Halle is 4!!

Halle turned 4 on May 2nd. She talked about having a princess party for months before her birthday. She was so excited to have friends over and feel like a princess for the day. I think they all had a great time. We have so many great families around us here in Liberty Lake. Such a blessing. 

Our trip to San Diego

In early April we took a week-long trip to San Diego. It was spring break and we wanted to go somewhere sunny and fun. Unfortunately, the weather wasn't so sunny there. It was warmer and sunnier here in Spokane that week, which never happens in April.

My sisters and their kids all joined us for two of the days, which was fun! We had a good trip, but I will just add that it was one of the most exhausting experiences we've had as parents. Traveling with young kids is just hard, no matter what.

Here's what we did...

The Mormon Battalion museum was interesting, but a lot shorter than we thought it would be. It was a super rainy day and we thought it would take up more time. It's worth checking out though. I had never heard the stories they told there.

Sea World:

The kids enjoyed Sea World and it definitely wore them out. Nate and I agreed that it was definitely overpriced though. It cost us several hundred dollars for the day and wow... that's a lot for what you get. I wouldn't necessarily recommend it, unless you find an amazing deal or something.

So, this is when I tried to take Paige and Kate on a ride that I thought was fine for pregnant women. When I was about to get on the ride (after waiting in a long line), the worker pulled me aside and asked if I was pregnant and told me it's not safe. There were like 50 people watching. Awkward. I felt really dumb.

Yep, we were all exhausted at the end of the day.

The Lego Store:

We needed to kill some time before picking up my sister from the airport so went to this Lego store and the kids really liked it.

Pacific Beach:

We all ate at a Mexican restaurant one night and it was a little nuts with all the kids. :) Glad we got some pics though. It was fun to have all the grandkids together.

San Diego Zoo:

Totally worth it. It's huge and well-kept and beautiful. So skip Sea World, and just go to the zoo.

Sprinkles Cupcakes:

We went here 3 times and I don't regret it one bit. It's the first cupcake shop ever (they have other locations) and I've always wanted to go. WE LOVED IT SO MUCH. Yum.

San Diego Temple:

Great Wolf Lodge in L.A.:

Because the weather was disappointing in San Diego, we decided to drive up to L.A. and stay at the Great Wolf Lodge one night. It was a good choice. It's a really nice, fun place. We all loved it. It's a hotel and indoor waterpark and it's perfect for kids.

Pacific Beach:

On the plane ride home...

Amazing Vanilla Bean Cupcakes

I made these for Christmas Eve with Nate's family and we thought they were amazing. Try them sometime! I'm craving them right now. I should mention, I didn't use this frosting recipe. I used my regular buttercream one and added the seeds of one vanilla bean.


http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/vanilla-bean-cupcakes-recipe/

It's a...

BOY!!!

We are all so, so excited to be having a little boy. I have been hoping that Luke would have a little brother, but I didn't think it would actually happen for some reason. I'm thrilled. Paige and Kate ran around screaming when blue balloons popped up. They really wanted another boy. Halle didn't seem as happy. I think she's happy now though.

I ended up doing an elective ultrasound at 16 weeks to find out. My anatomy scan at my doctors office is not until 20 weeks, and I was dying to know what we were having. I'm so glad I did it. The lady was so sweet and she gave me a DVD of the whole ultrasound with 3D/4D and everything. I only paid for some 2D pictures. It's fun to have a DVD to watch of our little baby.

Finding out the gender always makes it all so real and exciting. I can't wait to meet our new little guy in August.

Kate is 6!

Kate was so excited for her birthday this year. She started counting down the days months ago. She knew that she wanted a mermaid party, so after looking on Pinterest I had a lot of ideas. It was a lot of work, but it was a success. Everyone seemed to have a lot of fun.

Kate got off the bus with this crown on, and she continued to wear it all day.

Here is the cake I made. Someday I will learn to make cakes nice and level. Yikes.

Kate was so excited to show her friends the fun snacks.

Digging for little sea creatures. They loved these little squishy Beados, but man... they were messy. Next time we will do this game outside.

Fishing over the railing for prizes

Happy 6th birthday, Kate! We love you!