Indoor Nascar

It is HOT outside...really HOT. 

My boys don't really care, but I DO.

So when they asked if they could ride their bikes inside, I said SURE, because that meant I didn't have to go outside to watch them ride them.

So we pushed the couches aside & our "indoor race track" has been a hit for the past couple weeks!

Ryler-18 Month Well Check

 Ryler Allen - 20 Months

Weight: 26 lbs 14 oz -50%

Height: 34"  - 75%

Head: 19 1/2" - 80%

I took Ryler in for his 18 month well check today/Hep A shot

& just wanted to get his stats documented!

Have a great Friday!!!

HOP SCOTCH

My aunt gave me this Hopscotch game for preschool & my boys LOVE it!!!

Parker is pretty good too!

I can still hear Parker saying "Don't step on the 7 BABY!!!" :)

Ryler stopped throwing the marker & decided to use his blanky instead;)

All worn out & ready for bed:)

Park in August!

We haven't been to the park in MONTHS...because there is concern for 3rd degree burns if you play on the playground equipment in the lovely AZ heat!!!

Well...Saturday was really NICE & Matt was out of town, so I took the boys to get dinner(Taco Bell, very fancy!) & then we headed to the park, which was actually the Elementary School by our house...

We had never been there, so the boys were in heaven on the "new" toys!

It was nice weather & I had so much fun playing with these cute boys!

and we even got to watch a beautiful sunset on the way home...

Double Birthday Bash

Matt's dad & his sister both had birthdays this week, so we celebrated Thursday night at the Allen's

with Pizza, Cake, Cobbler & Homemade Icecream...yum!

 This boy could eat pizza for every meal, just like his daddy!
I just need to teach him to chew with his mouth closed;)

The cute birthday duo, gearing up to blow out the candles!

Let the sugar high begin!!!

Happy Birthday to the BEST father-in-law in the world
& the BEST 17 yr old sister-in-law in the world!

LA : Day Three

Sunday morning we woke up & headed to the Newport Beach Temple.

It is Gorgeous.

Took a bunch of pictures.

and got a group shot, of course...

and then walked across the street to church.

Enjoyed Testimony Meeting.

And then hit the road for home.

Played a fun game on the way home.

Can't remember what it is called?!?
Maybe Perculation???

It passed the time quickly

and before we knew it we were home.

We quickly headed over to my parent's house,

to see this kid...

and this kid...

Perfect ending to another perfect day.

Just want to say THANK YOU to Rob & Julie for watching our kids

or it wouldn't have been possible to go!

We owe them...BIG!!!

LA: Day Two

Bryan & Natalie were awesome to drive us around all weekend!

Gina, the GPS was a lifesaver.

Will never go to Cali again without one.

Stopped at IHOP for a delicious breakfast.

Then on to LA Fashion District.

I had never heard of this before.

It is a MUST GO & SEE & SHOP.

100 blocks of Amazing deals!

They have this "Alley" that reminded me of when I lived in China.

Crazy crowded.

Bargaining for good deals.

Fun experience.

Bryan & Nat took us to their favorite spot for lunch.

These hot dog carts along the street smelled divine.

And they tasted as good as they smelled.

Cooked with a strip of bacon wrapped around it.

covered in grilled onions.

ketsup.

mayo.

topped with chunky salsa with avacados.

Might not sound great, but it was amazing.

If you go, you have to try one!

After lunch...more hours of wheeling & dealing.

This time we headed to the textiles.

Scoring some awesome deals on fabric.

This entire shop was $1 per yard.

Nat & I FILLED that suitcase with fabric.

After a long, fun-filled day of shopping, 

we squished all of our purchases into the trunk & headed out.

Matt & I have never been to Hollywood, so we drove down Hollywood Blvd.

Bryan & Nat pointed out all of the fun stops

on our way to dinner.

Wined & Dined (minus the wined) at an Argentine Restaurant.

Bryan served his mission in Argentina and knew where to go.

Ate a Milanesa...Argentine beef sandwich.

It was delicious.

Headed to Santa Monica Pier.

Got tickets for the Ferris Wheel.

Matt's 1st Ferris Wheel ride!

It was so fun & a gorgeous view!

 Then we walked around on the pier.

Heard a guy playing his guitar & singing.

Sat on the stairs & listened

& cuddled

& enjoyed the music.

I told Matt to buy me the CD.

His named was James Valenti.

I loved his music, combined with the peaceful ocean & cool breeze.

We talked to him for a bit.
Made us laugh. 

We bought his CD.

Stopped to take a few cute pictures before heading out.

And a cute one of Bry & Nat.

and  back to the hotel after an

EXHAUSTINGLY FUN DAY!

We laid out all of our purchases at the hotel

& took a picture. 

Thank you self timer.

Went to bed, 

wondering how we were going to fit everything into the car the next day.

It was another perfect day.

I'm already trying to plan a girl's trip back to LA Fashion District.

It was SO FUN!

LA Trip Day #1

We took our FIRST VACATION WITHOUT THE KIDDOS!!!

It was amazing.

I am going to post about each day individually, because there are a million pictures, so I want to break it up & I want to include all of the fun things we did & don't want this post to be 5 pages long:) 

 

Our good friends, Bryan & Natalie had the great idea to go to LA for a few days together & we quickly agreed! So glad we followed through on the great idea!

Day ONE:

woke up at 4am...yikes!

Bryan & Nat picked us up and we headed for LA...arriving about 9:30am

waking up early paid off, we had the entire day ahead of us.

Checked in at hotel 

& changed into our swimsuits & headed out!

1st stop: LUNCH at  Rincon Chileno
*you better believe Matt found this place after googling Chilean food in LA

Very glad he did.
Authentic food and it was delicious.

The Churrasco is my favorite & it did not disappoint. 

I've been wanting one ever since we had one in Orem, UT a few years ago.

They had one little table in the middle of this little bakery/cafe...

just for us! The empanadas were delicious too!

Off to the beach!
A beautiful drive up along the coast & over some pretty amazing bridges.

before arriving at Huntington Beach 

It was beautiful!

We thought about swimming, but the water was freezing.

So we walked along the beach instead 

 The boys threw a frisbee in the ocean & us girls relaxed in the sand.

We found some street performers to entertain us.

After a few hours on the beach we headed up the street & tried Sushi for the 1st time!
(not counting the time I had it on the airplane on the way to Japan & it was NASTY)

So glad we did, we were both nervous but  our friends knew of a great restaurant & we LOVED it!

That was our appetizer & as we were walking along some shops, a guy gave us 50% off coupons for a nearby restaurant.

2nd Floor. 

We decided to check it out.
The food was DELICIOUS. 

I got my fish tacos I wanted!

And we finished just in time to walk back to the beach and watch the sunset.

it was beautiful.

and I was cold...in July, imagine that!

and then we headed to Goodwill, of course;)

California Goodwills don't mess around!

Our men found some hot jackets.

and some more.

We found a couple items worth buying(not the jackets)

& then headed out to grab some Frozen Yogurt. yum!

Then back to the hotel for games.

Monopoly Cards was the choice.

Everyone won a round except me:(

I need to practice up on my card skills.

The day was perfect.