Balboa Park

It was Mother's Day and we needed something fun and a little special to do. We had only been to Balboa Park a few times and thought it would be the perfect Sunday activity to celebrate the day. What made it even better was the free choral concert put on by SDSU at the Organ Pavilion in the park. We had the perfect evening listening to great music (the kids especially liked the Disney songs they sang), enjoying the beauty of the park, taking pictures, and dancing...

My mom was waltzing with Karoline and that girl couldn't get enough of it!
Roman...such a stud.

Capri loved doing her ballet and getting thrown up in the air by Uncle Richard.

Roman was having a pretty good time...I think...

Karoline is a true Daddy's girl...

Cutest. Kids. Ever.

Rob and the boys. These boys sat perfectly still for the entire concert-they were mesmerized!

The girls:

Love this picture. Richard is on a step above Jon in hopes to seem a bit taller, and Cheri is also on the step above, but on her tippy toes!

After the concert, we headed across the bridge to a fabulous pizza joint called Pizzicato-we highly recommend it! Tucker and I on the bridge:

The House

I have to show you where we stayed because we definitely loved the place and spent plenty of time eating, talking and playing here. Sorry about the poor quality of pictures, they were taken with my iphone...

Here is my brother Rob in one of the living rooms where we gathered to plan our day or relax from the long day we just had:

Here is Spencer in the kitchen:

Tucker and I got the Master Suite and it was sweet! Since I found the vacation rental (and it took plenty of time!), my parents were nice enough to let us have this enormous room complete with claw foot tub and pull-out for the kiddos:

One of the absolute best rooms in the house was this playroom. It was actually the garage that the owners turned into a child's dream of a room full of toys, playhouse, games, rocking chair, foosball, and more:

The kids were entertained for hours while the adults could actually relax!

Vaca to Cali

I absolutely love California. Growing up, my family vacationed every year in Huntington, Newport, or San Diego. We always had such a blast and created some great memories. Then we were able to move there for two years. Tucker and I often think about our life in Encinitas/Carlsbad and realized how much we loved it and felt as though we were always on vacation. Great friends, perfect weather, beautiful scenery, and, of course, the beach in all its glory. We had to get back, even if it was just a trip this time. My family wanted in as well so we booked a fabulous vacation home and started counting down the days.
What a fantastic trip! We had such a great time playing at the beach, eating at Swami's, running, roasting marshmallows, learning about fish, going to Disneyland, and hanging out at our new home for the week as a family...

St. George-Our New Home Away From Home

My parents did a brilliant thing-they bought a condo in St. George! I couldn't have been more thrilled had it been my own condo, seriously. Winters last too long here in Salt Lake and St. George is the perfect getaway to sunshine and fun. Their condo is fabulous with plenty of room and great amenities and I couldn't wait to get down and check it out.

Tucker and I went down with my parents at the beginning of April and had such a great time basking in the sun. My dad had mentioned there was a Kite Festival going on and we knew the kids would love it...we were right!

Sliding down the inflatable slides-Roman went full force while Capri was very hesitant at first (see her watching from the top). It didn't take long, however, before she realized that not only could she do it by herself, but that it was actually fun!They had an entire carnival set up with different booths and rides. The kids had a great ride on the train while Karoline played with the rest of us...We also discovered Snow Canyon while we were there. Our family has spent plenty of time in Zion's and we were curious to see what Snow Canyon had to offer, especially because we had the little kids. It was awesome. A paved trail that heads all the way up, perfect for pushing two strollers full of our three kids. Tucker and I got a chance to chat while the kids were on the watch for lizards and squirrels.
Gotta love the red rock against the blue sky...and my boy is about the cutest thing ever!
As is my girl...
Near my parent's condo, there is a splash park/playground that we visited last year. We were anxious to go back and let the kids slide, swing and run.

It was so cute to see Capri pushing Karoline and both of them laughing so hard with each swing.
Tucker was pushing the kids so high and they couldn't get enough of it!
Karoline's first time in the swing...I think she liked it!
One of our new favorite features of St. George is the fabulous splash park on Main St. My kids are at the perfect age to enjoy the waterfalls, rocks, running streams, and all of the other kids.

Roman scared me a bit as he was walking along the top of the waterfall:
Karoline would cry every time I tried to take her away from the waterfall:
Capri fell and hurt her hand and so I had to hold it a very special way in order for her to keep playing. Luckily, a little boy came up with a bandaid for her and all was right with the world:
Once Jon came home, we headed down a second time. Tucker was headed out of town for work anyway, so me and the kids drove down with my parents and Uncle Jon. We went to the splash park again this trip, but my dad, Jon and I rode our bikes instead!You can't go to St. George and not grab a few cupcakes from 25 and Main. YUMMY! Here is my sweet Karoline and the loot!

The best part of this trip was watching Roman and Capri swim. They are amazing swimmers now and I can't get enough of it! As soon as I get some good footage, I will do a separate post on their swimming lessons and how far they have come. For now, here are some of my favorites from, as Capri and Roman would say, "Grandma's Condo" pool:

Here they are getting ready.

"1...2...3......Go!"

High Fives!

Roman practicing his floating:

Capri swimming to the stairs:

Uncle Jon and Roman...two peas in a pod:

The kids also loved the hot tub to relax after all of the kicking, "one-twos," and jumping in and out of the pool:

Check this out. St. George has a beach. Kind of ghetto, but still is full of sand and water which is exactly what the kids love.

Karoline was covered from head to toe within 5 minutes or so.
6 foot 5 inches and can still do a cartwheel...kind of.

Roman and Capri wouldn't leave Jon alone this trip and think he is pretty great. "We love you Uncle Jon and thank you for coming along."

And Thank You Mom and Dad for getting this place! I can't wait for the many more trips full of hiking, swimming, The Egg and I, tennis, hot tubbing, movies, biking, and running!

Easter Sunday

With most of the Easter festivities already complete, Easter Sunday was all about getting their baskets and going to church for Jon's Homecoming. It was a great day for everyone. Roman and Capri loved their baskets...once they got past the clothes...and Karoline discovered plastic eggs that make lovely sounds when shaken. After the kids had gone through their baskets and were already full of candy, we got ready and headed for church. Jon did an incredible job with his talk and everyone was amazed at how much he has matured in every way. Way to go Jon! Following Sacrament Meeting, everyone including extended family and friends went to my parent's house for a delicious Easter meal. It was so nice to see everyone and the kids were in heaven to have their cousins there.

Karoline was only a few weeks old last Easter and so it much more fun this time around. She loved her new set of keys and discovered a love for chocolate bunnies...

While in St. George (more on that later!), we ventured to a kite festival/carnival. Capri wanted a kite desperately, but they were ridiculously expensive for the cheap little things. We held off and let the bunny bring her the surprise and she was beyond thrilled!
Roman was pretty excited about his new water guns. He had seen some boys at the splash park use them and so I knew exactly what the Easter Bunny should order!

The kids and their baskets that are already pretty empty...

Me and my beautiful girls:

My handsome boys:What really made the night was Karoline showing off her new skills in standing and taking a few steps! She is quite fearful and doesn't like to walk unless you are holding her hand (hence the only picture we got she was holding Cheri's hand) no matter how stable she is, so this was a big deal that she walked on her own!

A Hoppy Easter for the Nielson Family!