Pirates and Pizza on a Saturday Afternoon

Today we decided to get out of the house and head over to a pirate park by the beach. It has two large playground areas that are shaped like pirate ships. The boys had a great time. Chase ran around the park, climbed up and down the stairs, and slid down the slide several times. Knox spent most of his time in either the baby swing or playing on this turtle they had. Riley and Wills played tag and hide and go seek. They were constantly running around. It was so cute.

We tried to get a family photo and of course... Chase did not want his picture taken.

We then went out for pizza at a little local place, Toppers. It is right by the harbor, so we saw quite a few boats docked this afternoon. It has a huge fan on the ceiling and Chase was totally fascinated. He kept pointing at the ceiling and looking up. 

We spent the rest of the day at home... I love Saturdays!

Chase's Sock Puppet

Chase has this cute sock puppet. He will look around and find a random sock (so Mr. Sock Puppet changes everyday) and wears it on his hand. He then plays with it like a puppet. He talks to it and the puppet talks to both Milly and I for several minutes almost everyday. It is adorable what children are able to come up with just a little bit of imagination. This keeps him very entertained in the mornings!

Sunny California

So over the last few days, the weather has been great. The boys absolutely love playing outside. They mostly play on the tree swing, draw with chalk on the patio, or play in the dirt.

Check out Chase's new shoes from Grammy and Grandpa McGraw... He stomped around all afternoon in them!

Here are a few other photos from earlier this month... since this picture, he has picked all of the flowers off of this poor plant.

Time for change... healthy choices

When I was in college, I never thought I would have any problems with weight or exercise... I just always thought I would be healthy and have a high metabolism. However now that it has been 8 years since I graduated and I have had 4 children, I feel like it is time for a change. I need to make healthy choices and start taking care of myself.

So when we moved to California, I joined a gym and I am ashamed to say that I have only been a few times since August. I always find excuses not to go - work, laundry, the boys, time, yard work, or just being tired... so I decided to put aside the excuses and go out for a run tonight. It has been a long time since I put running shoes on to actually go running.

While I only ran half a mile, it felt good to be running. I got my heart rate up and I could feel my muscles burning. So maybe tomorrow, I will run a mile... I guess everyone has to start somewhere.

Wills' First Field Trip to the Farm

On Thursday, Wills went on his first field trip to a local farm. He was so excited... they got to ride the bus over to the farm and he thought that was pretty cool since he has never ridden the bus before. THey learned about where food comes from and how it is important for development and growth. They had a maze made out of rye grains which was a lot of fun. Wills also planted a few clover seeds too. I know that Wills really enjoyed everything and the trip was very educational!

Another day at the beach...

While Cindy and Taylor were in town for spring break a few weeks ago, we took the boys to the beach. They had so much fun. Riley and Wills spent most of the time throwing rocks into the water. Chase on the other hand... he just wanted to get in the water. Knox had a great time picking up the rocks and holding the sand.

We definitely need to plan another trip out to the beach. Maybe next weekend.

Here is a layout of Knox with a picture from the trip.

Photographs I took this weekend...

This past weekend I flew into Virginia Beach for a conference for work... it was nice to spend a few days with my family. We went to dinner at Lynnhaven's Fish House. This is probably one of the best restaurants in the area. If you are ever in the area you should head over and have the She-Crab Soup. Here are a few pictures I took outside by the pier.

We are planning on going out for Christmas this year... Cory will be deployed to Afghanistan and the boys get three weeks off from school. So we will probably fly out once the boys are out of school and stay until the Tuesday after New Years. I am excited and can't wait. I already have a list of things I want to do while we are there.

Few New Layouts...

Just thought I would share a few layouts that I just recently finished...

I took this picture of Wills just before his birthday. I can't believe how much he has grown since we brought him home from the hospital just six years ago. I am just amazed at how much he has changed our lives. He has such a big heart... we love you Wills!

Here is another layout of my other two boys...

 Last month we went to the Santa Barbara Zoo... I think that this is the boys' favorite place to go on the weekends. We must go at least once a month. They love the fresh air, seeing the animals, and running around the zoo. I love the fact that we have a family pass so its an inexpensive place that we can go that is fun and educational. We usually pack a lunch and they have picnic tables that have a great view of Santa Barbara.