Sarah's Sweetheart's Dance

 Sarah went with her friend Conner, AKA Connie, to the Prov Hall Sweetheart's Dance. The theme was Tangled, so she got to channel her inner Rapunzel, which she loved. 

San Fran Day 2- Alcatraz and Oakland Temple

Alcatraz was the main event and it didn't disappoint. The weather wasn't perfect, but it was nice. It was crazy to think people lived here. It was sad to read about people that were incarcerated for minor things. Most of us did the audio tour, but Audrey didn't like wearing the headphones. (not surprising) I also found the perfect magnet that encapsulates my parenting philosophy. ;)

 

After Alcatraz we took a drive over the Golden Gate Bridge and to Muir Wood National Monument. We were all pretty tired, and didn't want to hike, so we just did a short drive. The Redwoods are on our bucket list, but we'll save them for another trip. 

We had dinner at a pupuseria and then visited the Oakland Temple Visitor Center. I really love visiting the temple Visitor Centers. It was near closing, but we watched a short interactive video and got the requisite photo ops. 

Quick trip to San Francisco- Day 1- Travel and Cloud cookoo land ;)

 Mike has always wanted to see Alcatraz, so we took a quick trip when the kids had a Friday off school. We found an AirBnB in Oakland that was close to the temple. We had some free time on Friday before check in, so we went to Children's Fairyland. It was cool in a "this place would be super creepy at night" kind of way. The big kids were a little old for it, but it was fun enough. 

Random January

 Buck has gotten so big that I forgot he was actually small at one point. He's grown a lot in four months. 

Snow day fun

This picture is so Audrey I just had to include it. I love her quirkiness and personality. 

Sarah at the military ball

 Xavi invited Sarah to the military ball, so she decided to go to that dance instead of the Senior Dinner Dance. I tried to get a picture of her at home, but since she was in a hurry she wouldn't give me an authentic smile. (She has a radiant smile) Thankfully they got a few at the dance. 

Audrey loses her first tooth and breaks her arm

Audrey had a tooth that had been dangling and was more than ready to come out. Adam and I talked her into letting us pull it out, but when we failed on the first attempt, she wouldn't give us a second chance. (I'm an expert tooth puller for your information!) The next morning she was sitting in my bed when she exclaimed that she'd just pulled it out on her own. (after being loosened by me of course) 

Audrey started the day on cloud nine, but didn't stay there for long. I was getting some work done and Audrey was playing with a four foot mailing tube. Nothing out of the ordinary until I hear her start to say, "Ow, ow, ow!" She had put the tube on her arm and jumped off the couch. The tube stopped, her arm didn't. She broke both bones in her right arm. This means that my precious rainbow baby is still my only child to break anything, and has had broken bones twice. :(

Mike was in Arizona at a tournament with Steven, and Sarah had my car, so I had to wait for her to rush out of a school play and come get me. We rushed Audrey to the hospital and they admitted her quickly. They put her on Ketamine and adjusted it before putting on a soft splint. She'd need to wait a week for the swelling to go down before getting her cast. 

She slept on Mike's side of the bed and was her usual cheery self by the morning. (The sling lasted a few minutes until she decided she could do without it) 

Coachella and Joshua Tree National Park

 We took the whole family to Steven's first out of state LAX tournament and although the weather was amazing, Sarah, Adam, and Audrey just hung out at the rental while Mike and I were at the games. We had planned to fly, but the flights filled up so we packed up the car and drove. Audrey came to part of a game, but not all of them. We got SO MANY steps in since our car was parked 1.5 miles away from the fields. 

We had a break between church and Steven's games so we made a quick trip to Joshua Tree National Park. It's not fair to judge the entire park based on the hour we spent there, but we all laughed at how unimpressed we were. The little Joshua Trees were cool, but they were fairly common. We had some friends come to the park's defence on social media and said a lot of the best parts are farther north. Maybe we'll return someday. Maybe. ;)