Jojo's 3rd birthday

Our baby boy turned 3!! And we are so grateful to have him in our family. Addie and he are best friends and play really well together and with new friends at the play grounds. He is pretty easy going and enjoys Nursery, and has since day 1. He is probably the biggest one there. He seems advanced for his age and I almost wish that he could move up to Sunbeams. But he does love nursery and gets upset if we leave early due to sickness, or we're visiting family and have to go home.

I feel like he is really smart and speaks above his age. I think it helps having a big sister. He likes to pull things apart and see how it works. He tries to put it back together... He is enjoying watching movies more and loves Monster's, Paw Patrol, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.

We asked JoJo what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday, and he decided on "Monster's INC". So I decorated a layer that was supposed to look like Sully's fur, and the top was supposed to be Mike. I think it turned out pretty cute. Again, I had issues with the frosting setting up like I would like....I decided to try cream cheese frosting on request by Joe, but unfortunately no matter how much I would mix it, there were still small lumps that plugged the decorator tip. Oh well, JoJo loved his cake and that's what matters!!

We invited Grandma Sally and Uncle Phil to come and celebrate with us. Besides cake we also had monster eye pretzels and deviled eggs with olives (JoJo loves these) that were supposed to look like eyes.

Grandma and Grandpa Hebdon gave him a Buzz Lightyear doll. Addie gave him a Mr. Potato Head. Mommy and daddy gave him some Mickey Mouse Jammies, clothes, and a set of  Helicopter/Fire Truck with ladder/Police car with lights and sirens. Grandma Sally and Uncle Phil gave him Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles movie.

Snow fun

I felt like this year didn't get very much snow. Granted I don't really like the snow, but I know that we need it for the crops and vegetation. And the kids absolutely love playing in it. And eating it. And doing whatever kids do in the snow, including bike ride. I have decided next year I will have to buy some snow pants and what not so I can enjoy playing with my kids in the snow!

Also just a week or so after our Mexican Cruise, we decided to adopt a kitty cat named Parker! He is 2 years old and we love him! He won our hearts at the shelter and we knew we had to get him. Both kids just adore him. He is pretty good. Mild mannered, cuddly when he wants to be, but also can disappear all day and you almost forget he's even their. He is a sweetie.

Valentines

This year to celebrate Valentine's Day and eachother, I decided I would let the kids help me cut out the sugar cookies, frost, and decorate! Due to the fact that our kids like to "taste" the frosting on the knife...and hands often ending up in their mouths....we designate which ones they decorate and eat. Haha, we had a lot of fun. It was actually a lot more fun this way. The kids loved each step and I enjoyed watching their creativity and their excitement as they showed me their cookies. I even enjoyed decorating a few...

My little bakers and artists!!

Kid fun on the cruise

We decided to let the kids do activities at Camp Carnival. They absolutely loved it! Addie usually doesn't like us to leave her, but often she would get through the doors and be excited. Some of the names of the caregivers were Miss Chocolate, Miss Cup Cake, and some other fun names. They made Lobster hats, Fish puppets, elephant and giraffe masks. They were always so excited to show us their crafts.

Every night when we came to our cabin we would see the towels folded up to look like animals. The kids really enjoyed this. They did really well sleeping up in the bunk beds. Initially I was a little scared they would fall, but I packed the pillows around the edges and they slept really well. All in all, it was a great vacation and so many fun things!

Probably their favorite thing to do was go swimming! They loved to swim in the warm and cool pools. But they really loved going down the water slides! And surprisingly Addie was not only tall enough but also brave enough to do down the big slide, and then even the big enclosed slide with turns. I was so nervous watching and waiting for her to finally come out of the opening. Every time she had such a big smile on her face! I was always nervous she would get scared in the enclosed slide because I do...but she did amazing!! JoJo was a little bummed out that he couldn't go on the big slide. But he made some little friends and enjoyed his small slide.

Joe and I took the kids the first night to the dining room...and it was a mistake! They were not happy, tired, and wouldn't eat their food. Needless to say we decided we would opt for the Camp Carnival to take the kids together so that we could enjoy the dining experience, and the kids would have fun too. We would take the kids throughout the day. But it seemed like they wanted to go to the Camp. Who were we to deny them?

JoJo on his small Slide, with a friend.

Addie coming down the big slide with a bigger smile!

Mommy and Daddy enjoying eating at the dining room.

We are addicted! It's so much fun for everyone and it ended too soon! 4 days is just not enough!!

Mexican Cruise: Catalina and Ensanada

Joe and I spoiled our family with a 4 day cruise to Mexico. It was such a great deal that we couldn't help but splurge! This was Joe's and mine second cruise with Carnival and the kids very first of many things. Their first airplane ride! Unfortunately we had to get up really early to make our flight. So they were tired and grumpy...It was their first time on a big boat! They loved the boat and the activities. And their first time out of country...though they never got off the ship so I don't know if that really counts!

Pre-boarding Time!

Poor girl was out! While we were trying to go over the safety boats and procedures.

First Port was Catalina Island, California. We thought it looked beautiful. We enjoyed walking along the beach and seeing the various shop fronts. We didn't do an excursion because they get so expensive. Remember this was a last minute splurge! We were trying to be good....when we were being bad!!

Looking to Catalina Island, California

Joe and I along the beach front.

Second Port: Ensenada, Baja California Mexico. Joe and I were pleasantly surprised with this place. We didn't know what to expect. We didn't schedule an excursion, but decided we would still go out and see what fun things we could find. And we ended up finding a cheap bus tour that took us to the blowhole La Bufadora. First of all, our tour guide, Jesus, was a lot of fun and very informative. It's always interesting to hear them tell the various stories of history, culture, and politics. Ha! I will admit that I am the typical tourist that is a little bit scared of being taken advantage of, or even getting hurt! Which I think we always need to be careful! But I also had my eyes opened to the idea that I need to relax, enjoy the beauty and variety the world has to offer. Even though there was a lot of desert, Joe and I thought it was pretty. In the middle of the city we saw a huge, beautiful Mexican flag. Just along the outskirts of town we saw fields of various crops, so pretty! I wasn't expecting that. But I guess it makes since, Baja California has a unique sea food cuisine with fresh produce.We drove along the coast and enjoyed the ocean and seeing the various fishing sections where they would "farm" their fish.

He also talked about the Disney Movie "CoCo" and how important La Dia de Los Muertos. I think it sounds like a wonderful holiday that I would like to try this upcoming year. To remember our dead and tell their stories. We do that a little with Memorial Day and Pioneer Day. But it would be nice to actually put up their pictures.

We got off at a market and walked the street. It was crazy to see all of the items for sale and the varieties of food. We tried the homemade candy...and we did not like it! Ha, but it was fun to try. We had their tacos and absolutely LOVED them. Wish we had a place like that where we lived!

We made it to La Bufadora Blowhole, and were amazed at the size of it. It was pretty fun to see the spray come in with the tide. And to even get some of the spray! We were all in for going swimming, hence the swim trunks, but there wasn't an option for that. Our tour guide actually joked around about people from Idaho crazy enough to want to go swimming...he had no idea where we were from! Haha!

We had a fantastic time!! We thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. Joe and I went to a comedy show one night while the kids stayed at Camp Carnival. It was fun to be out and about and enjoy a date night!

Random events

I occasionally go through my phone and see these random pictures that I don't just want to erase. So here they are...

Snuggle time with Daddy!

JoJo lining up his cars in a row. So proud!

JoJo sadly burnt his finger on the stove. OUCH!!

Addie loves makeup and sneaked into my bag!

She even did her eyelashes...

These kids never give us a dull second! But we love them and are grateful they are ours. What sweeties!