A Saturday Afternoon Hike

This is a new hike that I took the gang on, I had gone once before with a friend. This one was stroller friendly and we had a great time. 

 Do you see what is in the background of this picture? You will have to look closely on top of the hill in the background. Yep, it is the LDS temple. How cool to be able to see that while on a hike???!

 Another great backdrop. And I am loving all of this posing. Where did our girls pick it up? Super cute!

 Throwing rocks in the water. 

 Joy liked meandering through the tall grass. 

 Amelia

 Leila

Lucy

skipping stones

Ikea with cousins Todd and Eve

 Eve and Joy

 Lucy and Todd got to play at Smaland while Amy and I got to do a little shopping. 

An Afternoon at the Mall

The kids rode the carousel. This is the first time that Joy has ridden on a carousel that we and she can remember. I love how she looks around when she starts to move- I think she was trying to figure out how it was moving.

We then picked up a new game. This game was recommended to us while we were in the game store and it is a hit for all ages. A lot of fun. We also picked up our new family calendar for 2012- also a big hit- a Yoga Dogs calendar- totally hilarious and a good reminder to not take yourself too seriously.

The little girls got to play in the kid area. Leila was disappointed when she realized that she was too tall to play in the kid area. I think this was the first time that she was too tall for anything... what a bummer.

Service- Cleaning the Church Building

As a family we are trying to do more service. We decided to head to the church building to participate in the Saturday morning church clean up. I think since we were a bit late we ended up on bathroom duty (pun intended). Amelia, Lucy, and Joy cleaned the mirrors. Erica was on sinks. And Sam and Leila were on the toilet stalls with Leila cleaning the actual toilets. Maybe it is my twisted sense of humor, but this video makes me laugh every time I watch it (the commentary in the background between Sam and Leila is hilarious), please don't think less of me ;) Afterwards we went and had a breakfast of donuts and milk- delicious!

Joy by Amelia

Amelia really wanted to take a picture of Joy and so she chased her into the office and she came back with this. I kind of like it. It is Joy's pouting face.

Lucy's Birthday Party

Lucy's 4th birthday is coming up and she had a birthday party to celebrate!

The kids chose their frosting color, mixed it and frosted and decorated their cupcakes. I love that we got Lucy's cousin Eve in the background mischeiviously pulling everything out of the drawers and cupboards while we had our backs turned. 

Todd's card had a list of 4 things that Todd Loves about Lucy. Here is his list:
1. She has toys.
2. She has pretty hair.
3. She is nice to me.
4. She makes me laugh.

I will agree with Todd. Lucy is beautiful inside and out. She is nice to those around her and always has a laugh to share. Her name means light and she is just that- a light. She is learning how to read. She enjoys making cards for people and does it all day long. I receive about 5 letters from her per day. She also enjoys going over to her friend Claire, Kiley or Loralei's house or to have a friend over to play. She is a wonderful big sister to her little sister Joy and also great friends with her older sisters, Leila and Amelia. She has so much love inside her and it shows in the way that she treats others and has a good time. I love that girl soooooooo much! Happy Birthday Lucy, sweetheart!

Science Fair and Winter Festival

Every year it is a tradition for the girls' school to have a science fair and winter gathering. Science Fair, potluck dinner (we skipped that part this year), and then my favorite part is the singing. The children all go outside and hold candles. One candle is lit and then the child lights their neighbor's candle and so forth until all of the candles are lit. It is quite beautiful and then the children sing some songs.

Leila with her class's Science Fair Project on the water cycle.

Joaquin lighting Amelia's candle.

Amelia lighting Saisurya's candle. 

Amelia.

Leila with her friend Lea. 

Leila, Amelia and school mates singing "This Little Light of Mine" at the Winter Gathering. A tradition at the school. 

Aerospace Museum of California

Yesterday was Sacrmamento's Annual Free Museum Day. We chose the Aerospace Museum of California. It was an amazing museum with tons to see and do. I could not believe the amount of airplanes, missles, jeeps, space suits, ejection seats etc that we got to see. I just could not capture how cool this place was with pictures. My favorite part was standing inside this big old military plane and seeing where the paratroopers would hook up and jump out of the plane. It was a history becomes more real moment for me. 

Amelia and Lucy

Lucy and Amelia

Lucy and Amelia

Leila, Amelia and Lucy ready for take off!

Amelia and Leila

Leila and Amelia

Amelia in that old plane that I was talking about with the paratroopers. 

Leila

Lucy

Amelia

Joy coloring an airplane picture. 

Lucy and Amelia

Joy at the playground afterward. 

And before going to bed that night Lucy was talking to me about how she was going to get to Mars. She came up with the idea that when she gets on an airplane she will tell the pilot to take her to Mars. Then she cheered, "Woohoo!" while jumping all around her room! They plan on a mission to Mars in 2034 (I think)- will Lucy be part of the crew? We shall see.

Weekly Living

The girls cuddling in the hallway.

Amelia painting Joy's nails.

Nail Painting Party!

Joy and Lexi

Joy with the neigbor's dog. They are pretty good through the fence friends.

Lucy on the rope swing with her friend Claire.

Highlights of the week: A stock up trip to Sam's Club, a visit to see their cousins Todd and Eve and Aunt Amy, a Primary Talent Show, Leila and Amelia had a sing and dance class after school, friends and neighbors over to play, the kids' friend Carter was put in the hospital... oh and I pled with some teenagers in the library parking lot to stop smoking, then we saw then 2 hours later when we parked right next to them in the McDonalds parking lot. I did feel like a slight hypocrite because, well, McDonalds will kill ya too.