Spring Break in Texas

During Emma's spring break, we headed out to do some exploring. We headed to Southwest Texas because the flights were relatively cheap and it was a shorter flight that going all the way across the country. We started our week in San Antonio. The first day we were there, we headed to Sea World to visit all the animals, see some great shows, and ride a few rides.




The morning was overcast and cool, which was great, but then the sum came out and it got very hot and humid. We decided to head back to the resort to swim in their great pool and lazy river.
In the parking lot of Sea World, we ran into this:

Our little rented Prius is hidden behind this monster truck. Ian loved it! Emma was just hot at this point.
But S'Mores at the resort make everything better:


and smiles return.
Another day, we headed into downtown San Antonio to see the riverwalk and the Alamo.

Eating Mexican on the riverwalk

Visiting the Alamo

On the riverwalk boat tour
It was time to leave San Antonio, so we took the long way back to Austin through the hill country. We had lunch in the cowboy capital of the world:

and saw lots of bluebonnets

We made it to our resort in Austin, where we spent the rest of the week. We pretty much stayed on the resort in Austin, (only going downtown for the afternoon one day) because there was so much to do at the resort.

There were bikes,


Pony rides,

games on the lawn,

a lazy river,


and a waterslide.
We hung out at the pool,


and rode on hayrides pulled by tractors.

We got to feed the resort mascots,

and just look at some of the bigger ones

and on Saturday, you could go on a ride on this:

There was even hiking right at the resort

We had a really relaxing time and it was great getting away to a resort with so much to do for everyone!

A trip to Virginia for Washington's Birthday

Every year here in California, the kids have the week of President's Day off for winter break. At the last minute this year, we decided to spend some time in Virginia. Emma has been learning about some of the presidents and monuments in schools, so she was really excited to do a little sightseeing.

The first day we were there, we drove into Washington DC to see some of the monuments

The first one we saw was the Washington Monument

Ian was excited to see the monuments, too

The Jefferson Memorial

Emma had just studied Martin Luther King Jr in school, so this was another exciting one for her

Walking through Washington, Ian figured out he could put his hands in his pockets to keep them warm

Lincoln Memorial

View from the Lincoln Memorial steps

Mr. Lincoln

Walking down to the Washington Monument

Another Day, we headed to Mount Vernon to see where George Washington lived. 

Emma was really excited that the step grandchildren in this statue were the same ages as herself and Ian

Trying to grind wheat

Front of the house

Back of the house

This was a really fun trip and we look forward to going back and exploring some more!

Emma's 7th Birthday Party

We now have a seven year old in the house! Because Emma's birthday is always over winter break, we usually have her party a little early to make sure most of her friends can make it. This means that her birthday celebration usually last a whole week ! This year, since Emma is pretty into art, we had her party at a paint your own party studio. There were 12 girls who can to paint and have lunch together. This was a really fun party and I think all the girls had a great time!
In preparation for the party, I made the invitations and the cake....

The invitation

and the cake before the final frosting. This was a really fun, easy cake and the girls loved it when it was cut open and they saw the rainbow

The finished cake

Everyone painting

Hanging out with friends

Cake time!

Blow!

Cutting the cake

The inside of the cake

Ian enjoyed his lunch of Chick-fil-a

All the girls.
It was a fun way to celebrate the day!

A Big Head!

Ian found his hat from the hospital when he was a newborn and decided to try it on.


It was a little snug!

Here is what it looked like as a newborn. It looks like his head has grow a bit!