Pioneer Day

We had a fun Pioneer Day last week.  Both Mike and Greg had to work most the day, so Ashlee and I decided to take our kiddos swimming at the Legacy Center.  Poppy came along with us.  We first met up at Which Wich for lunch.  Nana met us there, and ate lunch with us.  Then, it was off to the pool, which--surprisingly--wasn't busy at all...

As you can probably tell, the kids had a great time!

That evening, our family went to the Real Salt Lake game with Nana and Poppy.  We went to Cheesecake Factory before for dinner and then headed over to the stadium.  We got there a little early, so we played games at the Carnival Real for about 45 minutes.  Here's Connor trying to kick a soccer ball through a tire...

No go...

Then it was Mike's turn...

Close, but no cigar...

We did get plenty of other good loot though--sunglasses, beanies, scarves, bags, etc.  Then we headed inside the stadium for the game.  This was the first Real game I've been able to go to.  Most the games are on Saturday evenings, when I'm at work.  My parents will take Mike and the kids sometimes, but I never get a chance to go.  It was really fun to be able to finally make it.  Mike, Cohen, Viv and I sat together.  Connor and Aiden sat with Nana and Poppy...

Here's Viv sporting one of the Real beanies we won.  It wasn't exactly beanie weather with the 90 degree temperatures, but Vivvie didn't seem to care...

It was a great game!  Real ended up winning 3 to 1!

And, at the end of the game, there was a big firework show.  We all met up together with Kristin and Dan (who also have season tickets) to watch the fireworks together...

It was a fun and easy going Pioneer Day!  We had a great time!!  Thanks to Nana and Poppy for the tickets to the Real game and to Ashlee's family and Poppy for going swimming with us.  --Lindsay

Machine Pitch

Aiden played Machine Pitch this summer.  His season ended a little over a week ago.  He did really great!  He hit really well off the machine...

And ran good too...

Here he is hitting a pop fly...

He got a little bored when his team was in the field.  This meant he got a little distracted from time-to-time--but, hey, what's new?  Here's Aiden playing catcher...

More running...

Tie goes to the runner...

Overall, Aiden had a great season!  He had a lot of friends from school on his team and really loved going to practice and games.  Here he is getting his participant medal from Coach Alan...

I still haven't received his official pictures from the season, but I'll post them when I get them.  --Lindsay

4th of July Fun

We had a great Fourth of July this year!  We started out the day with our traditional breakfast at McDonalds and then headed down to Provo for the parade...

After the parade was over, we went back to Nana and Poppy's house to have a barbecue and hang out for the day.  Poppy got out the little pool and the squirt guns.  The boys had a water fight...

Viv avoided becoming collateral damage of the water fight--for the most part--by hanging out in the pool, which was deemed a "no spray zone"...

Mike got involved in the water fight too.  Notice how all the boys clamored to the pool for safety at that point...

Vivvie finally felt it was safe to leave the pool now that her Dad was holding those crazy brothers hostage...

Eventually, the boys left the safety of the pool and got back to the water fight...

By this point, the "no spray zone" meant nothing anymore.  Notice Viv running away...

Then the boys did a little water limbo...

And showed off their mad water jumping skills as well...

Later that afternoon, we all headed inside to beat the heat and watch a movie.  Then went home in the evening.  Nana and Poppy had tickets to the Real Salt Lake Game that night, and I had to go in to do the 10:00 show.  So, Mike and the kids hung out at home for a couple hours and then went to watch our city's big fireworks show with some neighbors at their house.  It was a very laid back and fun holiday!  --Lindsay

Carlsbad 2014

A few weeks ago, we went to Carlsbad, California with my entire family to stay in a beach condo for a week.  It was heaven!!  Definitely one of the most relaxing vacations ever.  We spent a crazy amount of time at the beach, had a blast playing games with cousins, and squeezed in a few other activities as well.  When we go on vacation, I usually do separate posts for each day, but with this one, I decided just to cram it all into one post.  If I had broken it up by day, each of the posts would have looked almost identical because we hung out at the beach almost everyday.  So, here is our entire 8-day vacation jammed into one post.  Get ready for picture overload...

DAY ONE

We got up bright and early--actually make that dark and early--at 4:00 am to start the long drive to SoCal.  This picture is blurry, but I figured that was appropriate because we were all feeling a little blurry that early in the morning...

The drive was long, but the kids handled it well.  They are great little travelers.  And, it helped that Mike was there to entertain us.  He had a great time trying to get other drivers to look at him in this lovely state...

Mike and I played a rousing game of Pandora 80s version of "Name that artist."  I toasted his buns with a score of 24-4.  He kept promising a comeback, but it never happened.  When will he ever learn not to mess with me when 80s music is involved?  Also, we saw a circumhorizontal arch while driving as well.  Yes, I realize my nerdiness is showing...

As soon as we got to Carlsbad, we unpacked our things and headed straight for the beach.  My view wasn't bad at all...

Viv was a little unsure of the ocean at first...

The beaches we went to while on our cruise were sheltered by reefs, so there weren't any big waves.  So, these were a little surprising to her...

But, after a few waves crashed into her legs and she realized they weren't going to kill her, she decided it wasn't so bad...

The boys had a blast collecting sea weed like it was going out of style...

My cute little beach babe...

DAY TWO

It was time to head back to the beach for another day.  See, I told you all the days would look similar...

Our very own little mermaid...

Cute Cohen enjoying the waves...

Greg made his famous sand sculptures again on this vacation, with some assistance from many little helpers...

Connor had a great time boogie boarding all week long...

And, of course, there was lots of football throwing too...

Viv loved playing in the sand...

Especially with her BFF, cousin Ella...

Connor after a ride...

Baywatch, anyone?

Riding the waves...

Mike did a lot of boogie boarding as well.  He's kinda hot...

Aiden did quite a bit of boogie boarding as well...

And you can't go the beach without getting buried in the sand...

And then getting a surprise when your dad transforms you into a mermaid...

Escape, Connor, escape...

Me and my Vivvie Cakes...

Mike teaching Cohen how to boogie board...

The boys sea weed collection...

DAY THREE

On this day, we decided to take a break from the beach and headed into San Diego to go to "Old Town."  Our first stop was the Mormon Batallion Historic Site...

Yeah, they wouldn't have made it as pioneers...

Connor tried his hand at putting on all the equipment the soldiers had to carry as they walked thousands of miles.  He said it was too heavy for his liking...

It was a great visit!  We learned so much about the Mormon Battalion that I never knew before.  Amazing stuff, and fun too...

Then, at the end of the tour, we got an old fashioned picture taken.  It's quite lovely, as you can see...

Nana didn't go with us to Old Town because she wasn't feeling well, so all the original Skousen girls jumped into Poppy's picture so he didn't have to take one by himself...

Once we were outside the museum, the kids got a chance to pan for gold...

And, of course, act a little silly too...

We had a great time...

Then we walked around the rest of Old Town...

Here's what their jail cells were like back in the mid-1800s.  Looks fun...

Viv threw a penny into the town fountain.  Apparently, this was the first time she had ever done anything like this.  She was quite confused by the whole thing...

We ate dinner at a place in Old Town called Coyote Cafe.  It was good, but still not as good as our favorite local place, Restaurant Moralias...

After that, we drove back to Carlsbad and walked down to the beach with Poppy and some of Ashlee's family to watch the sunset.  It was beautiful...

Only Cohen and Viv wanted to come with us.  Connor and Aiden stayed back at the condo to play games.  Lame-Os...

The tide was coming in while we were at the beach, so Mike and Cohen decide to play a game called "Man v. Waves."  I'm pretty sure you can figure it how it works...

They did this over and over again--and only managed to get a little wet.  Love these two...

DAY FOUR

Time to head back to the beach.  Here are the kiddos walking down the street to the ocean.  The condo we stay in down there is so close.  I love just being able to walk to the beach whenever we feel like it...

The girls...

The little girl who had been so afraid of the water just a few days earlier, clearly wasn't anymore...

More boogie boarding fun for Connor...

Aiden chilling on the beach...

Love a little R & R...

This kid loved being at the beach...

So did this little beach babe...

This was the sand castle o' the day.  The kids called this the "Carlsbad Temple."  I don't know what the kids secret was when building this, but it ended up being a strong little sand castle.  As the tide rolled in later in the day, it took about 50 waves to finally take it out.  Maybe it was the fact that they called it a temple--who knows, but it was super strong...

Vivvie playing in the water all by herself...

California girl...

Mikey and me...

Connor boogie boarded all day long...

Viv playing in the shade of the canopy...

Mike boogie boarding...

Beach soccer, anyone?

Soaking up the sun...

Wave jumping...

A few years ago, I saw a picture like this one somewhere on the internet, and I decided when my kids were big enough, I'd try to recreate it.  I love how it turned out.  Too funny...

I think the beach wore her out.  What do you think?

The remnants of the "Carlsbad Temple" after wave 49 hit it.

And wave #50...

That night, we drove down to Oceanside to eat on the pier.  Poppy found a little friend while we were walking down the pier...

Another beautiful sunset...

Our crazy little family with Oceanside in the background...

Everyone eating at Ruby's Diner at the end of the pier.  I love that we take up a huge corner of the restaurant now...

DAY FIVE

Time for another break from the beach.  We decided to head to the San Diego Zoo...

I remember going there as a little girl, but none of us had been back since.  We started out the day with a ride on tour bus...

The bus drove us through a good majority of the zoo...

Then, once we got off, we decided what areas we wanted to head back to for a second look.  Viv was a rebel and started picking flowers for her hair.  How can you get mad at that face?!?

The boys loved the snake house...

And Connor loved finally seeing a Kimono Dragon in real life!  It has been his favorite animal since he did a report on it in 2nd Grade...

Aiden swore it was fake because it moved so slowly.  We convinced him that if we were to throw him in there, the Kimono Dragon would start moving pretty fast...

Here's Viv looking at the flamingos.  I have a picture of myself in this same spot from when I was little...

We saw fish...

And gorillas...

And we acted a little like gorillas ourselves...

Nana even got the two biggest boys to hold hands with her.  Ahhh, the magic of vacation.  That's why I love it so much...

We saw a panda.  And then we saw it poop right in front of us.  The kids thought that was the coolest thing ever...

We rode the escalators.  Yes, the San Diego Zoo has escalators.  It's insanely huge...

Hmmmm, do those seals look familiar to anyone?

We got up close and personal with a lion...

And a cheetah too.  It was fake, but that's just a minor technicality...

We saw elephants...

And hippos...

And tigers (although it's very hard to see the tiger in this shot)...

And turtles too...

We ran into some wild and crazy monkeys at one point.  We barely escaped with our lives...

And then looked at some real monkeys and waved to them too...

Then we finished up our tour back with the flamingos...

Before we headed home, we had to take a ride on the Zoofari Express to see the zoo from up above...

And then we rode it back to the front of the park to head home...

It was a great, but very exhausting, day.  We ended the day with dinner at the Oceanside Marina...

And had this as our view.  Not bad--not bad at all...

DAY SIX

Nana's 60th birthday!  We celebrated Nana's big day with another day at the beach...

The sand creation of the day...

More fun in the sun...

We take selfies at the beach as well...

And get photobombed there too...

Feet look best covered in sand...

The birthday girl and Vivvie heading out into the water...

That evening we went to an Italian place in downtown Carlsbad for dinner.  Our food was a little slow getting out to us, so we entertained the kids by taking pictures of them being silly...

And, yes, there were more selfies involved...

Our whole family...

After dinner, we went and listened to a band that was playing in the square below...

And had our own little dance party...

Then it was back to the condo for presents and cake.  Here's Nana with all the grandkids...

And some stuffed animals too...

Nana opening her presents...

Her main gift was a book about all our memories of her--like the one we gave to Poppy on his 60th birthday...

Cohen got a hold of the camera and followed in Connor's selfie footsteps...

Nana and her birthday cakes...

She blew out all the candles, so I guess she won't have anymore grandkids this year...

Then it was time to crash, as you can see...

DAY SEVEN

Another beach day...

We couldn't pass up another day in the sand and sun...

Although, it was pretty overcast this day, so there was definitely more sand than sun...

Viv let us bury her in the sand a little bit, but wasn't too happy with the result, as you can probably tell...

The sand creation of the day was a "Sand Man"...

Aiden looking like a surfer dude...

Cohen tried boogie boarding several times, but was never a big fan (as you can see).  Maybe next time...

Mike and his little princess...

We took some fun beachy family photos...

By about lunchtime, we were kind of chilly because of the overcast skies and sort of beached out, so we all headed back to the condo for an afternon of games and movies.  My niece, Ella, loves the movie "The Sound of Music" so that's one of the movies that was turned on that afternoon.  I glanced into the family room while it was on and realized there were no children watching the movie anymore.  But, there were four grown men watching it.  Yep, four grown men watching "The Sound of Music."  I had to snap a picture...

That evening, the kiddos entertained us with some skits they made up...

They were funny...

Then we stayed up late playing games and finally went to bed around 11:30 or midnight.

DAY EIGHT

Unfortunately, it was time to head home.  Booooooooooooo!  We stopped in Vegas for lunch.  Holy Hannah, it was hot...

And, the temperature just got hotter as we drove toward Mesquite...

That's when we hit this...

Yep, a traffic jam--for miles and miles and miles...

They were doing road construction and it backed things up BIG TIME.  We sat in traffic for TWO HOURS.  We made the best of it, by switching DVDs between cars.  Yep, we would just get out of our parked cars and walk right up to the other.  Once while I was switching with Ashlee's car, the traffic finally decided to move, so I just jumped on their running boards for a little ride.  Yep, that pink thing on the side of the Yukon is me riding down the freeway...

Cars were overheating all over the place as the temperature continued to rise...

Even Ashlee and Greg's car started overheating a little and they had to keep turning off the A/C to keep the engine cool enough.  No A/C could not have been fun for them in this kind of heat...

Finally, we made it through the construction zone and were able to drive the rest of the way home.  We had planned on getting home around 10:00 pm, but didn't make it until almost midnight.  Good times!

It was a great vacation!  I loved every second of it and actually felt quite relaxed when we got home.  That never happens.  Usually, I feel like I need a vacation from my vacation, but this vacay was so laid back that I felt recharged and ready to get back to reality when we got home.  Such a fun trip!  Can't wait until next time!!  --Lindsay