Zion National Park Day 1

A few months ago Matt was upstairs and peeked his head down, "What do you think about camping for spring break...in Zion?"  I agreed because I always say yes to a vacation, plus I thought it was in driving up the California Coast.  Well, it turns out Zion is in Utah....I should have looked at a map or listened in 7th grade geography class!  We invited my parents, who clearly did a bit more investigating than we did because they got a hotel!

Fast forward 2 months...

Matt took care of everything and I basically packed suitcases the night before and got in the car. My dad got us a suburban for the trip from work and we all packed in.  It was perfect. We headed out at 6 a.m. and Matt drove all the way.  I was not sure how the kids would do since they have never sat through more than 10 minutes of a movie or anything on a plane so I packed lots of stuff to keep them busy.  My dad has a mobile hotspot that  I was happy to find out about as we got in the car.  It took us about an hour to figure it out but once we did it was amazing!  The kids watched movies, played games and loved watching Netflix in the car.  There was not a whine for 9 hours...literally the most peaceful and productive car trip ever!

After 9 hours we arrived at our home sweet campsite.  It was sprinkling when we got there and we were tempted to stay in the hotel with my parents but we toughed it out and set up the tent then went OUT to dinner.  Yes, that is how Martins camp.   The town is less than a mile a way and has great restaurants and warmth.

After a nice dinner we left my parents in town and came back to roast marshmallows at the campsite.  First, some site seeing.  It was really the most beautiful scenery!

The kids we fascinated by the fire...sigh!

This is exactly what I imagined we would be doing camping except I thought it would be a tad warmer and had no idea how beautiful it would be.

Pure joy after S'mores!  We definitely were thankful for the fire to keep us warm in since it was in the 30s later in the evening.  We kept war by the fire and snuggled up in our tent.  I was sound asleep and Abby woke me up about 2...wet!  The water bottle spilled in between the kids sand got their sleeping bags wet so I put them in my sleeping bag with me.  Although it sounded like a good idea and was a quick fix, I was miserable by 6 a.m. when I was wedged in between 2 air mattresses with 2 kids on top of me.  My face was the only part of my body exposed and it was freezing!  I thought I was just a wimp until we checked the temp and it was below 20!  We woke up to frost everywhere.  Matt made a fire promptly, and then we went to breakfast.

PaintNVineyard

I have seen pics of theses painting classes/night out and they looked fun but I was skeptical.  Finally, after enough people came out with a decent paintings, I was semi convinced we could do it.   So,  I bought a living social deal for my mom for Christmas.  We finally got around to redeeming it and had a great time. 

Our blank canvases ready for the magic!

My mama ready to paint:)

The first phase complete.... and some wine too!

Mom getting to work on the tree

 Here is my tree in phase 2...

My final painting...

And my mom's...I don't have a picture of the model so you'll have to just trust me that we nailed it!  Regardless swe had fun and it was a great opportunity to try something new.

Another Year of SeaWorld

Once again this year our family was able to get SeaWorld passes all for free!  This is the last year that Abby will get the free pass (5 & Under)  so we will be taking advantage this year and it will luckily be a goo one since it is the 50th anniversary.  We may not be back as frequently in years to come so we are enjoying it now.  

As we were getting our new passes, the kids grabbed a map and started planning the day.

We spent some quality time at the new exhibits at the entrance where kids could touch lots fo sea creatures.

Abby & Matt darted for their favorite ride but both were less enthusiastic when they were drenched!  Zack was happy to watch them and get wet on the sidelines but soon enough (1 inch) he will be right there with them!  I was more than happy to observe and stay dry:).

Sesame Street play land is always fun!  My parents came and joined us later in the day and caught up with us here.

After a full day we had to finish up with a trip to Pizza Port.

The kids got their first root beer float ( I think) and LOVED it!  Zack's face was priceless every time he took a bite.

It was a beautiful San Diego day and perfect for a stroll through OB.

Makenna's Birthday at the Farm

Courtney's daughter, Makenna, turned 8 in May.  Candice and i packed up the car with the kids and headed up to a farm by their house in Murietta  for a fun filled afternoon!

 Abby got to ride a horse...

Meet some new friends...

and get up close and personal with many farm animals.

Little Siena had a blast, too!