Making My Blog Private...

Hey Everyone, I've decided to go ahead and make my blog private which just means that I'll need to email you an invite and you'll have to log in to see the site...I know it's a pain, but it's been on my mind for a while, and I've come to the conclusion that I feel most comfortable only have friends and family have access to pictures of my kids. So, if I don't have an updated email of yours, email me at ktmortyathotmaildotcom (substitute the at and the dot for the symbols...I wrote my email out this way for security reasons...) and I'll send you an invite. Thanks for your understanding, and I hope you still enjoy the blog!

A Goodbye Snuggle and Time to Fly Home to Idaho...

The day of our flight home, the boys climbed up on the bed for a goodbye snuggle and some last-minute visiting. It's always sad to say goodbye. We all had a great time. Thanks for such a fun week!

Here we are on our flight home. The boys actually all did a great job on the flights which was so nice!

My Mom, Cheryl, Sierah and Sampson Come for a Visit...

My Mom, Cheryl, Sierah and their dog Sampson all came for a visit. They drove over 5 hours each way all in one day! We're glad they were able to come to see us while we were still in California. They brought a picnic lunch, and we all had a nice visit while the kids played with the new toys they brought them. The kids also had fun playing at the park, especially Gavin and Sierah who seemed to be instant friends (as most kids are at this age...wouldn't it be great to still have that same ability as adults of making new friends so easily!) Connor was busy running his truck through the dirt (that kid is a dirt magnet...if there's dirt, he'll find it, he'll play in it, he'll roll in it and he'll love it! Gavin's the same way. Ahhhh, boys!) Thanks for the nice visit and for driving all that way and bringing a nice lunch and new toys for the kids! We all had a lot of fun.

Discovery Museum

We visited the Discovery Kid's Museum while still in California and the kids had a lot of fun.

Gavin is one Crazy Little Dude!

So, Gavin was riding along on one of those little toy cars with the tiny little wheels and decided to try riding down the driveway at my dad and Laurie's house! He was like, "Watch this!" And, just before he headed down hill, Jason said, "I don't know if that's a good idea. If you fall, it'll hurt REAL bad." Well, Gavin being the crazy little dare devil that he is went off anyway. At first we just watched kind of cringing, but rooting for him at the same time. As he got closer to the bottom of the hill, my brother and I just looked at each other like, "Wow, he's actually going to make it." That's about the time that he tumble over forwards. There was that pause, you know the one where you wait to hear if they're just taking a deep breath for a big scream, but there was no scream. Gavin just got up and dusted himself off and said, "It didn't hurt REAL bad." We just had to laugh. Unfortunately, I didn't get that one on tape, but he just kept going back down the hill and sticking his little feet out and bouncing along. It was so funny.

Everyone Loves the Baby!

Aidan having fun with Grandpa Ray...



Aidan spending some time with Uncle Aaron...

Aidan and GG...

Connor Gets a New Fish for Grandpa's Pond

A year or two ago, Gavin got to pick out a koi fish to put in Grandpa's pond to call his own. Gavin likes to call and check on how his fish is doing from time to time. Well, this time it was Connor's turn to claim a fish of his own, so here he is helping Grandpa put the fish in the pond.


Connor's fish is the light orange one towards the middle with black on it.

Happy boys watching their fish swim!

The Boys' Fort

Okay, so it's technically not a fort, although the boys claim it as their own when they visit here. It has a little bench in it, and the kids pretend it's their house. Laurie spent a lot of time putting lights up in it, etc and the kids love it. Aren't they just so cute.

Campfires...

One of our favorite things to do when we visit my dad and Laurie is to go down by the pond and enjoy the nice campfires at night. The kids love to roast marshmallows and we all get some good visiting in.

A Fun Day at the Fair...

Okay, so I know it has been a few days since I posted anything, no excuses except that I'm a busy Mom, but I'll eventually get all the pictures on here!
In California, we were able to go to a fair, and we all had fun. Here's baby Aidan.

When Gavin was two years old, we went to this same fair, and Gavin rode this exact same ride and this exact same car...both times by his own choosing! It was so funny when he ran up to the same car again because last time, we could hardly get him off of this ride because he was having so much fun "driving" this car! This time, Connor was old enough to ride too.

Connor LOVES trains so, of course, we had to go for a ride on the train.

Here are Gavin and Laurie checking out the model trains. Gavin was very interested in how it all worked and had to let the "conductor" know that the batteries were low on one of the trains.

Here are Jason and Connor looking at the model trains. Connor thought they were so cool!

More Fun at the Fair...

So, I thought the boys were pretty brave to ride this roller coaster all by themselves. They were so cute up there. Connor sure held on tight, though!

Jason took Gavin for a ride on the ferris wheel.

Auntie Sherri took Connor for a ride on the ferris wheel...I wasn't too excited about going. The last time I went on one was YEARS ago (my cousin Carmen was with me, but I don't know if she remembers...it was in Utah...) when the guy running the ride walked away and we were stuck up there forever! Finally, someone came along and shut the ride off, but we were still stuck until someone could come along who knew how to get us down, and those little seats sway and we all felt sick! So, luckily, Auntie Sherri was there to take Connor for a ride. They all had fun. Unfortunately, I couldn't get a good picture of Connor; he's just the right height to have the bar go across his face!

A Boat Ride in California

While in California, we went on a little boat ride on a boat built in the 1800s. The kids loved it..the only thing I forgot...sunscreen! So, we all got a little sunburned, but we still all had a good time.


Auntie Sherri's so much fun!

Jason kept baby Aidan warm and snuggled!

Fun at the Beach!

We love visiting the beach when we visit my family even though it is a little chilly! The kids absolutely love it. Gavin was literally rolling around on the sand like you might see a puppy do, trying to get sand on every inch of him and loving every second of it! (Makes me itch just to think about it!)
Here's my sister, Sherri, and her fiance, Pat.

Jason and Connor.

Our family on the beach. I love this little "Ball Baby" carrier I got for Aidan. It's super comfortable, and it leaves my hands free to tackle the bigger kids. Plus, Aidan loves to be held, so this works great.

Jason and the boys.

Gavin having the time of his life!