A Visit from Grandma

and Bill and Sam.

We really enjoyed having Dan's mom and 2 of his brothers come visit us last weekend. I don't think we could have crammed more into a 24 hour period. After 2 baseball games, Ann and I canned 32 pints of chicken while Dan and Bill built shelves in our master bedroom closet. I love them!Sunday was a special day and it was so nice to feel the support of family. It has been 2 years since Dan's father's passing and it was so nice to feel his influence during the weekend.

My parents, Karla, Ericka and Paul and their children came as well. (Sorry, no pictures of them!) Thank you for all you do!

Pythagorean Theorem

That was today's math lesson. When was the last time you heard that!?? It brought back so many memories of Mr. Butcher's geometry class. Tomorrow's class: Irrational numbers.

A Teenager?!?

Brandon turned 13 today. 13?!? How did that happen? It's hard to believe that that sweet little 5lb 9oz. baby is now almost as tall as me.

He is such an amazing son. We love him so much!!

Happy Birthday!!

Star Wars Legos.

Remind me never to buy birthday presents in front of Jacob and Blake. Otherwise, they will try to get you to guess what gift was bought and where it is hidden.

Brandon, Emma, and Dan.

Do you notice Dan's shirt?

He got it this morning for finishing another sprint triathlon. He's been sick all week so he was happy to just finish.

Field trip to the Living Desert in Palm Desert.

And last but certainly not least, some recent pictures of Emma.

We are glad she is over her

waking-up-in-the-middle-of-the-night-because-she's-teething-episodes.

Crazy hair!

Since Gabby is too humble...

Since is Gabby is too modest it is up to me to tell you how amazing she is...

She set a goal to reclaim her physical self and started on a strict diet and exercise regimen about Oct 1, last year. In 6 months she has reached her goal weight and is lifting more weight than she imagined she could and can run at least 4 miles (she is working towards her next goal of running a 1/2 marathon this year)! I can't tell you how much weight she has lost because, well, intelligent husbands don't do that. But suffice it to say that she is again wearing outfits she wore when we got married nearly 14 years and 5 children ago! And to give you an idea of her dedication and resolve, she did not skip any days, meals, or anything this past 6 months. She stuck with her regimen 100%. Thanksgiving? She made us a feast and didn't taste any of it. Then while we ate the feast she prepared, she sat down and with a smile ate lettuce, cucumbers, brocoli, and tuna (or something like that). Same thing happened for Christmas. She even refused to lick her fingers any of the 1/2 dozen times over Christmas that she made her incredible homemade cinnamon rolls! Gabby is absolutely inspiring! Way to go Gabby!

**Imagine my horror when I opened up our blog and found that Dan had written this post! I had no idea and he didn't even tell me he had done this! Just to clarify a few things, it has taken a little longer than 6 months and I ate turkey for Thanksgiving. (I think the tuna was for Christmas.)

Walmart and the Park

That's what we did today. Nothing too exciting but FUN nonetheless. I have Relief Society tomorrow so we ran around getting things for that. We went to the park for a birthday party and baseball practice. After that we headed to the church for Scouts. The boys didn't mind driving around running errands because that's when we get to listen to Harry Potter. We are on the third book. (Hooray for Harry Potter!)

Santa Monica Pier

What a fun day it was today! We headed west on the 10 straight to beautiful Santa Monica. We had never been to the pier and it was absolutely beautiful. The weather was a sunny 77 degrees. Just beautiful. I am not a beach person but this was nice. We had a great time.We went to Muscle Beach. This was the coolest place. We are definitely coming back to ride bikes and go jogging along the beach. How cool would it be to do your daily workouts here?! The boys enjoyed climbing ropes and swinging on the rings.

Then after a hard workout you have to get a healthy one of these....

We walked along the boardwalk and just enjoyed the view.
The boys played a game at Pacific Park. Brandon won a snake for Joshua.

Joshua and Emma enjoyed the stroller ride.

(I did have the shade on Emma. I just lifted it up so that I could take a picture.)

I kept making the boys stop to take pictures. We were such tourists but I had to have something to remind the boys just how much FUN we're having!

Cabazon Dinosaurs

After driving by these dinosaurs countless times, I decided that we would start our Spring Break by visiting these creatures. We picked up Blake's friend and we headed east on the 10. The boys had a great time.

The boys had a fun time climbing the stairs inside this T-Rex. The boys had fun in the "Dino Dig" and exchanged the rocks they found for a small dinosaur.

Emma was good to be in her car seat.

They panned for gems. Jacob found a few "gold" rocks.

Posing with the soldier.

Blake's friend tore some tendons in his hand. Can you spot the smiling face on his hand?

Joshua loved the dinosaurs.
This turtle was a tad bit slippery. I climbed on top and tried to stay on long enough to take a picture.

What will tomorrow's adventure be? Stay tuned.

Spring Break 2010

TWO weeks! Will we survive? Will Dan come home from work each day and find me smiling or locked in my closet?
I am determined to make this the best spring break we've ever had. (I'm not sure what that looks like exactly but whatever we do I'll just keep reminding the boys how much FUN it is!)

Wish me luck!

More Pictures of Emma

Emma Felicity Hull

8 1/2 months old.

I love this little girl!!