Spring Break FUN!

My nieces, Hannah and Hayden, had their Spring Break in March. They came down for the week to spend time with us. We had SO MUCH FUN!

They arrived Saturday afternoon after the long 10 hour drive from Idaho. They were all bundled in their sweatshirts and pants to get out into 80 degree weather! Big shock! The girls instantly kicked off their shoes and jackets and ran through the green grass and played in the dirt. Within an hour of their arrival, we headed to the park so they could run off some energy.

On Sunday, the whole family headed to church. After church, we went to Chico, CA so my they could experience In-N-Out Burger for the first time. YUMM!!! Then, we headed to Bidwell Park for an afternoon of sun, warmth, and playtime. On our way home, we stopped for some frozen yogurt.

On Monday, Susan and Cody headed back to Weiser, ID and the girls and boys played around the house and rested all day. They played for hours outside in the sunshine. Then, they had a sleepover in the living room and watched Frozen..... a lot.

I think we watched Frozen 50 times that week. I'm not kidding.

On Tuesday, I took the girls to get their nails done. We went to a nail salon in Chico, went out to lunch at Olive Garden, and then came home and watched... you guessed it... Frozen.

On Wednesday, the girls helped me get the house ready for youth group, and helped me make dinner. For lunch, I let the kids make their own pizzas. They really enjoyed that! In the afternoon on Wednesday, we had tornado warnings. I let my sister know and we had lots of people praying for us. Thank goodness the storm was a few miles north of us. The kids had no idea what was going on. I even took Hannah outside with me to take pictures. Bad Aunt on my part. She thought it was cool. All the kids even helped me bring all the toys in from the wind.

On Thursday, we stayed around the house because it was rainy and cold. We also packed up the car to head to San Francisco the next morning.

On Friday, we went to San Francisco. We drove over the Golden Gate bridge and went to Fisherman's Wharf. We ate lunch at Rainforest Cafe, watched the Sea Lions on the wharf, rode a carousel, ate a hot fudge Sundae at Guiradelli Square, and walked the hills of San Fran! By the end of the day all the kids (And adults) were exhausted! It was such a fun day!

On Saturday we loaded the car again and spent the last full day on Spring Break with the girls. EARLY EARLY EARLY (4:15 AM)on Sunday, we got into the car and I drove 10 hours by myself with 4 kids (Ages 8, 6, 3, and 1) We made it safely to Idaho with no complications and the kids traveled so well!

It was such a fun week!

My favorite picture of the week:

Happy 27th Birthday Lyndon!

Lyndon celebrated his 27th birthday on March 2nd. We had a pretty low-key birthday this year. We went out to lunch, he went shopping for some things, and I bought him a cake for church, since his birthday was on a Sunday.

We also made a big dinner one night for him, the boys bought him some gifts they picked out and they bought him a cake!

Happy Birthday Lyndon! I can't believe I started dating you when you were 20! 7 years down. :)

Trip to Idaho in February

The boys and I flew to Idaho (Alden and Collyn's first airplane ride) in February. The boys definitely enjoyed the ride. It was an hour and a half flight and they enjoyed every minute. I bought them the "Kids Pack" snack and that occupied them for a good 30 minutes.

When we arrived in Boise, we were greeted by my parents, my brother Johnny, and my sister Susan and her family. Alden rode to Weiser with his cousins giggling the whole way. Collyn and I rode with my parents and Collyn slept.

The reason we were in Idaho is because I told Hannah I would come watch her dance competition. I don't break promises! ;) We headed to Boise for a long day of dance. Her group got 1st place in their division. They did wonderful!

While we were in Idaho, Alden had 2 birthday parties, one by my family and one by Lyndon's family. My family's party was at the Chinese restaurant in town. He got lots of good cards, a HUGE Nerf gun, cars, clothes, and new UNDERWEAR! :)

His 2nd party was at Grandma Kay's house (Lyndon's grandma) Lyndon wasn't able to come on the trip with us because he had to work. Hannah and Hayden also came to his party at Grandma's. Lyndon's family was there and some family friends. He was given TONS of gifts there and a Spiderman cake! He received so many gifts that we had to ship a box back to California after we flew home.

Alden and Collyn also got to play in the snow! We don't have snow where we live and they don't really remember it, so they were able to experience snow. Alden loved it. Collyn hated it.

On Valentines Day, Alden and Collyn spent time with Lyndon's parents at a hockey game in Boise and I went to a Valentines dinner at my parents church. I was the official photographer for the evening. :) It was a delicious prime rib dinner.

It was such a fun trip to Idaho. We try to head back every few months to see everyone. :)

Our Home Garden

The house we are renting has AMAZING AMAZING AMAZING raised garden beds. I have never seen such AMAZING beds! Literally 14 raised beds!! We are definitely taking advantage of these bad boys!

This winter (Strange, we can grow plants in the winter) we planted green onions and broccoli. The boys enjoyed watering them and watching them grow.

Here is Alden with his HUGE broccoli!

This spring, around the middle of March, I planted our summer garden. I have watermelon, cantaloupe, tomatoes, carrots, cucumbers, corn, lettuce, pumpkins, onions, and strawberries. Soon I will be planting some peppers and green beans and snap peas. I love love love love my garden!

I'm Back!

OH my! Have I really been MIA for 4 months now!!? Gosh, things have been crazy busy around this house. I will definitely be doing some catching up in the next few days. Stay posted!

Home Schooling: Preschool

We have decided to home school the boys for preschool. Alden just turned 3, so in August he will be starting preschool. We looked at all our options and decided home schooling worked best for us financially. I love teaching little ones so it just came natural to keep him home. I have enjoyed buying supplies for projects and crafts.

We were going to start preschool in August, the same time he would be starting if he was going to preschool outside the home. He is so eager to learn, he wanted to start now. So, we did. We are going slowly with it learning a letter a week, a few colors here and there, shapes, and doing lots of crafts. I will definitely update about my preschooling process.

I am NOT A PROFESSIONAL at preschool or home school. I am learning every day. But, it is fun to watch him understand new things.

Day 1: We learned the Letter "A", the sound, and how to write it.

I bought Alden a preschool notebook that he practices his letters in, and also a journal that he draws a picture in and "writes" about the subject in.

The first day we wrote out the letter A. We colored the letter A and hung it on the wall. We also made hand butterflies (Doesn't go with the letter A theme, but it was fun.) and wrote in his journal about what his favorite animal is. He chose Tiger because it says ROAR! :)

Day 2: We stayed with the letter A. We wrote it out in our notebook and practiced the sound it made. We wrote in our journal what we do at the park.

We made letter A crafts.

Paper plate Apple...

Use the back of a paper plate and paint it red. Then, add eyes, a mouth and a stem.

Apple Stamps on the letter A...

A made a block A on a piece of paper. Cut an apple in half, dip it in red paint, and stamp it on the letter.

Alligator...

Cut out a letter A, turn it sideways and add cut-out teeth.

I have really enjoyed this time of my life.

Cradle Cap: My Solution

My kids have always struggled with Cradle Cap.

Cradle Cap Definition: a skin condition sometimes seen in babies caused by excessive production of sebum, characterized by areas of yellowish or brownish scales on the top of the head.

Alden has always had an issue with it. We have tried all different types of methods to get rid of it. The "baby oil" technique has been the most used. Put baby oil on the spot of cradle cap and use a soft brush to gently remove the 'scales'. It didn't seem to help.

The other week I took the boys to the barber for a hair cut. The barber noticed the cradle cap and commented on it. I told her it comes and goes but I can never seem to really tackle the issue. Her solution: Baking Soda. Never thought of it.

Super easy.

Step 1: Put the child in the bath. When you are ready to wash their hair get their hair wet and let it sit for a good 30 seconds to a minute to soften the cradle cap 'scales'

Step 2: Combine the amount of shampoo you normally use for your child and just a little shake of baking soda and stir in the palm of your hand.

Step 3: Gently scrub the shampoo mixture into your child's hair, the whole head. Baking soda won't hurt their head or hair. Pay close attention to the cradle cap area. Lightly scrub for 20-30 seconds.

Step 4: Take a soft tooth comb and brush the hair. I brush from side to side, then switch directions, then go back to front and front to back. Don't push hard with the brush. Just gently remove the cradle cap 'scales'.

Step 5: Rinse the hair thoroughly.

Step 6: After the hair is dry, check to see any areas that need to be re-treated during the next bath.

It took about 2-3 times of this to fully remove Alden's cradle cap, but this is the first time that it has actually removed the scales.