Forced Family Fun aka Making Family Memories

We were able to spend a couple days together as a family. We went to Knott's Berry Farm and stayed nearby a couple nights in a hotel. We stuffed ourselves at IHOP and then were off to spin in every direction at Knott's Berry Farm. It's amazing that we didn't get nauseous. We all rode together on the rides when possible, and Curtis and I took turns going with Coral on the big roller coasters. It worked out really well and we had a blast! Avery loved the rides, but Mikaya seemed a little scared like she was just tolerating most of them. She probably would have been just fine staying at the hotel the whole time. It's funny how exciting the pool, ice machine, and hotel beds are to little kids. Even the elevator is an adventure to them.

Curtis and I went to this wonderful Mexican restaurant for our anniversary. Curtis looked it up before hand and it had amazing reviews. They brought out samples because it was our first time there and we devoured them quickly. We finally decided on two meals between the two of us, but what we were contemplating was ordering a couple meals each and sharing the whole thing (taking the left-overs home if there were any!) When one of the chefs/cooks/owners asked us if we liked it we said it was excellent. He immediately said, "If you don't like it, I feel sorry for you!", with a smile on his face. When we moved here we thought there would be no problem finding good authentic Mexican food, but that is not the case. We finally found one that we can take family to and recommend to our friends.

Happy Valentine's Day

Avery is in the posing stage when we take pictures, but I'm thinking, at least she is smiling and looking at the camera....right?




Happy Valentine's Day! The chocolate on Mikaya's face pretty much says it all.


Mikaya and her friend Annie. They are getting to the age where they are interacting more when they are playing. They are both very sweet which also makes it nice!

Mikaya played a little out in the rain.

Mikaya can open her mouth almost as wide as her daddy can!



Curtis's B-day. Coral and I made Curtis lemon bars because they are one of his favorites. The powdered sugar went everywhere when he blew out his candles. We will have to remember to leave the powdered sugar off for birthdays; if we make it again!





Avery and Mikaya at music class. Our camera is giving out, so that is why the pictures are a little artsy....I mean interesting.

We rode a tandem bike for our date last Saturday. Going up the hills here almost did me in, but Curtis was somewhat of a pro. It felt weird to be in the back and feel like I had no control as we speed down the hills. It was fun to try something new.



Avery went to a princess party last week. She had a blast!

Family Tradition a Favorite?

One of the meals in our home (Enchiladas) comes from New Mexico where I grew up. As Avery was eating dinner tonight, she made a look that looked as though she thought the beans were yucky. She then immediately smiled half-way and ate another bite; with a slightly disgusted look on her face she said, "Yummy, it tastes like chocolate mint! I love it!" She was definitely using her positive mind power to overcome the disgust of the food and remained so polite the whole time. Amazingly, she finished everything on her plate!





Avery's first day of Sunbeams! She was sick last Sunday, and so this was her first day and she loved it. I was worried about how she did in class, so I asked the teacher about it after class. She said, "Oh, you have nothing to worry about, she's top of the class." I wasn't expecting that! We'll keep checking in for awhile and hope she continues to do well.

Christmas at Home

We celebrated Christmas early this year, before Coral had to leave for Denver. We went to the temple, before we started our Christmas Eve festivities, to watch Coral sing in the stake Christmas choir. It was a great way to start off the night. When we got back, we played games, played songs on the piano/guitar, opened pajamas, and then Avery had a sleepover with Coral. She thought that was pretty cool. The next morning the kids actually slept in until 9:00! Avery was more into opening presents this year. If you can see in one of the pictures, Avery was so excited that she was half-way screaming, when she opened princess place mats from Grandma Sandi and Grandpa Paul. Mikaya followed her example and screamed with delight every time she opened one too. It was so fun to watch.


Christmas in Thousand Oaks






Mikaya fell asleep while I was holding her.


We went to Thousand Oaks to enjoy Christmas with my parents and my brother's family. Avery had fun playing with her cousins. We went on a beautiful hike and all the kids did great! We enjoyed delicious food and played games in the hotel room after the kids went to sleep. It was nice to see everyone, especially those we hadn't seen for awhile.