4

I can't believe Carson's 4! Carson is the sweetest boy, always being complimentary and helpful.

Andrew's brother sent this to Carson for his birthday and I thought it was really neat!

Right now his favorites are:

-blue
-the book goldilocks and the three bears
-the story about Nephi being protected
-playing outside
-Wacky Tacky

We celebrated by having a carnival party...that was supposed to be at the park but due to rain we moved it (mostly) indoors and had a blast!







The kids loved all of the games and especially all of the prizes!



Bean Bag Toss





Pin the Tail on the Donkey



He got it!



Duck Hunt



Go Fish







Water-gun Target Shooting
..the FAVORITE {probably because it involved guns, boys love their guns!}




Pin Drop

This one was pretty difficult but a couple of kids got the pins into the jars!



Water Balloon Toss










I kind of wish we would have saved the painting of the faces until near the end of the party because Carson looks sem-sun burnt in all of his pictures!



We finished off the party with hotdogs, water melon, juice drinks and cake pops!



I love seeing Carson with all of his friends; boys are so much fun!

Punta Mita

Couples Retreat May 21-28, 2011

Let me just start off by saying that I have never been on a vacation this luxurious or relaxing. We had been looking forward to this trip for over a year and it did not disappoint. It also could not have been possible without the generosity of the Edgren family (thanks Liz for the hookup!) Take a look back with me as I wish I were still there! Also, I am not a fantastic historian so my days may be a little mixed up.

Saturday

We left early for SFO and landed in Peurta Vallarta, despite the predicted end of the world; we made it!

Our first night was in a condo in Hacienda de Mita. We were anticipating something pretty average but soon realized that this place was enclosed by three manned gates with security guard patrolling continuously. Plus, we had a private pool with the beach literally steps away!

the guys: Sean, Scott, Eric and Andrew

We were also blown away by how nice these accommodations were...in fact we could easily have stayed there our entire week and loved every minute of it!

taking it all in...we were kind of in shock for the first couple days and then it began surprisingly to feel like home. We wasted no time enjoying the amenities!

this was the beach a few steps from the patio...uh-mazing!

Sunday

After pinching ourselves, swimming and taking a walk we made our final move to Lagos dos which included Francisco and Reina;

both of which took excellent care of us during our stay by cooking us a big breakfast and late lunch (their food was far better than the pricey beach club), providing transportation and making our rooms "fresh" every day...I could easily get used to being taken care of!


Andrew even snuck a little work in!


view from the yard

this banana tree was within reach of the kitchen window, how convenient!

This house had 4 masters. Here a few pictures of our room.

indoor and outdoor showers and the royal treatment every day!

Monday

We went zip lining, a first for us. The course we went on had 13 individual lines and they were all awesome! We didn't feel comfortable taking our camera with us but we wish that we had.

Line 5 was especially amazing. It was overlooking the ocean, with breathtaking views. We were surprised to discover that we were pretty worn out after zipping through the jungle.

We then headed for the small town of Sayulita for some smoothies and beach time.

The best part of that day was coming home to a hot meal complete with homemade guacamole and a variety of fresh salsas!

Tuesday

The guys got up early for some deep sea fishing while the girl had a lazy day reading (I read 3 books during our stay!) and lounging poolside.

check out those sharp teeth!

After such a strenuous day, (ha) we had massages at the house and then headed to El Anclotes for dinner on the beach, literally! (best fajitas in town! So good in fact that we went there again for our last meal!)

Wednesday

We hit the jackpot by discovering Kapuri Beach which quickly became our favorite!




The best part was that we were the only ones there!



We went snorkeling right off shore and saw tons of colorful fish, a blowfish and even a crab.



This beach had fantastic waves and we took turns boogie boarding.



We ate dinner that night at the Beach Club. The views were spectacular but none of us were impressed by the food.

Thursday

We got our negotiating down after a HOT bus ride to Peurta Vallarta where we went souvenir shopping for our kids.



I fell in love with all of the hand embroidered shirts and dresses but overall most booths had the same old stuff.

This traffic signal had us laughing because the little guy ran faster and faster as the time expired.

Friday

It was no surprise that we made our way back to Kapuri Beach for our last day in Mexico. The water was bath temperature, the waves were perfect and we couldn't get enough of basking in the warm sun.

yeah, I totally ate it!

Aside from our activities, the trip was pretty low key which is exactly what we wanted. We loved walking around the neighborhood checking out all of the amazing homes. Their yards were my favorite, talk about outdoor living!

Apparently legend has it that these trees that lined the streets in the "compound" were used to torture people...talk about a back scratch-OUCH!

We were all sad to go and are already scheming and dreaming of our next trip back!



We truly had the time of our lives! It was refreshing to be away from the kids...speaking of kids a big thank you goes to Stephanie for taking such good care of them!


Adios!