Sea World

Today we decided to go to Sea World. Allison did not like all the lines that we had to wait in just to get into the park. Once we made it into the park it was hard to decide what to do first. We decided to start with the polar bears since they weren't out at the zoo yesterday.

After seeing the polar bears we went on simulated helicopter ride. I was nervous because there were all sorts of warnings of how it might not be safe for certain people. Allison and I thought it was so funny that they had all those warnings and there was nothing to worry about. We could not stop laughing through the whole ride.

Next we just happen to walking by an arena before the pet show started. The kids remember how much they liked the shows in San Antonio so they wanted to stop and see it. Cats and dogs were the star of this show and it was cute to watch.

Ashley really enjoyed the show and was excited when she could go and pet some of the stars at the end of the show.

We tried to plan the rest of our day around the shows but unfortunately missed the sea lion show.

I could watch the animals preform all day long. I think the shows were everyone's part.

Allison also looked forward to the rides but the one that she wanted to ride was closed and she was bummed. After Sea World we headed to the beach quickly to see the sunset.

It was beautiful even with the clouds. We didn't stay long because we hadn't had dinner yet. Everyone were exhausted so we just picked a familiar place so everyone would be happy. While we were at the Olive Garden several cops drove by and an ambulance. We watched the news when we got back to our room and found out that there was a hit and run just down from where we were at. Madison was glad that we did not eat at the restaurant that was close to the wreck because she did not want to be a witness and end up on the news. We all laughed when they interviewed a person that ate at that restaurant.

We were all happy to crawl into bed. Vacations are very tiring. We will almost need a vacation from the vacation to rest.

San Diego Zoo

Today we started our morning at the San Diego Zoo. I have heard so much about this zoo so we are all excited to see it. There were so many animals to pick from the girls had a hard picking what they wanted to see first.
We saw so many animals. Giraffes, bears, tigers and koalas.

The enclosures were nice because there was always a place to get a good look of the animals.

We also saw Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs in 4D. Ashley was not a fan of 4D when we were in Disney World and she remembered so she wouldn't put her feet down. Allison likes 3D but says that she is done with 4D. It makes her jumpy not knowing what is going to jump out at her. Madison didn't have anyone in front of her so she got wetter then the rest of us. I think that it is always fun to see things in 4D.

The San Diego Zoo is huge. There is also a lot of hills. We did a lot of walking and had not seen the whole zoo yet so we decided that it was time to look into a bus tour. We saw many more animals. After the bus ride we tried to see the panda bears but the line was too long and we were tired so we thought it was best to call it a day.

After our long day at the zoo everyone was starving so we thought we would see if we could find a pizza buffet. We happened to find a Cici's(one of my favorite places from Texas).

Once we were all fueled up, we decided to head to the beach while we still had some day light. Kevin found a beach that he had heard about and put into his phone for directions. Well his GPS failed again it took us to a military base. We didn't realize it until we were at the gate. The soldiers got a good laugh out of it. I am so glad that they were so nice and friendly.

The beach was nice. The girls were more relaxed since it was daylight and they could see where they were stepping.

We are loving San Diego. I could move here the weather and beach are beautiful. It is going to be hard to leave when our vacation is over.

Day two in the car

We left St. George at a good time this morning. Once we got to the hotel last night we went straight to bed and everyone slept great. Madison was feeling more refreshed and caught up on sleep. I am glad that we are taking this vacation because we have all been so busy this summer and haven't had much time together as a family.

The drive from St. George to Vegas was beautiful.

We didn't stop in Vegas and the scenery changed after Vegas. The desert is not pretty and looks hot. I am glad that we did not have to stop and get out.

We made it to San Diego late afternoon. Kevin and I were both using our phones for GPS to see which was better. I think mine won when his told us to do a u-turn in the middle of the freeway. Our first stop was our hotel before we had dinner. We were happy to find a Pei Wei, we love their food and hope one day that we get one in Meridian or Boise would be nice.

After dinner we quickly ran to the beach. It was dark so the girls were not quite sure about it. Madison and Ashley relaxed a little but Allison was jumpy the whole time. Kevin thought it would be funny to tell them that there is a special breed of sharks in San Diego that walk on the beach. The girls believed him and did not think he was funny when we told them he was joking. That kind of lead to their jumpiness. The beach was so nice. I am so glad that we picked San Diego to come to. The weather here is a dream.

On our drive back to the hotel we drove by the temple.

The girls thought the temple looked like a castle. They liked seeing it.

The vacation begins

Today we left for San Diego. We left after Sacrament meeting. The girls were in good spirits and did well for most the ride today.

Madison was much happier after she got some sleep. She had a very long week this last week with very little sleep

We didn't make it as far as we had planned today but non of our plans are in stone. We were hoping to make it all the way to Vegas but we got a later start then we planned on, construction and a huge down pour in Southern Utah. We ended up stopping in St. George.

We had a fun time finding all the temples along I-15 in Utah. When we got to the hotel we wanted to count how many temples we passed along the way. From Boise to St George there are 11 temples along the freeway and then 4 off the beaten path and 4 more announced. I remember looking for temples when I was on road trips when I was younger. It was fun doing with my kids too. Our first day on the road was great. One more day and we are in San Diego.

BYS

Madison came home from Youth Conference on Wednesday and the left for BYS(Boise Youth Spectacular) on Thursday. She signed up to go to BYS with Arielle one of her best friends. She was excited to go but a little nervous to stay ina dorm for two nights. She came home and loved the whole thing and can't wait till next year. I am so glad she took the leap and went even though she was apprehensive.

Summer Basketball

Allison played her last game with her summer basketball team tonight. The team goes into tournaments next week but we will be out of town. She has a lot of fun playing this summer. It was laid back and fun, different from regular season. The relaxed atmosphere really helped Allison grow as a player. I didn't get to see many of her games this summer because most of them conflicted with my class but Kevin said she did a great job. I could see her growth when I was there.

Allison also had fun because Bri was on the team. They will take any chance they get to hang out even if it is at practice or a game. All the other kids liked it too since they had someone to hang out with during the games. I also enjoyed it because it made it easier to watch the game with them entertained.

One year down

Tonight I attended my last Pathway class which concludes my first year of college. It has been a long road back to school but I found the best option for me and my life right now. I never really liked school till I went up to Rick's College after high school. I knew that it was the place for me so it is only fitting to go back where I felt fit me the best. Now that I have finished with the Pathway program I am a full time student at BYU-I(formally Rick's). I will no longer meet every Thursday night with my cohort. I am sad because I have met some great people and they have been a great support system this last year.

I will miss these guys but we have our Facebook group so that we can still continue to be a support to each other. This last semester has been a long one so I am looking forward to my seven week break. I have so much to do. I hope I have enough time to do it all before I take on a full schedule next semester.

No teeth

Ashley has been losing a lot of teeth lately. Last night we had corn on the cob for dinner and Ashley had an interesting way of eating it since she doesn't have many front teeth.

Tonight she lost one more.

I hope some teeth start growing in soon. I love her smile though. This is such a fun time for Ashley. She is always so excited every time that loses another one.

First Youth Conference

Madison left this morning for her first youth conference. She was not sure what to expect and was a little nervous. They were going to go rafting and then the rest of the time they are going to be camping at a church camp. Madison was excited to be in a group with two of her friends from another ward. She hasn't been to many stake activities so it was nice to be paired up with people that she knows.

I can't wait to hear about it when she gets back. I hope she has a lot of fun.

Alli's half birthday

In December Allison decided that she did not want to a birthday party but would rather have a fun day with her best friend Bri. Bri's birthday is also in December so her mom and I thought it would be perfect. Well with basketball and then soccer we never got around to planning it so we decided to do a half birthday. The girls were afraid that we were going to forget so they reminded us often.

We let the girls choose that they wanted to do. It was their day and they got to decided what we do. First they decided that they wanted to see a movie. The decided to see Turbo. We had some time before it started so we went to Yumberri a frozen yogurt shop to pass the time.

After the movie they wanted to get pedicures. Allison had told Bri all about it when Grammy took her earlier this summer. Allison liked the pampering and Bri thought it sounded fun.

After the pedicures they wanted to go to the mall and then we had dinner. It was a fun day.

A Spa Day

The girls ask if Kinnlie and Bri could come over today. All my girls love it when they come over. Madison had a great idea that she would do a spa day with them. She looked on pinterest and found a few things and then improvised the rest.

They all had a lot of fun. They were even superstars and cleaned up any mess they made. I am glad that my girls have found such good friends in the Bartlett girls.

Lunch in the park

All summer we have been going to lunch in the park. We have a group of friends that we have been meeting their. My girls look forward to this each day. I like it because I don't have to think about lunch each day. It has been a play date for the girls all summer. Today we were the only ones that showed up and the girls seemed so lost without their friends. We have made some great memories this summer at the park.

Summer has been fun.

Playdate

Allison and Ashley had Bri and Kinnlie over to play today. I was able to get a lot of school work done while they were over. They played together without any problems for the longest time. I needed a break so I went to check on them since it had been so quiet and this is what I found.

I am so glad that my girls have become friends with the Bartlett girls. Their friendship has been a great blessing to my girls and also to our family.

A week of girls camp

Madison and Kevin came home from girls camp today. Kevin was ask to be a priesthood member at camp last year but couldn't do it because he had school. This year he was ask again and there was no reason that he couldn't so he said yes. Madison was excited to have Kevin there since she hasn't had the best of luck at girls camp in the past.
This was Madison's third year. She has had fun in the past so she was looking forward to going again. Because of different circumstances Madison has never gone on the hike that they do each year. This year nothing stood in Madison's way and she was able to go on the hike.

Madison is not a big outdoors person so she wanted to be done with the hike in a hurry. Everyone kept on telling her to slow down but she only had one thing on her mind and it was getting back to camp. As long as they could see her she was fine so kept on moving.
This year was about being a princess so they had a day of pampering or at least the most pampering that you can do while you are camping.

They camped right by a lake so they were able to go canoeing. Madison had a lot of fun. She had never done anything like that before so it was a fun experience.

Kevin was the one behind the camera so I don't have any pictures of him but he had a great time too. I am glad that they were able to share this week together. Maybe he can go next year too. Allison will be going next year.

More swimming

Allison just finished a week of swim lessons. She finished level 5 and will be advancing onto her last year level 6. Learning to swim has been a process for Allison. She hasn't liked to put her face in water so swimming has been difficult. She worked hard and has overcome her problem. I am so proud of her.

Allison has worked hard to learn how to dive. I think that the thought of going into the water head first is what freaks her out. She is doing a great job trying to improve her dive. She is doing great.

Allison did a great job and her strokes are getting so pretty. I am proud of her hard work.

Our cute little fish

Ashley finished with two weeks of swim lessons today. It has been fun to watch her progress with her swimming over the last two weeks. She was frustrated at first because she felt like she couldn't do anything right. She felt like the instructors were picking on her but soon realized that they just wanted her to succeed. She worked hard at listening to what they were teaching her and by the second week she was getting praises from the instructors. She is our little fish out of water. She loves swimming and is so comfortable in the water. I am glad that she learned so much and was open to listening so she can get better.

Ashley has been dieing to dive. This is the first year that she has been able to dive standing up. She is a natural at diving.

Ashley also got a try at going to the bottom for the brick. She has been getting rings since she started but the brick is harder. I wasn't sure that she got it at first but then her hand popped out of the water with it.

I am so proud of Ashley and how hard she worked in swim lessons. She did an amazing job.