San Diego Part 2

After a fun filled first two days in San Diego, we were excited to get to spend our day at the zoo!  We got there bright and early and were some of the first people in! I was pretty excited that our first stop was the koalas and they were active and eager for some breakfast which was fun! 

One of the biggest attractions at the zoo is the panda exhibit, they weren't very excited to see us but we got a good little laugh!

The penguin was pretty excited to see Eli and was really disappointed that we had no food for him. 

The Ethiopian section was a particular favorite and I could have watched these entertaining guys all day!

It was a really cool zoo as everyone tells you and I am glad that we were able to spend some time checking it out. Eli loves animals and so the zoo was a perfect place to go and explore with him. He tells me that someday when he is a zoo trainer I can come spend the day with him and meet all the animals up close! 

And then it was back to one of Eli's other favorite places, the beach. It was a beautiful evening!

He was pretty thrilled to find so many whole sand dollars. He loves collecting all sorts of interesting things he finds on the beach!

And before we ended the evening, we promised him that he could try out the rollercoaster that was on the beach. He'd been eyeing it and so off to his first wooden rollercoaster experience. It was terrifying but fun he said!

The next morning we had a few hours to kill before heading to the airport so back to the beach for a nice long walk and a refreshing treat. 

And one last ride on a rollercoaster to end what was one awesome trip!

I love both of these guys so very much, and I loved getting to spend time spoiling Eli for a couple of days.  These one on one trips sure bring some precious memories and help us build our relationships with our kids. It's definitely one of the highlights of my year! We love you Eli and had so much fun with you! 

San Diego - Part 1

One of the biggest challenges of having a big family is making sure you can give each of your kids the one on one time they need. I often feel like a failure in this area and I know it may be an impossible desire but we still want to try. One way in which we decided to try and cultivate this time, is special one on one trips with each kid. Last year Malachi came with us to Chicago and this year it was Eli's turn to come with us to San Diego!

Traveling with Eli is pretty fun because he's a guy who is up for anything and wants to gulp vacation time to its fullest. He is go go go and wants to see and do everything. Our first day we flew out bright and early!

Then it was off to see all the ships!

A dream come true for him to get to be on a real pirate ship!

On the drive back to the hotel the early flight caught up to him

But a quick little nap was enough and he was back at it

I knew that Eli loved time at the beach and so we decided we needed to stay at a place close to the beach so that he could spend our down time there. This worked out really well for us! 

Day 2 he really wanted to spend the day at Sea World so that is where we went! And even though it wasn't warm yet he wanted to do the water ride first thing!

and they got soaked but were still smiling! 

Eli has done all the rollercoasters at Disneyland and loved them, but this was his first time on a real big roller coaster and he loved every second of it! 

He was too scared to touch the sharks at the beginning of the day, but we couldn't get him away from the tank by evening.

And these guys were lots of fun nibbling and cleaning our hands.

Another Month Passes

Somehow another month has passed as this blog sits empty. There is much to update - posts about our trip to San Diego, I'd love to share our Halloween. Life keeps moving forward and I seem to have less and less time to type. 

We are well into November now, and Thanksgiving is moments away. I'm not gonna lie, November has been a really hard month for me emotionally. I don't want to sound ungrateful in this month of Thanksgiving because I know there is so much to be grateful for and life is pretty darn great. But there are still things that have made this season really difficult for me. I would love to be in a place where I could write it all out here and release it, but I can't. I always hate when people are cryptic and I'm really not trying to be but I just can't go there right now.

But alas, I am surviving and it is the season of thanksgiving so I want to spend a few moments to be thankful for the good things!

1) I am thankful that through this year I have really grown spiritually and sought after God in all circumstances. I may not ever understand some of His reasons for circumstances we go through but He is good, He is with me through it all, and my hope for the future is in Him! There is something holy about being in a tough place emotionally but having the peace that God still has it covered.

2) I am thankful I have wonderful and supportive husband and our marriage is in a good place! We work diligently to make it better and communicate even when it is hard. I love how hard he works for us and sacrifices for us. I love that his primary concern is that his family is taken care of loved. I love that I had a weekend away with him to talk, have fun, and just be present with one another.

3) I am thankful for Malachi. He is smart, caring and outgoing. I love that he doesn't care what others think of him but is comfortable in being unique. I love that babies and little kids flock to him. I love that he loves going to church and reads his Bible and his favorite time is getting to pray in front of all the kids at church.  I love that he is sooooo different in personality than we are because it keeps our home interesting.

4) I am thankful for Eli who is the splitting image of his father so how could I not love and adore him! I love that he has his mamas temper and level of empathy. I love that all the foster puppies adore his gentle spirit. I love how naturally athletic and fun he is to watch in his element. I love that while he doesn't mind being out of the center of attention that one on one he thrives and chats your ear off.

5) I am thankful for Sabrina who always has a smile on her face. She has been my sunshine since the day she was born. I love that she is up for anything and hardly complains. I love that she is creative and content. I love that she is emotional and enjoys nail polish and paint and doing hair and all the typically girly things.

6) I am thankful for LB, for her fiesty spirit and how hilarious she is and makes me laugh. I love that she is a fighter and is smart and challenges us at every turn. I love that she is also outgoing and so vastly different than we are because it keeps life really interesting.

7) I am thankful for our puppy. We were not in the market for a dog whatsoever but this dog is such a good dog! He has an awesome demeanor and is amazing with the kids. He's my little/big companion that I guess I didn't know I needed.

8) I am thankful for the opportunity to home school. It is really challenging and my house is often a disaster because the kids are always here with me but I love that I get to spend my day with my kids. I love that I get to be an every day part of their education and know what they are learning and how they are learning it. I love that the Bible is an integral part of their education and I have the freedom to educate them in the way I feel is best. I love that there really great curriculums out there to help me in this process.  I love that they are able to take science classes at the local university and take home school swim lessons and piano during school hours.

9) I am thankful for protection on my family. That everyone is healthy and for the most part happy. That there are several moments over the last months that I can look back on and see that God had his hand of protection on us!

10) I am thankful for extended family outside of the walls of our home. That even in the midst of disagreements we still love each other and will have each others backs and be there at a moments notice if needed. I am thankful that family adores our children and is willing to help me taxi and care for the kids when I need a helping hand.

 And lastly, tonight I am thankful for hope. When life events have you down, it is amazing to have hope for better things and better moments to be coming soon. I love my life and am thankful for so much more than I could even type on these pages. Happy Thanksgiving!