Off Track Fun Part 2: Sedona Part 1

For a long time I have wanted to go to Sedona and apparently not many people want to go there in November (a high temp of 50 degress could have something to do with that) so our Timeshare was available once again. Score! So 3 days after our Palm Springs trip (whew!) off to AZ we went. It was amazing.

We did lots of little hikes. Our kids LOVE being outside, exploring, and wandering around. We had a paper with maps of different drives you could do depending on how much time you had. We would pick one, start driving, stop along the road somewhere and hike around. We found some amazing places.

One of our 1st discoveries on Day 1 was this river. I fell in love with it and immediately knew we were going to love Sedona. The kids always needed a walking stick when they hiked. They are also not fans of trails that are paved. Apparently that is not true hiking, they want to be in the dirt, climbing rocks and trees.
I love my outdoorsy kids!

More Sedona pictures coming soon.....

Off Track Fun Part 1: Palm Springs

We love Year Round School.

We love being off track.

This year Taylor's 1st break for was for 5 weeks!!! Awesome!

So we called the timeshare and took advantage of availability in Palm Springs.

1st week of November and it was 90+ degrees....perfect for swimming, kind of too hot for a walk around The Living Dessert but we braved the heat anyways to try something new.

We were super happy that just a couple days earlier they had opened a new air conditioned children's museum within the park. We took advantage of that place and the kids loved being free to run around and play.

Andy is trying to make wind.

The Butterfly exhibit was amazing. I want my backyard to be like that place with so many flowers, plants, and water fountains, and amazing butterflies flying around.

The next 3 pictures make me laugh. It was hot, bright, and we were ready to jump in the pool but the kids insisted on taking these pictures.

Fight On!

It's no secret that we are USC fans. It's no secret that Tyler's wardrobe has been replaced with all things crimson and gold. It's no secret that Tyler LOVES being a student again in the EMBA program. It is a perfect fit. His fellow classmates are a perfect fit and he actually looks forward to going to class. I couldn't be happier. It is fun to be part of the USC family. Go Trojans!

We were able to attend the Homecoming game in October. It was a blast! The Marshall School has its own catered Tailgate party.Chase was a hit with classmates and fellow trojan fans.

This change in our life is just another great blessing that has happened this year. Fight On!

Halloween,

Our Halloween party is normally held on Halloween. This year the party was earlier in the month so Halloween day was low key. 4 pumpkins is a lot to carve especially with children that are not allowed to "play" with knives but amazingly all the pumpkins got carved.

Tyler gave very explicit instructions on how to yank out the nasty.Ashlyn wanted nothing to do with it (I don't blame her, I didn't want to do it either)
but Taylor was all for it.The finished products. Taylor's pumpkin (on the far right) received praise by trick or treaters. Taylor (Tyler) worked very hard on that pumpkin.After so many parties the girls decided to change up their costumes. Off we went to acquire even more candy.And Chase was happy to watch from the sidelines.

New tradition

I have been going to Oak Glen a few times a year for as long as I can remember. My kids have also been a handful of times. This year I decided I wanted to try something new so we went to Riley's Farm to do some apple picking. Hello??? Why haven't we done this before? The kids loved it, it is much cheaper than what we normally do, and the experience for the kids is so much better. It is always fun to have the Grandparents along.

I love my big boy!

As we left Riley's Farm we stumbled across a little place that sold warm mini cider doughnuts. That and carmel apples will now be a must every time we go.

Picnic at the temple.

Halloween weekend we went to the Redlands temple and had a picnic.
It was an absolutely gorgeous day in my hometown.

Chase's 1st time at the temple.

I am grateful for my eternal family.