On Sunday Matt, Tatum, Camdyn, Aunt Kristin, Gramma and Grampa threw me a little birthday get together. My very best friends and our awesome family was here to help me celebrate!!
Thursday, November 22, 2012
30.
On Sunday Matt, Tatum, Camdyn, Aunt Kristin, Gramma and Grampa threw me a little birthday get together. My very best friends and our awesome family was here to help me celebrate!!
Wednesday, November 14, 2012
Tatum and Camdyn had fun too!!
Every day the girls got to help make breakfast and then would go to school. After school they had so many activities to keep them busy. They went to the park, made cookies, played cards, so much fun!!
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| Bikes |
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| Fun at the Park |
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| Card time |
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| Bubbles |
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| Ready for Dance |
On Wednesday they skipped school and went to the zoo and swimming out at Grampa and Gramma's house!! What a fun day!!
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| At the Zoo |
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| Swimming Time |
They had special 'secret' projects that they worked on each day which was so great!!
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| Keeping Busy |
Saturday Nana and Papa even came over and the girls got to spend the day with both sets of grandparents.
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| Nana and Papa Time |
We are so lucky to have such great, amazing, wonderful people to take care of our girls!!!! From what I hear the girls were very well behaved and good listeners most of the time. Camdyn had her moments. But Tatum did an awesome job of being a big sister and a big girl while Mommy and Daddy were on vacation.
We came home to their big smiles and big hugs. They had made us welcome home signs, seashell picture frames and we got to see all of the activities they had done all week. They had also made a scrapbook full of pictures and all of the fun they had for the week.
It was a great week for us all, next up family vacation in Disneyland and Tatum's 4th Birthday!!!!
Tuesday, November 13, 2012
Cruising.....
Last week Matt and I set off with some great friends for an ocean vacation. It was our first vacation without the girls and they stayed home with Grampa and Gramma. We woke up nice and early on Monday morning and headed off to Long Beach, CA to board the Carnival Inspiration for a cruise to Catalina Island and Ensenada, Mexico.
The trip started off a very sad as we had to say goodbye to the best cat of all time, Tank. Tank hadn't been acting like himself the weekend before we left so my parents took him to the vet Monday morning. Right when we got to lunch in Long Beach the vet called us to let us know that Tank was really sick and things did not look good. We made the horrible decision to have Tanky put down. My Mom went back to the vet to be with him. It was an awful decision and so super hard on us. Tank was an amazing cat and such a huge part of our family, we are going to miss him like crazy but we are so happy that we got 5 great years with him!!
We drove to the Long Beach Cruise terminal and got on the ship about 2pm or so. As soon as we walked onto the ship we were so excited for the adventures ahead!! After a quick stop to check out our staterooms we headed up to the Lido deck for some drinks. We did our muster station drill and pushed off the dock and before we knew it, it was time for dinner in the Mardi Gras Dining Room. We spent some time exploring the boat and some time in the casino then it was time for bed to get some rest for the next day!!
Tuesday morning we woke up in Catalina Island. We got ready early and got downstairs to hop on a tender to take us from the Carnival Inspiration to the Island. We got off the boat with no real plans, we figured we would explore and see what looked fun.
Right away we found a bike rental place and we were in. It was only $5 for us to rent the bikes and we had so much fun. We rode around for a bit and then stopped to go down to the ocean. Matt and I were the only ones to get in at this point, it was SO cold. But it was fun splashing around. Then we got back on our bikes and rode some more. Matt found a bunch of rocks that we could walk out on over the ocean, which was a good adventure. Then the next thing we knew Marcus was proposing to Lauren and they were engaged!!!! It was so perfect to watch them get engaged, they were both so excited and doing the happy dance!!
After all of that excitement we did a bit of shopping and ended up at a bar called the Locker Room. We had a lot of fun here playing pool and picking songs for the juke box. After the Locker Room we headed over to have some yummy Mexican food for lunch. Then it was back into the ocean for some of our group (which was still freezing)!! After a quick stop to pick up some "not-water" it was back to the boat to get ready for the night.
Tuesday night was formal night on board the Carnival Inspiration. We all got dressed up and were looking fancy. There was a stage show that night that we all went to, Matt and I left after a bit because I needed to skype the girls, I was missing them like crazy!! I am so happy we were able to skype with the girls every morning and night, it made being away from them just a tiny bit easier. After we talked to the girls Matt and I went to the casino where we played Three Card Poker, thank goodness Matt listened to me and stayed at the table as he got 3 Aces and won big!!
Tuesday was also Lindsey's birthday so we had lots to celebrate that night. Dinner was prime rib and lobster and everyone ate so much!! After dinner we went to the Karaoke bar and sang some tunes. We made a quick stop in the dance club and then went to watch the comedian in the Punchliner. We were super tired and ready for a good nights sleep!!
Wednesday we were in Ensenada, Mexico. We decided we were going to do an excursion here and ended up visiting La Bufadora and going to sample some wine at a winery. We got off the ship and got on a bus that was going to take about an hour to get to La Bufadora. La Bufadora is a place where the ocean water goes into a cave and the pressure causes the water to burst up in the air. It was pretty cool. We walked through the market and Matt and I felt like we were pro negotiators because we bought some maracas for the girls that they were trying to sell to us for $7 but we got them for $2!! We went to a restaurant called Habana Banana and had some chips and salsa and some margaritas then it was back on the bus to head to the winery.
We got to see an old winery and some of the huge barrels they used to use then we got to try 4 different wines and some cheese & bread/olive oil. Apparently the wine was good, but I really liked the cheese, it was delicious!!!!
It was a great day in Ensenada. We got back to the boat around 2 and the girls laid out while the boys played mini golf on the top deck of the boat. At dinner we got to have a fun dance party and the magician stopped by our table. He did a brocolli trick it was pretty amazing. We went up on deck and watched the boat push off from port and we were back out at sea!!
Thursday we woke up and it was a fun day at sea. We played some Bingo in the morning. Lauren won a round of Bingo and it was so very exciting. And I also won $125 off of some scratchers!! It was a great way to start the day. We went up to the deck and laid in the sun. We all did the water slide, it was very cold but we had a great time on it!! After lunch it was time for more sun (even though the wind was strong and we were bundled up in long sleeves) and the boys played mini golf again. Marcus entered in the black jack tournament that afternoon and he won the whole thing!! He won $500 and a ship on a stick, so exciting!!
Thursday night we had to pack up our bags. We went to the show and we did the Macarena. Then it was time for dinner where we saw the magician again. We will never know how he guessed the 4 of Diamonds!! We ended the night with more time in the Casino.
Friday morning we got up and had breakfast in the dining room and then it was time to say goodbye to the Carnival Inspiration. We had so much fun on our cruise and are so happy that we got to have the best time with some of our closest friends!!
After we got off the boat we drove over to the Westin Long Beach where we were staying for the next few nights. We walked over to the pier and explored it a bit then went to a deserted beach and put our toes in the water. After a quick relaxation and some time in the spa we headed back out. We stopped for appetizers in the hotel bar and then went over to Sgt. Peppers Piano Bar. We had so much fun at the piano bar; singing, doing silly dances on the stage and making up the phrase of the night!!
Saturday morning the rest of our group went to the ASU game while Matt and I went to Disneyland. I was so extremely excited to go to Disneyland just us, I had been looking forward to it for a very long time!! We were able to do all of the big rides and the longest we waited in line for anything was 40 minutes at Toy Story Mania in California Adventure. It has been awhile since I have been on a lot of the bigger rides like the Matterhorn and Space Mountain, I forgot how fun they were!! We whipped right around from ride to ride and had done everything we wanted to do by 5pm. After a quick stop at the World of Disney store we were headed back to meet up with everyone for dinner.
For dinner that night we went back to the pier and had pizza. It was so much fun to just relax and enjoy the company of our friends before we headed home the next morning. We really did have a wonderful time and have so many great & silly memories from the trip!!
The drive home Sunday was a long one as I could not wait to get back to the girls. The smiles on our girls faces when we pulled into the driveway were absolutely amazing. We were all so happy!!!! Man we missed our sweet girls!!
Time to plan our next vacation!!!!
The trip started off a very sad as we had to say goodbye to the best cat of all time, Tank. Tank hadn't been acting like himself the weekend before we left so my parents took him to the vet Monday morning. Right when we got to lunch in Long Beach the vet called us to let us know that Tank was really sick and things did not look good. We made the horrible decision to have Tanky put down. My Mom went back to the vet to be with him. It was an awful decision and so super hard on us. Tank was an amazing cat and such a huge part of our family, we are going to miss him like crazy but we are so happy that we got 5 great years with him!!
We drove to the Long Beach Cruise terminal and got on the ship about 2pm or so. As soon as we walked onto the ship we were so excited for the adventures ahead!! After a quick stop to check out our staterooms we headed up to the Lido deck for some drinks. We did our muster station drill and pushed off the dock and before we knew it, it was time for dinner in the Mardi Gras Dining Room. We spent some time exploring the boat and some time in the casino then it was time for bed to get some rest for the next day!!
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| The Crew |
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| Ready for Fun!! |
Tuesday morning we woke up in Catalina Island. We got ready early and got downstairs to hop on a tender to take us from the Carnival Inspiration to the Island. We got off the boat with no real plans, we figured we would explore and see what looked fun.
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| Catalina Island |
Right away we found a bike rental place and we were in. It was only $5 for us to rent the bikes and we had so much fun. We rode around for a bit and then stopped to go down to the ocean. Matt and I were the only ones to get in at this point, it was SO cold. But it was fun splashing around. Then we got back on our bikes and rode some more. Matt found a bunch of rocks that we could walk out on over the ocean, which was a good adventure. Then the next thing we knew Marcus was proposing to Lauren and they were engaged!!!! It was so perfect to watch them get engaged, they were both so excited and doing the happy dance!!
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| Fun in the water |
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| The Men |
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| Engagement!!!! |
After all of that excitement we did a bit of shopping and ended up at a bar called the Locker Room. We had a lot of fun here playing pool and picking songs for the juke box. After the Locker Room we headed over to have some yummy Mexican food for lunch. Then it was back into the ocean for some of our group (which was still freezing)!! After a quick stop to pick up some "not-water" it was back to the boat to get ready for the night.
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| The Locker Room |
Tuesday was also Lindsey's birthday so we had lots to celebrate that night. Dinner was prime rib and lobster and everyone ate so much!! After dinner we went to the Karaoke bar and sang some tunes. We made a quick stop in the dance club and then went to watch the comedian in the Punchliner. We were super tired and ready for a good nights sleep!!
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| Fancy |
Wednesday we were in Ensenada, Mexico. We decided we were going to do an excursion here and ended up visiting La Bufadora and going to sample some wine at a winery. We got off the ship and got on a bus that was going to take about an hour to get to La Bufadora. La Bufadora is a place where the ocean water goes into a cave and the pressure causes the water to burst up in the air. It was pretty cool. We walked through the market and Matt and I felt like we were pro negotiators because we bought some maracas for the girls that they were trying to sell to us for $7 but we got them for $2!! We went to a restaurant called Habana Banana and had some chips and salsa and some margaritas then it was back on the bus to head to the winery.
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| La Bufadora |
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| Ensenada |
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| Habana Banana |
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| Winery |
We got to see an old winery and some of the huge barrels they used to use then we got to try 4 different wines and some cheese & bread/olive oil. Apparently the wine was good, but I really liked the cheese, it was delicious!!!!
It was a great day in Ensenada. We got back to the boat around 2 and the girls laid out while the boys played mini golf on the top deck of the boat. At dinner we got to have a fun dance party and the magician stopped by our table. He did a brocolli trick it was pretty amazing. We went up on deck and watched the boat push off from port and we were back out at sea!!
Thursday we woke up and it was a fun day at sea. We played some Bingo in the morning. Lauren won a round of Bingo and it was so very exciting. And I also won $125 off of some scratchers!! It was a great way to start the day. We went up to the deck and laid in the sun. We all did the water slide, it was very cold but we had a great time on it!! After lunch it was time for more sun (even though the wind was strong and we were bundled up in long sleeves) and the boys played mini golf again. Marcus entered in the black jack tournament that afternoon and he won the whole thing!! He won $500 and a ship on a stick, so exciting!!
Thursday night we had to pack up our bags. We went to the show and we did the Macarena. Then it was time for dinner where we saw the magician again. We will never know how he guessed the 4 of Diamonds!! We ended the night with more time in the Casino.
Friday morning we got up and had breakfast in the dining room and then it was time to say goodbye to the Carnival Inspiration. We had so much fun on our cruise and are so happy that we got to have the best time with some of our closest friends!!
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| OCEAN |
After we got off the boat we drove over to the Westin Long Beach where we were staying for the next few nights. We walked over to the pier and explored it a bit then went to a deserted beach and put our toes in the water. After a quick relaxation and some time in the spa we headed back out. We stopped for appetizers in the hotel bar and then went over to Sgt. Peppers Piano Bar. We had so much fun at the piano bar; singing, doing silly dances on the stage and making up the phrase of the night!!
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| Long Beach |
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| Piano Bar |
Saturday morning the rest of our group went to the ASU game while Matt and I went to Disneyland. I was so extremely excited to go to Disneyland just us, I had been looking forward to it for a very long time!! We were able to do all of the big rides and the longest we waited in line for anything was 40 minutes at Toy Story Mania in California Adventure. It has been awhile since I have been on a lot of the bigger rides like the Matterhorn and Space Mountain, I forgot how fun they were!! We whipped right around from ride to ride and had done everything we wanted to do by 5pm. After a quick stop at the World of Disney store we were headed back to meet up with everyone for dinner.
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| Fun at Disneyland |
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| Love!! |
For dinner that night we went back to the pier and had pizza. It was so much fun to just relax and enjoy the company of our friends before we headed home the next morning. We really did have a wonderful time and have so many great & silly memories from the trip!!
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| Silly Hats |
The drive home Sunday was a long one as I could not wait to get back to the girls. The smiles on our girls faces when we pulled into the driveway were absolutely amazing. We were all so happy!!!! Man we missed our sweet girls!!
Time to plan our next vacation!!!!
Friday, November 2, 2012
Trick or Treat
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| Sweet Minnies |
Last Friday night the girls school had a fall festival. All of the kids got to dress up in their costumes and go trick or treating around the school and do fun activities like bobbing for donuts, boo bowling, witch pitch and a cake walk. There was a "haunted house" but we skipped that room and walked by super fast!! The girls had so much fun being back at school at night and seeing all of their friends. They were a bit scared of their teachers dressed up at first, but warmed up quickly!!
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| Fall Festival |
On Saturday we were up bright and early for a morning tailgate. The Devils played at noon so we were down on Sparky's Lawn at 7:30 to enjoy the morning. The morning was cold to start but the day warmed up nicely. It was Homecoming weekend for ASU so we took the girls over to campus for all the fun booths. They had a great time fishing for ducks, coloring and making aliens!!
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| ASU Homecoming |
We were really looking forward to Halloween this year. The girls couldn't wait to get home and get ready to go. After school we got home and the girls painted a pumpkin and Matt carved a 'Jack Skellington' pumpkin to put out with our ASU pumpkins. We headed out trick or treating right at 6. We were pretty much the first ones to go in our neighborhood. I took the girls up and back down our street. Camdyn's feet were getting tired so Matt put her on her bike and he took the girls down and around the corner. Both of our Minnie's did awesome trick or treating. They had fun and remembered to say thank you and stay out of peoples rocks. I made sure to tell them how to be polite while out on Halloween!! Tatum helped pass out candy for a little bit too. She was a bit scared of the boys dressed up with masks but she got less scared with each new trick or treater.
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| Trick or Treat |
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