San Francisco

Going to San Francisco always seems to be fun, especially when we can take family with us! It was so fun having Margaret and Dean here last weekend. I told you in the last post a little bit about our day, starting with Pier 39. Here is the rest of the story. We walked all the way down and saw the seals. There were so many out! Sometime there aren't any there, so we were lucky. 

Here are the seals on the Pier. There were several of them that were fighting and fell into the water. It was pretty entertaining actually.

Here is our view of Alcatraz Island from the end of the Pier. 

We decided to take the Golden Gate Bridge over to Sausalito to check out what was going on over there. Here is the view of San Francisco from Sausalito. It was a very clear day, which was nice. 

Here is one of the cute restaurants on a pier in Sausalito. How cute is it?!

And here is a cute little section of different shops that we were able to enjoy. Sausalito is a cute little town that is fun for a day trip. 

They had this great huge fountain in a little park at the end of all the little cute shops near the beach. We all had to get a shot next to it, so here is Margaret and Dean! 

  And then Neil and I! The weather really was so beautiful!

After we were done shopping and enjoying all the cute small shops in Sausalito we headed back to the city for some Ghiradelli ice cream...and oh yes! It was delicious!

 After we all got ice cream we drove back home. Dean was able to stay and hang out in the city with some friends a little longer. I was glad that the weather was clear and that everything worked out so well. It is fun to live close to the city and visit.

A Carousel Ride

On Monday the 19th we took Margaret and Dean to the city. The weather was beautiful and we were able to see some great views. We started our site seeing on Pier 39 with some delicious Boudin soup and sandwiches. We walked around and looked at the shops and different things. There was a small magician entertaining people on the pier too! 

We stopped at the carousel and Margaret got to ride it with Preston. I thought that these shots were absolutely adorable. He wasn't sure what to think of things at first, but then seemed to like what was going on.

Here is Preston and Grandma waiting to get on the Carousel. 

He got on the closest horse and loved touching it all and looking all around 

 Then he switched to riding the rabbit and got a kick out of it. 

I don't think he could figure out how things were going in circles...seeing all the shops and everything pass by so quickly. He did smile and seemed to have fun riding a carousel for the first time! 

Another Year Older

Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to meeee....Happy Birthday to me. Yes, it was my birthday on Sunday. I'm not officially 26. Wow, can you believe it. I couldn't comprehend being this old when I was younger...and now I am here. I have a wonderful husband and we have an amazing little boy. I couldn't ask for more. I really did have an amazing birthday though. We had family over Sunday night to celebrate. Neil made some amazing ribs with scalloped potatoes and a green salad. Margaret made me a delicious red velvet cake for my birthday cake, which topped everything off perfectly. I felt so loved and appreciated, which was fun. I am so grateful for such a great family and such wonderful friends. Thank you so much for all you all did!

I got a wonderful cake brought to me with some lighted candles! We didn't have 26 of them to put on the table, but there were two and then six.

And they are out! It would have been embarrassing if I couldn't blow them all out in one breathe.

 Taylor and Tehya were excited to watch me open my gifts. They weren't as excited to see the results...no toys and cool coloring pages, etc. I got a 9x9 pan! Yahoo! I really did want one of these really bad.

 I got some great cards, which I have come to absolutely love. Preston gave me a great card and little gift. Love it!

 It was fun to see everyone playing together. We really don't have a big place so it was a little cramped, but fun to be together and be able to play together.

 We ended up playing a game we got for Christmas from Emily and Allen called Last Words. It was super fun actually and we are going to have to play it again soon!

All in all, I had a great birthday and couldn't ask for more. I am excited to see what happens in our lives in the coming year. Change can be hard, but it allows us to grow and I am grateful that Heavenly Father allows us to do that for so many reasons!

Stanford Campus

I have been to the Stanford campus many times with both sides of the family that live in the area. I love the Cantor Art Museum and the Hoover tower is always a tourist attraction. My aunt Jenn was married in the Chapel there and her husband went to grad school there. I went to a 4th of July concert with Grandpa Call the summer I worked here before my mission too. I have been to most buildings, but not all. We got to go to Stanford again when Margaret and Dean came to visit last weekend. On Saturday Grandpa Lyons met us there and helped guide us to different buildings and things like that. It was fun to walk around and see things again.

We started at the Athletic Hall of Fame, but it was closed. Next, we walked through the new MBA school on our way to the Hoover Tower. Here is a shot on our way over.

 We went up the elevator to the top floor so that we could see the whole campus. Stanford really owns lots of land in that area of California and you have some amazing views from the top of this tower. Preston sure did seem to like it too! He is such a happy little boy. I love both of these men.

 The Hoover Tower is a bell tower, well...really they are played by a piano like thing. It isn't played that often anymore since the man who does is getting much older. The bells range in size from really small to this huge one. I don't think it was the largest, but close.

 Here is the library across the street from the Hoover Tower. The fountain is just beautiful.

 Then we walked to the Quad. On our way we stopped at one of the beautiful Rodin sculptures. Here is Margaret and Dean really blending in with the scenery. Don't we all feel like this at one point or another?

 Rodin really has some amazing sculptures placed on this campus. I don't think any of them are the originals, but just replicas of the pieces he did.

 The Quad: looking towards the chapel. 

 I just think all of the architecture is absolutely amazing. Even the hallways in the Quad are beautiful with the tiling, the arches, and the stone.

 At the Cantor Art Museum there are many Rodin sculptures. They have most of them outside...like this one. This is one of my favorites and is called the Gates of Hell.

 There was a sculpture of three brothers. I'm not sure what it was really called, but Dean and Neil  stood in front of it...missing Carl.

The trip was really fun and got us walking. Preston did really well with such a long day. After we toured Stanford we ate lunch at one of my absolute favorite places to eat, Cook's. They have the the best fish and chips in the whole area. It was a fun day and we were happy we got to spend it with Margaret and Dean. 

A Good Ol' Nap

Preston has been very good at sleeping. Ever since he was born he was a pretty good sleeper. He slept through the night at 3 months or so and has done so ever since with the exception of teething time. He takes two naps during the day that are around 2-3 hours long, depending on what has been going on and then goes to sleep around 8. He often wakes up in the morning and talks to himself for a little while. I love listening to him, especially when he makes himself laugh.

Here are a couple of pictures of him right after a nap. He is a happy little man!

We really are so blessed to have this little man in our lives!

Happy Birthday Tehya

This post is a little late, but I guess that is what my life is like most of the time...haha. On Sunday Feb 26th we celebrated Tehya's birthday. She turned 3! Her real birthday was week before, but her party worked out to be a bit later, which ended up being great! Aunt Donna and Uncle Mike flew in to surprise her, Jenn, and the family. My Dad was also here for a little while. Jenn always puts together such great parties and invites the whole family.  There were lots of little kids and plenty of adults to make it fun for everyone. We drove over after church so that Preston could nap. We got there, I fed him, and then he slept through most of the party. It was nice for him to get a good nap though. Sundays are usually hard enough on him...throw in a party and he will just fall apart. Anyways, it was fun to celebrate Tehya turning 3!

Here are a few pictures:

There was cake, and a very happy birthday girl.

 There was face painting...(this was the face Taylor came up with when I told her to smile and show me her ice cream cone)

 Hand painting...

 There was balloon making into all sorts of amazing things, with bubbles flying around the whole yard...

 And finally, there was a bounce house for the kids to play in. This was a very useful tool to help the kids get out all their energy...or at least most of it. 

 After Preston woke up we brought him outside to play with everyone else and put him in the swing. He seemed to enjoy himself!

Getting Outside

Happy Be-lated Presidents Day! I always love it when Neil gets a Monday off work. The week seems so much shorter and happier and we get to spend more time with him, which is always a plus! Since we are pretty settled already, (pictures will be coming of the apartment sometime within the next year) we decided to go on a hike. Originally we wanted to go hike the dish on the Stanford campus, but Jenn is pregnant and Evan had to work, so she suggested this hike. We were mostly on a road, which was good since the tires on my stroller were flat. We hiked to a small farm that was almost like a petting zoo  that had a cute little barn eating area. We brought lunch, sat down and had a little picnic. It was a little cold, but all in all...pretty fun. We always love spending time outside, with family, and moving our bodies!

Here are a few pictures of the fun we had:

Here we are at the beginning of the hike. All the kids are eating Veggie Sticks on the way to the picnic area.

 Isn't this just beautiful!?

 Preston loves his daddy so much!

 There were goats and sheep in this area. Preston was really interested in what they were eating.

 The girls had some fun playing with Neil, or rather...playing on Neil. 

It was such a fun day!