Easter Sunday

We met Connor at the Desert Springs Marriott on Easter morning for the big Easter Egg Hunt!

This year the kids actually liked collecting the eggs, but they weren't fast enough! Kayla was still happy even though she only got 4 eggs.

Kayla loved the little lambs in the petting zoo!

And she didn't cry when we saw the Easter Bunny!

When we got home, the Easter Bunny had filled Kayla's new basket with lots of treats!



Good Friday in San Diego

 I get Good Friday off so we went to spend the day in beautiful San Diego. First, we had lunch in Old Town. 





Kayla really wanted her picture taken next to this horse inside the Wells Fargo museum. 

Then it was gametime. Thanks Nick for the pink Padres monkey! It was Fireworks Friday too! We had so much fun. Luckily we stayed at the Marriot right across the street from Petco Park. 

The next morning we went to the Birch Aquarium in La Jolla. 

  

 They had lots of cool fish, jellyfish, seahorses, and sharks!

Kayla liked touching the starfish and sea cucumbers in the tide pool.

 

Then we hiked down this big cliff to get to the beach. 



Balboa Park San Diego

February is Museum Month in San Diego. If you pick up a free pass at a participating Macy's, you get half price admission to over a dozen museums in the San Diego area. So one Saturday morning, we drove out to see the San Diego Air and Space Museum.

It was really cool!

Kayla and Daddy "flying!"

She was very upset that the Red Baron exhibit was roped off and she couldn't touch Snoopy.

Then we found a helicopter to climb into and explore!

Playing inside the Kid's Aviation Action Hangar...

Once we had lunch at the Air and Space Museum, we were ready to find another museum to explore. As we wandered through Balboa Park, we discovered the International Cottages. So of course we stopped by to visit Sweden and China so Kayla could see her heritage!


Then we went on to explore the Museum of Man. Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures, but it was really neat. They even had a real Egyptian mummy on dispay! We had a fun-filled day in sunny San Diego!

Roxy & Kayla=BFF's Forever

Christmas 2011

It's an annual tradition to go see the Wildlights at The Living Desert.

And this year Santa Claus was there! Kayla was too shy to tell him what she wanted for Christmas, but at least she didn't cry and I got a decent picture.

Christmas morning, our stockings were stuffed with treats from Santa!

All day long, we played with our new toys.



I love this picture of Santa's little helper!

Candy Cane Lane

Nothing's more fun at Christmastime than a stroll down Candy Cane Lane in Cathedral City!



After we were done, we enjoyed some hot chocolate in the car before driving home.

The Astle Group Holiday Seminar

We hosted a client appreciation dinner party at The IW Club. To add to the festivities, we had a Closest to the Pin golf contest (which Devin won 2nd place) and an Ugliest Christmas Sweater contest!

I'm so lucky I work for such a fun team!

Thanksgiving 2011

My mom came down to visit for Thanksgiving and stayed for two weeks. We had so much fun with Paw-Paw!

While she was here, she helped us get some of our Christmas decorations up.

And she babysat Kayla while Devin and I attended my friend Valerie's wedding. It was so beautiful at the La Quinta Civic Park with the duck pond in the background.

The reception was at the new Embassy Suites. Me, Sonya, and Debbie had a great time!

Halloween 2011

Most little girls are obsessed with Disney Princesses, but not Kayla. She LOVES fairies, especially Tinkerbell! So naturally she was a green fairy for Halloween. The best part about her costume was the skirt which had fiber-optics that sparkled in the dark with the push of a button! Daddy stayed home to pass out candy while Kayla and I went trick-or-treating around our neighborhood. She got the hang of it quick and had so much fun.

5 Year Anniversary Trip

October 21st was our five year wedding anniversary and I insisted that we go on an adult vacation to celebrate the milestone! Devin suggested Vegas, but I had something more romantic in mind. So we drove to Sacramento, dropped off Kayla at my mom's house and the two of us went to spend a couple of nights in Napa Valley! We stayed at the Napa Inn, it was a beautiful Bed and Breakfast!

Welcome to the Roman Suite. It was the most expensive room, but oh so worth it!

We didn't have an agenda. So we just went on a leisurely drive up the Silverado Trail and enjoyed the spectacular views of the hillsides covered in grapevines!

Along the way, we stopped to explore a few wineries that looked interesting.

At Black Stallion Winery, they had an area where you could go out and sample the different kind of grapes right off the vine!

After a long day, we took advantage of the awesome jacuzzi in our room!

The next morning, we went to tour the Sterling Vineyards. I picked it because they have a tram ride that takes you up to a hilltop and I thought it'd be fun.

I was right and the views were amazing!

The self-guided tour taught us about the various stages of the wine-making process.

Next, we went to check out Chateau Montelena (famous from the movie Bottleshock).

This is Castello di Amorosa, a real life Medieval castle in Northern California!

Complete with a chapel and ancient grape-crushing machinery...

Thank you Paw-Paw, Bock-Gung, and Bock-Bock for taking care of Kayla. It was a great trip for all!