Trip to CA/Part 2: Morro Bay AKA The Great Beach House Debacle

We left Bakersfield in the morning of Gillian's Birthday and headed straight to the coast! Morro Bay, CA.  It was only a 2 hour drive but the kids were beyond anxious to get there and see their cousins that they hadn't seen in years.   We finally arrived at the house we were staying at, which was owned by my brother's friend.  It was an amazing house with a gorgeous view of the beach and Morro Rock and the entire little town of Morro Bay.  It was quite spacious and really nice.  We were so excited.  We quickly unloaded our stuff and drove a few miles over to our family-owned Beach House to see everyone.    It was instant madness...squealing, laughing, hugging, etc and I loved it!  The 2 families staying there got all unpacked and settled in and the women instantly left for the grocery store as it was almost dinnertime and we had NO food!  At the checkout line I got a call from Don and he says, "We have a little bit of a problem over here".  I honestly couldn't think of one thing he could be talking about.  He went on to explain that his cousins two families had just pulled up from UT and they seemed to think it was THEIR turn to stay at the family Beach house.

Oooooh Nooooo!!

Don seemed completely calm, cool, and collected.  He told me that everyone (meaning 2 big families) was moving over to the place we were staying so just to take the groceries over there.  Thank goodness we had that place or I don't know what everyone would have done!  I hung up with Don and told my two sisters in law what had happened.  One of them instantly burst into tears and I don't blame her.  She had just pulled in from a looong drive with 5 kids from Nebraska and had already unpacked and was all settled, ready to stay there for the full 2 weeks, and now she was homeless!   Well, to make a long story short, everyone packed into our place and it was wild and crazy fun amidst trying to find another beach house to stay in. We had to be out of that place after only 4 days so we all packed up and moved to Don's sisters house 30 minutes away, while we searched and searched for another beach house to finish off the vacation.  It was a lot of packing and unpacking, but we didn't mind because we were ALL together and it was really a non-stop party!  The kids were great with their cousins and we loved our adult time as well.
Here we are celebrating Gillian and Bradley's birthdays on the first day of arrival.

Aunt Melissa was so awesome to spend her day making these fabulous cakes since we had all been traveling all day.  

Happy 13th Birthday, Gilli Bean!  Another teenager in the house.   

Aren't these cakes awesome?  Yes, that is a cake even though it looks like logs on a fire!

Standing room only.  :)

We spent the better part of each day at the beach.  Exactly my kind of vacation.  It was amazing.  I love and miss the beach so much so it was so therapeutic for me to just sit and watch and listen to the waves rolling and crashing.  It was a little colder than the beach where I grew up, but I didn't care.  It was perfect to be surrounded by family and away from 108 degrees back home in Texas!  

The kids had so much fun reconnecting with their long lost cousins and thoroughly enjoyed the long, warm summer days with nothing to do but sit on the beach.  Rough life.  

I married into the best family.  I could hang out with these girls all day, every day.  They make me laugh so hard and have this way of boosting my self-esteem whenever I'm around them.  We were sad to be missing two of the women as well as Don's mom.  :( 

The boys loved their "guy time".  I think they played golf ten times, I lost count.  They deserve it, though.  They are good hard workers and good husbands.  Steve is so good he even takes care of the pregnancy's for his wife.

We spent one morning exploring the tide pools at Avila Beach.  It was so beautiful and the kids found some really cool creatures.  

Ben found this huge crab and then proceeded to attach it to his mother's earring.  It made us all crack up so hard!  It's a good look for you, Stacy.  

Here we are (most of us) packed into Reece and Melissa's house.  They were so willing to allow our crowd to completely overtake their home for a few days and we were all spoiled with Melissa's amazing cooking.  

We spent a gorgeous afternoon visiting Montana de Oro--a required destination for any trip to Morro Bay.  It is the most beautiful place and so serene and peaceful.  

The big kids took off right away to climb and explore.

The girls tasting Bel Frites, the most amazing french fries ever! 

We hit the San Luis Obispo Farmer's Market/Street Fair, the Cayucos candy counter, walked on the Pier and just had the best time with everyone.  And that brings the 2nd leg of our trip to CA to a close and we were sad to leave!  We love Morro Bay and we miss our family!!  

River Rafting Down the Kern River

For those of you who have never experienced river rafting, you have got to do it!  It is such a blast.  When we were in Bakersfield for the 4th of July, Trevor and Natalie took us rafting down the Kern River.  We left the little ones (Ethan, Kandrea, and Lilia) at home with a sitter so we didn't have to worry about them falling off the raft. :)  We split into groups and each had a guide to steer us through the rapids and down the river.  It was about 107 degrees that day, but the water was very, very cold so it was wonderfully refreshing to get splashed!  And we got splashed...even soaked!   We even stopped a few times to play in the water.  Everyone (except me) jumped off the raft and floated down the river for a small stretch just floating in their life jackets.  It was tooooo cold!  Then at one point we pulled over and the guides flipped the rafts over so we could slip and slide on the back of the rafts.  It was hilarious to watch and so fun to do!  We really had so much fun and are anxious to find some bigger rapids and do it again.  Here are some of my favorite shots....

My niece, Maddi, is the one right in the center with the BEST expression on her face.  Love it!!

Trip to CA/Part 1: Baketown

This year we decided to escape the intense Texas heat (like everybody else out here) and spend an entire month in California!  We headed out on Friday afternoon for the TWENTY-THREE hour drive and decided we would just drive straight through.  I know.  We're crazy, right?!  But, we have decided that driving through the night is so much better in so many ways.  Yes, Don and I are exhausted from staying up to drive, but we sleep every chance we get in the passenger seat.  The kids do so much better because they are sleeping for almost half of the drive and since we are too, it makes the trip go quite a bit quicker.  It was still a looooong time to be in a car but we were so excited for the days and weeks ahead that it was worth it!

Our first destination was Bakersfield where my brother and his family live.  We finally arrived and within minutes the big girls were all dressed the same, decked out in tons of jewelry and dancing and singing along to loud music.  The PARTY had begun!

All of the kids have cousins their age so they just played and played and played.

One night we went to a family's home that has a home theater and watched Alice in Wonderland.  This home theater was quite incredible.  It had 11 reclining leather chairs, each with it's own blanket, a huge screen with amazing surround sound, a popcorn machine just like at the theater, a soda machine (free, of course) and bowls and bowls of chocolate and candies that our children basically inhaled.  It was pretty awesome.  

Trevor and Natalie have a bird and Ethan spent every chance he could making it talk and kiss him and playing peek-a-boo with.  It was the coolest, sweetest little bird!  I swore I would never have a pet, but I just might consider getting a bird like Bella....  

Our days in Baketown consisted of swimming and eating and barbecuing and more swimming and more eating.  It was so relaxing and just nice to visit and catch up with family.  

The 4th of July was the best day!  We spent it river rafting down the Kern River (post to follow) and enjoying our very own fireworks show put on by Trevor and Don.  The kids loved it. 

Our last day was Gillian's birthday.  It was a dream come true to get to spend it with her cousins!  

Gilli got the Justin Bieber movie and was sooooo happy and excited.  

We were sad to leave.  We had such a great week with my brother's family.  We felt spoiled and pampered and loved.  Until next year....

Jubilee and Girl's Camp

Being 14 definitely has it's perks.  Not only does it mean that you are now entitled to attend church dances, but it also means that you get to be a part of huge church events like this 11 Stake Jubilee Dance Festival.  All the youth in our area were invited to participate in this amazing production that took 6 months to prepare for.  Ginger had a blast learning the songs and dances and then couldn't wait to perform the 2-hour show three times!   A huge part of the performance weekend was getting to attend a special Youth Conference with inspired speakers discussing the theme, "Standing together as One in Truth and Righteousness".  Ginger loved every minute of it and was really sad when it was all over!

Ginger and Gillian both got to attend Girl's Camp this year, but I only have these few pictures from a friend of mine.  And all I know was that the girls stayed up waaaaay too late and had waaaaay too much fun.  

I have such fond memories of my years at Girl's Camp and still consider the friends I made there some of the BEST in the world!!

Update

I have been so focused on catching up on my blog that I have neglected to update what is happening with my family and Long QT syndrome.  Click here if you don't know what I'm talking about. :)

So, it has been quite the process with getting my children tested.  I finally got their cheek swabs done and shipped off only to receive a phone call a month later saying that they weren't going to work.  I guess the lab couldn't get enough DNA from them to proceed with the genetic testing.  Aargh!  We got that call at the very beginning or our month-long trip to CA and were told that we needed to get the kids in for blood work now.  Ha!  I decided to not worry about it and enjoy the vacation and we would do it when we got back. We finally got that done about 2 weeks ago and it was not fun.  I probably shouldn't have told the kids they were going to have to have their blood drawn, because I think the anticipation was actually worse than the actual draw.  Davis volunteered to go first and was a trooper, but turned white as a ghost half-way through and starting feeling sick.  Tears followed.  Ginger was next and did the same thing, but literally almost passed out.  More tears.  I thought we were in trouble for sure when Gillian's turn came next, but she did awesome.  Hardly even phased her.  Ryan started crying the second we walked into the nurse's room and buried her head in my chest screaming, "I don't want to do this!" throughout the entire thing.  Awesome.  Then came Ethan.  This boy was a tough one!  He cried silent tears and didn't fight us at all.  The nurse tried to draw from the first arm, but it wasn't working so she took it out.  Ethan thought he was finished, and became quite distraught when she had to poke him in the other arm.  It wasn't working well again, so it took forever!  Tears, tears, tears.  Finally, he was done and the kids had all survived the trauma.  Don and I took them straight to Braum's for double scoop ice cream cones.  It's amazing what a little ice cream can do. :)

So, the blood work was sent to the lab and we should be getting the call any day to find out the results.  My sister, Summer, just got the results for her 4 children, and to our surprise, ALL FOUR came back positive.  Each child has a 50/50 chance of coming back positive so it's just crazy that the odds were stacked against them.  I am preparing myself for the same odds instead of hoping for negatives just to be  disappointed.

As for me, I have been on the beta blockers for several months now and they sure make me tired, or should I say lazy?!  They just really zap me of my energy and it's hard to not want to lay around all day.  I do take a few 10 minute power naps throughout the day and those really help a ton.  And I do think my energy level is better than what it was in the beginning so I hope to get more used to the medication as time goes on.  After a lot of fasting and praying, I also decided that I didn't need to have a defibrillator implanted right away.  I may never get one, but that may be a different story for my children who are much younger and have worrisome years to pass through still.  I appreciate the prayers and fasting of so many of my friends and family and have really felt so comforted and so peaceful.  I am so grateful to know that Heavenly Father has a plan for every single one of us and that if we keep His commandments and strive each day to follow Him that all will be well.

The Birthday Boy Becomes A Boy Scout

Is my baby boy really 11 years old already?  Davis is growing up much too fast for my liking.  He is such a sweet boy and a great brother to his siblings.  

We had our traditional family birthday party and Davis actually requested a cake!  Don has turned all of my children away from cakes on their birthdays and it seemed like forever since I got to bake one.  Davis even picked a double decker chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and chocolate ganache for the filling. Mmmm.  Ok, so I might have sort of talked him into it.  But, he loved it!  

Davis was pretty excited about his long board, but I think his dad might have been even more excited to give it to him.  We bought it in California, so it's a true CA long board.   And Don even made a pole for him.  

Turning 11 means, you move from Cub Scouts to Boy Scouts.  It's a big deal and you earn your Arrow of Light as well.  Pack Meeting landed on his birthday so he got to celebrate with all the Scouts in our ward.  I spent hours making his arrow that illustrates his journey through Cub Scouts.  It's pretty cool and he thinks so too.  

Crossing the bridge from cub scouts to boy scouts with his awesome Scout leaders!

And just FYI, he usually doesn't wear his swim trunks with his Scout shirt, but the boys were all swimming as part of pack meeting.  :)

To finish off Davis' birthday celebration, Don took the kids on a night ride.  Davis was pretty excited to be on a board just like his dad.  Too bad he bailed pretty bad in his first few moments trying it out.  :)

Happy Birthday, Davis!  We love you!

End of School BASH

Ginger and Gillian had the brilliant idea to host a party on Friday night of the last day of school.  Oh wait.  That was MY idea.  What a cool mom I am.  :)   Actually, I have come to realize that it's a whole lot easier to throw a party for older kids than younger kids, so these parties are easy!  The girls invited a few of their closest friends from school and kicked off the party with music and silly dancing...

Since it was the beginning of summer break the girls were all anxious to take their first dip in a pool.  They walked over and I followed along in my car.... with my camera, of course.   So many cute, cute girls.

Gillian and her friends

Ginger and her friends

These girls cracked me up with their impromptu synchronized swimming routines and underwater hand stand contests and attempted cheerleading moves.  They went non-stop!

After swimming they came home and changed into dry clothes while I broke out the junk food.   I had no idea a group of teenage girls could go through so much candy and snacks and treats!    They played  games and laughed and screamed and squealed and laughed some more.  I also had no idea that a group of teenage girls could get so LOUD!  

My girls had a lot of fun and that was my goal from the beginning.  I love that my girls love having friends over and hope that our home will always be a place where kids can feel welcomed and loved.  

Last Day of School and Kindergarten Graduation

Can you tell that my kids were happy that it was the last day of school?! 

It was a great year, but we were definitely ready for summer break.  We have had 5 children "graduate" from kindergarten but this was our first actual graduation ceremony and it was really fun!  Ethan looked so cute in his cap and wore a very proud smile through the entire program.  

As I've said before, Ethan is always happy to have me at school, but it's a whole different ball game when Daddy comes to visit.  He gets so excited!!

Yes, this is our last baby.  The days of having a Kindergartener are over and I am sad!  Life is moving much too quickly, but we are definitely loving these years of big kids too.  

I am pretty sure that it was an answer to prayer that Ethan got Mrs. Steele for his teacher.  She is a friend from church and is so wonderful!  Ethan just absolutely adored having her as his teacher and it was fun for me to help out in the classroom and get to visit with my friend at the same time!   All future teachers have a lot to live up to for Ethan.  

After the graduation ceremony and reception, Don and I made the rounds to see the other kids.  Davis was eating lunch with his buddies and of course had eaten his dessert and chips before his sandwich.  Hmm.  

Ryan was out with her friends, Kaya and Jordan and the three were definitely feeling the effects of "last day of school syndrome".  They were goofy and giddy!