Jules turns 10

Jules had her 10th birthday on May 17th. We had a cousins party at our house that weekend with pizza and a movie. Megan and Jonny, and Kari and Chris came too and stayed for the movie, which was very nice of them. We all had fun. Nobody was able to sleep over (which was sad for Jules) but maybe this summer we can have sleep overs for her.

Darren's mom Linda made the darling birthday cake

On her actual birthday, Darren and I took her to dinner. We told her she could pick anywhere she wanted, and Applebee's was her decision. Then we got her a little cake for dessert. Then I had my family over on Sunday for a little party. (Birthdays become more like birth-weeks these days).

She made sure to wish for something really good :)
I hope she enjoyed her special day!

Mother's Day weekend

Over Mother's Day weekend Darren and I decided last minute to go down to La Jolla for my cousin Erika's wedding. It was relaxing to go, just the two of us and take a few days off from work and kids. I think it's important for us to spend alone time together, especially being newlyweds. We aren't your typical newlyweds who get to watch our favorite tv shows together and  go out to eat every night and sleep in on weekends together. We are trying to juggle getting quality time together and being the best parents we can. So we were happy to shove off for the weekend. Also, most of my mom's side of the family hadn't met Darren yet, and they really liked him after meeting him. 

Here is Darren meeting my uncle Fred. They had a good conversation about guns lol.

My dad, James, and Darren. Look at how well they match. Totally unplanned!

Vanessa and her friend Katy came too. They provide much laughter, as most teenage girls do. They were a lot of fun. The first night there Darren crashed when we got to our room, so I went to the girls' room and we stayed up till 4 am talking and laughing. 

On Sunday (Mother's Day), our family had a nice breakfast at the hotel. It was nice spending the day  with my mom. I missed my kids, but they called to wish me a happy Mother's Day which was really nice. James and Stephanie were also there with Bayleigh. James is always making us laugh. Poor Stephanie got sick while we were there. She wasn't able to go to the reception or eat most of the trip. 

After breakfast we headed down to the freezing cold beach. Even though it was cold and windy, Vanessa, Katy and James still got in the ocean. They were crazy! They had to get some good poses for facebook though lol

Then we went to see Grandma Chy's house. Grandma's house has always felt so inviting. You always feel like a kid again when you go to grandma's house. It has always had the same clean smell and the same cozy feeling all these years.

grandma's front yard

Then Fred and Sheri had us over for a barbecue. They grilled steaks and salmon, and made delicious food. It was also Fred's birthday that week so we sang happy birthday to him. Then we drove down into town and walked around some of the shops. Everything was closed though, so we went back to the hotel and bought some cards at the gift shop and played cards till

 1 am. 

On Monday we headed up to Newport for a few hours. We drove up PCH enjoying the beach view along the way. We stopped by Sprinkles cupcakes at Fashion Island of course. Then we took a little ride on the Balboa Island ferry like we used to do growing up. Newport Beach is one of my favorite places to go. We took a few pictures at the beach and headed back to Vegas. 

 

bike ride

We live on a long street so I am pretty leery of letting the kids ride bikes out front. So they haven't been on a big kids' bike very much. But the other day Steph and I took the kids on a little ride to the park by their house. Bayleigh has a big bike and looks so cute on it. She let Kate ride hers on the way back and she did great! It's amazing how much older your baby seems when they are in control of a bike and can actually go kinda fast! James and Steph now live only about 5 min away from us, so we are excited to get the kids together often... 

Johnny in time out lol.

Playing with bubbles after we got back from the park.

Darren was my hot date to a wedding of one of my clients last weekend. It was really nice and we had fun together although we didn't really know anybody there. We have been married over two months now, and going to another wedding made me really miss our special day. Seeing them say "I do" made me fall in love with Darren even more. It's kind of like a renewal of your vows to love your spouse forever, vicariously through another couple.  they had a photo booth there for their guest book. I love that idea!

ladybugs

At preschool last week, the teachers gave the kids ladybugs to release into our flowers at home. We had to wait for the sun to go down to let them go. The kids were so excited to watch them find their way into our front yard and live there...... .... until one of them landed on Kate and she had a meltdown. haha. But she soon got over it and we welcomed the rest of them home. 

-Easter-

Happy Easter! I love this time of year. The trees and flowers are in bloom, the weather is beautiful, and there is yummy food and lots of candy to be eaten. My dad made these gorgeous sugar cookies (which tasted as good as they look) for dessert. They had us over for dinner and had an egg hunt for the kids, complete with "surprise eggs". Their surprises were awesome. Giant bubbles, giant coloring books, candy, bubble-gum machines, crayons, pez, and toys.

The kids and I colored eggs the day before. They loved every minute. 

The whole family.
the kids' table

Our happy family :)

hike

It was spring break last week so we decided to take Jules up to red rock canyon for a little hike. Now, just to make it clear, we are sooo not outdoorsy people. One of the things I liked about Darren when we first started dating, was the fact that we both prefer indoor activities (movies, dinner, being at home), to outdoor activities. I just don't like getting dirty, so this was definitely not something we ever do. But we actually had a really good time. The hike was easy (more like a walk through rocks) and there was a waterfall at the end. I think we will go back again... On our way back to the car we actually ran into Johnny and Kate. We had no idea their dad was taking them there also. It was really fun to see them. It is a little strange when you run into your children somewhere and you go your separate ways, but that comes with the territory of being divorced. I know that their dad loves them so much and they have a great time with him, so it makes me happy to know that they are with somebody who loves them and takes care of them as much as I do.