The Beaches...

We went to two different beaches during our stay. The beach our resort was on was so nice and secluded and it was great for running from the waves or playing in the sand...

Karoline and her favorite person

Capri, Sophie, and Lilly

Lilly, Sophie and Roman waiting for the waves to crash.

And here it comes!

Capri in mid-jump...I think she was pretty excited to be there!

Mommy and Karoline at play

Capri and Roman working so hard on their 2 liter bottle castle. They were obsessed with filling it up with water and then digging it in the sand.

For a change of scenery, we headed to the old Pueblo Bonito in town. Their beach had great canopies for shade and much calmer waters for the little ones. The water stayed shallow forever and we couldn't believe how warm it was-like warmer than Hawaii! The kids had a great time looking for seashells, playing in the muddy sand, and wading in the enormous pool/ocean. The guys also took a day to rent a wave runner and had a blast!

Check out the sweet setup with these little huts.

I kept Karoline entertained for a minute with a cookie and she was fine by that.

Capri, Sophie and Ava in the sand.

Naomi, Luke, Lilly, Tucker and Roman having a great time lounging in the water.

Karoline was in heaven splashing in the waves-she was crazy brave and couldn't get enough of it out there in the water...and yes, I had to shower her off right after this picture!

Me and my girl...and if you look closely into my shades, you see Tucker and Roman as well!

We love our cousins! Here is Luke, Sophie, Lilly, Ava, Capri and Roman living it up on the beach!

MAZATLAN, MEXICO

Tucker's parents have been vacationing in Mazatlan for years now and decided it would be a great family vacation spot. They bought a time share at the new Pueblo Bonito resort and this was our first year to check it out. The resort was amazing! It was incredibly beautiful with the most lucious landscaping, gorgeous infinity pools, and all sitting on the edge of the Pacific. We had a fabulous time soaking in the sun while swimming for hours a day, playing at the beach, painting pottery, eating poolside, exploring the town, and even getting in a few games of beach volleyball. The kids got to play with their long lost cousins (we only get to see them once or twice a year!) and everyone loved simply being together. What a great reunion for the Nielson family!

Soccer Season is Over...

And I think we are all ok with that! Don't get me wrong, it was a great experience and all, but it definitely wasn't our favorite, especially for Capri. It started with me playing soccer as a substitute for my sister-in-law's team last year. Ever since, Capri and Roman have asked to play. Some of our friends here in the neighborhood were going to play so Roman and Capri joined the team. They couldn't wait to start. They talked about it constantly and wore their shin guards around the house. This was going to be great fun!
Then game their first game. We never had any practices so we just showed up ready to play with the rest of the team, the Bumblebees. I have to admit, seeing them in their uniforms was enough for me. Loved. It. They did a few drills of kicking the ball into the goal and the kids did great. The game was about to start and to see the two of them lined up in their oversized jerseys, numbers 2 and 3, I couldn't have been prouder!
Unfortunately, that didn't last long. Capri was done within 10 minutes. The crowding of the kids was just too much for her and it didn't get any better with games to come. In fact, it got worse to the point that we would have to literally drag her out on the field while holding her hand just so she could get a treat after the game. Not a fan.
Roman was better. He would stay out their game in and game out, but you could definitely say that his heart wasn't in it. At all. No, he was the kids lagging behind in his own little world. He would break out the guns, act like a robot, fly like a plane, or just hang out on the field and try to talk to some of the other kids. Hey, at least he is social! I was just dying because it was as if I was watching my own home videos of me playing soccer when I was a kid. And know that he wasn't the only one without his head in the game. There were plenty of kids doing somersaults, taking breaks and just sitting with their parents, playing games of the non-soccer variety, and just acting like 4 year-olds. Good fun, but I think we will stick with swimming for now!

The team never held practices so they drilled for a bit right before each game by taking turns kicking the ball into the goal. The twins actually really liked this part:
Lining up for their first game. I don't think I could have felt prouder than to see my #2 and #3 out there:

Roman did succeed in getting some kicks in throughout the season and here he is in action:But we also saw a lot of this going on (my silly boy!):

Capri loved the oranges at half-time:

And rather than play soccer, she preferred to run or roll down the surrounding hills (my silly girl!):

Way to go you two! We are so proud of our Bumblebees!

Fight For Air Half Marathon

Tucker and I were planning on running a half at the end of June, but due to the twins soccer schedule, we needed to reschedule. Rather than finding a race in July, we thought we could bump it up to the first weekend in June so that we wouldn't have to train while we were on vacation...that may have been a mistake. The other mistake was not realizing what kind of course this new race would entail. All I saw was that the race started on Wasatch Blvd. near 6200 South and ended in Sugarhouse Park-sweet, a downhill race...right? Wrong!

It is crazy to run Wasatch and see it in a whole new light after driving that same stretch of road a billion times before. It was pretty hilly and I was not expecting that. Oh well, we got through it and we were keeping a good pace. We ran right past my old junior high, Churchill, and over the overpass. The course weaved through the neighborhood and then past my high school, Skyline. Oh the memories. However, I wasn't thinking about all of my great memories at that point. No, I was thinking about the hill I was about to climb getting back onto Wasatch and taking it all the way to 33rd south. Yuck! Fortunately, after getting some much needed water at Eastwood Elementary, we started to go down and down and down. We ran along the Parley's trail and it felt great to have such a break. My knees started to really feel it, but I wanted to push it to make up for some lost time. We had another huge hill right before Tanner Park and I was thinking, "Are you kidding me?!" But again, we made it just fine and headed for Sugarhouse. I ran out of gas around mile 10.5, but knew we were almost to the park which gave me a needed boost. The boost quickly ran out, however, when we had to make a second go-around of the park. I was kind of pissed at that point. We could see the finish line but instead of running the last few yards, we had to run up another hill to start the park path again. AAAAHHHH! The race wasn't managed well at all with late honey buckets (pretty important to have pre-race!), only 4 aid stations (with the last one at mile 10), nothing other than water available at the aid stations, no mile markers for miles 9, 11, or 12, and green bananas at the finish line. Lame!

Thank goodness Tucker stuck with me and kept me going. I was so grateful for him and I doubt I would have finished as quickly had he not been there. We didn't have a great time, 2 hours and 5 minutes-my slowest race yet, but it felt great to have finished such a difficult race. Too, I loved the camaraderie among the racers. The fact that we could all laugh at our crazy bus driver and the dysfunction of the race as a whole made it that much more fun. It's exciting, intense, freeing, and motivating to be apart of a racing event and I can't wait to race again!

By the way, the South Valley Half is coming up in August...any takers?

Karoline at 15 months...

This little girl cracks me up! She is FULL of personality and we are all easily entertained by her. Karoline, now often referred to as Koko, loves her big brother and big sister and wants desperately to play just like them. I can't get enough of their time spent in the playroom together. To watch little Koko standing to the kitchen and pulling everything out, pushing around her tea cart, or playing cars with Roman-it's like she is one of the big kids! I hate that she is growing up so fast, she has been such a sweet baby, but I can't wait to see what this little one can do as she grows into her own and continues to develop her smart and spunky personality. Here are a few new tricks she has been working on the past three months:

*WALKING!!! I am proud to say we have a girl walking on her own. She took her first steps 2 1/2 months ago on our first trip to St. George, took plenty of steps on Easter Sunday, and a few more episodes since, but nothing to get her to WANT to walk on her own. I could get her to walk when she assumed I was helping her (we would put things in her hands to hold instead of our fingers, wrap a towel around her chest, or hold onto the back of her shirt). I was thanking my lucky stars knowing that she would be a handful once the walking began, but recently realized that she would be happier if she could walk on her own. So I decided to practice with her and she walked on her first try! She kept walking after that and I was even able to get it on video-posted below! She hasn't taken off yet, but I am sure she is well on her way so wish me luck!
*TALK, TALK, TALKING!!! This girl amazes me when it comes to her willingness to repeat words, especially if her sister asks her to. I started to write down all of the words she knew, but I have lost track this past week with so many new words. Some of her favorites are: hello, baby, bubble, all done, walk, thank you, dog, ball, tick-tock, uh-oh, nana (banana), bye-bye, Mommy, Daddy, Roman, Capri, and our favorites, peek-a-boo and I love you. Sweetest. Thing. Ever.
*Karoline has decided that she wants to feed herself and doesn't want to eat anything that she doesn't pick up or spoon in herself. This is going to get messy!
*Swimming lessons! Karoline and I do a parent-tot class with my sister-in-law Drew and her baby Isla. Karoline likes doing her scoops (she sits on my knee while I take her hands and scoop in the water) and side-to-sides (I lay her on her side in the water so that her cheeks touch the water). Her favorite part is when we lay them on their tummies on a floating mat and we kick their legs. She doesn't, however, like to go to her teacher for underwater "mmmms" or to float on her back. We will work on that.
*She knows how to get what she wants. Karoline will point and grunt/whine to let us know what she wants. If we pick up something that she doesn't want, she shakes her head or swings her arm as if she is swatting it away. This also occurs when I try to take her away from her Daddy...definitely still a daddy's girl. :)

*Koko plays peek-a-boo, loves balls, pulls everything out of every drawer and cupboard, is obsessed with the broom, and absolutely loves the water, especially if it is running.

*She still has a fear of strangers, but only if they are trying to hold her. Otherwise, she is happy to wave, give high fives and bones, and smile and say hello. We just spent a week in Mexico where the locals couldn't get enough of the little ones, Karoline inlcuded. At first she didn't know what to think of it all, but soon enough, she was smiling and waving at everyone. She even hit a flight attendant in the bum and when the attendant turned around, Karoline smiled and said "halla" which means hello. Luckily the attendant thought it was as cute as I did.
*Karoline signs the only signs I have taught her-more and bird. I have got to teach her some more because she doesn't like to watch the"Signing Time" videos, the same ones the twins loved. She doesn't like to watch any TV for that matter, which isn't a problem at all unless you are traveling when it would be really helpful!
*She gives great kisses, especially after she sees Tucker and I kiss.
*Karoline is still very nurturing and loves her babies. She will rock them in the cradle, hold them close and pat them, and sits in her anywhere chair with them in her lap.
*When asked, she can point to her toes, nose, eye, brow, belly button, and now teeth (which she only has 6 of)!
*I am still feeding her a bottle at night. I know, shame on me. I can't help but have a few minutes to snuggle up with her and soak up as much baby time as I possibly can!

Karoline had her 15-month check-up and is doing great according to Dr. Zarbock. She is developing and growing just as she should and is as happy as anyone could possibly be! Here are her stats:
Head Circumfrence:18.7 inches placing her in the 85th percentile
Height: 32 inches placing her in the 90th percentile
Weight: 21.3 pounds placing her in the 25th percentile

So, another tall and skinny baby for the Nielson family! I am sad to see her chub go, but as active as our Koko is, we knew it wouldn't take long before her nickname "fattycakes" didn't fit. I guess that's a good thing. :) We are just so grateful for this girl who has been nothing but an absolute delight. We love her and can't get enough of her sunshine!

Roman's prayer

Dear Heavenly Father,
Thank you for Grandma's house.
Thank you for water that goes like this (throwing his hands up in the the air just like he saw Old Faithful do).
Thank you for treats.
Thank you for Jacob, the trampoline boy.
Thank you for soccer.
Thank you for swimming.
Thank you for school.
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Swami's, Sea Life, Running and Random...

Swami's has got to be my favorite breakfast spot and I often find myself craving their buckwheat pancakes. Yum. We needed to do a 7 mile run and decided Swami's was the perfect destination. We pushed all three kids and had a fabulous run along Neptune and the bluff. Once we got to Swami's we ate acai bowls and pancakes and couldn't have been happier. Unfortunately, I didn't take my camera so here is a picture once we finished another run later in the week:

We made another trip to Swami's and then went across the street to the Self-Realization Gardens. Very zen, very fun.

Roman and Capri are into bugs. Capri is practically obsessed and instead of oohing and ahhing over the gorgeous flowers, she was finding rolly-pollies and other interesting crawly things.

Roman swinging on the ropes next to the cactus that is "shark." Both of my kids say "shark" instead of "sharp" or "shock." The girls minus Jesse who was at home working for part of the trip:This is just a random picture that I love of Karoline playing rough-and-tumble with Daddy:

Another random, but I had to post a picture of the backyard and the perfect setup for the kids:

Sea Life Park was a huge hit with the kids. They loved the overhead fish tank, the octopus, the tunnels, and the enormous overhead/tunnel tank of sharks and rays. A great outing...
Capri and Karoline being cute right outside the aquarium:
And there you have it, a photo journal of our entire trip to California. We had such a great time and I realized, again, how much I absolutely love it there. It was so fun to be with my family and I guess that's what I love most about traveling. The kids are always happier, my husband doesn't have to go to work, we always have fun things planned to do, and we get to simply be together. Good times...