Santa Cruz Family Reunion

We had such a fabulous time in Santa Cruz for our family reunion! It was so wonderful that I keep thinking I want to move there :) It was beautiful scenery, beautiful weather, and we were surrounded by beautiful people (my family)

We suffered through some family pictures... the grand kids were pretty cute in the tie dyed shirts they made there.

Our family

Ashton LOVED boogie boarding during this vacatoin. He would spend hours out there boogie boarding with his Nana, Grandpa, Aunts, Uncles and Dad. 

I think this captures one of Ashtons most genuine smiles. He is a tough kid to get a good smiling picture of.

 My sister and her adorable daughter Macie...

Mazzi enjoyed watching the sea lions out on the Santa Cruz pier. Tera liked petting the huge pelicans 

 My grandma Bickle was able to join us for a few days of the reunion. It was nice to see her. She always makes me laugh, and reminds me where I get my sarcasm from :)

We played some minute-to-win-it games on the beach for an activity. It was so fun watching my competitive family do silly things and fight over who won!

 The last night everyone but me went to Santa Cruz boardwalk and went on the rides. I choose to rest my feet and read a book by the beach. I actually really missed everyone though and was a little bummed I decided not to go, though am sure it was the right decision for my body. The kids had fun, but Ashton was talked into going on a very scary free fall ride, and he was crying by the end of it... he preferred this mini version of the ride. We had a great time though and are so glad we were able to go and to be surrounded by family.

Summer cuties....

Sequoia Camping

We  had a great time camping at the Sequoias (well, most of us did) for three nights. We went with a big group of friends and made some great memories, as well as some not so great memories. 

Lets start with the good:

Ashton catching a fish after hours and hours and hours of fishing

The BEAUTIFUL scenery 

Great friends

The wonderful 50-70 degree weather

Some nice hikes

Great family time

Watching our kiddos with big smiles on their faces

Now for the not so great:

The long drive (what was supposed to be a five hour drive there became a 8 hour drive with traffic)

Being pregnant and with a horrible head cold made it hard to be happy, and hard to breathe

A leaky mattress made the last two nights sleep not too enjoyable

And the lack of showers at the campsite also made for a grumpy mom.

(Are you sensing that I was kind of grumpy?) :) 

I am still glad so we went. It was worth it to see the smiles on my kids (and husbands face) They LOVE camping! And while I  do love the outdoors, I am probably a two night max camper! 

Hair cuts

Matt finally agreed to let me get Mazzis hair cut in an adorable bob. My friend Katie cut Mazzis hair, and when Tera saw how cute Mazzi's was, she decided she wanted hers cut off too. Quite the change for them since they both had very long hair. I am LOVING it! Especially for the summer. A lot fewer tears now when brushing and styling hair. Plus... they look super cute!!
<

I think this hair cut fits this little ones personality perfectly. And I love this picture (remnants of lunch on her face and all :) 

 Tera is teaching Mazzi all kinds of poses for pictures. It makes me laugh.

Fathers Day

We love Daddy because...

(and sadly, this is the best smile we could get out of Ashton- what a turkey!)

We got daddy a lot of presents this year. None were super exciting- just things he needed. Shorts, new buzzer, a hatchet, a personalized Dad mug (every Dad needs one of those) and a Dad keychain. We also made him a "Best Dad Ever" book and the above pictures of kidlets. He got a nice BLTA lunch with homemade fries and then we had a nice steak meal at the Hannons with pie for dessert. I hope he felt special and loved... because he is!!

Mazzi wanted to get in on the wrapping of presents, so she wrapped Dad, a clothes hanger. The older kids thought it was so funny when he opened it.

Mini Waterfall Hike

Theres this cute little waterfall in Redding that not many people know about and its just a short hike down a hill. Its very pretty and ends in a nice little swimming hole (though it was quite chilly!) We had a great time there just hanging out and jumping off cliffs. I was proud of Tera and Ashton for jumping off. We love all the fun, outdoor activities there are to do in Redding.