Halloween

A hodge-podge of Halloween costumes - the Wicked Witch of the West vs a Fireman vs two Loyal Royals.  We trick-or-treated with our neighbor Braeden (and parents Eric & Emily) and had so much fun.  I know I say it all the time, but we truly have the best neighbors, the best cul-de-sac, and the best neighborhood.  We are so very lucky to live here!

Fun weekend visitors!

We had a great long weekend with two very special visitors - Grandpa and Grandma O!  We tried to squeeze in all our favorite activities mixed with our regularly scheduled events (soccer games, Starbucks run, ha!).  

First up, a gorgeous morning hike on the trail directly behind our house.  Lily was cracking me up - she took off running with the comment "I can't help it Mom.  The trail is just too pretty!"  

We also headed to our favorite 'cooler weather' restaurant, Greasewood Flats.  It's an old bunk house turned into a country music/biker bar/best hamburgers in town venue.  After exploring the area and enjoying our meal, Lily and William danced the night away…and convinced Grandpa and Ryan to join them!  

No pictures were taken, but Ryan, William, Grandpa and Grandma spent one day driving north to Sedona.  They experienced the amazing red rock country, fall leaves, quaint lunch with Oak Creek Canyon as the backdrop, and of course, great company.  I must admit, I was slightly jealous as I've never been up north in the fall…but also greatly appreciated a full day to myself while Lily was at school!  

Lots of special memories were created in a few short days.  Thank you Grandpa and Grandma for coming to visit!!!

Fall break {part 3}

{Wrapping up a fun week}

A few additional San Diego adventures:  
Auntie M, Casey, and I took the kids to SeaWorld.  Our favorites were the penguins, the dolphin show, and of course the Shamu killer whale show.  While Lily loved the park, I'm not convinced it was worth the time and money.  But we had fun, none the less.  

We rented a large home with a great yard, including a playhouse for Lily and William, grass (!), and an awesome pool/hot tub.  Once the boys arrived, lots of time was spent swimming.     On our last afternoon, they were having so much fun, they barely noticed that Mom, Auntie and Nanny snuck out for some quiet girl time and happy hour!

 

Such a great week enjoying the California sun, spending time with family, creating lots of laughs and new memories.  Thank you all for joining us on our California adventure!

Fall break {part 2}

Mid week, we were joined by Daddy, Papa Kurt, Auntie M, and Uncle Casey.  (We missed Matt, Kristin, Sam and Maggie so very much…love you guys!)  

A major highlight of our trip…the beach!  It was William's first time and Lily was thrilled to show him the ropes.  He was tentative and nervous at first, but once Nanny dipped his feet into the waves, he couldn't get enough.  And Lily was impressive…she somehow convinced Auntie then Uncle Casey to take her far out in the water so she could jump the waves.  The water was freezing, at least to this wimpy mom!

Fall Break {part 1}

Ryan and I try to do a mini vacation (or long weekend) every quarter.  It gives us something to look forward to and motivation to work hard knowing we have something fun on the horizon.  Our school district has a one week fall break, so over the summer we decided we'd plan a trip to San Diego for a few days.  However, after mentioning our idea to my parents, we decided to turn it into a week long family vacation!

Mom flew to Phoenix, we packed up the mini van and the two of us drove the kids to California.  We had three days on our own before the remaining crew joined us, and stayed in a great house in La Jolla within walking distance of restaurants, shops, and the coast.  Most of our time was spent exploring the neighborhood, experiencing an amazing farmers market, scoping out all the restaurants, and enjoying the beautiful coast line.  A favorite spot, which we revisited multiple times, was the harbor seals at the Children's Beach…Lily loved how close she was to the wildlife.  

{Those are not sharks in the water, but surfers.  We loved watching all the surfers in La Jolla!}

Firetrucks!

Our neighborhood Mom's group scheduled a play date, plus a special surprise…a visit to the Fire Station!  Lily and William were under the impression we were just playing at a new park, and had no idea what they were in for (I was nervous the firemen would be called out and we wouldn't be able to tour…and was NOT in the mood for the meltdown that occurs with those disappointments, ha!).  To say they were excited might be an understatement...

Such a fun afternoon with sweet friends!

The Big 3-5

I can't very well let October 4th pass without a shout-out to the absolute best husband and father this gal could imagine.  

We had a blast celebrating with him over the weekend.  The morning was kicked off surprising Dad with Grandma O's sticky buns for breakfast.  Lily was up early (or shall I say her normal time) and immediately begged to wake up Ryan for his birthday breakfast.  I held her off until 7am and then birthday celebrations began!  

After our tasty breakfast, we were off to Lily's soccer game.  Twisted Lizards for the win! (Coach Ryan for the weekend while our head coach was out of town)

The afternoon was spent napping and relaxing after gorging ourselves on The Peanut wings (thanks Nanny and Papa Kurt for the birthday present.  I think I enjoyed them almost as much as the birthday boy.  I'm still full!)  And that evening, Ryan and I snuck out for an adult only evening at Top Golf.  It's basically darts and bowling combined with a driving range.  Seriously so much fun (and I'm a HORRIBLE golfer!)

But I believe the highlight of the birthday weekend was as pictured below.  A quick trip to KC and a once in a lifetime experience for the boys.  GO ROYALS!

Happy 35th birthday Ryan.  We love you more than you know!