Angel Game

As part of Brad's birthday present, my parents got us all tickets to the Angel game last Friday night. 

 Brad met us there, but the rest of us got to ride the train up to the game.  It was such a great way to go - no traffic, no gas, and no paying for parking, not to mention a ton of fun for the kids!

 The girls and I right before departure.  We were the initial station, so it was relatively empty, but filled up completely by the time we arrived at the stadium.

 Lexi sure seemed to think cruising the aisles was a heck of a lot better than being strapped in a carseat the whole way there!  Trains are GREAT!

 Daddy was happy to meet us there and show off his little angel in her Angel attire.

 Libby and I enjoying the bottomless tub of popcorn.

 She was a little jealous that I had a hat and she didn't, so she stole it for a bit.

 The rest of the gang: the Fosters and Coopers

 Another reason Lexi loved the train - you don't get to do this on the way home in the car!

Libby managed to be completely wired the whole time.  At one point I dozed off and woke to my mom chasing Libby down the aisle as she was parading past, waving to all the passengers.  It was past 11:30 before we got off the train and I thought for sure she'd crash in the car, but no.  She stayed awake and then hit her what? - fourth wind by now, when we got home and had company to play with!  More on that to come!

Fun with Daddy

The girls are always so excited when Daddy comes home.  Here's a sample of the home-from-work fun they always look forward to.

 Daddy as a personal jungle-gym.

 Airplane Libby takes off!

And Lexi gets a turn, too (though always sandwiched by big-sister Libby's turns, of course!), but not before Libby decided to decorate her with stickers.  I was in the other room and heard Libby exclaim, "Mommy, I'm decorating Lexi with stickers and now she's got an eye patch like a pirate!"  Niiiice!

Mother's Day

I had a great Mother's Day with my family.  I am so glad there is so much love in my life!

 My mom with her "You Are Special" plate for the day.  She requested chicken parmesan.  It was my first time ever making it, but I have to say, it was pretty darn delicious!

 New mom, Britt and Mike joined us, too, with baby Reagan

 The Macbeth end of the table.  It was a hot day, so dining outside was PERFECT! (And, no mess to clean up inside!)

 After dinner we went for a walk at one of my favorite spots - Badlands Park. 

 

 I love my family!

 What cute parents I have!

 Three generations of girls.  So glad I get to raise girls, just like my mom before me.

 The sunset was awesome. 

Lexi loved riding on my shoulders.  Well, she really just loved pulling my hat off, but whatever!

I love being a mom to the two greatest girls in the world! :)

Beach Time!

Gotta love a beautiful Saturday afternoon at the beach with the family!  There's nothing better!

 What a cute dad with his adorable girls!

 The weather was perfect.

 Libby didn't exactly love the idea of being buried.

 Lexi, on the other hand, thought it was GREAT!  (Despite the fact that Libby was flinging a giant-sized shovel around perilously close to her head.  Never hit her, but she did get close, as you can see!)

 The tidepools were full of sea anemones and starfish - too bad the Nazi tidepool rangers were out on patrol.  Libby only got to touch a few before we got busted.

 Evidence of our crime.  What a cool starfish, though.

 The pants were ditched shortly after the tide pools.  Good thing, too, cuz those little legs are soooo cute!

 Ah, how cute!

 Lexi loved splashing in the water.  This is her favorite pose - hand outstretched and ready for a high-5 from anyone willing to give one.

 Libby entertained us with her pantless dance moves.

 

 

By the time we left, she was literally covered head to toe in sand.  The picture doesn't do it justice, but her hair is caked with sand.  Good thing Daddy was willing to sacrifice his shirt for this cold, sandy little ragamuffin.

What a great afternoon!

Brad's Birthday

Brad's birthday landed on a Friday this year, which was perfect for a low-key get-together with friends.  I always  love celebrating another year of the greatest man I know!

 

Everyone met up for dinner at one of Brad's favorite places:  Café Rio.

 We were so glad that there was patio seating available (and I'm sure the rest of the patrons were, too) for this kid-filled group.  Here are the Davis' and Seaders.

 The Vargas and Changs

 Then, it was back to our house for cake and ice cream. 

Mike, Brad, Clint (with Knox), and Michael

 The girls playing:  Ellie, Andi, Libby, and Lexi

 It's an even-numbered year, so it was time for the monstrosity again!  Brad's favorite Black Forest cake.  Four layers, loads of frosting, and a ton of work, but he LOVES it!  (And eats the leftovers for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for as long as it lasts!)

 

 

 I didn't do the full 34 candles, but you get the idea.

 The cake is such a monstrosity that it requires an electric knife for "carving".

 Kirk joined us a little late and got to do his dining at the kids' table.  How cute!

Brad and Wayne enjoying some grub.

Happy birthday, Brad! 

Misc. Palm Springs Fun

Ok, we've finally arrived at the last of the Palm Springs, Spring Break posts.  Turns out, we had a blast, so there's been lots to post!  The rest are other random fun things we did while we were there.  Enjoy!

This was the first group of bike riders.  We made it almost all the way to Costco to get some supplies before the bike trail ran out and we had to head back empty-handed.  At least the ride was fun!  This was our pit-stop on the way back.

Bike ride #2 was much more successful.  They biked around the golf course at dusk and had a beautiful ride.

ICE CREAM!  Lexi's first try of the stuff and she's sold!  She kept dive-bombing my cone and probably ate as much of it as I did (or at least ended up with that much on her face!).

Apparently sloppy ice-cream eating is hereditary.  Who'd they get it from?

Sidewalk chalk.  The whole group had lots of fun showing off their artistic skills.  Though, for better or for worse, it meant that everyone in the whole place knew all of our names and with how loud we were all week long, I'm not so sure that's a good thing.

"Art" is being used loosely, of course.  We did have a few dead bodies in the mix.

Tunnel fun!  Wow, Syd sure does have some LONG legs!

The egg-roll participants with our cracked treasures.

Skateboarding.  It was so fun to see Libby interact with all her bigger cousins.  She wanted to do everything they were doing and had so much fun just tagging along.

Porter was a great sport helping them ride.

Don't ask.  I have no idea!

Well, if you couldn't tell, we LOVED spring break!  I'm still convinced that it's the single greatest invention ever made! ;)