I just shared this on my family website and thought I'd share here too with a couple of minor tweaks.
In early June we made a trip to California. I had a business conference to attend in the middle of the week in San Ramon, so we decided to take the whole family out to see Mom and Dad, and old friends in Benicia. (You can click on the pictures below to get larger versions).
I've always wanted to walk out on the salt flats in the west dessert and Christine needed to use the restroom, so score! The bonneville speedway is in the distant background:
The trip was actually a pretty rocky one. Jackson was really sick the first two nights and didn't sleep at all at the hotel (or at least didn't let me sleep at all). I'd take him out of the room, get him to sleep, come back in, lay down and then he was up. He was a pretty miserable guy and so was I.
One of the highlights of the trip was getting to see our old friends getting sealed to their newest foster kids (they have two bio kids, and now 4 adopted foster kids (one with major issues, and one with slightly less major issues). It was a touching ceremony, and they are an amazing couple. In the picture is Talisa on the right (the mom) and Jill (C's old roommate and also a neighbor in Benicia):
We went to church in Benicia (still feels like home and afterward had fun at the aptly nicknamed "BigSlide Park." Ryan and Colin studied the science of getting the best slide, by getting the right sized cardboard cutout, and the proper amount of sand on the slide:
Monday we went to the Monterey Bay Aquarium (one of our favorite spots in the area). It was not very crowded at all and we were able to get up close and see everything, including the penguin feeding and the seahorse exhibit. Only downside was Jackson's blowout diarrhea diaper (he was sick remember?). Ever seen a sea dragon upclose?
We also went to Great America (San Jose's amusement park) and the twins got to go on some pretty cool rides. At the end we asked Ryan and Colin what their favorite ride was and they answered, "all of them!" They had a great kiddie land that Mason loved (and there were no lines), and we left Jackson at Grandma's house. We also went to a regional park and an indoor playland near Benicia that Christine used to take the boys to a lot. The boys don't remember going in the past, but they liked it so much this visit they asked if we could move back to California just for that playland. We celebrated Jackson's Birthday a day early at the end of our trip (thanks for hosting us!). I don't think he noticed the presents but he sure wanted the cake:
So on the way back home to Utah, we went through Vegas. We stole Ryan and Colin's cousin Lizzy for about a day and then sent Ryan Colin and Lizzy off to Grandma Krogue's house for what sounded like the adventure of a lifetime (still waiting for a copy of all those pictures).
My family had a family reunion (mostly with my parents and siblings and kids, but we did have one day with most of my grandparents descendants). We did a work project the first day (leveling out a place for a firepit), did a gorgeous hike up a canyon, went to yellowstone bear world (and got to feed the bears), staged a geocache hunt, and Christine led one monster game of kick the can with all the kids (Ryan and Colin accused her of keeping this really cool game secret from them until now). Anyway here are a few pictures:
Hiking:
Roasting Hotdogs in the new firepit:
Feeding the Bears:
Playing Kick the Can:
A couple of weeks ago, Christine and I (mainly Christine) babysat 4 extra kids (age 7, 4, 2, 11 months) for a week while their parents were in Thailand. The mom is one of Christine's close friends and a former college roommate. Christine hired a neighbor girl to come over during the day to make it (just barely) manageable. We are already planning a trip for them to reciprocate :)
One side benefit to the babysitting was that their 11 month old Carter was already walking. After observing Carter for a day, Jackson decided to take his first steps that evening. Now he is getting pretty proficient and can make it 15 feet or so:
Last week I had a 4 day weekend thanks to my 9/80 work schedule and Pioneer day. We spent some rewards points and stayed in a hotel on Thursday and Friday nights down near Provo. We hiked Timp cave and drove the scenic route around timp on Friday. The boys absolutely loved the cave. On Saturday I finished putting in a huge sandbox for Jackson's birthday (a month late!). He absolutely loves it, which we expected, but we were surprised by how much fun Ryan and Colin have had in it.
That brings us to the present. Today Ryan and Colin ran in a triathlon. They ran a good race and finished strong despite dealing with a course that wasn't marked well at all (My cousin actually puts on this race). After the race, Christine took Ryan and Colin over to the company party at Lagoon. Mason and Jackson haven't been feeling well, so I stayed home with them and they got in an almost 2 hour nap (good for them). Here are Ryan and Colin with their finisher's metals:
Anyway, we are doing relatively well. Ryan and Colin are sad to lose their closest relatives, first Neil and Kelli, and now J.D. and Marissa this week. Mason is still Mason (makes us pull our hair out put throws in enough "I love you"'s to keep around). I got promoted at work. I am now the Environmental Team Lead. Christine is trying to get a new product off the ground, so we are hoping that goes well. The website is still a work in progress, but the first batch of product should be finished soon (see http://www.babyundersocks.com).
Hope all is well with you and yours!
Love JA (and Christine)
p.s. Had to share this video of Mason dancing:
