Carlsbad: Part 2 {Legoland}

 One of the main highlights from our trip was our day at Legoland. Petey was so excited and remembered rides from the previous year that she wanted to go on again.

She was being a stinker and wouldn't look at the camera so this was our family photo in front of the Legoland entrance.

We started off with the big boys splitting off to brave the biggest and creepiest rollercoaster at Legoland {which in comparison to most theme parks isn't very scary}.

 They loved it. As a sidenote, my sisters and I braved it a little later on in the morning and I'll never be doing that ride again. I was yelling and scared out of my mind...but I hate rollercoasters in general so...

While the boys were in line for that rollercoaster, we took the kids on some of their favorite rides from the previous year. There is one that goes up and down that Petey loves and luckily, Spidey was tall enough for this year!

Then it was time to go to the ride my kids had talked about for weeks...the "pew pew ride".

 It's an Indiana Jones themed ride and you shoot little targets throughout the ride.

 Can you tell K Bear's smile was forced? He wasn't a fan of the ride.

 Since there was practically no one at Legoland that day {which seemed weird for spring break}, we got to ride it twice in a row. Spidey was super happy. He wasn't tall enough for this ride either last year and was elated that he got to join the 'big kids' and shoot things. What more could a 3 year old boy want?

 This is what the family looked like while we went on the big slide ride. I took Spidey on it so I have no pictures of that but I did get pictures of Petey going down.

 She loved this ride and did it a couple of times.

 Another favorite ride was this horse ride. We lied a little about Petey's age last year since she was 2 months from being 4 years old. The ride requirements are 4 years old and 36 inches tall. Well, this year, the 3 year old boys were both past 36 inches tall so it's possible that we lied about their age this time. SHHH!!!

 As you can see, both of my kids loved it and this was a ride we repeated a couple of times as well.

 I got some pictures of Andrea and K Bear being silly while we were in line for the big boat ride that rocks back and forth and spins in circles.

 Petey's turn to be silly with Auntie Andrea.

 Funny thing, Spidey wasn't trying to be silly for this picture. He is just going through a funky smile phase right now.

 Here are some of the family ready for the boat ride to start. That ride is definitely a one time experience for me. I got dizzy with all of the spinning and rocking.

 Next, we got to drive these little boats through a path. It was actually kind of tricky since you're really steering and pushing on the gas. Luckily, I didn't run into any walls. :)

 This is the best picture I got of Petey during the boat ride. She said the sun was too bright that day for a picture. :)

 This is Petey's scared face, apparently. I told her to act scared because she was in the mouth of a shark.

 Waiting in line for the airplane ride...

 Here we go!

 I have to brag and say that compared to most of the kids driving these bumper cars, my kids were doing really well steering and not running into each other.

 Spidey was loving this ride that goes over the water. You can pedal but it actually doesn't affect how fast or slow your car moves.

 Hi, Will and Chris!

 Hi, Grandpa and Candace!

 Hi, Daddy and Petey!

 Hi, Jp, Andrea and K Bear!

 Uncle Chris was nice enough to take Will on this ride where you pull yourself up high and then let yourself drop back down.

 They made it to the top a couple of times.

 Next was Petey and Boss' turn.

 They made it to the top as well and Petey would giggle every time it dropped back down.

 The story time boat ride was fun. They told different stories throughout the ride from The 3 Little Pigs to Little Red Riding Hood.

 This was the first ride Ellie went on since she slept most of the morning and wasn't tall enough for most of the rides anyway.

 This was also Bug's first ride ever! Looks like he had a fun time on his boat ride with his mom and dad.

 Poor Grandma had planned to ride with Bug and his parents but found out only 2 adults were allowed per boat so she ended up on a boat by herself for that ride.

Spidey loved this car ride and would turn his wheel the correct direction every time we would turn. He is going to be a good driver someday. :)

Some of my favorite things about Legoland that weren't pictured:
- Both of my kids got to experience their first real rollercoaster. Petey was tall enough for almost every ride, including this dragon rollercoaster that was a bit scary for ME! I was worried about letting her on it, with thoughts running through my head of her falling out because she's so little, but Boss held her tight and she LOVED it!
-Spidey actually got to go on this dinosaur rollercoaster that wasn't as big as the dragon one but was still a pretty legit rollercoaster. As you could've guessed, he loved it as well. We rode that dino rollercoaster probably 10 times with the kids. I guess they take after their dad and have more of a thrill side to them. That is definitely NOT from my side of the family.
- My parents bought some tickets for the aquarium so people could choose whether they wanted to take a couple of hours there or stay in Legoland. We chose to stay but my dad took Petey to the aquarium. It was so much fun having Spidey with Boss and I. We were able to do whatever he wanted and spend time focused on him. Since he's our second child, he doesn't get that one on one time often and I loved being able to do that with him.

Legoland was a blast. It was 100 times for fun than last year. Last year, Spidey was literally tall enough for the baby rides and he would cry when he wasn't tall enough for a ride. It was miserable, Even Petey last year was barely tall enough for the little kid rides. This was definitely the perfect year for them to start enjoying it. I am so thankful my parents are willing to spend the money and effort to give my kids these special memories. Carlsbad is becoming such a fun tradition and I hope my kids grow up remembering these special things they've gotten to do. They sure are lucky kiddos.

Carlsbad: Part 1

 We got to Carlsbad on Saturday night so we got settled in and went to bed. On Sunday, we went to church and then decided to check out the beach.

Ellie really loved the sand.

 My kids were not dressed for the beach but oh well. We didn't let them get wet that day.

 Digging in the sand with the frisbee.

 Boss was so good with the kids at the beach and took them walking by the water.

 Petey collected probably 45 sea shells that we've brought home.

 Boss was being silly with Spidey on the way home.

The next day, we decided to get the kids in bathing suits and do a real beach trip.

 Ellie looked adorable in her swimsuit and hat that was way too small. :)

 Trying to get everyone out the door was a challenge. Every time we tried to walk away from the condo, somebody would need something else inside. :) Eventually, we did leave the condo. And yes, that big house in the middle of all those condos is where we stayed. It is so beautiful there!

 Spidey love love LOVED the water.

 Since Andrea and Jp just moved to AZ from CA last week, they had this awesome beach tent that was pretty convenient for all of us.

 Petey loved getting in the water but she was freezing when she got out so Boss made her a warm little spot in the sand. :) She's the cutest little mermaid I've ever met.

Can you tell this boy was happy?

 Again, a freezing Petey was trying to find a way to get warm. She found a warm spot in the sand and just layed there for a while, periodically turning from her back to her tummy.

 Hi, K Bear!

 The kiddos loved building sandcastles and digging.

Everyone was so so SO sandy by the end and getting all of that sand off was not fun but it was worth it for a fun day at the beach. :)

Roots 'N Boots Rodeo

 Saturday, March 9th, was a special day in our family. The little baby boy that first made me an aunt turned 8 years old and chose to be baptized! I am so proud of him and was so happy we were able to be a part of his special day.
I wish I had gotten a picture of him but we left right after the baptism to head to Petey's dance performance.
It had rained most of Friday and we were worried what the weather would be like because Petey was dancing outside at a rodeo.

When we got there, it was raining and the ground was muddy. Petey was freezing in her costume and I felt bad for her.

 My sister had literally moved her and her kids to AZ from CA the night before and we were all heading back to CA for a family vacation so we had her kiddos with us. We kept Spidey and K Bear busy with the Kindle while we waited for Petey's performance.

 Since it was cold, Spidey decided to put his blanket over his head. :)

 Eventually, I had to take the blanket off of Petey so she could line up with her class.

 It stopped raining FIVE minutes before they went on stage. What a relief! Petey was freezing but excited to be on the stage. I am so glad they didn't get rained on.

Here is the video of my princess dancing. They have only been learning this dance a little over a month and they're big concert is in May but I thought they did exceptional!


As soon as she was done dancing, we hopped back in the car and headed over to California for a fun week of family time!

All of the kids were excited to be together and our drive over was pretty uneventful, which is how we prefer it to be. :)

We had a TON of fun in Carlsbad but I'll split that up into a couple of posts since I took a million pictures.

A Family Tradition

 In 2011, we started a family tradition in Carlsbad, CA.

Spidey got to meet his favorite character and did NOT like it.

 Petey was just a cute little barely 3 yr old.

 And my poor boy had to wear his sister's dress... story is halfway down this post.

In 2012, we headed back to Carlsbad for another adventure!

Legoland was a huge part of that year...

...along with trips to the beach, which is just a block away from the condo.

I have a hard time believing that another year has passed. Can Petey really be inching toward her 5th year of life? How are my kids getting so big, so fast? And are we really preparing for a thrd adventure at the beach house?

All I can say is that I am excited. I'm excited to make new memories. I'm excited to take a break from our daily routine. I'm excited to have Boss with us for an entire week. I love family trips and am counting down til the day we get to be in Carlsbad together again...especially since I have one sister moving back from California the day before we leave and my other 'out of town' sister is coming all the way from Virginia.

Have I mentioned how much I love my family?!!

PS: I talked about how Spidey learned how to ride his bike but never posted the video! So here it is for you to enjoy! I'm so proud of him for learning how to ride so well in less than a week!

Just Like Dad

 There are so many reasons I'd like to freeze Spidey at this age for a while.

He is such a silly little thing. On this particular night, he stuffed probably 7 pieces of tortellini in his mouth so he could have dessert. It only took him 30 minutes to chew it all up...

 He is just so lovable and seriously adorable.

 This week, he finally decided that riding his bike isn't so bad and he is starting to learn. He has only had that darn bike for almost 5 months now! For being such a monkey, I'm surprised he has refused to learn how to ride a bike. I figured he'd be riding circles around Petey by now.

We know he needs a haircut but can't decide whether we'll actually cut it. All of that red is just too cute, even when it's sticking up and curly on top of his head.

The facial expressions just kill me. He's so hilarious. His "smile" faces seem to get weirder by the day but I know we'll look back on these pictures and have some good laughs. Sometimes I have to remind him to open his eyes when I take pictures. That face is just the epitome of Spidey.

My favorite thing about Spidey right now is that he is so into being just like his dad. The other day he said, "Mom, when I'm bigger til I won't grow more, I'm gonna have a blue truck just like my daddy." Then, I started asking him if he wanted to be bald like daddy and go to work like daddy and he enthusiastically said yes. He looks up to Boss so much and it absolutely melts my heart. I am so grateful that Boss is such an amazing dad. If Spidey turns out to be just like his daddy, I'd feel like we did a pretty great job raising him.

If you can't tell, I'm proud to be the momma of that boy. He is so fun to be around and I'm glad I get to experience life with him in it. It makes everything better.

5 Things About Me

This blog is getting way too serious. All of these infertility and "hard decision" posts are filling up and I'm here to lighten things up!
If you know me well, this post will probably bore you. If you don't know me well, you might learn some new things about me. If your name is Andrea, you'll know everything in this post but you won't be bored because you never get bored with me. Right? Right?!!

Anyway, here are 5 things you probably don't know about me:
(All of the pictures in this post are just recent pictures of my kiddos. They have nothing to do with the post. I just have cute kids. Deal with it.)

1. I am the 4th out of 6 kids and I am quite sure I have the most awesome family ever. My 2 younger siblings both have special needs and they're the best siblings in the entire world. I feel like I really lucked out with the family dynamic that I grew up with. Five of us grew in my mom's belly (all of the girls) and then 7 years after my younger sister, they picked my brother (through adoption) to be the final member of their children.

2. My very first date when I turned 16 was with my husband's younger brother. We carved pumpkins together and then somehow, we ended up falling asleep on the couch together. Because my now brother in law likes to be super awkward, he likes to tell people that we slept together on our first date. Technically, it's true but you can just imagine his fiance's face when he told her that one. Sigh... 

 3. When I was little, I wanted to be a pediatrician like my dad. Then, I decided becoming a surgeon would be even cooler. After high school, I realized I really wasn't cut out for either of those jobs so I became a mom instead. Ok, I'm kidding. I've always wanted to be a mom. Plus, being a mom is sort of like being a doctor. I wipe up bodily fluids all day long.
Also, if you were wondering, my ambitions have changed and I'm enrolling back in college to pursue psychology. I actually couldn't be more excited and nervous to become a college student again. 

 4. Having worked at my dad's pediatric office for 5 years, I recognize people everywhere I go. When someone points to me and says I look familiar, my first instinct is to ask, "Do you take your kids to Gilbert Pediatrics?" and the answer is usually yes. My dad kind of rocks at what he does and I love meeting people who love his office.

5. I don't like trying new things. When we go to a restaraunt, I usually already know what I want when we get there because I order the same thing every time. I trust what I like and don't always feel the need to try new things if I already have something I love. Sometimes I wonder if that has to do with my OCD or if it's just another weird quirk that came with the personality I was given.