Our Vacation!!!

Tom, Sally, and Kim came to visit us this past week from New York and we had a blast!! They haven't seen the kids for over a year now so they were very excited to see them in person and not just in pictures that get sent every couple of months. They have never been to California so we decided to take a little road trip. We left early Thursay morning and went to the Wild Animal Park at the San Diego World Zoo. Where the kids got to sit in an egg.

Pet some deer.

Ride a Rhinocerous.

And just lay around.

Then we were off to LA on Friday to see a taping of:

Unfortunately they don't let you take cameras in so this was the only picture we got of that. But we did also go see the Hollywood sign.

Saturday was my personal favorite, we went to Sea World!!! The kids did amazing, the first two days were a little trying with a lot of crying and whining but when it really counted they were happy and having a great time!! Neither of them took a nap that day and only Cynthia fell asleep during the Shamu show at 7 that night!!! (Her dancing wore her out!!) Ricky went on two rides and loved them.

We fed the dolphins,

pet sting rays,

saw sharks,

and had a great time.

We came back on Sunday, oh what a drive. Monday we took the kids to the Mccormick Stillman Railroad Park in Scottsdale and Ricky got to ride a train for the first time!! He loved it!!

Then we had a day to relax and then sent them off back home. :( Everyone had a great time, and missed each other as soon as good byes were finished. I think the kids have taken it the hardest, not being held all day and played with constantly has been a hard thing to adjust to. We are making due though and will just have to look forward to the next time we get to play together.

Prescott Valley

We went to Prescott Valley last weekend and were able to spend time with Patti and her family. This was the first time in about 5 years or so that Dwayne, Jen, Carlos, Dwight, and Tricia were all in one place. Jen was able to learn how to play dominoes, which was very fun I might add, and Rick did dabble in it as well. We had a great time watching the kids play together and just getting to hang out with family. The ride home we thought would be quiet with both kids sleeping but we ended up listening to the movie Bees twice.

Well I finally found time when the kids were in their rooms and it's quiet. I'm slowly but surely figuring out this blog thing, with the help of friends of course. :) So Ricky is 2 and Cynthia is 14 months. So far Cynthia is not walking but she is showing signs of getting there soon. She is walking along the couch and with the help of someones hands. She really enjoys being around people, being held, and playing with Ricky. Ricky loves his sister still and looks out for her needs and wants. If that's what you call it. If Ricky wants milk then so does sister, if Ricky wants to eat then so does sister, if Ricky wants to play then so does sister. It's pretty amusing. He is really starting to form sentences and ask for things correctly. He is also starting to say his prayers with less and less aid from mommy and daddy.

We are looking forward to next week when Tom, Sally, and Kim come out to visit us. They have not seen the kids for over a year and everyone is really excited to see each other. We have been showing pictures of grandma, grandpa, and aunt Kim to Ricky and he can name them so we are hoping that when he sees them that they will be familiar faces.

Ricky and Cynthia have also gotten the chance to play with their cousins Nathanial and Gabriel. Grandma and Grandpa bring them over to our house as well as taking them to theirs. Ricky and Nathaniel love to play together with cars and trains. The are planning on going to see Thomas the Train in November and that will be a great experience for Ricky! He doesn't know it yet but he's going to have a great time!!