San Diego

This last weekend we headed over to California to drop off Kaleb and Kate at Grandma's house for 2 weeks. We met them in L.A., and then they headed up to Fresno, and we headed down to Carlsbad to spend the weekend kid free (Will stayed with his favorite cousin Ryland back in Mesa). The weather was perfect at around 70° all weekend and we were able to just relax all weekend. Here are some pictures from our trip...

Dropping the kids off with Grandma and Aunt Leandra, they couldn't wait to get to Fresno and see their cousins

After we got down to Carlsbad we went down and spent the afternoon on the beach to relax and watch the sunset. Since our anniversary was last week this trip worked out perfect for timing a getaway.

   

The next day we went down to San Diego for the day after a great breakfast at a local diner in Carlsbad with my Aunt and Uncle that we were staying with. We went to see the temple, to Balboa park for a little while, and then toured downtown before heading out to Coronado Island to take in some more beach. The water was nice and warm and just perfect for wading in.

After a few hours on the beach we headed back over into San Diego to the movie theater to see Get Smart. Then we had dinner at a great Mexican restaurant called Casa de Reyes in old town San Diego. They have great food and make the tortillas right there so they are hot and fresh off the grill. 

Here are some pictures from the backyard of my aunts house the next day as we said our goodbyes and prepared ourselves to go from 70° to 114°. We are so grateful for their wonderful hospitality and for putting up with us for the weekend.

And finally here is Amie's attempt to get a picture of the San Diego temple as we drove by on the freeway (I have to hurry and post this before she sees me)

With Kaleb and Kate being in California, and it being like an oven in Phoenix, it was harder than ever to leave and come back home. But we had a great time while it lasted and can't wait to get back.

Kev's East Coast Trip

After much anticipation, my long awaited East Coast Trip has come and gone. I spent 5 1/2 days with my good friend Tom touring Washington D.C., New York, and Philadelphia. I was exhausted at the end of it, but had a great time and it was well worth the little sleep I got during the trip. My flight over was terrible (flew through thunderstorms and lighting for 4 hours),I didn't get in until 3am (5 hours later than expected), and the weather was very hot and humid, but that didnt put a damper on any of it. This was my first trip to the East coast and I can't wait to get back!! Here is a slideshow of my trip:

Father & Sons

This past weekend was our Father & Sons camp-out. Kaleb and I have been excited about it for several weeks in anticipation of being able to get up to the mountains and go camping. As the temperature finally reached over 100° here in the valley it was nice to be up in the pines enjoying some nice cool weather. We headed up around 1:00 on Friday and got to camp about 3:oo. After setting up our camp we just relaxed and Kaleb had fun with some of his friends from the ward.  Later in the afternoon we went on a ride on one of the Rhino's that had been brought up, it was a blast and Kaleb thought he was on a roller coaster ride.

We had some great burritos for dinner, then after hanging out by the fire for a while it was off to the tent to watch a movie (yeah it was rough). In the morning we woke up just in time for hot pancakes and sausage, and the weather was beautiful.

After breakfast, we broke camp and headed off for some more adventure together. I decided to take Kaleb to Tonto Natural Bridge which was not too far from where we camped. This natural bridge is the largest natural travertine bridge in the world. It was awesome. It is a steep 1/4 mile hike down into the canyon, where you can then climb your way though the base of the tunnel. We spent a couple hours exploring all of the cool caves and giant rocks before emerging from the opposite side of the tunnel and hiking our way back up to the top. We even saw a herd of javelina, which didn't seem at all to be bothered by anyone.

We both enjoyed our first visit to this natural bridge so much, that we decided that we would make a tradition of coming here during each father and sons camp-out. After our hike was over we headed back to the valley and over to my cousins house for his son Conner's birthday party. After 2 days of camping, hiking, pizza, soda, and cake, Kaleb was more than ready to head home. However on our way home I surprised him with tickets to his first Diamondbacks game thanks to my Uncle Dave and Aunt Tammy. We had a blast at the game and finally made it home about 9:30pm....unfortunately after a D-back loss.

Overall it was a great weekend and I can't wait until next year when I can take both my boys as Will should be ready to go!!

Kaleb's Special Week

Kaleb turned 8 on Friday and has had a very busy week.

On Wednesday he had a birthday party with all of his friends at the water park. It was very windy which kind of ruined the party, but as you can see they still had a blast.

 

On Friday he was soo excited excited for his birthday to finally arrive. He woke up early and couldn't wait to open his present from Amie and I. It was a new game for his Nintendo DS...just what he wanted!! After opening his gift , Kaleb and I went to Denny's for breakfast before going to school.  When he came home from school he was especially excited that Grandma Ensign had arrived from California.

 

 

Saturday was Kaleb's baptism. He was baptized with the Bishop's son Cameron. There were 4 children baptized in our ward that day, so to make it easier and less crowded they decided to split them up into two separate baptisms. It was wonderful that so many family members were able to be there. My Uncle Dave and Tammy and their two boys Colin and Greg, my sister Becky, my sister Theresa and her husband Justin, Amie's Mom, and my Mom and Dad were all able to make it - which made Kaleb feel very special.

 

After the baptism it was back to our house for pizza, cake, and ice cream.  We really enjoyed being together to celebrate Kaleb's special day.

 

   

 

Kaleb received a special gift from Grandma Ensign for his baptism. It was a new set of scriptures and the case was one that his Grandpa Ensign used. She put a picture of him in the pocket so that Kaleb can always remember they are special.

We Love You Kaleb!!!

It's a HIT!!!

Kaleb got his first hit tonight. Although he got tagged out at first, he did a great job. WAY TO GO KALEB!!!! Check out the video of his big hit below.

GO SUNS!....or NOT....

This post has been removed while in mourning.

The A's #1 Man

Kaleb is having a blast playing Little League for the first time. He plays either Right Center or Left Center field and has really improved his throwing. He has great coaches that really take extra time to help each of the kids to get better each game. He is still waiting to get his first hit, and all of his team mates cheer for him each time he is up to bat. The great thing about Kaleb is he doesn't let it bother him, as he is just having fun being out there. So far they have either won or tied each of their games. GO A's!!!

Fools Hollow Lake

Since last weekend was General Conference, we decided to make it a 3 day weekend and go up to the mountains to watch conference at the cabin. It was a great weekend and nice to just be able to relax all weekend long.  On Friday we decided to go to Fools Hollow Lake in Show Low. The weather was great in the upper 60's and the kids had a blast throwing rocks into the water. Later that evening my Uncle Dave and Aunt Tammy and my two stud cousins Greg and Collin drove up as well to spend the weekend. To top it all off we enjoyed a great conference.