June 2016

In mid-June we drove to California and stopped at Rachel's house in Carlsbad to start off our trip.  We arrived on Father's Day and celebrated the end of it together with a delicious dinner.  

Ben worked remotely and we enjoyed a day or two at the Jennings home with its' awesome location.  They showed us the Carlsbad beach and we had dinner near the ocean.  

The kids enjoyed playing together and we swam at their community pool.  

On Tuesday we headed to Newport Beach, to spend a week with my family at a beach house.  My parents and Steven drove over and we met Michael, Annika and Lydia there as well.  We had a great location on the Balboa peninsula with the option of going bay side or ocean side to play.  We were nearby the Balboa FunZone and checked it out one evening.  

Another evening we hit up Balboa Island.  We went to dinner at a Mexican place and shopped the streets.  Everyone had to get a Balboa bar to end the night. 

Lucy was an easy beach baby this year too.  She had just learned to walk but wasn't too fond of walking in the sand.  She preferred sitting in the lounge chair or sand and playing with toys. 

**Quick break from our California trip to our day on Utah Lake.  We got to try out their paddle boards in the lake and the Provo River. 

That night Lucy met all the princesses and didn't have a clue who anyone was :) 

William put Lucy in this "nest" and read books by her, 

They have become good buddies and love being around each other (for the most part) 

**Back to California, Lucy was lounging at the park in Carlsbad haha. 

We had fun walking the Newport boardwalk and went to the Balboa pier park. 

We enjoyed a few Banzai bowls that were SO delicious!

One morning this gang went to the Newport Temple for baptisms.  I had never been inside, so it was a fun new experience for me. 

These cousins sure had a blast playing in the sand.

We had our big Christensen family pictures taken at the beach this year.  Still waiting to get the rest of them back but I was so happy everyone was looking and smiling in this one!!

We had a blast at the beach and drove home to Provo in one day.  

We only had a few days to prep before our big European trip!

William also had his first swimming lessons and passed with ease.  He was not scared of anything and willingly put his head under. He had a blash and can't wait for more swimming fun next summer!

April/May 2016

We were excited to have warmer weather and beautiful flowers bloom in the late springtime. 

The kids and I visited the Tulip Festival at Thanksgiving Point one afternoon.  

We ended up getting poured on, so our visit ended a little sooner than we anticipated. 

Jumping ahead to May, Ben and the kiddos served me breakfast in bed on Mother's Day. 

We met our friends at the Thanksgiving Point Farm country.  

William and Sawyer had a great time on the hayride. 

We got to play with cousin Lydia at the park one summer day. 

William gave his first talk in Primary.  He had the first line memorized and followed dad's prompts the rest of the page.  He loved standing up there in front of his friends. 

We did a Memorial Day hike to Battle Creek Falls.

The sun started coming out, so we busted out our summer toys.  

The kids loved the water fountain and pool.   

Lucy especially liked playing with the cup and hitting the water fountain. 

At the end of April we flew home to Arizona for Ben's sister, Jennie's wedding. 

We arrived there a few days before the wedding so that our kids could have fun with their cousins that live in Texas and North Carolina.

We piled a few too many kids into the van and took them to see Zootopia.  

They loved having their own reclining chair and popcorn.

William and Ollie became best buddies again instantly. 

When home for the wedding, I got to see my brother Steven's last Mountain View baseball game. 

It was fun to hear them announce his name and watch him play.  The game got a little heated but they ended up pulling out a win in the end! 

All the grand kids and grandma at the Phoenix zoo. 

Lucy and Will with cousins Olena and Rhett. 

Aunt Deedee was the most popular with the cousins as she played games with them outside and on the trampoline. 

The twins and their babies, only aged two weeks apart. 

Jennie and Steven Bunker were married in the Gilbert temple.  

It was gorgeous inside and out!  

Jennie with her brothers, just missing Eddie in Russia.

These lucky grand kids with grandpa and grandma.

Lucy loved her cousin, Ella. 

We sure will miss these fun cousins!!