bear lake 2014

We took off just three days after school ended for a two week vacation as a family. 

Our first stop was to Bear Lake in Garden City, Utah. We rented a cabin with my family and stayed for about 4 days before the 4th of July. 

We were blown away by Bear Lake. Altough the water is cold it is so shallow and perfect for kids. Some beaches you can drive your car right up to the water and set up camp for the whole day. The kids could play in the sand, walk out far distances, and we as siblings and family could just talk and laugh. I loved the time we had there so much. It was so awesome for my family to be together because we all live in different states. Our little family had such a wonderful time together too and we hope we can visit Bear Lake again in the future. We loved it!

We arrived late on a Saturday night and Sunday morning we went to the local LDS church. It was packed. I couldn't believe how many families were visiting the area for the week. 

 

Sunday afternoon was spent exploring the cabin, eating popsicles and meeting my new baby niece, Hadley, my brothers first baby. 

 

Monday was our first day on the beach and the weather was quite cool. We wore sweatshirts half of the day but the kids still had fun running wild in the water and being pulled around by Kelly in a little boat. The kids loved playing with their cousins on the Merrifield side.

Tuesday was the best weather and ironically the day I didn't take any pictures. We had rented paddle boards and a trampoline way out in the water with a little slide. The kids had so much fun taking turns on the trampoline. It was a beautiful day.

 

My mom had brought a little craft for the grand kids to do one afternoon. Dash thoroughly enjoyed painting. Or I should say putting paint everywhere but on the birdhouse. 

Another evening we played a family game of kickball and frisbee and played at the park. 

 

All of my siblings were able to be there along with our parents except my youngest sister. She and her husband are living in FL while he attends law school. We missed them. I'm not sure where my brother and other sister are when this picture was taken but I'm glad I have this one. I love my sisters and mom. We talk often throughout the week and it was so awesome to all be together. 

My sweetest Daphne. She is growing up so quickly. 

Sadly I have no pictures of all of us together. We just had too much fun to pause for a family photo. The days were spent at the beach and the evenings were spent together laughing, playing outside, playing games, and eating treats. As they should be when spending time with family. We left on a Thursday morning to make the 4 hour drive to Island Park, Idaho to spend the 4th of July with Kelly's family. We will be back Bear Lake!

Father's Day

I have these pictures on my camera from Father's Day. Ironically, I don't have any with Kelly except when he's holding Dash on the skateboard. That's the thing about Kelly though, he doesn't really like the spotlight. He loves his kids. And they love him. More than me, actually. I'm okay with that. Every child needs a good man to look up to and it should definitely be their Dad.

Check out Dash's toes over the edge of that board. My goodness, Dash is the cutest baby. 

If I could only have one picture of Forest from when he was a child, this would be it. He has my whole heart. 

Daphne's two front teeth have since come out. I think one came out the very next day after this picture. 

Dash was saying "cheese" here. These nights where we just hang out together and laugh make Kelly and I the most happy. We did celebrate Kelly on this day as well. The kids gave him all sorts of cards and handmade gifts. I'm sure I gave him something too although I have no idea what. :)

Forest graduates preschool

Forest finished his first year of preschool in June as well. 

He has a September birthday and misses the cutoff date for kindergarten in the fall so he will have two years of preschool instead of one. I don't think its a huge deal to have a ton of preschool before kinder but I like my kids to have at least one year so they are adapted to learning from someone besides me. He went to the same preschool as Daphne and it really was so perfect for Forest. Forest is so sensitive and timid. He can be wild and crazy and all boy at home but around other people he acts so different. Ms. Dianne is such a loving lady and we have loved her little preschool so much. He had a younger class which I was grateful for since he still has another year before school. 

He obviously didn't like the spotlight but we sure love him. He loves to color and draw and most days I would find him doing just that if Daphne was at school and I was helping Dash. 

Here is his little class. Only two kids from his class were going to kindergarten, the other 4 have another year to go. The school district started a transitional kinder program a few years ago after they moved the cutoff date to Sept (it used to be Dec here in CA). Forest qualifies for it in the fall and I think he is going to go. Its a half day program, the same hours as kindergarten, but it's preschool material. Everyday last year he asked if it was a school day and he only had preschool two days. I'm a bit sad to send him everyday in the fall but because he will be so much older than other kids in his class when he goes to kinder I think it will be good for him to have that advantage. He really is the sweetest boy, we sure love him!

Daphne's ballet recital

I feel so bad it has been so long since I have updated this little blog. I sort of forgot about blogging. Whoops!

There are a few things I want to update though so hopefully over the next few weeks I can get some of our life blogged!

Daphne finished her first full year of ballet in June. We have done ballet in the previous years but we never made it through a whole year and then a recital. This year was so fun because she had a little recital in June and we loved watching her. She really does have this little ballerina body and she looked so beautiful dancing at her recital. 

This was her rehearsal performance where we were allowed to record their dance and take pictures. 

We totally forgot to put her hair in a bun for the rehearsal dance. Good thing there are rehearsals. Ha!

The day of the actual recital she was so excited. I don't think she knew what to expect and the rehearsal made her a lot more confident for the big day. She was so beautiful. I totally ended up crying just watching her. Honestly, whatever my kids choose to do I want them to be able to try it. I'm so proud of my kids and watching them learn new things. I hope we have many more years of ballet to come but if Daphne chooses something different I'm okay with that too!

january happenings

Forest had his preschool field trip to Sea World on Monday. 

There are a lot of little boys his exact same age. It is so cute to see them all interact. 

 

Dash had a very good time when I would let him out of the stroller.
The week we go to Sea World is a week where only preschool field trips attend. I think that day there were a total of 100 people in the whole park. It is so nice. All of the little shows are quick 15 minute educational shows about the animals. My only thoughts that day though were about the killer whales after seeing "Black Fish". It probably wasn't a good idea to watch that movie the week before we went. 

But the shark area is one of my favs. I think Forest liked that part as well. Even though he kept telling me how scary it was!

 

There was a little awards assembly today at Daphne's school. If your child is recieving an award a little note comes home in their homework folder addressed to the parents. Daphne is pretty smart and the day before asked if she was getting an award because the multi-purpose room was set up for an assembly and she assumed she was getting an award. I explained that I wasn't sure and that we don't get awards everytime there is an assembly. But then this morning when she left she asked if I'd be there. Nothing gets by her. Her award was for "overall academic achievement and art work". This girl loves to do some art work!

Last weekend a friend of mine had a "Nerdy Thirty" birthday party. 

It was hilarious and I'm pretty sure I laughed straight the whole time I was there. 

As I left Kelly said I just looked like a "hipster" or some cute librarian.

I guess dressing nerdy is pretty tricky seeing as how everyone wears glasses now!

That night a friend was walking around poking peoples glasses to see if they had lenses in them or not. Hilarious.
Although my dirty bathroom mirror and laundry hanging in the back of this picture are in fact nerdy.

First Birthday for Dash

Dash turned one on January 15th. 

It was bittersweet and also awesome.

This last year was hands down the fastest year of my life.
I can't believe it went so quickly.

It has been a fun year too.

The 15th of January was 85 degrees.

I let my oldest skip school.

She had a subsitutue and an assembly that day so I figured it was a good day to miss. Plus it was her baby brother's first birthday and she was so excited for him.

We went to the beach. 

We played with some friends.

This picture cracks me up.
He started taking steps Christmas Eve and on his first birthday started walking everywhere.

Its a bit tricky in the sand. 

That night we had dinner and cake. 

We let him blow out the candle a few times.

He wasn't really into his cake.

Then we let him open his fire engine.
He loves that fire engine and so do his older siblings because they played with it instead of letting him play with it. Of course. 

It was a good birthday for our little Dash!!

Christmas Video

Here is a little video of our Christmas this year. Its probably too long. It probably needs more editing. But I don't have time for all of that. And basically I know only my mom is reading this blog anymore so she'll be happy with it.

We try and keep Christmas simple at our home.
Christmas Eve we make a fancy dinner. Then we open our Christmas pj's.
We decorate cookies for Santa and read about the birth of our Savior.
Christmas morning we have cinnamon rolls and see what Santa brought.

We had a tiny tree this year and the kids loved it so much and it kept Dash out of it as well.
And Dash started walking a little on Christmas Eve.

Music by Bing Crosby. Duh.

Christmas Eve and Morning from Rachelle Williams on Vimeo.

Family Pictures 2013

The other day Kelly and I were chatting about how blessed we have felt this year. 

Christmas seemed so nice and special with just our little family at home. 

We had plenty of food in our fridge and cupboards and our children were all healthy.

There are so many things we dream of and wish we had but at the end of the day we are thankful and feel so blessed for all that we do have. Each time I trip on a toy left on the floor or go to pickup the millions of papers my kids have colored on I remember that I am a mom and get to be home with them each day. Kelly has a job that he really enjoys and it allows me to stay home with our three children. The ocean is just down the road and the Christmas cards that flooded our mailbox these last few weeks reminded us of the family and friends we love so dearly. 

We welcomed a new baby into our home the very first of this year and it has been such a blessing watching him grow and the children have loved him so much.

We hope you all have had a wonderful year and we wish you every bit of happiness in the year to come. 

apple picking in Julian, CA

Life these days is full of so much stuff!

A first grade school schedule, a preschool schedule, a baby nap schedule. 

Then there is homework, dishes, laundry, cleaning the house, playing with the baby, teaching and playing with the four year old, ballet, dinner, baths, bedtime. 

Oh! What about time for mommy to shower, exercise, hang out with daddy, etc.

And sleep. I'd like more of it please. 

But if I sleep I'll miss out on too much. I won't have time for it all. 

We are in the thick of it! 

This is it, folks!

This is the time of life I will most likely look back on longingly.

One day I'll miss the chaos, the lack of sleep, and kids all over me.

We have decided to embrace it. 

Friday Daphne had no school. We can blame this on California and their teachers contracts and blah blah blah or we can embrace it and do something fun. We chose the latter.

Kelly took the day off from work and off we went.

We had heard from numerous people about the quaint little town of Julian, about an hour and 45 min away. Inland from San Diego it hides and its famous for its apples.

We stopped in a little town called Ramona, just 30 min outside of Julian at a little pumpkin farm.
The kids had oodles of fun running around outside amongst the pumpkins and then even more fun inside the little barn area with all sorts of pumpkins.

We left spending way too much money on pumpkins.

When we were packing up to leave the pumpkin farm the nicest older couple approached us and asked if we were on our way to Julian to pick apples.
We told them yes and then chatted with them for a bit.

Then they said that they had an apple orchard and they were on their way to their cabin and we were more than welcome to pick their apples for free.

We listened to the directions to their orchard but didn't really think much of it.
On our way to a 'u-pick' apple orchard we passed by the little sign of 'baked apple orchard' and saw the gate was open. Instantly we knew the orchard belonged to the people we had met only an hour before. We decided to check it out.
I'm so glad we did. As we climbed the steep hill to their orchard we passed wild turkeys running around.
They greeted us as we pulled in and talked with us about their own grandchildren and then gave us bags, and an apple picker and showed us around their orchard.

I don't know why it meant so much to Kelly and I but their kindness and love was shocking. We didn't know them. We had never met them. And I wish I had gotten more than just a first name from them. Their good nature reminded me so much of all the good that is still out there in the world!

I'm honestly so happy we made that stop to get pumpkins so that we could meet those nice people.

After apple picking we said our goodbyes and drove around the little town, ate massive amounts of pie and donuts, and just had ourselves a good time. 

 

A birthday, a lost tooth, a first day of school recap, and more....

In one weeks time so many different things have happened. 

All of them deserve their own little post but for times sake I'll just do the condensed version.

Forest turned 4!

He had been asking for a 'super hero' birthday party ever since Daphne had her pool party so that's what we planned for.

Four year old boys are funny things.

They all seemed a bit shy about making their super hero capes. Finally, after an hour into the party they were all comfortable with them and ran around like super hero's. Whew!

Forest had a rather good day which started with presents, his favorite breakfast, then a party, then the pool and his favorite dinner, and lots and lots of cupcakes throughout the day.

The very next day which happened to be then night before school started Daphne was playing legos with her brother and she yelled, "my tooth fell out, my tooth fell ouuuutttt!!"

That little tooth had been wiggly since the 4th of July. I was glad to see it finally came out. All she had to do was a bite a small Lego piece off a bigger Lego piece for it to fall right out.

Monday morning was the first day of school! Oh the excitement of a new year! You can just feel it. My excitement feels a tad bit more like anxiety but whatever.
Daphne sat right up when I went in her room to wake her and found the tooth fairy had left her money. 

Perfect.

She picked out her own outfit for her first day of first grade!

I'll be honest, first grade is rough. The day is a lot longer than kindergarten and her teacher is a little rough around the edges. Shes been a real champ this last week and has had a cold. We are all really glad the first week is over and are hoping for the best next week.
But look how happy and perfect she looks on the first day!

Forest! Oh my little Forest. I honestly still picture him as my baby but off to preschool he went. He is going to the same little preschool Daphne went to and he's thrilled.

 It's the happiest little place and he loves it so far. It is just two days a week. 

Which leaves Dash and I alone for 3 hours twice a week. It feels weird. I like it and I don't. I miss the older children while they are away and can't wait to pick them up. However, I'm finding that a nap twice a week is so amazing and I need it. The early mornings of school and an 8 month old baby(!!) who still wakes up at night has left me exhausted! But you guys, look at him!

the end.