I had been wanting to go to Classic Skating with the family for a while now but just hadn't got around to it yet. I really wanted to take Aves and have her try roller skating. We finally decided to do it. It was fun and although Aves tried her best with the plastic "slip over your shoes" type skates they have there, she liked riding her scooter more.
We had fun and hope to go back again soon.
It also brought back a lot of memories for me as a kid. I would go to the classic skating on Riverdale Road a lot. The would have all nighters where they would lock us in and there would be pizza and drinks and the whole 9 yards. I also remember skating by and giving high 5's to girls on the side of the rink. They would also have couples only songs where guys would ask girls to skate....Don't get any ideas Aves.
We left on the last flight out so it was going to make for a long night.
Avery was great and is getting so independent. It's nice to not have to help her with every single thing anymore. She liked pushing her bin with her backpack through the security check.
Avery actually fell asleep on the plane pretty quickly and was out the entire flight, Mckenna on the other hand was the one that was up the whole time. I think we have a night owl on our hands.
We got in and had to grab a shuttle to the car rental location. LAX is a huge airport so it took a bit to get there. When we arrived we had to wait in line for our car rental, ugh, it was about 11:30 Utah time. Luckily the girls weren't too cranky as a "interesting" man had his service dog with him that was barking and kept the girls entertained.
it's about a 50 min drive to Uncle Mikes. The girls fell asleep so Brit and I decided to make a quick pit stop at In-N-Out burger for a little midnight snacky.
We arrived and hit the hay.
Then next morning we had planned to go to Disneyland. We arrived around 10 AM and paid the spectacular price of $17 for parking.
We visited California Adventure. The weather was nice and the crowds weren't too hectic. We did quite a few kid rides. We did a fair amount of adult rides too with single rider lines and Stroller Passes. Alyssa ended up joining us that evening with a friend so Brit and I were both able to go on a ride or two with them.
Kennas loved the Carousel and would cry every time the ride was over and had to get off.
Averys favorite ride. Dumbo!
Welcome to Disneyland!
Why Bother....
Aves giving Eeyore bones.
Both Eeyore and Tigger were great with the girls.
Flo's diner for dinner.
The Disney Jr show is always a hit
Kennas and Cougs!
Mommy and Aves
Boo Ya, Toy Story Mania
We were all tuckered out by the end of the day and we hit the road to head back to Mikes in Ladera Ranch.
Friday we relaxed a little and hit up Montage Beach. It was awesome and we had a fun time. Ricardo ended up joining us and it was really fun playing in the sand, playing in the tide pools (Averys favorite) and throwing sand at Seagulls so they wouldn't get into our bags.
Tide Pools
My Favorite Photo
That night it was Brit and mine Anniversary so we went out for a dinner.
Saturday Mike and I played some Tennis at his local community park. It was a lot of fun and I enjoy playing tennis with him. Plus I smoked him 10 games to 3 :)
His community also has a great pool area with a splash area and dump bucket. Avery didn't like them very much but Kennas.....She couldn't get enough. She wanted to walk around and up and down. I love her. But my back didn't that day.....
Sunday evening we all drove to downtown LA to the Garment Distirct (Santee Alleys) to look around. We didn't have a ton of time and wish we could have spent more time browsing around.
We drove to a little hole in the wall Mexican restaurante to meet up with some family. We all ate and while there it took my back to my mission days in Guadalajara Mexico eating their Tacos al Pastor and Agua de Tamarindo.
Brit really liked it and Avery was loving the Chips and "Dip".
We parted ways and I headed to the BYU vs. UCLA Footbal game with the Grossen family. The game was awesome and I am glad I got to the famed Rose Bowl. BYU played hard and was up the entire game until the last 3 minutes. They ended up loosing by 1 point. Bummer! Still a fun night.
Sunday we a relaxing day and we assisted their ward and had a family dinner/Mrs Pac Man showdown. Josh dominated everyone but Brit and I slowly got better. It was fun.
Avery liked picking the fruits from the trees in Mikes yard, She loved making lemonade and was a great helper juicing the lemons.
Monday it was back to Disneyland. The crowds were ut in full force but we managed to go on some fund rides together. Avery and Kennas even got to meet Tigger and Eeyore "Why bother".
Tuesday we headed back to Montage Beach and we had a lot of fun. Avery and I spent some time walking around the tide pools. She liked exploring and watching the ocean come in and out. Mckennas was hooked on the ocean as well and wanted to walk and be in the water non-stop. She is such a busy body.
Here is a little video I made real quick of our family trip to So. Cal and Disneyland. We had a great time and I loved spending time at an awesome beach with the kiddos.
We are so lucky we got to go on this trip and are grateful for the chance. We know we are lucky.
Big Thanks to Mike and Tiffany for letting us stay at their place.
We have some great parks and trails within walking/riding distance. The Jordan river is pretty close so it is fun to take advantage of our surroundings. It's great to have this blog as a photo journal to look back on throughout the years.
Our little baby girl Mckenna "Kennas" turned One year old on Wed. 6/10.
We love her so much,
she is so smiley and happy.
She loves to laugh.
Her smile is so cute.
She is great at walking with her car or shopping cart.
She loves to stand in the kitchen by the banisters
She is very easy to put down now.
She is finally growing some hair on her big head.
She has 4 teeth
She likes to eat/suck on watermelon
She sleeps from 7:30 until about 7
She likes swings
She can crawl up the stairs easy but not down thankfully
We had dinner with some friends and Brit made an awesome cake for her.
We love our Mckenna girl so much!
We recently went on a road trip up to the Pacific Northwest.
We drove to Portland (actually Eagle Creek) to stay with my brother and his family for about a week.
We had a blast and it was a ton of fun hanging out at their place and spending time with his family.
We left in the afternoon on Friday 6/19 and drove pretty much straight through only stopping for gas a few times and dinner so we could all stretch our legs. We just wanted to get there ASAP.
Unfortunately the most scenic part of the drive was towards the end of our drive when it was dark
but the girls did pretty good and both slept for the last few hours. We arrived around 2:00 AM Sat morning.
Saturday We just hung around their house in Eagle Creek (about 40 minutes outside of Portland). They live out in the "country" and have 3 acres or so of land. There is plenty to do outdoors as they have a small Motocross Track (Yes!) Chickens, a swing set, and a tramp.
Avery and Mckenna really enjoyed playing with their cousins.
Sunday We attended their church and just relaxed around their house.
Monday we had planned to make a trip to the Oregon Coast. Andy planned a hotel so We left the house around 11:00 and drove West Bound. We decided to take a more scenic route on our way to Sea Side. We ended up going to Pacific City. Specifically we went to Cape Kiwanda Beach. It was cool as the beach has a massive Sand Dune. It was great as you could drive right up onto the beach (although be careful where you park, a guy in a 2 Wheel drive mini van got stuck and we had to dig him out). We had fun climbing the Sand Dune. Avery had a lot of fun and although the water was wayyyy too cold to get in all of the way, we did dip our feet in from time to time. The weather was great, holding at a steady 75 degrees and sunny. We left after a few hours and drove through Tillamook on our way to Seaside. It would have been fun to stop and get some Ice Cream or Cheese but we were all tired and wanted to make it to the Hotel in Sea Side. We stayed at a Worldmark resort right on the beach., They had a fun pool with direct access out onto the beach. We played in the pool and cooked burgers on the provided BBQ the rest of the evening.
There is a Statue of Lewis and Clark in Seaaide even though they ended their expedition at the Pacific Ocean north of Seaside at Astoria, OR. The monument commemorates the 18 month, 4,000 journey from Saint Louis to the Oregon Coast.
Aves drawing in the sand.
There was a massive Sand Dune next to the beach.
Avery and Eliza
Tuesday we explored the beach for a bit and then went to a small local Aquarium. It was fun to see some sea creatures, have the kids hold some small crabs and feed the Sea Lions. We grabbed some lunch and drove back to Eagle Creek which took around 1.5 hrs. Andy, Benson, Parker and myself loaded up and drove to a local Motocross Track that was only about 15 minutes from his house. It's called Mtn View MX track and is easily one of the most scenic tracks I have ever rode. They have great dirt and really fun obstacles you can build up to. We didn't stay for too long and went back to the house. That night we celebrated Averys 3rd Birthday! We had dinner and she opened presents, and we had cupcakes Brit had made. We wanted to get a Pinata but it was a little hard to find. We love our Avery so very much and are so thankful God entrusted us with her, and we want to do the best job we can raising her. She has so much energy and we can't wait to see what the future holds with her. Ok Ok, you can put the tissues away now.
Happy Birthday Aves!
Wednesday we again just hung around the house and watched the kids play. It was starting to get hot. With the humidity it felt pretty toasty so the kids played on our slip n slide we took as well as a pool they bought.
Thursday we had planned to meet up with an old family fried of Brit's. We met up with her in Portland at a park. Brit and her caught up and Aves and I took advantage of the parks swing set and slides. We all went to eat at "Panera Cares". Side Note: This is soooo Portland, but there are a few Panera Cares restaurants around the area. They are not to be confused with the normal Panera. They basically just say that if you go in a truly cannot afford the food, they will give it to you for free. Pretty cool concept of a Portland restaurant taking care of their less fortunate citizens. We had lunch and went our separate ways. On the way home we found a Winco and were able to buy a Pinata for Averys B-day. That night we all went to a local weekly Motocross race they hold in Portland. Its at PIR (Portland International Raceway). They track is a lot of a fun and they do a good job grooming and watering. I had decided to race with 2 of Andys boys; Benson and Parker. We all did pretty well; Benson and took 2nd in our own individual classes of Over 30 Junior and 50cc Junior, and Parker did an awesome job at his first race. All in all it was a fun/safe night, and i had a lot of fun racing with my nephews.
Who's kid is this anyways????
Results for the night were great, all three racers (Myself, Benson and Parker) walked away safe and Benson and I took 2nd in our respective classes.
Friday we made a trip to Blue Lake Park, they had a splash pad and a lake to swim in. By Friday it was getting in the upper 90's so it was a nice cool down spot for all. I ended up taking my mom to the Airport (which wasn't too far away) and rejoined everyone at the park. It was a lot of fun playing with everyone at the splash pad as well as in the lake. That evening we finally were able to fill up the Pinata with candy and let the kids have at it. It was fun to watch them all try and break it open.
Saturday morning we went and rode the local track again, it was getting hot to we wanted to get it done early. Luckily we avoided a bit of the heat wave with some good shade, and some overcast skies. The track again was a blast and we all rode quite a bit. We went home and drove just a few blocks down the street to do some U-pick Blueberries. One great thing about the location they live is all the U-pick fruit you can do yourself. The blueberries were only $1 per lb so needless to say we loaded up. The rest of the day was just spent trying to keep cool and watching the kids play.
Fun on the tramp.
Birthday girl.
picking Blueberries.
I think Avery spent the most time on the tramp and swing set.
One evening we drove for about 30 minutes up to Government Camp, which is a small town at the base of Mt Hood.
Aves and Uncle Andy
Kennas!
Aves took a seat by this big fallen tree while we were picking blue berries.
