California Trip pt.#2

Spring break is over and tomorrow we go back to our normal routine. This week we drove to California and spent time with friends and family. It's been fun, but I think we are all ready to get back on schedule.

This trip home was our first since moving, and it was a busy one.

We arrived in California around midnight Wednesday night. Thursday was packed tight with a breakfast brunch, play dates and a visit from my sister. Friday we spent the day at the Safari Park and in the evening I had a friend come over. Sabbath morning we went to church, then drove out to see my parents.  Sunday my husband had a few things to do while I enjoyed a quiet morning at Dadi and Dada's before packing up and driving home to Arizona.

It was good to be back. I think it was just what our family needed, time together, in a familiar place surrounded by loving family and friends.

On Friday, Dadi and Dada treated our family with a trip to the Safari Park. The weather was perfect and it was a fun day. I loved watching the kiddos play with their Grandparents. In this picture, Alara was soaking up the attention chatting away with her two favorite people. I think Lucas had already run ahead with his Daddy. The kiddos wore themselves out!

My mom and brothers joined us for part of the day. My kiddos had a blast playing with the boys. Lucas is right smack in the middle age-wise between my Mom's middle and youngest. It is fun watching the boys grow up together.

The Safari Park's annual butterfly exhibit was in full swing during our visit. I love this exhibit. Lucas was so happy that a butterfly landed on his shoulder. He stood very still for as long as possible until the butterfly flew off. Alara on the other hand did not like having butterflies land on her. When one finally did she shirked and shook it off. Ice cream seemed to help her recover from the experience. 

I loved watching these two play. After a busy day, we drove home with two tired but happy kiddos and four tired but happy adults. 

And the week isn't even over yet...

California Trip pt#1

Documenting our family adventures is one of my favorite things to do. 

*sigh* 

These two are growing up too fast. 

Sabbath afternoon we celebrated an early Easter with my parents. In my humble opinion, there is nothing cuter than a baby on an Easter egg hunt. Watching Alara hunt for her Easter eggs was adorable. She was so excited to find those colorful eggs.

I'm so glad that Lucas still enjoys hunting Easter eggs as well. His egg hunt went a little faster than Alara's, but he too enjoyed searching high and low for those small colorful eggs.

In addition to the egg hunt, my Mom always includes a treasure hunt for each child. Lucas was so excited that this year he could actually read most of his clues. He asked to keep the clues as part of the treasure.

I'm thankful that we got to spent today with my parents. My mom really went out of her way to create a fun Easter party for the kiddos and she did an amazing job.

This ends our California vacation. It was good to visit home, but even better to go back to our new home in Arizona.

Till next time.

girly room

Once, along ago I made a grand declaration that I would never paint Alara's room pink. Today, I broke that grand declaration and I'm in love. This room is so girly! I used everything on hand and I am really happy with how it came together. When I asked Alara if she liked her new room she said "I like it! It's pretty!" 

I'm not sure what to put on the wall above the dresser. Maybe a mirror or something personalized? Any thoughts? 

podcasts I listen to while doing stuff

A couple of years ago a friend introduced me to podcasts. I have since then become addicted!

I listen while exercising,
I listen in the car,
I listen while cleaning and I listen while working on projects around the house.

A quick 30-40 minute podcast is perfect for keeping me engaged while I go about my life. I've learned new things, I've been able to keep up-to-date on current events and I've been inspired by so many different people. 

Today, I want to share some of my favorite podcasts.

Dressed: The History of Fashion is my newest find! This podcast dives deep into the rich and complex  history of fashion. So far I'm only two episodes in and I'm completely hooked! I love history and I love fashion. In the first episode, listeners learn about the career and legacy of Charles Fredrick Worth, the founder of House of Worth. We also get to hear first hand from  African American designer Hylan Booker, who worked for House of Worth in the 60's.  I'd highly recommend this podcast for anyone who is interested in history and fashion. 

Fictional & Myths and Legends are actually two separate podcasts written and produced by Jason and Carissa Wesier. Fictional is a retelling of classic literature with a casual and occasionally sarcastic tone. Some of my favorites have been "The Count of Monte Cristo" by Alexander Dumas and "The Divine Comedy" by Dante Alighieri. The Myths and Legends podcast shares incredibly popular stories that we know, but with surprising origins and some not so popular stories with surprising origins. Like in Fictional, Jason Wesier tells these stories with a casual and sarcastic tone. Two of my favorites have been "Beowulf" and "Epic of Gilgamesh."   

Stuff You Missed in History Class is an extremely popular podcast! The podcast covers a vast amount of history one episode at a time. This podcast has taught me so much about American and World history. Some of the stories I've heard before, and some I haven't. It is always fun to tune in and see what new things I can pick up or add to my previous knowledge.

Have any interesting podcasts for me to try?

weekend in Sedona

Over the long weekend our family drove to Sedona. For us, Sedona is about two hours away so it is perfect for a quick getaway without the long travel days. Dadi and Dada, along with Chachu Kevin joined us for this trip and unfortunately they drove from California...so their travel days were long. 

Arizona's high country is absolutely breathtaking. Living in the Phoenix area, I sometimes forget just how beautiful Arizona is. For this trip we did the Verde Canyon Railroad in Clarkdale, a quick drive by of the Chapel of the Holy Cross (it was too crowed) and Crescent Moon Park in Sedona. 

I'd highly recommend riding the Verde Canyon Railroad. The train ride is about four hours round trip, so bring snacks. Passengers are able to riding inside, or enjoy views from the open-air cars outside. 

Here are some pictures from the train.

Day two of our weekend adventure found us wandering the trails of Crescent Moon Park in Sedona. This will be the second time going to this park. About two years ago, we stopped here on the way home from our Grand Canyon trip with the kiddos. Alara had just turned one and Lucas was three.

The kiddos loved exploring this park. The water was cold, but that didn't stop the them from dipping their toes and skipping rocks. Even Daddy got in on the water action by throwing big rocks in the deeper parts of the creek and gleefully watching the muddy water splash around.

I'd highly recommend this park for casual hiking and for picnics. 

It felt amazing to getaway, but even more amazing to come home. I'm looking forward to returning to Sedona...maybe this summer? A big thank-you to Dadi and Dada for this family trip and for the wonderful memories. 

big boy room reveal

It feels good to have at least one room in our new house finished. Most of the boxes have been unpacked, however I still have stuff everywhere! It takes time to put a house together. And honestly, I'm not in a hurry. I'd rather find things that I love and can use then fill the house with stuff.

I asked Lucas for input on his room. Apparently, everything "little kid" had to go. His two requests for his room were for one blue wall, one red wall and one green wall, and a map. I vetoed the blue, red and green walls, and opted for one navy blue accent wall and of course I found him a darling map from Hobby Lobby ($7).

I used everything on hand, except for the map. I love how this room turned out. And this will probably be the cleanest this room will ever be. 

Up next will be Alara's room.

missing home and settling in

We have been in our new home for three weeks now. I've started splashing paint samples around, measuring for furniture and shopping for flooring. I'm learning my way around town, and I've become comfortable with Lucas' school commute.  I do still use my phone's gps, and I've made a few wrong turns here and there..but I'm learning and it is getting easier.

I do miss my home. Not necessarily the physical dwelling, or neighborhood but the home community of family and friends.

Attending a new church was hard, I miss our home church. 

I bought a bag of California style veggies just because it said California on the bag.

I took the kiddos to the Riparian Preserve for some fresh air and exercise. It was refreshing to get out and away from the house. We didn't know what to expect and were pleasantly surprise. Next time we will take Denny and Daddy. The kiddos enjoyed playing at the park, exploring the observatory and running down the dirt trails.

Alara thought she was back at the Safari Park.

It felt nice to get outside and do something normal and the drive back helped familiarize me with the area. 

I think this will work, but it will take time.