What's Up Wednesday

What we're eating this week: 

We tried two new recipes this week and loved them both!
Nacho Soup
Korean Beef Tacos

What I'm reminiscing about:

Our trip to Disneyland and all of our spring break fun!

What I'm loving:  
I love Jack's school work (and the fact that I feel zero guilt throwing it all away after I take pictures of it ;) This one was from a while ago, but I love that he refers to the park behind us as "his park." :)

I also love what he wrote about Kate :)

What we've been up to:
We had a fun second week of spring break at home! Isaac and Elizabeth came down to visit while my parents are in Italy and we had so much fun! I am a HUGE fan of Jack's modified year round schedule (besides starting school the last week of July) but this spring break was such a tease for summer! I can't wait to have Jack home all day again! For the most part, he makes my life easier being home and entertaining David :)
Some spring break week 2 pics:
Car Wash - monarch butterflies rained on us on the drive home from California! I had heard it was the butterfly migration in California and I'm afraid we killed them all!

Park play date:

Costco "helpers" :)

We ended up coming home with this tent for Saturday sports and for beach trips and apparently for playing in the living room too :)

Crafting with boxes from our recycling bin :)
We had fun with Elizabeth and Isaac! We swam, we went to Carl's pet farm, we went to KTR, and hung out at home!







What I'm dreading:

GUM!!! Kate has a gum detector and got A LOT of gum while Elizabeth was in town. It got STUCK IN HER TOES while we were driving this week and she thought it was so funny.

What I'm working on:

Trying to figure out how to fix the picture clarity on this blog. I have noticed the pictures end up blurry when I post them on blogger, but they are not blurry anywhere else. So frustrating!

What I'm excited about:

I had a quick business meeting and since it was quick, I didn't get a babysitter and just locked the kids out of my room with their screens - Jack and David surprised me and picked up the living room and made their bed! Maybe I'm not failing them in the chore department after all! haha

What I'm watching:

Still watching The Middle and James and Maddie got me hooked on Survivor. We started Season 27 (I think?... random!) and are loving it!

What I'm reading:
I didn't read any books this month but I am half way through two books and am really liking them so far!
What I've been listening to:
Taylor Swift (since Elizabeth has been in town and loves her ;)
What I'm doing this weekend: 
We have a busy "kid" weekend filled with flag football, a birthday party, and Ward activity.
What I'm looking forward to next month:
I'm taking a photography class from my friend, Elizabeth and I can't wait! I saw her on Monday while she was taking my sister's senior pictures and it got me so excited!


Bonus Question: What is your favorite Easter side dish?
Funeral potatoes! 

Spring Break Part 3

On Friday, we hung out, fed the ducks, and hit the beach! I'm just a bit jealous of James and Maddie's neighborhood ;)

Kate really loved on poor Max!



It was a beautiful day and we found THE COOLEST hut that the kids had a blast playing in.



Her poses for the camera kill me!


She loved running away from the waves

That evening we drove up to San Clemente for dinner at my aunt and uncle's house. My kids LOVE Scott and Wendy and always talk about how cool their house and toys are :) We had a great time visiting with them and my cousin and grandparents.

On Saturday, we went to the San Diego Zoo with the whole gang! James and Maddie were able to get me and Jack in for free with their membership and David for 50 percent off! Our favorite part was the double decker bus that we rode first thing in the morning! Every zoo should have a double decker bus! We saw so many animals including a polar bear and a hippo and it's baby.





After the bus tour, my kids decided to kick it into their worst-behavior-ever gear. They were hungry, tired of walking, fighting over the stroller, and Kate insisted on me holding her, which made it very difficult to push the double stroller. We stopped at a little show for a snack and a breather (Kate and Calvin LOVED it!)

Jack looks so tiny in this picture pretending to be a koala - I love it :)

Kate didn't have a scheduled nap the entire week - she was DONE

After lunch, we drove back to Oceanside and went to the beach one more time before heading home the next day. I brought an air mattress that eventually popped because the kids used it as a trampoline! haha The last two nights we all slept in two single beds pushed together like this and I felt like a family of kittens! haha

We had such an amazing trip and the kids did so good (besides half of our time at the zoo and most of our drive home haha) When we got home, they gave Spencer a recap of the trip in so much detail of the things we did and the family we spent time with it surprised me, and it made me so grateful for all of the memories we got to make that week :) Sometimes it's hard not living close to family and I'm grateful for every chance we get to spend time with them, especially when it's at the beach ;)

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spring break part 1

spring break part 2

Spring Break Part 2

The day after California Adventure we spent in Oceanside. My grandparents were in town visiting my aunt and uncle in San Clemente and they came down for the day with my aunt.
My grandpa always buys us THE BEST donuts from San Clemente when we vacation in Oceanside!

My grandma hasn't been feeling very well this winter and I'm so glad she felt well enough to come to California! I think she forgot she wasn't in Utah anymore - 60 plus degrees in her snow coat! haha

Kate and Calvin spent the majority of the afternoon digging water with shovels :)







We jumped back and forth between the pool and the hot tub and just had a fun and relaxing day hanging out (well, as relaxing as possible with two toddlers and a baby ;) It got me so excited for summer! My grandparents treated us all to fish and chips at the harbor for dinner - I got a huge fish taco and it was SO YUMMY!

Kate passed out on the bench after no nap all day.



I love Oceanside and North Coast Village so much - I still can't believe my brother lives here year round!


The next day I took the kids to Sea World. Back in October, we bought seasons passes knowing that we would be in Southern California often visiting James and Maddie :) David woke up with crazy mohawk hair so we just went with it!

Kate HATED this swing ride. She whined the entire time but when it was over, she cheered! haha We asked her if she liked it and she said, "Ya!" But when we asked her if she wanted to do it again she said, "NO!!!!"

I LOVE the dolphin show! It makes me cry every time (not sure if it is because I love it so much or because I am sad I never fulfilled dream to be a dolphin trainer at Sea World! haha ;)

Kate's Minnie made her way around Sea World too :)

Jack and David LOVED the Sea Turtle video game and said they were going to ask Santa for it (dang it).

After Sea World, we met James and Maddie for $3 pizzas for pie day! The long line was worth it!

Part 3 coming tomorrow
Part 1 ------> here