We have been living in San Diego now for about 6 months and don't know where the time has gone. It's not like we have anything going on...we are only living in a home we are completely remodeling inside and out while concurrently starting two businesses. Poor Mom and Dad are working non stop. As busy as they are Dad has never been happier. He got to trade in supervised 70 hour corporate work weeks in a stuffy suit for a home office equipped with guitars and drums, no dress code, more time with family, and, thanks to Pandora, a continuous stream of metal playing in the background. It's been a fun ride.
It's great to see Dad goofing around and acting like a big kid!
Unfortunately Easter snuck up on us was too fast this year! Mom scrambled to find all our Easter stuff in storage and barely managed to get it all together in time. We may not have done professional pictures with a bunny, but we did get one picture with everyone looking at the camera- a big win with four kids.
The night before Easter we all dyed eggs to leave out for the Easter bunny. As always it was a messy task, but this year Mom didn't care if we made a mess since our flooring isn't done, so it was AWESOME!
Very, very early the next morning we got up for sunrise church service at the top of Mt.Helix. Despite being tired we all enjoyed the sunrise while eating donuts and singing. When we returned home that morning we discovered that the Easter Bunny had come in the night and delivered baskets, hid eggs, and made a huge mess of the snacks we had left out for him.
We all got beach towels, swimsuits, goggles, and snacks, but were more interested in hunting eggs than checking out our new stuff.
We spent most of the morning opening eggs and sorting treats before it was time to go to the Umbarger's for an Easter brunch to celebrate Grandma Jean's 88th birthday.
We had a fun day filled with family, good food, Easter festivities, and a visit from the East Bunny!
For spring break this year we had two weeks off of school and it was amazing!! Mom had to take care of some things in Las Vegas, so she took Presley and I with her while Dad, Macie, and Nixon stayed in San Diego. It was an interesting pairing, but both Mom and Dad agree that it was great for us to have special time together.
We stayed at Uncle Will's "hotel" and enjoyed being pampered. Snacks, movies, even free toiletries; he has it all. We spent four days enjoying time at our favorite spots with our favorite people!
Our first day started off with Presley's first trip to the nail salon. As you can see, she LOVED it!
That afternoon Mom and I spent time with my friends. It was sure nice to have the crew back together!
While we were gallivanting around town Uncle Will took Presley to an awesome new park in the Vista's.
She had the best afternoon. Not only did she get to eat frozen yogurt before dinner, but she got to stay up late and watch a movie in Uncle Will's "theater" before bed!
The next morning Uncle Will Surprised Presley with some early birthday presents. She got her very own gel pens (which is great because she is NOT allowed to use mine) and she also got a white board for her bedroom! Mom can't wait to frame it with rhinestones to mount on the wall.
Before going out to play for the day Mom made breakfast while Presley and I played school. She drew some pretty amazing pictures, like this one of Mom. The similarities are uncanny...
It didn't take long for Presley and I to butt heads. Apparently she didn't like the way I was directing her and wrote "no Riley" on the white board. Mom thought it was the "funniest thing she'd ever seen." I didn't find it as amusing, but couldn't help but notice how legible her handwriting was getting.
After breakfast Mom took Cari and I to Red Rock for a hike. It was a beautiful day in an absolutely beautiful place.
That night we went to Glowzone and had a blast on the suspended obstacles, rock walls, climbers, and ninja warrior courses.
We made sure to fill every minute of our trip doing fun things with awesome people!
In addition to touring a few parks we went to the Springs Preserve,
the Children's Museum and Town Square Park.
During our time in Vegas Dad, Nixon, and Macie had a blast at home. From trips to the soccer fields, to Sea World and Woodstock's Pizza. Nixon was sure exhausted!
Sunday evening everyone took Grandma out for an early dinner. Macie insisted on going to Golden Corral because she is fancy like that.
Nixon was quite a gentlemen and made sure to take good care of Grandma Jean.
Back at home that evening Dad, Macie, and Nixon spent some time playing guitar and drums while listening to metal. Somehow Nixon managed to head bang himself to sleep. He is just like his dad...
As hard as it was to leave Las Vegas it was nice being back together as a family. This coming week Presley will turn 5 years old. It's amazing how fast time has gone by and how incredibly grown up she is becoming.
Check back soon to hear all about her special day.
