Galapagos Trip!

As some people may know, I (James) have had a dream of going to the Galapagos Islands for as long as I can remember.  This place has always served as a reminder of the wonders of the world, especially when they are untouched by man.  Getting to visit the undisputed "birth place" of the fascinating process of evolution by means of natural selection is one that I will always remember.  My only regrets are that Megan and the kids were not able to come and that I did not stay longer.  Both regrets can be remedied by another trip in the future!

Here is a quick little video that I put together.  It contains mostly pictures, but there are some videos in it as well.  Please enjoy!

Christensen Family Reunion 2013

James flew to Utah to join us for the reunion and to help the kids and I drive back to California.  The reunion went from Thursday evening until Monday morning.  We were only able to make it for Friday and part of Saturday, but still managed to have lots of fun.  Here are a few highlights:

So many fun 2nd cousins for the kids to play with.

The pirate-themed treasure hunt.

The younger group of kids had a hunt through the house.  Just look at all the prizes Ethan got!

The older kids used compass, GPS, and all kinds of clues to search all over the property for their treasures.

with air-hockey, pool tables, playground, gym, dancing coordinated by Brooklyn...the kids were kept very busy.

The water slide was a big hit.

As was the pulled pork made in the big green egg.  James was so excited when he walked through the garage and saw this sitting there.

The whole group!

And almost all the girls together.  

(We're missing one sister-in-law who got sick and couldn't make it.) 

Utah Trip

My mom was planning to come help with things at our house after Preston was born.  I had been waiting until after he was born to decide if we should try to go to Utah for our family reunion.  It worked out that my Mom was able to come help us make the drive so we could do both.


What a great Mom I have!  She got here late wednesday night, June 19th.  Thursday she played with the kids so I could pack and get things done around the house.  We planned to leave Friday morning, but had a problem with the car.  So, Saturday we made the drive.  It was so fun to have her in the car to talk to and help with kids.  Luckily the kids did amazing!  We stopped along the way to nurse and let the big kids snack, get out wiggles and go the bathroom.  The 10 hour drive took a total of 14 hours to finish, but it went well.  We were excited to have some time to be with family before the reunion started.

Once in Utah, the kids were excited to play with cousins.  They spent hours playing with playdough while we were there.

Went swimming to cool off from the hot, hot sun.

And tried out a few different splash pads.

I wanted to show the kids around BYU.  We had a last minute decision to get everyone possible together for lunch.  We ended up with 22 out of the 40 people in our family all at the Creamery.  Chaotic fun at it's best.
 

A group of us went bowling at the Wilkinson Center.  Thanks to the ramp, bumpers, and bowling with other kids, Brielle got the high score on our lane.  She was also sad to give back the bowling shoes.  She said they were very comfortable.

Every day was packed with fun, and not quite enough sleep.

Last Day of Kindergarten

Brielle and Gavin on the last day of school.


In front of the classroom.
(thank you Uncle Evan for taking pictures!)

After school the kids had some friends over for a swim party at Grandma and Papa Finlay's house.


 A great way to start the summer!

 
They've grown this year!