Special Weekend with Grandma Kris

We are just coming out of a wonderful visit with my mom, who traveled down to Pasadena for a long weekend, which also happened to be Easter, making her visit extra special! We had a full agenda in store for her stay, and we didn't miss a beat. Immediately upon her arrival, we allowed her to open her suitcase only to retrieve her bathing suit, before taking off for the swimming pool. Maddie has been taking swim lessons, and she was excited to be able to take Grandma Kris into the pool to show off her "new moves."Be still my heart.After our swimming excursion, I took my mom on an "errand" and surprised her with a pedicure date. It was a lot of fun, particularly because this was her first pedicure; let me tell you, she was giddy! No pictures for proof of our fun, but trust me, it was special. :)

On Saturday, we went to the LA Zoo. It was around 84 degrees, making for a beautiful and warm afternoon. The place was a zoo - yes, pun intended, but seriously, the place was bursting with people. This made it a little more of a challenge to see all of the animals, but we were able to see both of Maddie's favorites: the giraffes and the elephants. I told you it was hot - even the elephant agreed.Saturday evening, my mom kicked us out of the house to go on a date, with Geoffrey, but without Maddie. It was a wonderful evening, with freedom from our adorable toddler. :) We tried a new restaurant called El Cholo Cafe, and it. was. awesome. We happened to run across an autographed picture on the wall of Jack Nicholson enjoying a meal at this restaurant. That's right. My husband takes me out to dinner where the rich and famous dine. After dinner, we were able to do a little shopping which, again, without a toddler is almost blissful! It was a real treat for us to be able to do this with a loving and free babysitter at home with Maddie. Thank you, Mom!!

Easter Sunday arrived with the joy of our Risen Savior, along with another bright, warm and beautiful day. My mom bought Maddie an Easter dress and we picked up a special new get-up for Little G (yes, that is one of my most commonly used nicknames for him). Prior to church, we had a little egg hunt in our living room and Maddie thoroughly enjoyed herself. Our church service was wonderful and fulfilling, leaving us praising God for His Risen Son!

We made a special trip to The Huntington Botanical Gardens and Library for the day. It is a famous place, not 5 minutes from our house, and we had yet to make a trip over there. This was the perfect way to spend the afternoon on Easter Sunday. The sunshine was out, and everyone was in their pretty Easter outfits, smiling and taking in the gorgeous beauty that makes up the 200+ acre park. It was perfect.

Isn't my mom beautiful? Her outside beauty truly depicts what is inside as well. I am blessed.And I am way blessed by this guy, too. Oh man. I'm getting all mushy on here! I'll try to bring it down a notch. This plant has some significance for my mom, and she has a tiny version of this at home, but for the life of me, I can't remember what it was called. Oh well. Still a cute picture!The Desert Garden was amazing. So many vibrant colors amongst hundreds of varieties of cacti. It always amazes me how flowers grow out of cactus plants like this.Check out how tall this one was!Entering the Koi Pond Garden.I am well aware that her face is in the sunlight, but I still really like this picture. I think it depicts an innocent beauty, and gives me a glimpse into a few years ahead.I love everything about her.Maddie chose not to be in this picture, so here we are with our little man in his special outfit...I cannot even tell you how many compliments he was given, and I'm not going to lie, I loved every single one of them!!Family photo. The best we could do.They make me so happy. :)Eek! So cute!It's true. His cheeks are that kissable.Daddy and Maddie, walking toward our special lunch at the Rose Garden Tea Room!It's tea time! We had a delightful afternoon lunch/tea, with all the little tea sandwiches, scones, salads and tiny desserts you could imagine. It was heavenly!You've got to love sibling entertainment!The Chinese Garden was another favorite of mine. I loved the architecture amongst the vegetation.
Love.This is the entrance to the Children's Garden. Maddie could not get enough of this blue door. It really fascinated her!We finished our day with a quick walk through of the famous library. Geoffrey had about had it, and decided to take a break from all the activity, by stretching out on a blanket in the shade. (In case you can't read the onesie, it says: "Lifeguard on duty. Trust me. I'm a professional." :)) It was a very memorable weekend, one which I will look back upon with fond memories. Thank you, Mom, for such a special visit. We love you!!

Old Fashioned Family Fun

This past Friday night, marked the conclusion of Brant's winter quarter, giving us much reason to celebrate. You might assume this would mean a trip to Disneyland, but alas, we decided to venture into an activity we have yet to experience as a family. We went bowling! It was an absolute success and we had such a great time. Maddie loved every second of it, from the moment she walked into the alley, taking in all the sights and sounds, to the hooping and hollering she eagerly took part in when her ball rolled down the lane. It was a joy for both of us to watch her enthusiastically embrace this new activity, which I am sure we will partake in again!

We went to a bowling alley in Pasadena, about 5 minutes away from our house, called 300 Pasadena. It's a newly renovated alley, with a really fun/hip atmosphere. We had our friends and neighbors, Micah and Hannah, join us for this monumental first experience (i.e., Maddie's first time bowling). Maddie absolutely adores both Micah and Hannah, and it was very special for her to have them there with us.

Little shoes!Let's do this, Daddy.Maddie loved her green ball, and loves Hannah.
Showing Maddie how it all works...One more picture, and then mommy will finally let you bowl!Cautious Maddie and proud Daddy.Maddie really enjoyed airing off her face, as opposed to her hands. It's hot work, picking up that big bowling ball all by yourself!Maddie wanted to help Micah bowl, too. She took it upon herself to fetch him his ball.Group shot (minus Hannah), while Maddie is expressing her true feelings: Can I please just bowl?! Enough pictures!Candid shot that looks posed...I promise, it was not. We were genuinely excited for Maddie's ball to go down the lane.And finally, I think this sums up how we all felt when the evening was over: giddy, tired, and happy that we had so much fun! :)

Daddy's Mini-Me

There are hardly words. I love my boys!

Look who we ran into...

Last week, we made a trip out to our happy place to escape from the daily stresses and obligations life can throw at us. The weather was unseasonal, with highs pushing 90. That's always fun. But with warm sunshine, also comes wonderful opportunities for pretty pictures. :)
Isn't she lovely? (Insert Stevie Wonder singing).Love them.Makes you sort of wish you were there, too, huh?
Nothing like beautiful spring flowers!And who could ever get enough of THIS cutie?! Not me! That's for sure! Next to all the obvious reasons for our family to be found at Disneyland on a beautiful afternoon, came this very important excuse...Yes, cousins reunited. :) Ellie's grandma and grandpa brought her down for a special Disneyland vacation, and we had the opportunity and availability to come and spend some time with them.
The girls were really happy to see each other!!We enjoyed dinner together, although I'm not sure how much food really entered their bodies...
After dinner, we enjoyed going on some rides together before it was time to say good-bye and head home. The girls both love Dumbo.It's a Small World - probably the 4th or 5th time they have been on this ride together in the past year. Yeah. They're pros.And finally, 2 little monkeys riding in the wild animal car on Casey Jr.It was a fun evening, and so great to be able to get the girls together, even if for just a few hours.

San Diego Zoo

The San Diego Zoo sure gets a lot of hype. And now I can finally say that I understand why. We walked through the turnstile and picked up a map, only to stare at it with wide eyes, without a clue as to where to go first. The place is huge!! We were thoroughly impressed by the habitats and the wide variety of animals they have. We lucked out and seemed to hit several of the animals during feeding times, making them quite active. Overall, it was a fantastic day (about 6 1/2 hours total), and well worth it. Enjoy the pictures!

Daddy and Maddie, at the front gate.Taking it in.There were so many kinds of monkey exhibits at the zoo.Geoffrey was there, too!The panda exhibit was a favorite, and Maddie continues to talk about the panda bears we saw at the zoo.More than the panda bears, I think Maddie liked the moving walkways the very best.Love.Amazing creatures, polar bears are.Reminds me of Tucker.See what I mean about viewing the animals during feeding time? We watched a zookeeper bring out a freshly killed white bunny rabbit (and by fresh, I mean that we could still see the blood dripping from the poor little thing) into the jaguar exhibit. She proceeded to drape it over a tree branch and leave. Brant immediately jumped in and said, "We've got to stay and watch this!!" :) We were given the pleasure (??) of watching this animal come out, delicately take his meal between his teeth, and tromp back into his den to enjoy his feast. Yup. That is a poor, little, innocent white bunny rabbit. Circle of Life.Another pretty incredible animal.For the life of me, I could not get a focused picture of the lions. They were quickly pacing back and forth, waiting for their lunch to arrive. I can affirm that I would not have wanted to be that zookeeper.He could eat me. Good thing there is a chain-link fence between me and him (heavy sarcasm implied).
I feel like we have something in common, I just can't seem to put my finger on it.I've always thought rhinos look like they are wearing some sort of plastic costume. Another incredible animal. God sure is creative in His creation!Before we left the zoo, Geoffrey decided it would be a good time to clear his shorts, and proceeded to explode out of his outfit. He felt real good after that moment. Can you blame him?