Free LegoLand Tickets

Thankfulness Day 9

Today I am thankful for three free LegoLand tickets we received from our friends at church.  Jackson has wanted to go to LegoLand for a while now and asked to go for his 5th birthday.  At one point, I had no idea how we were going to afford 4 full-price tickets.  A friend at church gave us three they weren't going to use, and a family member purchased a discount ticket from AAA, and we were set to go, with no money out of our pocket!  Because of that, we were able to pay for a hotel to have a nice little family get-a-way.  What a blessing!

5 Wonderful Years!

5 years...Then and Now

A few weeks ago, on July 2, Troy and I celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary. Seriously, I have no idea where the time has gone! I in no way deserve the amazing husband that God has blessed me with, but I so extremely thankful for him! I remember when our wedding day was drawing near and a few people would say to us, "Oh! You are getting married. (Insert snide laugh here) Just wait. Your lives will NEVER be the same!" or they would say something a long the lines of, "Get ready...the 'ol ball and chain!" To those folks who gave us that "advice," I beg to differ! Yes, marriage is hard work, but the pleasure and joy that comes from a good marriage is WELL worth the "work!" We don't tie each other down (or weigh each other down, like a ball and chain would), we strive to lift each other up---spiritually, emotionally, and even physically---i.e. keeping each other from eating that extra scoop of ice cream! :) When we first started dating, we had one goal in mind, namely, to strive glorify God more together than we could apart. I still am reminded of how good of a goal that is to keep! Sometimes, when we are in the midst of sleepless night with kids, mounds of laundry, a sink full of dishes, bills to pay, and a social life to balance, its hard to keep that perspective. But, in the end, it pays off!

I love my wonderful husband. God has given him a such a caring spirit, a tender heart, a keen sense of humor, and an amazing ability to communicate (which helps in the marriage!). Troy has an incredible sense of joy, rooted in Christ, and he has such an immense love for the kids and myself. I am so thankful for these last 5 years, and look forward to many, many more years of marital bliss! I'm sure, with God's grace, it will only get better from here!

For our anniversary get away, we left the kids with my mom and sister (THANKS A MILLION!) and headed to our favorite place---the beach. We got an unbelievable deal on an ocean front hotel room in Huntington Beach at The Shorebreak Hotel. The room was amazing. We just had to open our sliding door and there was the pier and the Pacific ocean staring back at us. The people at the hotel were very friendly. They even gave us a homemade card with the staff's signature and chocolate covered strawberries for our anniversary. They also gave us free Chardonnay, made a wine cooler for me, and gave us free water (the nice kind---in a glass bottle!). Seriously, folks. This is the place to stay! It was extremely relaxing, just the rejuvenation I've been needing for quite some time! We also went to Duke's and shared a Hula Pie for desert (YUM!). After spending a night at the beach, we headed to lunch and to see Knight and Day. All in all, we had a wonderful time! We need to do that more often!

We arrived to find this thoughtful card and these delicious chocolate covered strawberries!
The view from our bed.My complimentary wine cooler. Don't worry. I only had a few sips, so I avoided getting a migraine! Me and my guy relaxing!On the pier.
Our view from our table at Duke's. Beautiful!
Mmmm. Hula Pie!
Our breakfast on the balcony: Strawberry Kefir, Bagels with cream cheese, and fruit!
We loved our room!View from our balcony!

St. George/Zion Trip: Day 2

I have to start out by saying that this is only the third National Park I've been too (I think) and I liked this one the best so far. Zion National Park is absolutely breathtaking! I would love to see what it looks like in the Summer, Spring, and Fall. The snow really accented the depth and detail of the rocks. So, without any further ado, here are the photos from the day:

The entrance to the park.Jackson's first time in the snow. I forgot his mittens in the hotel room, so says he didn't like the snow because it was too cold. Sigh.The family in Zion.Icicles. Gorgeous.
Nolan entertains Madelyn.
Nolan, Troy, Madelyn, and Jackson take a rest in the lodge.More family in Zion!Madelyn with Uncle David. (David is practicing!)Troy and Jackson in a very majestic setting.
Just Troy and I! I love this man! :)The river in Zion National Park.Somehow we ended up at Nelson's Frozen Custard shop again! This time, we got a chocolate malt. Mmmm!A great way to end the day!

St. George/Zion Trip: Day 1

For New Years "Weekend," our family headed to the South-West corner of Utah. We left the day before the rest of the family left because we wanted to have more time to look around St. George, the town in Utah where we were staying. We got in around 1am, so the next morning, we slept in and got out of the hotel room before noon to explore the town. The first place we headed was a chain that we don't have here in California (and OH how I wish we did!) called Jimmy John's. This was a sandwich shop that makes their own bread and has makes their sandwiches with all-natural ingredients. It was SO delicious. It blew Subway out of the water, although that isn't very hard to do. The next stop was the super Wal-Mart. If there is a Wal-Mart where we are vacationing, we always go there because they always have local stuff and souvenirs. Jackson was alseep when we got there, so we layed a pallet of blankets down in the cart and set up in there. The setup worked because he slept over an hour in the cart! Troy shopped around Wal-Mart while I got my haircut in the salon there. It was the best haircut I've ever gotten for the price...15 bucks! I really needed the haircut, too!
From there we drove around town and stopped at a frozen custard shop. One word: AMAZING! Okay...I can actually provide you with a few more words on this subject: smooth, rich, frozen glory. The best thing about this stuff was that somehow it is less fat than ice cream!After the yummy custard, we went by the Mormon temple in St. George. Legend has it that when it was finished, Brigham Young came to see (and bless) the temple. It had taken a lot of people and work to finish it, but he wanted the steeple to be higher. The builders decided to let it be because tearing it down would be too much work. Soon after, lightning struck the steeple and broke it to the ground. They took it as a sign from God to build a taller steeple. I'm not sure that's what the "sign" meant, though!From there, we met the rest of the family that just arrived in St. George at the Cracker Barrel there. This was the reason why most of the family came to St. George. That's right. The Cracker Barrel! I had a mediocre meatloaf dinner there. That is my favorite thing to get there and I was disappointed. They got to do more than that to win me over! We finished the day up at Cracker Barrel and returned to our hotel room for the adventure awaiting us the next day!

Date Night

Last week, Troy and I got some much needed time alone. We left a sleeping baby girl and a fussy little boy (temporarily satisfied with a Happy Meal) at home with the in-laws and headed to Chick-fil-a and the movies. We sat in Chick-fil-a's outdoor seating. The mild fall night air was wonderful, and most importantly, it was peaceful. We had nice adult conversation over sandwiches, waffle fries and sweet tea (and a side salad, if you must know!).

Next, we went to see Julie & Julia. I haven't seen a movie in the theaters since "UP" at the end of May. Needless to say, I didn't want to waste my time on any bad movies. I was so glad we decided to see Julie & Julia! We really enjoyed ourselves, and I walked out of the theater feeling like cooking a really good roast and giving my husband big, long kiss. There was a lot of cooking and romance in the movie. It was a very pro-marriage movie. Julie & Julia showed the good, the not-so-good, and the simply realistic side of new and older marriages. And there wasn't any shortage of mouth-watering footage of good food!

Overall, Troy and I had a wonderful time to ourselves. I have seen the importance of alone time (aka without kid time) with my husband. I honestly can say that each time I go on a date with my hubby, I feel our love is a bit renewed and refreshed! I also discovered that going out without the kids renews my love for them as well. I come home from date nights feeling that I can handle the somewhat sleepless nights and extremely busy days with a little more sanity!

Oh, and by the way, does anybody have a good recipe for Beef Bourguignon?

Crystsal Cove w/ "Mike and Tia"

After Troy and I had our one-night get-away for our anniversary, Mike and Genevieve (AKA "Tia" to Jackson) brought our little boy to come to the beach with us. We ate lunch and then we all headed to Crystal Cove, in my opinion, the best beach around! :)... We went to the tidal pools and saw land crabs and hermit crabs and some fish. Jackson really enjoyed that. However, he didn't like the waves, or the cold water. I don't blame him! He LOVED the sand, though, and we are having to teach him not to throw it!Our traditional feet-in-the-sand photo!Jackson's reaction to the cold waves... :(Jackson's reaction to the sand!

Cuteness!Michael and Genevieve (Mike and Tia)Jackson, Madelyn, and I
Jackson gets a good look at a Hermit Crab.Jackson is fascinated with ocean life!
Our family photo @ the beach (ignore the funky hair and Jackson's scared face!)

4 Years of Bliss!

July 2 was our 4th anniversary! We both decided this would be a great oppurtunity for us to take a night away from Jackson (I had never done that before). Michael and Geneveive came to our place and stayed with Jackson overnight. Although he ended up going to sleep around 12am in between then in our bed (he wouldn't stay in his crib), and, reportedly kicked Michael in his sleep all night long (sorry about that!), it turned out good. Jackson had a lot of fun with his "Mike and T(ia)" who took him swimming and when to see the ducks down the street, while Troy and I had a lot of fun spending much needed time together watching the sunset on Newport beach and staying in the Ayres Suites. I enjoyed the R&R so much that I think we need to do this again REALLY SOON!

On that note, Troy, my amazing husband, who I enjoy spending time with so much and love even more than the day we got married, is such a blessing to me. The thing I love about him most is his genuine love for Christ. Because that love is so real, it resounds in every aspect of his life, especially in how he loves Jackson and I. I thank the Lord for the man He has made Troy! He finds joy in everything, even the simplist of things! I love that! I have immensely enjoyed these last 4 years of marriage and look forward to many more! Happy (late) Anniversary, my Love!

Speaking of love...Troy got a pedicure with me. We both found it relaxing! Now, that is a REAL man! :)...I don't know if I have a comment for this photo...
My 29 wk pregnant self!After taking pictures of the sunset, we enjoyed shortbread cookies and fresh strawberries! It is was delicious!

Seattle Trip (Part 2)

This really only covers the last day and a half of our trip, but we did a lot in that time! We went to the Experience the Music Museum, which, in my opinion was awesome! It was a great place to go with kids because it was so interactive. There was a whole section of the museum devoted for hands-on experience with different instruments and musical/vocal equipment. We all had tons of fun there. There was also a Jim Henson exhibit there, which Jackson really enjoyed, especially the part when his daddy became a muppet...Jackson's favorite instrument to play at the museum was the drums. He does have great rhythm!
Jackson was amazed at the muppets. He quickly figured out that his daddy was one of them.Next, we went up the Space Needle. It was a beautiful view from up there, but it wasn't as high as I expected. I suppose I would have been more impressed if I hadn't already been up to the top of the Eiffel Tower! Never the less, it was a good experience!

This is the view from the Space Needle, facing Mt. Rainier. It was a gorgeous, sunny day!The crew @ the Music Museum, with the Space Needle in the background.
Just before we left to catch our flight back to California, we stopped at a tea house. It was the cutest place, and best of all, it was peaceful and had good food! The boy cousins even posed in front of it (Jackson, Nolan, and Preston).I love how Jackson is actually smiling in this picture!(L-R) Nolan, Angie, Me, Jackson, Troy, Preston, Ryan, Jennifer. This is what I ate for lunch: a scone (with yummy lemon curd and raspberry jam), Bacon Asparagus Swiss Quiche, and frosty cranberry salad. Delicious! Of course, I had some English Breakfast Tea with it. The tea was very tasty because it was loose leaf tea.Angie, Me, and Jennifer in front of the tea house.Troy, Jackson and I in our last family photo before the flight home! Hope you enjoyed out photos from the trip!