Muhlestein Surprise Day of Fun

On the early morning of January 17th, we woke Hayden and Sidney up, told them to get dressed and that we were going on an adventure.

We drove to the airport, got in line to go through TSA security and watched the kids have perplexed looks on their faces as we told them just before we got to the gate that we were going on plane ride to San Diego.


They were astounded! Hayden's never flown before and Sidney only flew when she was two or younger and doesn't remember.


We ate breakfast at a superb restaurant in San Diego, right off the beach

Then we headed over to Sea World for a full day of great fun!




It made for a very long day, but it was GREAT!

End of Summer...

My kids claim that they didn't get to do very much this summer. In some ways I agree with them, but when I made a list, it says otherwise. You decide.

First, here's a few pictures of some of the stuff we did or friends we spent time with.

















Now, lets see, what did we do again?

Slid down inflatable slides
Made a scavenger hunt and went on a scavenger hunt
Made blue cupcakes with green frosting
Sidney got her ears pierced
Went fishing
Made fabric rosettes
Hayden got baptized
Danced with a Native American tribe
Made homemade popsicles
Got rained on
Played at a playground/jump center
Swinged on swings
Hayden cut his head and got staples
Visited Cardinal Stadium for RV show
Went to the UFO museum
Tried to make paper mache pinatas
Rode bikes
Went skating at Skateland
Stood in a White Sand desert
Went swimming
Played at a water park
Sidney chopped her hair off
Toasted marshmallows
Ate fresh veggies and fruits from our garden
Went to a Bead Museum
Went to an underground cavern
Visited an aquarium
Played video games
Made homemade bread
Ate at many great restaurants with friends and family
Shot guns
Built sand castle
Rode a carousel
Made cookies
Saw sunsets
Watched lightning
Visited a temple
And played many card and board games
Sang songs out loud, really loud

Oh yeah, and just had some good plain fun!

There is a time for every season...

Sidney has had a blast with her synchronized swimming team. She's made some great friends, and she's learned to push herself farther for something that she wants. The regular season ended a few weeks ago and is allowing a healthy 2 month break before the new season begins. We are glad that she enjoys herself.



Here's Sidney at the end of her last meet where her trio placed 1st! (Can you see the moon behind her?)

Weekend in New Mexico

We decided to start off our summer vacation by heading out of town. Since the budget was limited we decided to spend it with family. We went to Artesia, New Mexico to see my brother and his family. His little family is growing up so fast that we have to see them before they grow too fast.

With it being Memorial Day weekend, it gave us more time to spend together.

Here's some of the captured moments that were our favorites:

On the way to New Mexico, we passed through eastern Arizona and visited the Gila Valley temple that had been dedicated just the previous Sunday. We weren't able to make it out for the open house, but I'm glad we got the chance to see it all nice and completed.





Once we made it to my brother's place, the kids couldn't wait to play together and we were excited to visit and spend time catching up.

The very next day we got to go to their local park event and the kids played in the water, built a sand castle, checked out a fire engine, and ate snow cones. Good times.

One of my nephews.

Another cutie nephew.

John with my niece.


My brother helping the boys put together a sand castle.

We couldn't miss the opportunity to see the UFO museum in Roswell. It was interesting. We saw quite a few aliens in the vicinity, as well.





We made our way to Ruidoso, up in the mountains to a resort on an Indian reservation and we got to see some dancers and even got a chance to join them. It was warm out on the lawn by the lake, but an enjoyable day nonetheless.





They even had a blow-up slide and bounce house for the kids to play.

We visited Carlsbad Cavern which is truly amazing! And pictures are irrelevant to the size and vastness of it all. If you have an opportunity to go, do it!



We also stayed to watch the bat flight at dusk. There aren't as many bats during this time of year, but there were still plenty to see.


This is the natural entrance to Carlsbad Caverns and the location of the evening bat flight. Instead, we rode an elevator 70 plus stories to visit deep down in the belly of the cavern.

On our way to Carlsbad we stopped at a shooting range to get some practice in. I haven't been shooting in a very long time. My kids have shot a BB gun once, but this was their first time with real bullets.






On our way headed home we stopped at White Sands National Monument. It was very hot, but it was amazing to see white sand dunes go on forever. The kids liked playing in it, except that it was hot.



Overall the vacation was a great success. Too bad it's over so quickly.

A Lovely Mother's Day

Mother's day is usually very nice, but nothing too fancy. I like simple. I like small and cozy. But this Mother's day was especially lovely, and partly because I wanted to make it special for my mom.

First off, we all got to chat online via Skype with my brother and his family. Even though the connection wasn't great we got a chance to SEE his kids and how much they are growing.



Here we are stooped over the computer trying to talk back and forth.

My mom headed back home for a Sunday nap, while we got ready for her surprise. We set the table with the fancy dishes she got when she was very young (about 16 or 17).



We used fancy glasses and candles at the table, even.



We had note cards at each place setting that told what the menu for the night would be.



Then the kids wanted to make it seem like a restaurant so they made a sign, "Welcome to Cafe de Muhlestein."



And then the fun began. John was such a sport to help plate each course when he could only eat certain things because of his diet. Sure do love him!!

First came the "Spring mix with baby spinach salad." We had our choice of dressing; Ranch or Tuscan House Italian. Oh, how I love a good salad and this one was top notch.



Next, came the main course; Mediterranean Garlic Roasted Chicken with Garden fresh Red and Gold Roasted Potatoes (fresh from our garden), and savory herbs stuffing.


Here's my mom and I getting ready to dig in.



And finally, the piece de resistance; the choices for dessert were Vanilla Strawberry Sorbet Swirl or Strawberry frozen yogurt with Chocolate Chunks. Either choice was placed in an edible bowl made from Vanilla almond bark.



I was in heaven. How can you go wrong with a dessert like that?



I was so excited to get pictures of the food that I didn't get a picture of mom and I together enjoying our Mother's day meal, so we got pictures outside afterwards.


Here's me and my wonderful mother.


Here's me, mom and my two reasons that make this day worth it.


And here's the most wonderful husband and myself. He went right along with my plan and exceeded my expectations of how I wanted the evening to go. Thanks, dear!