The California State Fair!

 July 12th through the 29th was the California State Fair. One of the perks of having season passes to Raging Waters is that since the water park is located inside the fair grounds you can use your pass to get into the state fair for free provided you come before the water park closes for the day. Fantastic! We love going to the fair but it was always an expensive trip to pay for all of us to go for one day and then cram everything we could into a few short hours. This year we were able to go several times at a leisurely pace. It was a lot of fun. There was a stilt circus. They were so fun to see. They actually just walked around. I'm not sure if they had a set show, I didn't really check to see if they did. But they would walk around the fair grounds and take pictures with people. They were really cool and very friendly.

 This water fountain sits in the center of Cal Expo. I was told that before they built Raging Waters there was no gate around the fountain and that people could walk up to it and play in the water. I thought that would be a fun time to play in the water fountain. We still like going to Raging Waters though. It's a great fountain though. On the hot parts of the day you can get your food or treat from the vendors and go sit on one of the benches they have just outside the fountain and get cooled off by the mist that sprays out in the breeze.

 One of the displays they have at the fair is an exotic bird display. They had macaws and kookaburras, cockatoos and emu's, finches and other various parrots. I especially loved this peacock. His colors were just brilliant. I wanted to get some photos of the macaws but of course on this particular day the camera battery died. I was using my point and shoot camera instead of my DSLR and I didn't have any extra batteries. Lesson learned. Back up batteries are now on order!

 Since Jaxen is starting school in July we let him choose his new school backpack at the fair. There was a stand that had several backpacks that resembled different video games and characters that he really likes. He choose a backpack that resembled Bowser from Super Mario Brothers. It had this plushy of one of the turtles from the game on one of the zippers. Jaxen of course wanted to play with it instead of keeping it on his back pack. He looked up at me and said " Mom, take a picture of me! Please!" He was so adorable I just couldn't resist!

 I just love this photo of Jaden with his milky face! He loves his milk that is for sure. Especially when it's chocolate milk. Then he's like a chocolate milk drunkard! It makes us smile.

 Buy the stables they had a small section set up for kids. It was set up as an educational area as well. Learning to brush a horse, pet a horse, braiding a horse tail. They did have a pony that they would occasionally saddle up and you could take your photo with him. The brushing and braiding of course were not on real horses but model ones. Jaden actually loved sitting on this rocking horse. He sat by himself and held on and even tried rocking himself. I love seeing him try new things.

 Jaxen had fun riding the horse as well. The older boys loved having a play area at the fair. It was a welcome break from all the walking and looking at all the displays. I love the smile Jaxen gave. He's our spunky little guy!

 Of course Tristan had to have a turn as well.

 This is Tristan sporting the mask he saw at the fair and really wanted. He bought it with his allowance. He was very excited. Over by where they had the pony set up for photos they also had some hats and stuff to wear in the photos. When we were there the pony had been led back to his stall but they left the hats out. Tristan put one on with his mask and we all couldn't stop laughing and smiling. We thought it looked awesome! I think this will always be one of my favorite photos of Tristan as it really shows his fun personality.

 They also had a small play ground next to the stables. The see saw was fitted with saddles for the seats. There was a swing that also used a saddle for a seat.

 They had a make shift steer and a lasso. Jaxen tried first to lasso. He was fun to watch because the rope was so long and he's a bit small. But they had fun.

 Tristan had a better grip on the rope but I think it was because he was bigger and could hold the rope better. This model horse was in the play ground as well. Kids were able to climb up and pretend they were riding a real horse. It was life size. Jaxen was so proud of himself that he climbed up and got on the horse with no help. 

 There were many toy vendors this year at the fair. One guy would stand outside his stall and blow bubbles with a bubble gun. He would let kids come and play in the bubbles. It was fun! I love it when people do stuff like that.

 This one made me happy! Everyone knows that I love Mickey Mouse! He just makes me smile. In one of the buildings they had a display that they called " Toytopia." It was fantastic! They had multiple displays of different toys. Old and new. Mostly they had many retro displays. A lot of collector displays and a bit of history behind each one. This was what the very first Mickey Mouse doll looked like!

 They did have a small section that was set up as a toy store. Ron bought these stick on mustaches just for fun. We each styled one for a minute. Jaxen and Jaden of course didn't want to wear one. Ron tried to wear one but it wouldn't stick over his already mustache. But Tristan, Kaeryn and I each sported one. I only wore mine for a minute and then took it off because the sticker back actually made it difficult to move my mouth. Tristan wore his for a little while though. We like being goofy like this every once in a while.

 They did have a wildlife show at the fair. It was small and simple but still exciting for me. I love wild life and any opportunity I have to see and learn and enjoy them makes me happy. I thought this owl and porcupine were very cool and beautiful. They also had a hawk fly from up above to the stage.

 In another section of the fair that they had labeled " The Farm" the boys found another space to play. The Farm was an area that introduced you to local farmers and produce and plants. There was a blacksmith as well. It was a cute little farm town. They set up different things for kids to play on as well like a tractor slide and pedal tractor maze. A sand box and a corn box. I love watching the difference between the boys and how they play. Tristan likes to play in the sand box but doesn't like to get dirty so he will sit himself up and carefully dig in the dirt and stack it up.

 Jaxen on the other hand has no cares whether he gets dirty or not and will through himself in the dirt. He loves digging and playing in dirt and sand. He was trying to build a sand castle like he does on the beach but since the sand was dry it wasn't sticking very well.  He still had fun trying though!

 While the boys played, Ron and Kaeryn just set around like this. They were actually tired because they had gone to Raging Waters earlier that day but it just made me laugh when I looked through the pics. It was like " Jaxen and Tristan, Play Play Play! While Daddy and Kaeryn just sat around like, Can we go now!" Jaden just chilled out in the stroller.

 Another fun thing was this mini fire camp. Smokey the Bear was there and the boys got to meet him and learn about fire safety. They had 6 different stations they went to that were taught by the forest service and Sacramento fire chiefs. They even had a cute little puppet show. Jaxen and Tristan both volunteered to help out and would answer questions. They had fun. In the end they got to hug Smokey the bear( Jaxen wouldn't hold still long enough for me to get a pic) and they earned their bandana!

 The area where they had the puppet show was carpeted so we let Jaden out of the stroller to crawl around while the boys were finishing their camp. I thought it was too cute not to share.

 Our old next door neighbors and friends are part of a Filipino dance group. They performed again at the fair this year. It was one of our highlights to go and see them perform. It was also fun to see them again. This dance ( I forget what it's called) is always a favorite to see. Especially when they have 4 bamboo poles crisscrossing each other. They did a fantastic job!

 This was my favorite part of the dance.

All in all the fair was fantastic! Since we didn't have to pay to get in( love those perks, we'll definitely get those passes again next year) we were able to try some of the fair foods. Our favorites were the chocolate dipped key lime pie on a stick and the chocolate dipped cheesecake on a stick. One stand gave you an order of fries that could feed an army! It was huge. We loved those as well. I was able to go to a few of the horse shows. I was in heaven for that. I got to see my favorite breed of horse, the Friesian. There was also a golden friesian which I have never seen before or knew that Friesians still came in colors other than black. He was absolutely beautiful. There were also some Gypsy Vanners that were just gorgeous. A group of horse vaulters. They did a show and that was fun to watch. The Friesians also did a show. they danced for us. I didn't have my camera but I really wished I had because at the end of the friesian show the stallion reared up. It was an awesome sight. They are so majestic! The fair was a success in our books. We really enjoyed being able to go multiple times instead of once. It definitely has been worth it. The animals were fun and cute as always. The art and displays were great. We can't wait til next year!

Kayaking with friends!

 The weekend of July 7th was great. We had a visit from our friends Andy and Casey. It was so fun to see them again. We took them to do one of our favorite things, Kayaking! It was a lot of fun. The kids each wanted to have a turn riding with either Andy of Casey. They love it when they come for a visit!

 

Jaden is still unsure of water. Which is funny because he loves bath time. I stayed on shore with him as the others went out. Which is fine, I don't mind. It's nice to just relax sometimes. Eventually I was able to get him to stand in the water and splash around, which he finally enjoyed that. Jaxen and Tristan like to ride in the kayaks but mostly they like to play in the water. They have fun with the games they play.

 While the boys prefer to play in the water, Kaeryn likes to be in the kayaks. She's gotten pretty good at steering while rowing. She loves it. After taking her turn with Andy, she spent the rest of the time with Ron. They have fun exploring the lake together. I have fun watching the boys play in the water and dirt. I also love to relax in the shade of the trees. It was a very sunny day and I was very glad to find a spot to put our stuff under a tree. We had a perfect day and a perfect weekend.

Raging Waters!

June 30th we went to Raging Waters as a family to celebrate Tristan getting his casts off. We learned earlier this year that Tristan has cerebral palsy and needed to wear casts on both legs to help stretch out the muscles. He had both legs in casts for about 8 weeks. Since we were limited in what we could do while he had his casts on we made a plan to go to Raging Waters the weekend after he got them off. When we got there we made the decision to get season passes. We will definitely use them and it has it's nice perks. Since the Raging waters in located inside the state fair grounds you can use your season passes to get into the fair for free! I am especially excited about that one. We will definitely be going to the fair multiple times this year!

The kids had fun and I was really impressed that the older two went on some of the slides. They tend to shy away from some stuff like that, but today they went with daddy! Jaden was not so sure about the water at first. The minute I put his feet into the water he started crying and getting upset. Which was a bit surprising because bath time is his happy place. But I can see that it would be a bit overwhelming for him. So I spent most of the time walking around and sitting on the towels with him to help him settle down. Finally, right before we were planning on leaving there was a section in the kiddie area that had cleared out. I decided to try one more time with Jaden since there wouldn't be as much chaos as before. He was still upset when I put his toes in the water but once I showed him he could splash around like he does in the tub he started giggling and started splashing himself. He became more comfortable and would walk around and hold onto my fingers. He then cruised along the side of the pool and even tried to crawl to me in the water. It was cute to watch him try that since he was in the water he would float and crawl. We ended up staying a bit longer to let him play. Jaxen and Tristan decided to join in and played in the area as well. It's set up like a pirate ship. The boys played on the pirate ship and then would come see Jaden and then go back to the ship. It was a very fun time. I'm so happy Jaden finally had his splash time and was able to enjoy the day with the rest of us.! We really did have fun and I know there will be more fun as the summer goes on. We will be back!

U.S. Olympic Gymnastic Trials!

 The weekend of June 29th-30th, Ron surprised me with a date weekend. Since he travels so much for work he has a lot of hotel points saved up and we decided to use one of our free hotel nights. It was such a fun get away! We were able to go to the 2012 Olympic gymnastic trials in San Jose, CA. It was so much fun. We were there for the mens finals. Their strength and talent was awesome sight! One of the best parts was we were able to meet up with our friends from the Seattle area, Julie and Sterling. It was so wonderful to see them again.

 This was our first time to the HP pavilion. It's a great stadium. They seem to understand women's needs and had women's bathrooms across the hall from each other. It made the lines go faster. Yes, it was nice.

 Outside the stadium they had set up an area that they called gymnastic city. It was full of booth's and people playing mini challenges. There were a few demonstrations as well.

 We stopped to watch a trampoline demonstration. It's very exciting! I guess they had the trampoline trials earlier in the week. I thought it was a shame that they didn't seem to broadcast them as well. It was fun to watch though. They actually get pretty high up. The HP Pavilion is actually right by the airport and a few times when these girls would do their stunts a plane would fly by really low because it was getting ready to land. It was a neat added effect.

 Inside was very exciting! There's so much that goes on that you don't get to see on tv. I wasn't allowed to bring in my DSLR but I was allowed to use my point and shoot. At least I had that. Not all the pictures came out as clear as I would have wanted but I think I was able to get some pretty good shots considering.

 These are just a few of what I took. I loved every minute of it! And although I wanted to come back home to my boys who became sick right after we left, I also didn't want the day to end. We only planned a one night get away, it was a much needed one. We don't get date nights alone very often. So while we worried together about the boys, we still relished the time together.

We love the Olympics! Both winter and summer! We look forward to each one. I remember being in Utah for the 2002 winter olympics and being able to take part in those and how exciting it was. I loved being able to share a similar moment with Ron! We are very proud of our team and we are so excited to see them and cheer the world on this July!

Stairs and T.V.!

 One of the fun things with our new house is there is more space for Jaden to wander around and explore. We've never had a home before with stairs and Jaden is loving climbing up the stairs. He generally has a huge smile and will laugh or giggle while he goes up the stairs. One thing I love about babies is watching them learn and figure out new things. This is Jaden doing just that. He figured out that by holding onto the railings while going upstairs he can still see and watch the TV. It's hilarious! So now if we're going upstairs to change a diaper or something I have to keep reminding him to keep going. Luckily he hasn't gotten to the point of getting really upset if I take him by the hands and lead him up faster. I just can't get over how cute and funny this is to me. I love that this makes me smile. I hope it makes other smile as well. Kids are so cute!

Last day of School!

 June 20th was Jaxen's last day of kindergarten. It was a happy/sad day for us. He absolutely loved his teacher Mrs. Peterson. She was fantastic! We're really going to miss her. So we're a bit sad to say good-bye but happy and looking forward to next school year. Jaxen will be going to a new school for first grade so there will be many new things to get used to.

 On the last day of school each year we like to take the kids out to celebrate. Jaxen choose to go to "Tops Yogurt". It's a really yummy build your own frozen yogurt bar. Since we were celebrating I let him choose whatever he wanted.

 This was his creation. Chocolate yogurt, gummy sharks. cookie dough, chocolate pretzels.

 I got some too and shared with Jaden. He was loving it. He kept trying to pull himself closer or out of the stroller to have more.

Looks like Jaxen loved his creation. It was a fun little celebration with just the three of us.

I can't believe how much time has gone by. My little boy is now a first grader. Some days I am still in disbelief and amazed at how much he has grown. Some days it still feels like he should still be my little one toddling down the hall. And now here he is, starting school, making friends, playing new games, learning new skills. Some days I long for the moments when he was a sweet little baby, those were magical moments, but I am loving being able to begin these new adventures with him. It is very exciting! We love you Jaxen! Congratulations on graduating Kindergarten and the best of luck beginning first grade! It's a big step up and we are so proud of you!

Catching up!

Well, in my attempts update my blog because i'm so behind, as usual, the hard drive died on my computer. I lost all the photos I was going to use for my updates. So I'll give a quick recap of what's left and then I will start again. Our Utah spring break trip was for a couple reasons. One, my Grandma Berry died so we went out for her funeral and two, one of the girls I was a nanny for got married. It was a bitter sweet trip for me. I had so many mixed emotions. I mourned the loss of my grandmother but rejoiced in seeing so many family members I haven't seen in so long. Some I hadn't seen in over a decade. It was wonderful to see them all again even if it was to say good bye to Grandma. I wished I could have spent more time to catch up with everyone. It's true, that when you get together with those you love and know love you in return, it really helps with healing your heart.

We celebrated Easter while we were there. My sisters put together an egg hunt at my mom and dad's house and the kids had fun with that. Jaxen said the easter bunny was really smart to know to come to Utah instead of our house in California. It was so cute to see his reaction.

We did a mountain drive through Provo canyon. In all the years we grew up Ron never went to Squaw Peak. So even though it's been dubbed the "make out point", the view is still spectacular. I remember going up there as a child  and collecting acorns. So I took Ron and the kids up there. It was beautiful, there was snow on the tops of the mountains that gleamed in the sunlight. However all the trees I remembered were gone. I was really sad about that. It was shocking to see all the trees gone. But instead of focusing on what I remembered, I just enjoyed the moment. Ron and the kids all loved the view. They were amazed at how much they could see from there. I love being in the mountains as much as I love being on the beach next to the ocean. It brings my heart so much peace. I really needed that.

We had fun playing at nickel arcade, and having a cookout with my sister Amy and her kids and my friends Jenny and Mike and their kids. Amy lives in the country and has a campfire pit in their back yard. We roasted hotdogs and marshmallows. It was fun! Jaxen had a blast playing in the big sandbox. He is my dirt boy, loves digging in the dirt.

We went to Joelle's wedding. It was beautiful. I can't believe my little girl is married and expecting her first baby. I'm so happy for her though. She was glowing. She looked so happy! It was great to see her and the rest of the family again. They hold special places in my heart. I'm so excited to be an Auntie!!!!

All and all it was a wonderful trip. We had our ups and downs, a few rough moments, but we had beautiful and happy moments as well. On the drive home we stopped in at Circus Circus in Reno. It was a great way to end the trip. Ron won me a stuffed bear. The kids all played a game and each won something. Jaxen played a game against me and a bunch of other adults. The look on his face when he realized he'd won was priceless! It was fantastic!

May was also a big month for us because we moved!! Wahoo! Just to a bigger house. We really needed this. We found a fantastic house that has an extra room that technically can be used as a 5th bedroom because there is a small closet but we're using it as my very own ART STUDIO!!!! Wahoo! I'm so happy to finally have my own space where I can have all my art/craft stuff in one place. I am loving it! I love being able to work freely on my projects again without taking over the kitchen! It's wonderful! I have my computer in here also so that I can look up inspirations while I work as well. It's so wonderful just being in a house where we all fit, and our stuff fits. It's nice and bright inside our house as well. I can picture us staying in this house for a long time. Which is good because I told Ron we are not moving again until we are ready to buy a house( we're just renting).

June was a big month for Jaxen. He celebrated his 6th birthday! I can hardly believe it's been six years since we welcomed him into our family. I am amazed at how the time has gone. I wouldn't change any of it. I love him so much! I lost the photos of his birthday but I did manage to get this pic of his birthday cake off my phone. He asked me to make him a mickey mouse cake. I had so much fun making this cake! He absolutely loved it! He told me it looked awesome! I sure love my little guy! He makes me smile!

June was also a big month for Jaxen because he finished kindergarten! I can't believe i'm now the mom of a first grader!!! I am excited and look forward to all it brings though. Jaxen's school had a graduation ceremony for all the kids. They did a little program. It was so cute. Jaxen was the kid who was dancing and wiggling around while all the other kids were singing the songs. He was cracking everyone up. He was also the only kid who gave his teacher a hug when she handed him his certificate. It was so sweet. He really loved his teacher Mrs. Peterson! She was fantastic with him. She said that if Jaxen keeps going the way he is that he might qualify for the advanced program in a few years. I am so excited to see what his future brings! Whatever happens, I will always love my spunky little 6 year old!

Okay, so that is some of the updates without the photos to go with them. It's been a fun few month's. Lot's of lessons learned, but lot's of fun memories to go with them!