the golf carts around the orchard, taking pictures on the railroad. Watching trains drive by while we're in the golf cart just a short 15 feet away and the train conductor waving and honking his horn for us! I love farm life!

Time to get dirty!

My mother-in-law, in an attempt to give me a break, took Rylee and Cole outside to work in the garden with her. She left them in the front while she went to the back to get a few things. She saw that they were headed for the sprinkler but figured what's it hurt to get a little wet, right? What she didnt' remember was the big pile of black dirt that was left in the front yard for gardening work. But the kids noticed it! A short while after they had gone outside, I looked out the kitchen window where I was cleaning dishes and saw this. . .
They were running back and forth between the pile of dirt and the sprinkler. Notice their feet. They are barefoot, that's dirt! So the bath I had planned to skip over for the kids that night ended up being needed after all!

Picnic with the cousins

One of my favorite things about moving back to California is that our kids will get to spend more time with some of thier cousins. We had a chance to have a short picnic at the park while we were there. The first pic shows Cole and Eli playing dinosaurs. It's so fun because Amber (Justin's cousin, the kids mom) and I have had all three of our kids around the same time and she's expecting her fourth in October while mine comes in December. So fun! A built in friend for everyone!


Gracie, Cole, Eli and Isabella on the bridge
Rylee and Ethan playing on the swings
Gracie and Isabella on the bridge agian!

Dance Recital

The whole purpose of me staying in California so long was so that I could help my mother-in-law get ready for her dance recital (she owns a dance studio). It was a lot of busy work, but worth it in the end. I spent most of the time drawing, cutting, painting and glittering. The backdrop on the stage looked so good behind all the dancers. Rylee went the first night to help me sell flowers and loved posing in front of the backdrop when it was over. The theme was all about broadway musicals. I painted the Mama Mia, Hairspray, and High School Musical posters and cut out and painted the tony award. I also cut the letters and drew the musical notes. We had a lot of help from some of the dancers to finish off the cutting and glittering. I never knew how talented my mohter-in-law was. She drew free-hand all the pictures and did the grease poster alone. What talent! Anyway, it was a lot of fun to watch the recital both nights. It helped get Rylee excited about what she can do with dance as she gets older if she sticks to it!