Living Life

So the past few weeks have been crazy busy, especially the last week of October! It started with meeting our friends, the Thiriots, for FHE out at Lake Mead- we had a great time talking and eating and letting the boys be boys. I like this picture, it shows how all 5 of them were in constant motion. But we managed to keep all of them from being burned and kept safe from the coyotes lurking nearby. I love having Lynette as a friend because she is such a great example of how to be a fun mom (yes, you are Lynette!). Her crazy 3 boys plus my crazy 2, makes for an exponentially crazy time, but it was great! For being 5 boys ages 5 and under, they really play well together. They had unlimited quantities of sand to play with, which for little boys can be very messy and thus extremely fun.
The next morning we had Michael's preschool field trip to the pumpkin patch, which both boys quite enjoyed. Unfortunately it put my packing for our trip quite behind, so we didn't get out of town until much later than I had hoped. It has become something of a tradition for our little family to hit San Diego the last week of October.
But we finally got out of town and into San Diego in time to eat dinner at Rock Bottom, where we had our wedding luncheon after we got married. The food is still great, but they changed brew masters so the homemade rootbeer isn't quite as good. I didn't realize when we chose our hotel that it was right by the railroad tracks, but it turned out to not be a bother for sleeping. At least not nearly as much of a bother as sharing a bed with a 4 year old is. Anyhow, it provided great entertainment for the boys, they were happy to sit at the window and watch for trains and trolleys.
The next day we hit Sea World. It was midweek and not hardly busy at all, which was great because I'd always been on a Saturday on previous trips which was horribly busy, especially last year when we made the mistake of going on Halloween day. But not this year!
I still love the Shamu show. I was surprised that the trainers aren't back in the water with them yet, but I think it made for good show still because the orcas did more stunts.
Watching the show, Shamu, Shamu!
We had packed a lunch and had a great picnic in our car, as I was opposed to paying outrageous prices for mediocre food that I knew my children wouldn't eat. So we got rejuvenated and hit a few more shows and exhibits until it closed. And can I say it was great to go without a stroller this year, so much easier! The boys got a kick out of seeing the belugas closer, since we had seen them in the bay when we were in Alaska.
After Sea World we headed up to Old Town to visit the new Mormon Battalion Visitors Center, which we thought was fabulous! It was very interactive and kid friendly. Jacob passed out for the first part, and as dead weight he is one ginormous 3 year old.
But they had touch screen games...
Panning for gold...
Brick making/building...
We had a great time and then hit dinner at our favorite mexican place in Old Town and the food was fabulous!
The next day we got up and had breakfast at the hotel, swam a bit, then went to the Maritime Museum, where they had some submarines, old merchant ships, a replica of an old British ship that the boys thought was a pirate ship. But really, any ship with sails is considered a pirate ship at their age.
We even got to go on a boat ride around the bay, but my camera died and the boys both fell fast asleep almost as soon as we got going and didn't wake up until we had to get off the boat. But the weather was perfect and Mark and I quite enjoyed the tour. One of the things that gives San Diego the vibe that it does is the military presence, and the aircraft carriers in the bay really are amazing.
After having a picnic lunch at La Jolla Shores, we spent some time in the trees. Michael is always asking to climb a tree, but we don't really have any climbable trees at home or at any of the nearby parks, so this was a tree that was just perfect for small climbers.
We changed into our beach gear and hit the water. There was a sea lion hanging out just beyond the break which was fun to try and spot where he would come back up.Funny how they seem impervious to cold, when it suits them.
So peaceful and beautiful. Turns out we picked the best time to go, it was warmer than it had been much of the summer.
Beach bums.
We eventually forced ourselves to go home, though if we hadn't had to work we would have stay another day. But it was a wonderful getaway from Vegas. We got home late Thursday, I worked all day Friday and then Saturday was my brother's wedding and reception and then trunk-or-treat. I still hadn't made their costumes yet, so Saturday morning was spent creating two turtles. Michael specifically wanted a brown one (like his preschool teacher's desert tortoise) and Jacob specifically asked for a green one. I thought they turned out quite well considering how little time I was able to spend on the project.
They were quite pleased, so I was happy that it fulfilled their expectations.
My brother's wedding and reception turned out quite lovely, small but very nice and they couldn't have been happier. And it was so great to see my brother happy.
Todd and Rosaly Boston, 10-30-10!
After the reception we had enough time to go home and change so we could meet my sister for her Stake Trunk or Treat. Mark had to work that night and I didn't feel like going to my ward's by myself, so I went with my sister to hers which was huge! It was insane how decked out people's rigs and parking spaces were! On Sunday we had our family Halloween party which was great as always. The next week I was under the gun to finish a Heritage Makers project before my credits expired. So now that that is done, I have a bit of time to take a breather before I turn my mind to the holidays.

I love this time of year, with the expectation of the holidays, the cooler weather. Yes, cooler for Las Vegas. And even downright chilly sometimes, even my Alaska family that was in town last weekend was surprised how cold the Vegas wind was! I love making soup in the fall. I love wearing layers. I miss crunchy leaves under my feet in the fall and I wish my boys could experience a leaf pile to jump in. But I enjoy starting to think about what to get people, what to make, what to bake. So here is hoping to a delicious and truly Thankful Thanksgiving!