Sunday, January 19, 2014

CALIFORNIA HERE WE COME!!!

I was anxious to go on a trip. It was winter, I was pregnant, and I was helping my brother plan his wonderful honeymoon in Hawaii. I needed to plan a trip for me! I started talking to the fam and my parents agreed, a Curtis Family trip was in order. All of my siblings and their families were quickly on board and it was a go. YAY!
I found a home that would fit all 20 of us right in Bressi Ranch (Carlsbad), which is where we used to live and loved. It was perfect! I cannot believe I didn't get a picture of the house-it was beautiful with even prettier grounds, waterfall and all.
But we weren't there to stay at the house all day. We went to California so we could go to the beach and that we did!
MOONLIGHT BEACH
Moonlight is our favorite beach. I was so happy to be back. We spent most of the week here playing in the waves, finding sand crabs (ew!), building sand castles, burying each other in the sand, and hanging out as a family. I couldn't have asked for more. My kids are so happy and entertained at the beach and could spend hours and hours there. This is my heaven...
Running and splashing in the ocean with Daddy:
Tucker put the girls on the boogie board and I am pretty sure they were having fun...
Roman plays a game of beat the wave to the shore...

It was so great having cousins to play with 24/7. Here they are showing off our sand village...

Capri had just lost her tooth-it makes for a pretty cute smile!
Clara was a dream baby on this trip! She loved being at the beach under the canopy. She took naps in her bassinet with ease.
These boys are getting buried...
And we're done!
London and Karoline had their moments of having a lot of fun with one another...making progress!
Me and my babe of a husband:

Capri became obsessed with finding these nasty little creatures. I owe that to her dad...
And even Karoline got in on the crab craze!
They are sure lucky to have a daddy that will do that for them...
I often call Roman, Jon and Jon, Roman. Can you see why? I swear, Roman will be just like his Uncle Jon!
This girl was covered in sand from head to toe...literally. It took several dunks in the tub to clean her up!
Some more running along the seashore...
We love you Moonlight! Until next time...

LA JOLLA
We always make a stop in La Jolla while in San Diego. It's fun to see the seals, as stinky as they may be, get a treat from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory, and walk along the shops or boardwalk...
Don't know what Karoline is doing here...
...and I don't know what Roman is doing here!
mmm...chocolate covered marshmallows!

DISNEYLAND
No trip to California is complete without a day in Disneyland! Jon and Robert and Jesse's family had never been to California Adventure so it was a definite must. Unfortunately, one of the boys got sick, quickly followed by London. We (us, Jon, Richard and Elizabeth) were already on our way so we decided to go on ahead and then the Fords and Curtis' could go the next day. My parents, Jon, and Elizabeth were all happy to go both days so it totally worked out. Elizabeth and Richard are season pass holders and were amazing to have along. They got us on all the rides at the right times and they, along with my parents, were always willing to take Clara and the littles so Tucker and I could go on some rides. Crazy enough, we had the best weather of 80 degrees and overcast. Even crazier, the lines were never too long. I couldn't get over how lucky we were! It was a fabulous day at the Happiest Place on Earth!
Roman was so brave. He went in the single riders line which was only 10 minutes long, but it meant he didn't have his dad beside him. I think he was ok with that...
Luigi's tires in Cars Land...
I love my Dad...and my brothers...and my mom...and my new sister...all making this day even more fun for my kiddos...
Karoline was absolutely star struck when she saw Winnie the Pooh. She gave him the biggest hug and was smiling from ear to ear. Funny thing is, she has never even mentioned him before or watched the show! Both girls were thrilled to get their picture taken with the cuddly old bear...
All of my kids are big parade and show fans. Karoline was loving the princesses but said the monkeys from Lion King were her favorite-that's my Koko!
It's all so MAGICAL!

FAMILY PICTURES
Elizabeth is an awesome photographer and since she has so much wedding experience, she takes plenty of big family photos. We figured that since we were all there together, we might as well take a family picture on the beach. We didn't have outfits planned or anything, we really just wore what we had. Surprisingly, it turned out lovely. So glad we have these...
The girls...
The boys...
My amazing parents who we have to thank for this amazing trip...
 Our first official family picture of six!
 And here is everyone that I hold near and dear...

This is one Elizabeth took of Clara at the house before...love her...

And finally, just a few I took with my phone...


So long Carlsbad...can't wait 'til next time...

Red, White, and Blue Through and Through

I love 4th of July. I have probably mentioned that before. I love this holiday because it takes place in the summer, my favorite season. I love the barbecues, fireworks, and just being out on a summer night. This year we kept it pretty simple considering we all were headed to California the next day. It was still a great evening full of food, fireworks and family.
We all met at Robert and Jesse's house for a delicious BBQ. The kids had a ball with their cousins and got really excited when we broke out the shaved ice machine. As soon as all of the kids had blue mouths, we walked on over to Sugarhouse Park just a couple of blocks away. Perfect! We set out our blankets and watched a great show...and none of the kids were afraid. Even Clara was a champ and didn't seem to mind the noise or my hands covering her tiny ears. Thank you Curtis family for living so close so that we don't have to deal with parking and traffic. It makes for a much nicer night!
Spencer is the best cousin to my kids. Actually, all of those Curtis boys are great. No wonder my kids are literally jumping when I tell them we are going to see them. Here is Spencer playing with Karoline on the slide:
Our patriotic family...
Hip, hip, hooray for snow cones!
Capri, my beautiful Miss Independence...
Our scrumptious Clara taking a nap in her bassinet outside...nothing better...
Mouths are blue...ready to go!
 Happy Birthday America!

Kindergarten Graduation for Roman and Capri

This was a darling kindergarten graduation...that ended up giving me a laugh attack. First things first, let's talk about the program. The students were required to write a report on a morphed animal they created. Basically, they had to pick two animals from different animal classes and morph them together. They had to learn all about each class, whether it was warm or cold blooded, if it had fur, if it laid eggs or gave live birth, etc. My kids were really into this unit so they were thrilled to have such a project.
For graduation, they were to dress up as said morphed animal. Capri wanted to be a leopard/butterfly or butterward. Roman was a gorilla/alligator or gorillagator. Each came up with those totally on their own...pretty creative if you ask me. Once they came up with their animal, they wrote up some facts and memorized them for the graduation. They all wore pins that said "Push Me" so that all of us visitors would push to hear their report. So dang cute.
The next step was to put together a costume.  Let's just say that me and the sewing machine have never gotten along...ever. That in addition to the fact that Tucker was traveling and I still had my brand new baby, I was going to make this as simple as possible. Capri was going to be easy because we already had the cat ears and tail. All she needed was her black ballet attire coupled with some wings I trimmed with a rainbow boa and she was set.
Roman, on the other hand, was a bit trickier. I decided to make an alligator tail. I bought some cheap fabric and rather than sewing it together, because again, not a fan, I decided to just glue and staple it together. Pathetic, I know. We then added a green shirt to complete the gator side of things. As for the gorilla, I figured I could buy some pieces of fur, adhesive, and a couple of pairs of gloves and just stick the fur right on for gorilla hands and feet...did not go so well...
I hadn't laughed that hard in so long. My mom, dad and I were literally crying we were laughing so hard. Roman's costume looked ridiculous and it didn't help that the fur on his gloves kept coming off. The poor thing, he kept reapplying the fur throughout the entire program. Even my mother-in-law thought I must have had a rough time that week with that sad costume. I really felt bad that we were laughing so hard, but we couldn't stop! Too funny! Overall, a great program and my kids were so dang cute!
Here is Capri the butterword:
And Roman the gorillagator:
The twins with their incredible teacher Mrs. Thayer...

I volunteered in the classroom quite a bit and I loved seeing these two in action. Capri is Miss Super Student. She loves to participate, answer questions, be with her friends, and gets her work done quickly. Roman is Mister Laid Back. He is super smart, but a daydreamer, he loves recess and his friends, and will answer correctly, but only if called upon. It has been really fun to be involved in this aspect of their lives. I just can't believe the year is already over!
I love my twins. I love that they are always there for each other and are the best of friends. I was nervous to put them into the same class for kindergarten, but Mrs. Thayer said they did so well that she would recommend them to stay together for at least 1st grade...makes me so happy!

Saturday, January 18, 2014

Hike up Bell Canyon

One Sunday after church, we decided to take a small hike up Bell Canyon with my whole family. I needed to get out in that perfect June weather with my little nugget. It was so nice. Great conversation, beautiful views, happy kids, very happy mom.
Roman loves these guys...and I am pretty sure they love him.
Karoline, Miss Independent, would not let me carry her at all. It made for a long trip, but she was so content to explore which is what this is really all about.
My Dad helped her along quite a bit too. Good buddies right there.
We made it to the top! The kids dipped their feet in the cool water, did some more exploring, and we all ate some dried mangoes.
 The boys...
 The girls...
And we are back. Clara loves being in this position, curled up and snuggled right into your chest. It's probably my favorite position too!