Animal Sounds

We've been working with Ben on animal sounds. He doesn't exactly have it down but he is pretty darn funny, especially his dog impression. He makes a face to go along with the high pitch sound that he thinks dogs make!

Tea Party Fun...for 2 seconds

Lauren and Ben were being so cute and playing tea party so I ran to get the camera. As I came back I heard screaming and they were already fighting over something. Oh well, it was cute while it lasted.
Lauren pouting because she doesn't want to share with Ben.

Not winning any fashion contests around here

This is a typical Lauren outfit...and she thinks she looks so great.

A+ for originality I guess.

Mr. Fix It

If tools and gadgets are around, Ben is too.
He "helps" Kevin with all his fix it jobs.

If he can fix our computer from shutting down after 10 minutes of non use he'll get a really big treat!

A day with cousins!

We spent our last full day in CA with my cousins. We headed up to Bates Nut Farm, which is a place we used to always go as kids to feed animals, get pumpkins, etc. It was really fun to take our own kids there together. Ben LOVED the animals.
He would've stayed all day if we let him.
They have corn you can feed the goats and Ben was all over it.

Lauren was a bit nervous but would feed them if we put our hands on top. Apparently it is okay if they bite us, just not her:)

We attempted a group shot of all the kids. They were all pretty funny.

I love how Jacob is holding Emma's head up. By the last picture he was practically choking her. And I love Ben's serious pose...with his shades of course!

Look at poor Emma's little face!

The cousins had to pose in front of a Bates Nut Farm sign and the only one we saw was on the outhouse!

So we had to take a picture inside it as well.

After the farm we bbq'd at Doug & Marie's house. Uncle Bob got in a good workout with the kids, they all wanted to play on the pole.

Emma was feeling pretty cool being one of the big kids!

Lauren in action!

Mr. Serious decided to give it a shot too.

These two are pretty darn cute together!

The kids table at dinner!

This morning as we were packing Emma hopped in our suitcase. I think that means she wants to come to Seattle real soon:)

What a great trip! The week flew by way too quick and has us all wishing we had a little more time for fun in the sun with family. I had to explain to Lauren that it costs money to go on vacation so we'll have to save up before we can go again. Then my computer started to act up and I was saying how I think I'm going to have to get a new one soon. She says, "Oh no, then that will take up our money and we won't be able to go back to San Diego."

Huntington Beach

On Monday we met up with my Aunt Tracey and Cousin Claire in Huntington Beach. Lucky them, they get to live so close to such an amazing place!
It was 80 degrees and so beautiful. Ben was in a really serious mood and didn't break a smile or remove his shades the whole time we were with them!

Lauren had a blast jumping in the waves with Tracey & Claire.

Weee!

Ben spent most of his time sitting on a towel pointing to the sand between his toes because he didn't like it. Such a funny little boy, maybe next year he'll join in the fun:)

Again I ask myself...why don't we live here???

HADLEY!!!!

As we were driving from Palm Springs to Huntington Beach we passed this sign and I had to take a picture from the car to show Miss Hadley that her name is famous!

More Palm Springs

Lauren and Ben loved sitting in the corner of the couch watching Diego on the portable DVD player every morning and night.
Kevin & I at the "living desert zoo"

They had an animal hospital there that was quite impressive. Lauren of course wanted to know about every animal and why they were hurt. Our favorite was an owl who had a neurological disorder so he rotated his head constantly and he had a missing wing. Amazing that this poor thing was still alive, lucky for him this zoo exists!

Ben had so much fun running around like a crazy animal!

We had to get Icees to cool us down- it was in the high 70's you know and I've become quite a wimp in the heat unless I'm by a pool or beach!

Taking a break!

Ben was out before we even got to the car.

Lauren passed out on the lawn chair. Love her pose.

After our naps we headed to the pool. Ben was double fisting his afternoon drink:)

Finally- on the last day of our trip Ben decided to leave the steps of the pool and actually play in the water! He had so much fun and was really cute to watch.

Our Little Fish

Who is that wild man jumping in the pool?! Who knew Ben could be so wild.

Having fun with daddy! We stayed in the pool until the sun went down, so sad to say good-bye to the hot sun and the cool pool (as Lauren calls it).

Lauren is already asking me when we can go back! In fact she was sulking around the house tonight and when I asked her what was wrong she said, "I'm just sad that we are back in Washington, I like California better."

Palm Springs

Our first night in Palm Springs Ben decided sleeping wasn't necessary. He got up at 2:30 am and never really fell back into a deep sleep, which means Mama didn't either! At 6am I finally got up and took him to Starbucks so everyone else could enjoy some quiet. We had a fun coffee date with lots of good people watching. He decided to take a little rest on the floor at Starbucks. If only it was acceptable for me to do it too!
Oma & Opa got them cute new Life is Good shirts. They are having the best time going on walks and playing in the sun.
Ben wasn't so sure about the pool and it took a good 30 minutes before he got in but he managed to have a little bit of fun in there.

Lauren on the other hand is 1/2 fish. She would stay in the pool all day if we let her. She is pretty confident with her floaties on and makes her way all over the pool. She played Diego and "rescued" all sorts of things in the pool!

The girls went to El Paseo today (a mile long street of fancy shopping) while the boys went to a car show. We had so much fun and I was in heaven since Lauren was in the mood to be a girl! I practically get giddy over it.

A little s.p. of us at Starbucks.

Oma, Me, & Lauren

They have these fun golf cart shuttles that drive you up and down the street if you get tired. Lauren LOVED it and didn't want to get out when we got to our destination.

Lauren & Ben are having so much fun getting attention all day long from Oma & Opa.

Kevin & I went out to dinner tonight and I braved a sushi place for the first time in my life. I can't say I'm a fan but at least I did it. And I actually ate 2 raw things and some octopus. It wasn't as gross as I expected, I just didn't love it, but Kevin did so it was worth it:) Happy early Valentine's day!

That's our update on the desert so far! We are loving this 77 degree weather and are excited to have a few more days left in lovely California.

...wondering why we don't live here???