California Sun

Back to California, to enjoy some California sun, sea and sand for our last few days of our trip before we flew home.

We chilled by Mel's pool. William LOVED playing and following his auntie Mel round. Drank root beer (the taste of America), got an AMAZING massage from Mel at the salon she works at (thanks again!), went to the beach and met up with the Nestmans again, stayed late and had my first "S'mores", and I also got a girly day with Krista (a precious novelty).

We'd done so much traveling and stuff I really did just enjoy doing simple things with the people we wouldn't get to see again for a while.

At the beach...look at the joy on his face!

"S'mores" with the Nestmans

'smores' are melted marshmallows and chocolate sandwiched between biscuits.

Then on April 22nd, we headed home to England and arrived to find we'd missed a heat wave all month!!!???? Jet lag was 10 times worse coming home, and ill advised when pregnant!

We loved this American Holiday and we are so glad we did it. We just miss our friends there now and wanna go back again.......although I'l think twice about traveling on a plane with kids of a moving but non film watching age!

Blog catch up....Arizona.

After Colorado we headed back to the Sun! We stopped off at Arizona on our way back to California. I got to meet the Hardison's for the first time (great friends to the Dixon's), and we got to enjoy their company, their hammock, and their pool!!

We also got a fantastic patriotic welcome!! ha love it!

Nice hat ant!

William loved getting a ride on a motorbike

Visiting the Mesa Az temple

Az was Hot HOT HOT, and I was almost relieved to leave and cool down a bit! I am not designed for the desert...too British i think.

more colorado adventures...

It turns out that there is quite a bit to do in the middle of nowhere!....Thanks to our tour guides (Jerrica and Cameron) we got to maximise what we did and saw including Indiana Jones' house, Great Sand Dunes, Rockies and Grand canyon.

(I'm holding Anthony's hand not in affection but in protection! he always tries to play tricks as the photo is taken!)

We took a walk up to a water fall and it turned out it was still frozen...but we did drink the freshest water from a natural spring. As it was melting we filled our bottles and it was as crystal clear, and ice cold fresh as you can get! lovely.

Blog catch up......Colorado Gators

The Barrs told us about some things we could do while we where there, When we heard about the aligator farm we knew we had to do it. But this wasnt ya usual tourist attraction. Health and saftey had certianly never paid a visit. It seemed some farmer had started his own makeshift aligator farm and we broke all the rules when we visited! Anthony however was a massive scardy cat....in fact on seeing the above sign as we drove in he didnt want to get out of the car, telling me (his pregnant love of his life wife, and mother of his son),"you go check it out make sure its safe and the aligators are behind bars etc". We'd parked up next to a body of water which made him nervous!!!! Ha....Any way it was a brilliant day and I got to hold snakes, tarantulas (shivver....this was the scariest part for me), and sit on a gator! Whilst anthony stood far back and watched!.....And this from the man who has sky dived??!

Blog catch up....Sanford Colorado

DOWN ON THE FUNNY FARM!

This place is one of my fave places in the world....opposite to everything I'm used to, out in the sticks in a small town of a couple of hundred people, but this house is a home from home.

This was a wonderful chilled out week at The Barr's. Tom Barr was one of the missionaries who taught my mum and dad about the church.....that was about 30 years ago now. Our families have remained close, and enjoyed the unique special relationship we share.

The Barr's are my American family. And Tom is our hero!

Adele made me laugh all week. I loved sitting up chatting and sharing stories and catchin up on all the goss!
Cameron and Jerrica took us to lots of places as well as showing us all the ins and outs of farm life! William loved the animals and the tractors. And i loved havin Jerrica and Cameron give William so much of their energy (something i was lacking in my first trimester).

We got to see the best sheep shearer in all the land.

Below Tom tells Anthony about his work....and no doubt a few cheeky rude jokes!

Cameron took us to a dairy.....not to long now and I'l be a dairy queen too!

We drank the freshest milk iv ever had.

William meets a calf only hours old!

I loved our week at the funny farm and was sad to leave. Miss 'em.

Blog catch up...utah cont...

SIGHT SEEING N' STUFF

Water fountains and William are a disaster. Getting into the water is always his main prerogative!

The weather went from 70-80 degrees one day, to 4 inches of snow the next - not quite my idea of spring......

We went to conference and loved it.

We got papped by what i assume was the ensign (church mag) photographers, So when that issue came through i scanned through the pages looking at all the photos....but we didn't make the cut. Turns out our teeth are not white enough and we were not looking cheesy 'in love' enough.....or in other words, we're British!!! ha. The couples that made the cut were looking dreamingly into each others eyes. I told Anthony he needed to look dreamily into my eyes like those people...he laughed of course. And rightly so!

TIN TIN!

After a week in Mormon ville it was time to leave the snow topped mountains and make our way to Colorado.........

We went via Moab, a landscape of red rock sculpted by the elements....not the scenery we see every day! We enjoyed that diversion!

Because this blanket deserves a post of its own!!

Loved spending time with the Hauths and meeting the whole family. Their girls have HUGE personalities but its not surprising knowing their parents. Before leaving Utah they presented us with this AMAZING blanket for William. Made by the SUPER talented Coleen, photographer and all round creative genius! I have serious talent envy for this woman!

And while we are on it i want to vent because she is one of those 'moms' who can do it all!!!! and i so badly wish i was but 'doing it all' just doesn't come naturally to me, it turns out I'm not a multi-tasker, and i like to think of myself as creative but i haven't done anything creative since 1992 so i don't qualify as a cool creative mum who can sow, knit, bake, be a whiz on the computer and have a creative side business........but they will always be my best intentions..(as soon as I'm motivated enough to put some time into em!)

Anyway i keep meeting these types of mums and its just not good for me! vent over.

Back to the Hauths......

Its true that the home made things are always the most loved and treasured and this is already incredibly loved and treasured (as much by me as William)...in fact this treasure is a family heirloom already!!

So a huge THANK YOU for the blood, sweat and tears that went into making this. The craftsmanship is impeccable and well if you didn't know already i love LOVE it.....i find it really hard to find 'boy things' that have a bit more goin on!