Joshua is on the move!

This past week has been a bit quieter since Gramma left, but we have still had some great things happen! Joshua is now on the move (see the video)! He is army crawling everywhere and is quite good at it. One day I was making lunch and set him in the living room, the next thing I know I heard him squawking and he had scooted his way to our bedroom. He is becoming such a big boy! He turned 6 months old today and we are so glad he is part of our family.

On Saturday the whole family went to Toy Story 3. It was very good. We also went cherry picking in the morning. There are tons of cherry farms around and so we decided to venture out. I even got bit.... by Ethan. He absolutely loves cherries and did not want to wait for mom to take the pit out so he began to eat them whole. I tried to stop him and got bit. After that he ended up eating a lot of cherries whole. He was not much help filling the bucket, but he enjoyed his cherries. :)

Sunday was Father's Day and we had a very relaxing day. Well, almost. We had to talk in church, but other than that it was relaxing. We had Trav's favorite breakfast of biscuits and gravy. For lunch we had hot dogs and various chip dips. Dinner was chicken enchiladas and cheesecake. We sure do love Daddy (Travis)!

More Adventures with Gramma

On Sunday we drove to Long Beach to see Travis' Uncle. It was beautiful!!!! They have a condo that overlooks the Queen Mary. It was so gorgeous. We got a little lost getting there so we crossed over the bridges and could see the pier. It was quite an amazing sight to a farm girl! :) We walked around the beach and went to Famous Dave's for dinner. It was very good. Ethan ate almost every bite of his dinner and then a lot of the onion rings and corn on the cob. I don't think we had ever seen him eat so much. It was a very wonderful day.

Monday we decided to go check out a town called Tehachapi. It is north of the base and we heard it would be a good place to raise a family. It is a lot less hot and actually has 4 seasons. There are beautiful apple orchards out there. It is pretty but very rural. It does not even have a Walmart. Okay, so I totally grew up without ond but I totally have been spoiled since I have been an adult and had to shop. There is an Albertsons and a K-Mart but thats just not the same. Also, there seems to be a LOT more to do in Palmdale than Tehachapi but I guess it is an option.

Monday night we had an adventure trying to find Apollo Park. Once we got there it was very enjoyable and peaceful. On our way we found the musical highway Strip. When you drive over it going the speed limit it plays a song. It was pretty cool. Since we got lost we actually got to go over it twice. Apollo Park has duck ponds and several play areas. It was a gorgeous evening and Eth got to play lots. It was a very peaceful ending to a wonderful day.

This morning we had to bid farewell to Gramma and take her to the Shuttle stop. We absolutely enjoyed having her here and can't wait 'til we get to see her again. It was a very fun week. Now back to the grind. Hopefully we don't get too bored without her around! ;)

Below is a pic of the famous person... If you recognize her let us know who it is! :)

Adventures in Cali

This past week we were very fortunate to have Trav's mom visit. We had a blast and were very sad to see her go. Since we had such a filled week with her I am going to make 2 posts. This week and last week. :)

The first day we played with Grandma we took Ethan to Story Time in Lancaster. We got to play a lot and read a story about the ocean. Ethan got to make a starfish and had tons of fun playing. That same night I was able to go to a Relief Society activity while the rest of the family hung out. It was a great night out and was one of the best Relief Society activities I have ever been to. We learned about water color painting and book writing. It was very fun.

On Thursday we hit the beach at Santa Monica. Gramma took Ethan on his first carnival ride and all four of us (Tina, Eth, Josh, and me) rode on the Carousel. We shared an absolutely amazing fruit cup and played in the sand. We also went to the Santa Monica Pier Aquarium. It was great and they even had touch tanks so Ethan got to touch some star fish and sea cucumbers. We got a lot of sun and had a lot of fun!

Friday we met Travis on base for lunch and then went to the airplane museum. There were some really cool planes. We also went to a baseball game and In'n'Out Burger. It was a very nice evening out. The burgers were fabulous as well as the shakes and the game was good too. Ethan played on the bouncy toys for the first hour and by 9 was very worn out. Both of the kids fell asleep during the fireworks and stayed asleep 'til we put them in the car. We were amazed they slept through the noise.

Saturday was a day for adventure. We saw the Hollywood sign and ventured down Hollywood Boulevard. We even saw someone famous. We were not sure who it was but everyone was taking pictures. We have decieed to go back but without the kids. They were a little restless. We stopped at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory to validate our parking pass and got a Snickers Caramel Apple. It was delicious. We then meandered down to Santa Monica Beach again (you'd think we liked it there, ;) ). We played on the beach and ate a picnic lunch then headed back towards Palmdale. On our way we stopped off at the LA temple and took some pictures. It was right off Santa Monica Boulevard so it wasn't too hard to find. That night Tina let Trav and I go out for a date and we went and played arcade games and saw The Last Song. It was a wonderful day.

A little funny side note to end the week: When we told Ethan that Gramma was coming he got excited and said "Michael". Poor Gramma got called "Michael" the entire time she was here. For some reason "Michael" = Gramma. We tried all week but failed. "Michael" is probly the word he knows best in his vocabulary. :)

SNAKE!!!!

So I was thinking to myself yesterday that I should post something on the blog but then I got to thinking I should wait 'til something exciting happens. Well, it happened! Today I went to Target and when I got back I looked out the window and my upstairs neighbor was taking pics of something by my door. She then took off and I was trying to figure out if I dropped something or if something was going on so I decided to open the door. I opened it to a HUGE snake. The maintenance guys said it was about 3 feet and it was a Gopher Snake. It looks a lot like a Rattler Snake just doesn't have the poisonous venom. Anyway, it was way creepy! I was a little freaked out and was very glad I was not the one to discover it. I think I would have had a heart attack. I am sooo glad Ethan didn't see it either and decide to poke it. Below is a picture.

Also, Trav and I got our pottery back and he sent me a pic of his which I have included. It was a very fun date. This past weekend we went to Prince of Persia and Olive Garden. Good movie, Good food, Great company!

Hopefully nothing else like the snake happens that I need to write about. Tina comes this week though so we will post pics of our adventures next week. :)

Memorial Day Weekend

This past weekend was quite eventful for us! It started out with car trip to the Vineland Drive-in Theater. We got started a little bit late but were very excited to get out of the house! On our way there, we were hit by a golf ball (not super sure) and it totally did our windshield in as you can tell from the picture on the left. We continued on and watched Iron Man 2 at the Drive-in since we were a little late.

Saturday we were up fairly early and got the windshield fixed. Somewhere between the mall and getting the windshield fixed I lost my phone. We looked everywhere and finally gave in and replaced it. Thank goodness for insurance!

Saturday was also good for us though! Trav and I got to go on our first date in like 3 weeks. We usually go every week so this was a much desired outing. We didn't really know what we were gonna do becaues there are a lot of options here so we began to wander. We went to the mall where there is a store called Paint A Dream. At this place you paint a pottery project. Trav painted me a froggy piggy bank and I painted him a jet. It was very fun and it was nice to do something other than a movie. Pics are to come of the art projects when we get them back.

Sunday we went to church and then headed out to see my Uncle Joe and Aunt Fina in Corona. We got to meet Tracy and her kids (James and Michael) and we also got to see Norma and Rosie. It was a very pleasant visit and we will definitely be visiting them again. We even made plans with Norma to go to Disneyland. We are very excited. The picture to the left is Joshua and his Great Great Uncle Joe. He was amazing with Josh!

Monday we decided to explore and have some more fun so we went to the Devil's Punch Bowl. Supposedly a short little one mile hike. The way down was great and the scenery was beautiful. Ethan even hiked most of the way down. Once we got to the bottom we played in the water and then decided to go back up. Haha! So Eth was very tired at this point so I took Joshua in the carrier and Trav helped/carried Ethan. Everyone passing us was asking us weird questions like "Are you guys trying out for the Olympics?" and one lady told her kids, "Quit complaining, they are carrying babies and you don't hear them complain." If only she had heard the thoughts in my head. I kept thinking I was gonna pass out or something. It was pretty rough. When we got to the top we heard some people talking and another lady also told us that we were brave to take the hard way with kids. Hard way!?!?!?!!!!!! Apparently there is an easy way back up but we, not knowing the area, had taken the hard way back carrying the kiddos. I just laughed and drug myself to the car. It was a beautiful hike, but if we ever do it again carrying kids we are going the other way! :)

All in all, it was a great weekend. We are looking forward to Mama (thats how Eth says Gramma) Waters visiting for a week on June 8th and will post more later.

California

The Wednesday after Trav finished classes we began a long road trip across the Western States to California. Travis has an internship with Edwards Air Force Base so we are residing in Palmdale, California for 2 months.

So far we have loved it. We got lucky with our location and are very close to everything. We have a shopping center and several other stores close which makes me happy. :)

Our complex has 2 swimming pools and we have also visited the beach. Ethan loved chasing the waves and we are looking forward to a fun Memorial Day Weekend.

We have an awesome ward and are already making friends. I must admit that I miss my Laramie friends too, but I much prefer the weather here. I am very excited to be moving back here in the winter! It will be wonderful to move to warmer weather.

The picture is of the Salt Lake Temple. One of the 4 temples we saw on the trip here. We were lucky enough to see Draper, Provo, and St. George also. We have our first ward temple trip to the L.A. temple (40 minutes away) next weekend.

So far, LOVING Cali!

Watch for new pics of Memorial Day Weekend!

Love,

The Waters

Welcome Spring 2010

So a lot has happened since I last posted, lol! The biggest thing being that we have added a new addition to our family. His name is Joshua Bruce and he arrived on December 21st, 2009 just in time for Christmas. Ethan was not so enthused about this Christmas present, but he is adjusting. Ethan loves his little brother now and calls him, "Gosh". We love our boys very much and can not believe how fast they are growing!

Travis: Travis received the SMART Scholarship last year and will be interning this summer at Edwards Air Force Base. He is a WONDERFUL cub scout leader and a very hard worker. Both the boys love their Daddy soo much. Ethan eagerly awaits his return home every day and his Dad is his best bud!

Ethan: Wow! Ethan is almost 2 years old now and is learning to talk. He says car, go, Dad, Mom, ball, Gosh, bye, Walmart and other words. He absolutely loves Cars and the Toy Story movies. His birthday cake is going to be Cars theme (pics to come :) ). He is very smart and is becoming quite the helper.

Joshua: There is not a smilier child than Josh. His grin lights up the room and he is so precious. He is getting so big and can hold up his head very well. We are working on the rolling. :) He makes all of us smile and we love cuddling with him.

Me: First and foremost I am a wife and mother. I love being home with my boys and watching them grow. I am also experimenting with cooking all sorts of food for my family, and I love it. I am currently a Star Team Builder in my Mary Kay business and I am working hard to earn my first car and become a director. I absolutely love my business and the opportunities it provides for other women. I teach Sunday School to the 16 and 17 year olds in my ward and they are amazing. I love my life!

Well thats about it for now. My goal is to post every month, so we will see you all again in May! :)