Sleepover at Papa and Grandma's house

Unlimited story time, staying up late, four kids in one room, pancake breakfast...wonderful memories made each time.

Morro Bay-January

Over Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday weekend we went up to Morro Bay.  James wasn't able to come, because he still had work, but the kids and I joined some other members of his family.  It turned out to be a perfect get away as it was the same weekend as the fire.  The kids and I escaped the smoke, while James was still here to hold down the fort and make sure our house wasn't burning.

geocaching at the Elfin Forest

Because of our quick evacuation, I didn't have time to exactly pack for the trip.  We did pretty well with what I had thrown into the car.  They only major things I hadn't gotten was our toiletries and food. A quick stop to the store took care it.

The kids loved being there with their cousins and Grandma and Papa Finlay and also Aunt Megan, Alana, Steve and Pat (Steve's Mom).

It was a gorgeous weekend to spend time playing at the beach.

We went to crab beach, as we often like to do when the tide is low.  Ethan continues his amazing ability to get the most muddy in the least amount of time.

The kids love that they get to watch cartoons while we're on vacation.

And they love eating out on the balcony (you can't blame them with the amazing view!)

the babies...they think they are big kids too.

Hanging Out in January

Just a few random pictures from the past months outings...

Watching cement being poured at our friends house.

Autry Museum

Autry Museum

Fun at the Park

Trying out the swing (and loving it!)

Starting Solids

At 6 Months (back in December) Preston got to try out solid food.  He is a fan.

Who Me???  I didn't make this mess!

Colby Fire

In the middle of January we had yet another fire close to our house (the third in the past year).  It started at about 6am.  Brielle noticed it as we were sitting eating breakfast she looked out the window and saw the smoke.

We went to school like normal.  You could see the flames even from Brielle's school (about 5 miles in the opposite direction from our house and a couple cities away from where the fire had started!

James took this picture as he was biking to work.  After watching how fast the fire was spreading he turned around and came home instead.

After dropping of Brielle I had taken Ethan to speech class and stopped for groceries.  When we got home at 9:30 that morning we had police vehicles going up and down our street announcing mandatory evacuation.

We quickly got our things in the car and headed to James' parents house.  The evacuation lasted until Friday night, with the fire on the mountain directly behind our house.  The big concern was that the winds would pick up, but the fire moved backwards, so our neighborhood was not damaged, just very ashy (we had neighbors that had left their windows open a crack and they had ash inside their home.

Ethan was especially interested in all the details. He still, almost a month later continues to ask questions about what is happening to the people that started it and why they did it, etc.  He always asks for us to do 'research' to find out more details.

Rose Bowl and Parade

The New Year started out at the Parade Route.  James got a chance to dress up in his Michigan State colors to cheer for MSU at the Rose Bowl.

The fly-over is the exciting signal that the parade is about to begin.

The kids enjoyed watching the amazingly decorated floats.

and meeting some of the Harlem Globe Trotters.

Goodbye 2013...Hello 2014!

Joshua Tree

A couple days after Christmas we went on an extended family field trip out to Joshua Tree National Park.

The kids especially loved all the boulders to climb on and explore the caves.

It was a gorgeous day for hiking and exploring.

It was so great to have 4 generations together to build more fun memories.