Life's Recent Adventures

This face describes the last 3 weeks for this lady!

 Life is full of hard things. How else would we learn what we need to learn? How else would we be able to help other people while having empathy with what they're going through? It's incredible how everything works out just the way it needs too, even if we are stretched a little thin. 

You might think it a little strange as to why I would start my post like this, but my little sister is going through something hard. Something I hope to never go through, and that's why I made the decision to make our adventures a little longer than planned. 

My world <3

On Father's Day, as soon as church was over, we all hopped in the car for a drive to Las Vegas. Our ultimate destination was Provo UT, but I wanted to get a bit of a head start. My incredible husband said yes to the plans I made, and we took off with our rig piled high with luggage, camping gear, and enough for us to live away from home for 3 whole weeks. 

On the road again!!!

Monday evening we made it to Provo Utah where we were greeted by my brother in law from Washington. Staying in a 2 bedroom town home with 4 adults, 3 kids, and 3 babies was an adventure on its own. Although we were in a tight space, we loved being together. 

Crazy Boy wok up so early!!!

Waiting for everyone to wake up.

He never wants to take pictures with me!

While in Utah Jason helped fix things around my sisters house, while I entertained the kids. We had so much fun going to the splash pad, visiting our old neighborhood, seeing wonderful friends, swimming, getting caught in a rain storm, and the day Jason left to go home... we even got to visit our girls grave. If it weren't for the heat and time constraint, we might have stayed there all day. It's weird, but being in the place where we said our last see you later, makes me feel so much closer to those sweet 5 baby girls. I miss them everyday day, but I am so thankful for the blessings that have come because of our loss. 

It was hard to be away from this guy for 2 weeks!

Splash Pad Fun!

Two peas in a pod while we were in Utah

Love these ladies! So glad we were able to get together!!

Love this lady!

Beautiful little girl!

Our 8 little angels!!

Can't get enough of this sweet little face!

The day before going to Oregon to spend time with my grandma, all 3 of my kiddos woke up with runny noses and coughs. I even had a little girl who was throwing up non- stop all morning.  I was devastated thinking about having to travel home and cancel our plans so as to not give my grandparents a virus just before a long awaited family reunion. After an extra day of rest, Benadryl, cold meds, and vitamin c... we climbed in the car for a 7 hour drive to Oregon. Just me and my kiddos🤪

Poor Sick little man

Went on a walk and found a little friend.

I'm so glad we braved the thought of sharing germs with my grandma and grandpa. We hardly ever get to spend time with them all by our selves. There's often sharing with another family involved, but we got 6 days of uninterrupted great grandparent time!!! I wish the week went slower, but Saturday came fast and we were soon reunited with Jason. Sunday the 4 th happened in the blink of an eye, and we were on the road again!

Grandma's are great at giving grandkids sugar!

I loved that my kiddos got to spend so much one on one time with great grandma and grandpa!

He loves great grandpa!

My grandma is AMAZING!!!!

He loved the kittens at great grandma's house!

They love animals!

We visited my uncles farm. Daxton loved riding the tractor!

Pancake breakfast on the 3rd. Love taking selfies with this crazy boy!

When we arrived at the place we'd planned to stay for a week, we were a little worried with the less than stellar accommodations. I wanted to go home, but I remembered something I have learned from past experience. "The joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives, and everything to do with the focus of our lives," I chose to focus on making the most of being with family members we don't get to see often. I decided to forget about the place we were only to eat and sleep, and I focused on making memories. We had so much fun, I often forgot to even take a picture. We played at the lake, visited ghost towns, watched as kids and adults slid down an epic slip and slide. We shared talents, played games, and had too many laughs to remember. My sister even announced the exciting news of a little one joining their family. As you can imagine, the week was over in a flash. We hopped in the car for our last 16 hours home. 

The cat at the camp got lots of loves

A day at the lake.

It was a hot windy day, and we had so much fun!

Our team got 2nd place in the Olympics!!!

Ghost town with Grandma and Grandpa.

Last morning of the reunion.

Love that these guys got to play all week!

It feels so good to be home and getting back into our old routines. I still wish we could have had more time with family, but even if we were given all the time in the world... we would still wish for the same thing, more time. I'm so glad we made the most with the time we were given! Although there aren't a ton of pictures to document, there are so many fun and wonderful stories. I hope you all realize how precious time is, and live your life to the fullest with the time you have! Have a great week!!!

Cancun Mexico

At the resort

A couple of weekends ago, Jason and I got to escape to Cancun Mexico while our babies kicked it with grandma. I'm so thankful she was willing to fly out to watch our littles, so that we could spend some much needed time together and have a fun adventure!

Flying to Cancun

If you've never been to Cancun, I think it is one of the most beautiful places on earth. The sand is white, the ocean bright blue, and palm trees are everywhere! The people are so friendly and accommodating. I loved every minute of it and didn't want to leave, but missed my babies like crazy!!!

View from our balcony

So... our story starts on a beautiful Wednesday evening full of driving to LA and having my first international flight experience. There were lots of people, lots of lines, lots of questions, and a red eye flight to Florida. Exhausted and excited, we landed in Cancun safe and sound Thursday afternoon. A day of travel with little sleep, but totally worth it for an ocean view balcony, new experiences, new people, and a weekend that helped our minds and hearts grow.

Early in the AM after red eye flight

The first order of business after checking into our room, was a nice trip to the spa. We indulged in some incredible massages, we're spoiled with chcolate covered almonds, and relaxed for a bit before heading to the beach. The beach was gorgeous, and we soon found ourselves sitting at a restaurant to eat some grub. The view was our favorite part!

Restaurant view. That water😍

Going to another country when you don't exactly speak the same language, was a comical experience. It probably wasn't very funny for the guy we almost dined and ditched on, but it was a pretty funny story. Just picture a man running after us on the beach in boots yelling, "Senior Osborn!" We might have felt a little bad that he was chasing us for a long time.

Pic on our balcony 

That evening we decided to hit the hot tub and met some pretty awesome peeps there! Every night we ended our day there, and it was so neat to meet everyone in person and hear incredible stories of their unique journeys in life. I think that part is what I loved the most. So many inspiring people shared their stories and how hard they pushed back to create the life they wanted. It reminded me that I to can do hard things!

Our night time routine

Friday and Saturday were filled with amazing speakers, activities, and making more life long friends. Lunch was a unique experience with beautiful catered food, wonderful conversations, and a gratitude that I got to share my new passion with Jason. I felt over overjoyed for this opportunity to take part in such a great event!

My beautiful friend and mentor coach

The food 😋

In between classes, team dinners and hang outs, we ate amazing seafood, consumed Gelato, and soaked in the feeling of being around people.

Friday night dinner 🍽

A huge take away that I brought home with me, is that we were meant to live and not just survive!!! We all were sent to earth to figure out how to reach our greatest potential!!! Yes, it will be hard, but if it wasn't hard... what would be the point. I love that I've found a community of people who are all striving to live their best life, and I love that they are willing to invite me along!!!

Every one who came to the event

Love these people!!!

When Sunday morning came, I was a little sad our trip ended up being so short, but so excited to see my littles!!! They were having too much fun with grandma to bother returning our calls and texts, but I'd relive the moment they saw me over and over again!!!

Our last night

Sunday in the airport

Selfie with mom at the airport

"Many people die with their music still in them. Too often it is because they are always getting ready to live. Before they know it, time runs out."

Oliver Wendall Holmes

I hope you are all living, and not just getting ready to live. The ride is wild, and the experience is like nothing else!!! Happy reading!!!

Spring Break and Life's Adventures

I can not believe I have let so much time pass since writing an update on all our adventures. Days have been filled with health coaching, playing with my children, spoiling my husband, and trying to live life to the fullest. I will have to make time for those stories later, but I have a story for you that could be made into a reality T.V. show! Sit back, get comfortable, and let's get going!

On Tuesday March 30, we packed up our bags and hopped on a jet plane. Our destination...a gorgeous cabin next to a frozen lake in Montana. The reason... to meet a family we have always dreamed of meeting. I'll spare you all the tiny details, but Jason was raised by a single mother I was never able to meet. She passed away a year before we were married. She must of been an incredible lady, because she raised an incredible son. Jason was always curious about his dad, and after searching for a long time, he was able to find some answers. 

Fun adventures on the plane 😄

A few years ago Jason decided to work on finding information about his dad's side. After DNA tests for him and other individuals, he seemed to hit a dead end. After almost giving up, and deciding that maybe now was just not the time to focus on finding his dad, he received a message from a man on Ancetsry.com that was a close DNA match. After messages and a phone call, Jason learned that the man was his half brother!

Our View of the lake from the cabin

Montana was cold, but beautiful! We stayed in a beautiful place surrounded by snow, and met some pretty amazing people. We ate amazing food, had wonderful conversations, and my kiddos were spoiled rotten with gifts and sweets. My favorite part of being there was meeting Jason's father. He was a very sweet man, and it seemed so crazy to think that Jason found him! Only in his wildest dreams did he think he would be able to meet his dad some day. I can only imagine how Jason felt, and feels still. What seemed like something that took forever, was there and gone in the blink of an eye. Knowing who is father is, I think has brought him a lot of peace. 

Our beautiful little girl😍

He loved being outside in the snow

Meeting Jason's dad was so great!

After meeting family members in Montana, our journey brought us to Spokane Washington for dinner and a quick visit with sisters, and then to the Tri-Cities for a weekend with my family. We celebrated Easter, listened to general conference, and looked forward to the week ahead. Carter, Daxton, and Callie loved doing an Easter egg hunt and playing with their cousins (I was helping Callie with her eggs and basket, I can't believe we didn't get pictures!). They were in heaven!!!

The only pic I took while in my home town

The weekend came and went way too fast, but after flying and driving home, we got ready for a full week of fun with family. The same day we came home, we were shortly greeted by my sister and her family. Almost instantly we had kiddos in the pool and started our week of fun together!

We made moon sand, and the kids loved it!

Carter's birthday was on Saturday, and it couldn't have been a more perfect day! He made the choice to get baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints on the same day as his birthday. We had family attend in person as well as virtually. He was baptized in our hot tub, and I hope it was an experience he will never forget!

After Carter was baptized 

He was so excited for his own set of scriptures 

Happy Birthday big boy

Opening gifts

He was spoiled!

After Carter's wonderful baptism, we all jumped in cars and drove to Sequoia National Park. There we saw General Sherman, a tree that happens to be the biggest tree in the US. We've been there many times, but it was wonderful having most of my family there and creating wonderful memories together. We have loved living here with all the different places we are able to go.

Best friends forever!

All of us by General Sherman 

Daxton loves his aunt

Cousin time

Goodbyes are never easy. Sunday both of my sisters and their families left. Carter was devastated that the week went by so fast. We got to hold on to Grandma and Grandpa for one more day, but tears were shed by all my kiddos when they left.  Family can be such a wonderful thing.

Loved having my family in California!