Gilroy Gardens

Yesterday we went to Gilroy Gardens (formerly Bonfante Gardens) with Grandma Lynnie and Papa Tom. It was so much fun! This theme park is perfect for our aged kids. They could ride almost every ride, some even by themselves. It took Jacob a few rides to warm up, but once we rode the train, he was ready for more. I think Jacob would have rode the train all day, he loved it! Ryan loved all the rides and did great all day! He was so cute raising his arms up on one of the kiddie roller coasters! It was a super hot day, but we kept lots of drinks and ice cream going! A huge thank you to Grandma and Papa for going with us and having lots of fun!!

Let's roll!

"Look, it's just like the merry-go-round on Mary Poppins!" (according to Jacob)

Where is that darn train?


Papa and Megan



Lunch time!
(Please don't judge me for putting their food directly on the table - it was SO hot and they were cranky and ready for lunch!)



Daddy and Megan cooling off in the water park!

Daddy and Jacob

Go Dylan!

Grandma and Jakey on the "roller coaster"

Look mom, no hands! (Daddy and Ryan)

Start your engines!

I want the pink car!

This car was too hot for Dylan - it was burning his arms - ouch!

Future Firemen!

Tahoe beach day!

Instead of a summer vacation this year, we've decided to just do a few fun family days together instead of a week long trip somewhere. So this past Tuesday, we met up with my sister and her family for a beach day in Lake Tahoe! We met up at D.L. Bliss campground (our family favorite Tahoe spot) and hit the beach! We normally would be camping at Bliss, but we figured the little kids were still a bit too young for camping, but definitely next year. After a quiet ride up the mountain, we made it to the lake. At first, Megan and Ryan were not digging the sand on their feet, but after a little while, they got more comfortable with it. Dylan and Jacob loved it from the get go! The weather was absolutely perfect! It was in the low 80's and not a cloud in the sky. A fabulous Tahoe summer day. We packed our lunch, snacks and plenty of drinks. Oh, and of course a hundred sand toys! The kids did awesome all day... minimal cyring and whining, which always makes for a better day! The kids loved playing in the sand with their cousins Olivia, Matty, Nathan and Derek. Overall, it was one of the best days we've had in a really long time! Lots of fun, sun and relaxation! We stayed until about 4:00 and then headed home. Ryan was asleep in the car before we even got out of the campground and the other 3 were not far behind! When we got home that night, Jacob said "mommy, can we go camping? I want to go back to the lake." It was so cute! All the kids had fun, but Jacob really had a great day. He loved playing in the sand and water with his cousins. It's such an awesome thing to watch your kids having the time of their life, just being a kid. It's great that our kids are getting older and we're able to do more things like this as a family. It really makes us excited for the years to come... lots of camping trips, hiking, biking and just having fun! Here are a few photos from the day ...

Thanks to the Nelson clan for sharing the beach day with us! As always, it was a fun and great day! We love you guys and can't wait until next summer! Look out Bliss ... here we come!!

Happy 2nd Birthday Megan, Ryan and Dylan!

Wow! It's been 2 years since my tiny little babies were born! How is that possible!? As 9:40, 9:41 and 9:42am passed this morning, Jon and I were remembering that day as if it was yesterday. The nervousness that we felt, but the excitement to see our babies. I remember lying on the table in the OR as my doctor starting singing "Happy Birthday" to each one as they came out. I remember the instant relief I felt once Dylan (the last one born) came out. I could finally breathe again! I remember thanking God that each one of them was healthy and didn't require any breathing help or medication! My memories of that day could go on and on! What a wonderful and life-changing day!

Here is their first group photo - about 30 minutes old:

1 day old

Megan

Ryan

Dylan

Now, here is a photo of them just the other day:

Lots of memories in the last 3 years (including my pregnancy!). Some good, some bad, some scary, some hilarious! I am so thankful that God has trusted Jon and I with these children. It is such a great blessing to us! Even when they all decide to strip off their shorts and diapers and pee all over their beds during naptime - which is what they did today! Gotta love toddlers!!

Happy 4th Birthday Jacob!

Jacob celebrated his 4th birthday last week. It is so hard to believe that our little guy is already 4! We had a really fun day. Jacob woke up to a Mickey Mouse happy birthday banner in the kitchen. Then Jacob and daddy went to get donuts for everyone - our family birthday tradition. Jacob savored every bite of this donut. It took him almost an hour to eat one sprinkled donut! The triplets loved the donut holes! Who wouldn't, right?!

Next we headed to the park down the street from our house and meet up with some new friends. One of the little boys was nice enough to bring Jacob a "Happy Birthday" balloon, but stubborn Jacob wouldn't let us tie it to his wrist and the balloon was soon on it's way to balloon heaven. It took quite awhile to recover from this tragic event! :o)

It was heating up pretty good at the park, so we decided to head home for lunch. I got all our swim stuff together and we all headed to Grandma and Grandpa's house for a few hours of swimming. We put the little kids down for a nap and Jacob got to swim with just Jon and I for a few hours. Jacob is such a good swimmer! He loves to jump off the side of the pool, go under water, come up by himself and then swim to the side. To say he loves swimming is an understatement!

After the babies (I know they are almost 2, but I can't help calling them babies!) woke up from their nap, we went home for snack and let the kids watch a movie. I made tacos for dinner and then we took all the kids to Cold Stone for dessert. We signed up for Cold Stone's birthday club, so you get a free ice cream on your birthday! The kids, of course, loved getting ice cream and then we headed home for a few presents.

This year, Jacob got a Light Saber, some Buzz swim trunks, Legos and a tool box. He really liked everything! By the end of the night, Jacob was worn out and fell asleep quick! We all had a great day. It was awesome that Jon was on vacation that entire week. It really gave us a great chance to spend some time with the kids and really enjoy some free time! Saturday we hosted a birthday party for all the kids. We did a Dora bounce house and had a hamburger and hotdog bbq. It was a lot of fun! I'll post some of those pictures too.

We hope you had a fun birthday, Jacob! We love you so very much buddy! Love, mom and dad

Ready for summer!

With the weather being so great lately, we've been spending a lot of time outside. The kids love being outside and it's great to have a new yard for them to explore. The only hazard in our new backyard is a waterfall/fountain feature that Jacob calls the "pool". It's a great feature in the yard, but not when you have 4 kids, ages 4 and under! Not only is it a safety concern, it has become home to every ball, bat, frisbee, toy, etc that we own! The kids love to throw everything in there and it drives Jon and I crazy. Last weekend Jon went ahead and filled the pond with large rocks, but we were able to keep a little water in it to run the waterfall.

Last night I took the kids down to see cousin Olivia's t-ball game. It was a ton of fun! The kids did great. Jacob enjoyed playing with his cousin's Matty and Nathan, while the little kids got to run around free - something they never get to do! It was a bit terrifying for me, but once they understood the boundaries, they did good. Here's a photo of Megan before we left the house for the game:

After the game, we (me, my 4 kids, Heather, David and their 4 kids and mom and dad!) all went out to pizza. Again, a rare treat for us... to actually take the kids out to eat. Unfortunately, Jon was working, but Jacob told him all about it this morning. It's fun to take the kids out for new experiences. I'm always worried about how they'll do, but they continue to surprise me all the time! They actually behave pretty good! :o)

This afternoon, I filled up the kiddie pool. Here are a few cute photos from the day:

Jacob filling up the pool

Ryan

Dylan - "Cheese"

Cutie Megan

Everyone in the pool!

Tonight after dinner, the kids and I had a Madagascar 2 movie night. We got our jammies on and ate white cheddar Cheetos (a huge favorite in our house!). This was the first movie night with the little kids and they did pretty good. Dylan is a fabulous movie watcher, but Megan and Ryan only last about 15 minutes before they start goofing around. Overall, it was a fun day!

Getting settled

We're in our new house now... it's almost been 2 weeks. The kids are loving all the extra space and not having any furniture in 2 rooms gives them more running room. I'm not sure I like all the extra area that needs cleaning, but I'm lucky to have a husband who helps out with the household chores! It turns out our next door neighbors grew up in Santa Rosa and know some of Jon's extended family. Such a small world! They have 3 younger kids too, which is great. Jacob has already played with their little boy a few times. The worst part of the move has been Jon's commute and the extra time he's been gone. He used to come home for his dinner break, but now it's too far. I must admit, I was secretly excited that I didn't have to have dinner on the table by 5:30, but I miss it already. Jacob asks every night at dinner if daddy is coming home. But, the trade-off of having more space and living closer to family has been wonderful. We're looking forward to many summer days swimming at mom's and Heather's. Most of our boxes are unpacked... just a few random boxes that I think were still packed from when we moved to Folsom over 3 years ago!