Road Trip

In April we headed out on a trip through California. Brenden had been talking about going to California to visit customers and if we drove he could visit them all along the way! We found a great deal on Disneyland tickets and a hotel, so we talked him into taking us there for a few days too! Our first day we drove all the way to Gilroy, just outside of San Jose. I think it took us around thirteen hours.


Cooper entertaining himself. He took a garbage sack made a hole for his head and then two holes for his arms to make a shirt!

The next morning Brenden went and visited a customer while the kids and I waited in the hotel. We then went to some awesome outlets. We both were able to pick one or two stores to go into. We wish we would of had more time, but we still had a long day ahead. We would like to go back. San Jose valley was beautiful!

We then headed back to the I-5 to visit another customer. I don't even remember the name of the town. The town was a little bigger than Paterson, but not much. By this time we were starving and by the way it looked there was no where in sight to eat. Brenden told me that this customer has the largest Cattle feedlot in the country and that they had a restaurant. Me thinking probably some small steakhouse right off the freeway. Boy was I wrong! Harris Ranch the name of the customer gave us a gift card to eat at the restaurant and stay in the Hotel. Hotel? They have a hotel, out here in the middle of no mans land? We decided to go to the restaurant and eat lunch. Amazing! Harris Ranch is located right on I-5, 4 hours from LA and 4 hours from San Francisco. We stayed in the hotel on our way home. Perfect location if you are trying to get out of LA. We had an amazing time at Harris Ranch and I would love to go back. If we lived even close, I told Brenden I would make him take me there every year for our anniversary.



The inside is very western. Beautiful! They are sporting their new Fox shirts they bought at the outlet. The boys including Brenden loved the Fox outlet!

Cooper loved the Gold Bear. Their garden's are absolutely beautiful!

Outside the front of the restaurant. When we came in they were roasting prime rib. It smelled amazing! After we ate we headed the rest of the way to Disneyland.

This is the hotel. This hotel is over 30 years old. I just never pictured this in the middle of farm fields.

The pool was amazing too!

Funny thing was, we knew we were next to a farming community when we left in the morning we noticed our gas tank was down to half a tank when we had filled up at the hotel gas station the night before. Not too cool, but luckily all our stuff in the back of the pickup was not stolen including the stroller.

Easter picture take

We tried for our Easter outfit picture....

Like I said we tried!

Five

Way back in February Cooper turned 5. He had an awesome birthday that seemed to last for days! He is still obsessed with Scooby Doo, so he couldn't think of any other cake he would want but Scooby! We finally decided on the Mystery Machine and wow, I never dreamed of a Mystery Machine cake being so cute!

The Mystery Machine was in a little fender bender on his way to the party, but Cooper still loved him just as much!

The kids loved the pinata.

All the little cousins!

The cake

I realized I never posted pictures from Cason's family birthday party when he turned three clear back in September. He will be talking about this birthday for years, so I better include the best cake he could ever of dreamed of!

To start out we could not find him.... He was in three year old heaven aka the wheat field. He would not come in, would not. I carried him kicking and screaming!


When I asked him what kind of birthday cake he wanted he told me a snowmobile. Snowmobile it was and it was more than a little three year old could dream of.


So excited with his cake!

All the cousins! We celebrated Kate's birthday too.

Cason ate, and ate, and ate, and ate! All the other kids were long gone and Cason sat and ate his cake! It was his birthday so we let him have as much as his little stomach wanted! He talks about his red snowmobile birthday cake non stop still! He tells me on his birthday he is going to have a red snowmobile birthday cake! Needless to say for his fourth birthday he will probably have another snowmobile birthday cake, but hopefully we can change the color at least!

Back again

O.K. I'm back! The rug rats untied me and let me out of the closet, so I am finally back! I am slowly recovering and will try and post as frequent as time allows. For now here is a picture of the culprets. As you can about guess they were in HEAVEN when they wore these snowmobile sweaters! I mean what boys gets to wear a snowmobile on their shirt to church? They still live and eat snowmobiling and Cason told me on the way home from church today that he wanted to go snowmobiling with daddy. Sorry Case, but you have to wait clear until next season! They had a great winter snowmobiling and have a great daddy that likes to take them!





They also ask almost every day for a pet. Grandpa brought over his new puppy Ollie for the boys to meet. They were in heaven, but now Ollie is as big as them! Too bad puppies don't stay small, or mom may consider.... Cooper had pet day at preschool a few weeks ago and a bunny was there. I have heard non stop about bunnies ever since. So mom was maybe thinking ok, maybe I can handle a bunny???? Went to the pet store and thought, not so much. Just to my luck Grandma Hartley has bunnies!!! Not a bunny, but bunnies!! Wild bunnies that live in her flower beds. Luckily the boys were able to see a mommy and a baby. Not only do they get to see a bunny when they go to grandma's, but it actually keeps them busy looking for bunnies! A win win situation!

Pre-School Program

Cooper had a Christmas preschool program. Here he is walking down the isle looking at me. His friend Abby is pushing him from behind because he's going too slow.


He was clear over in the corner, so we really couldn't even see him. Part of the program they had the kids tell the story of baby Jesus' birth, with the help of the teacher. She asked what kind of animals would have been there. Kids started naming them, and then some kid loudly pipes up, "maybe a hippo!" I could of died when I heard and recognized that voice! Brenden looks at me,"was that Cooper?" Our friend a few rows up turns around and smiles, yes he recognized his voice too. Yes, Cooper thought maybe there might have been a hipo on that night so long ago in Bethlehem....






The morning class was canceled due to a 2hr delay, so they came to our program and needless to say there were a lot of people there!

Santa and the Reindeer

We had a great Christmas Holiday this year. The boys were so excited for Santa it was really fun! Early in December we went out to see Santa and his reindeer. Cooper and daddy had seen them the weekend before and Cason was dying to go when he saw the pictures on Brenden's phone, so we went back again.

Cason liked Santa, but was still too scared to sit on his lap, so mom always was privileged to join in the pictures. This Santa cracks me up. It was a good thing my kids are still young, or I would have been ticked!

The least he could of done was changed his voice. The boys loved going so that was all that mattered.

Here's cute Case eating a Christmas treat one morning while Cooper was at pre-school. To say the least he was in heaven with his truck and cinnabon!