Birthday Surprise

My ruggedly-handsome father celebrated a special birthday on July 9th this year.  It was the big 60!  For months we have been planning a special surprise to help him celebrate.  Due to work and other commitments the best weekend for all of our family to get together was July 4th!  This happens to be my dad's favorite holiday (next to Christmas) so it worked out perfectly. 

Our family drove up on Thursday with the Quarnberg clan.  We met at Goodwood BBQ in Orem.  My mom had reserved a room for us so it was great to be all by ourselves.  About 20 minutes after we got there, my parents walked in.  Mom is not very good about keeping secrets and if she is hiding something, it is very obvious and written all over her face.  She was nervous about coming up with an excuse to go out for dinner so she decided to have my sis and bro-in-law invite them.  It was a fabulous idea that worked perfectly.  When Dad walked in and saw all of us there, he got a huge grin across his face and was very surprised and excited to see us.  He had seen the Willes' car in the parking lot while walking in so he thought that since Jenn and Kyle had invited them as well there would be a big announcement.  No announcements yet but we're anxiously waiting!!!  But I do have to say congratulations to my mom for keeping the surprise!!

Dinner was great and everyone enjoyed their meals.  We all headed back to Mom and Dad's for cake, ice cream and presents.  Dad's cake had so many candles, the flames started the cake decorations on fire.  Luckily there were enough little mouths to blow it out.  I'm sure Grandpa loved all the help and birthday wishes.  He got a nice new grill which the menfolk gladly put together.  We played some games and then it was off to bed.

Three little gaming musketeers!

Two little loungin' divas!

Friday morning was spent shopping (I always have to hit "my stores" when visiting) and preparing food for our afternoon and evening in the canyon.  We headed up American Fork canyon early afternoon following Geoff and Alanna.  They found the perfect spot just above Tibble Fork by the Horse Trailhead.  There was a picnic table, a fire pit, some hiking trails, and the perfect tree for climbing.  After unloading everything, Grandpa took us on a hike through the mountains.  I love my dad's hikes.  They are always full of adventure and information.  He loves to point out animal tracks, types of trees and plants, and tell stories of Bloody Bill and Ol' Ephraim.  We always have to cross a stream while walking on a slippery log and at least one child always lands a foot in the water.  This time was no exception and Joe lost our lens cap as well while he was taking "action shots" of the kids crossing the log.    

Katelyn and Uncle Kyle

Crack kills, Carlee!

Yes...this is my ruggedly-handsome father!  

He also tells stories of Bloody Bill, teaches songs of refreshing Coca-Cola, and throws grandchildren into the air endlessly.  What a man!

Our cute family enjoying nature

After our hike and finding "Ol' Ephraim's belt buckle", we headed back to our camp for dinner.  The food was delicious and the kids couldn't wait to make s'mores.  Clark kept burning his marshmallows and was dared to eat an extremely charred one for $2.  He ate it and everyone groaned.  His reply was, "It's actually not too bad!"  EEWWWW!

Earning his $2.00

Carlee and Aunt Jenn

We then got into a huge marshmallow fight and everyone was ducking behind the trees and each other to avoid getting hit.  Steph had brought up some water balloons and Geoff had brought a launcher so he, Alanna, and the girls started filling those up while Jim, Kyle, and Joe launched balloons at Jay and the little boys.  The water fight started soon after and Grandma was up and headed for the hills when Joe picked up the cooler full of water.   Nobody got too drenched, just wet enough to feel refreshed.  

The kids enjoyed climbing trees and rocks and Kodi's leash made the perfect rope swing.  It was a beautiful day in the canyon and the weather couldn't have been better.  Being up there really made me miss the mountains and summers in Utah.  It is amazing how beautiful this world truly is and how much I love spending time up there.  I'm so glad that we live a little closer so that we can make little weekend trips up north to be with family and celebrate a wonderful man's birthday. 

Let's Get It Started

Katelyn had her dance recital at the Clark County Library on June 27th.  She was a cute and great little dancer as she performed a tap number to "Let's Get It Started" by the Black-eyed Peas.  Several of her friends from our ward were in her class and they were so cute smiling and giggling at each other as they danced across the stage.  Way to go, Katie-bug!  We love watching you wiggle!

 

Mia, Aspen, and Katelyn

Southern California

For our family vacation and to celebrate Joe's homecoming, we decided to go to Southern California. We experienced San Diego with Legoland, Sea World, the Wild Animal Park, and the beaches of Coronado Island. It has been 3 years since we have been to that area and we were excited to go back.

We arrived on Tuesday and met up with Carrie, Matt and kids. They were in San Diego for the week as well but were heading north the next day. We went to Old Towne for a yummy dinner at a Mexican restaurant, walked around a park, and then headed back to their hotel for swimming and s'mores at the fire pits on the roof. It was so fun to see them. We tried to convince them to stay and go to Legoland with us, but to no avail. Next time...

Eight is Enough! Stuart and Hansen Cousins

Katelyn and McKell

Carlee and Megan

What an angel! (sometimes)

Wednesday we went to Legoland. It was a great day--a little drizzly and overcast but nothing severe enough to make us go home or shut the park down. The kids had a blast and I still think the "Build and Test" is one of the favorites there. Unfortunately, Carlee was a little too small to go on a lot of the rides but the few that she could go on were done multiple times. Another favorite is the Volvo Driving School where the kids actually drive Lego cars around and follow traffic rules. There were a couple of new areas open this time--Land of Adventure and Pirate Lagoon. There were some fun rides there and we can't wait until those sections are completed. It just gives us an excuse to go back in a couple of years!

Thursday we went to Sea World. It had been years since Joe and I had visited this Sea World. We had gone as kids but didn't remember it very well. Let me just say that San Antonio Sea World is so much better. There are a lot more kiddie rides, 2 big roller coasters, and the Cirque du Soleil/Dolphin Show is really great. It's one of our favorites. The best thing about San Diego was the Journey to Atlantis ride. It is a lot better than San Antonio's. We still had a great time, however. Who doesn't like seeing Shamu do flips in the air and splash the crowd with his tail?

The dolphin show was pretty good in that they totally tricked the audience by having a trainer dressed casually and acting like they got pulled out of the audience. She was helping feed the dolphins with her "fake" daughter and husband and then fell into the water. The audience totally panicked. When she started treading water like a synchronized swimmer, we figured out that she was a pro but it was a pretty good trick.

Friday was the Wild Animal Park. It was a new place for us. We enjoyed it and loved hiking along the trails. It is a glorified zoo. It is huge. Some of the animals were hiding or sleeping so we didn't get to see the tigers, cheetahs, or some monkeys but it was a good day, nevertheless. The kids loved Dino Mountain--an area where there are automated dinosaurs that roar and move and stare at you while you are walking around. They even got special passports that they could stamp when they saw all the different dinosaur species. My favorite part was taking pics of the kids while they were playing on the playground and climbing tree trunks. I love taking pictures when they are willing to pose!

Saturday we headed to Coronado Island for a delicious breakfast and fun in the surf and sand. The kids enjoyed playing in the ocean, making sand castles, and searching for seashells and sand dollars. The water was too cold for me so I was happy being the photographer, as usual. We then cleaned off the best we could and headed home.

Look out! A new generation of Baywatch!

Check out this Baywatch babe! She's even got the run down!

My other Baywatch beauty answering a distress call...

The studliest life-saver on the beach

Carrie and Matt called us while on the road and we realized they were about 20 miles behind us so they spent the night at our place before continuing home the next day. The kids had a fun night-time swim and we enjoyed late-night pizza and talking until 2:00 in the morning. Thanks, cousins, for making our house an extended pit-stop! You're always welcome!

All in all, a great vacation with greater memories. Now back to reality...

Swimming Fun

It is so much fun having a pool! My sis took some cute photos of the kids swimming when Kate and I were in L.A. for our American Girl weekend. They were in the pool for about 3 hours so although they are a little wrinkly, they are extremely happy.

Look out below!

Swimming studs

Bathing beauties

The end of the preschool journey

To celebrate the end of Jacob's preschool year, his class went on a field trip to JR's Pony Farm. Carlee even got to go and Jake loved playing "big brother" and teaching her all about the farm. The kids had a great time petting, feeding the animals and learning all about them from the cowboys and cowgirls that worked there. They even had a pony ride and a snack. Jake's favorite part was throwing his unwanted leftovers in a bucket to feed to the pigs. What a great time!

Strutting his stuff for the females.

Jake and his best bud, Cole

Just being herself...

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Jacob also had a graduation. The children sang all the songs they had learned during the year, gave a speaking part about their preschool accomplishments, and received a diploma for graduating. Look out, Kindergarteners! Here comes Jake!

Singing "Jaws"

Receiving his diploma

Getting his last hugs from Miss Camille