Vacation in Cali and Sara's wedding

Sara, one of my best friends growing up (we have been friends since 4th grade), got married in San Diego on April 20th.  Since Rachel lives in California we decided to make a girls trip out of it.  We flew into orange county on April 19th and spent the night at Rachel's house. The next morning we drove to San Diego which is technically a 2-3 hour drive from orange county, but because of fussy babies and never ending California traffic it took us around 4 hours. We were very happy to get out of the car.  Sara got married on the beach at sunset.  It was gorgeous scenery (it made me miss the beaches in Australia), and such a touching ceremony. awwww true love!  So happy for you Sara and Apaulo.  Love you guys!

Best friends

The next day we decided to go to Sea World, which was just a block away from the resort we were staying at.  It was my first time going to Sea World, and I'll be honest I turned into a little squealing school girl.  I absolutely loved the animal shows.  I think one of my ultimate dream jobs would be to train dolphins... mostly so I could ride on them.  How awesome would that be?!? It was such a fun day, and Ella was a trooper considering she didn't get much of a nap since we were out and about all day.  

The rest of the trip was spent relaxing, going to the beach and shopping.  It was a perfect girls trip!  Thanks Rach for having us.  :) 

This is the only nap she got... poor thing looks so uncomfortable. 

ummmmm A.ma.zing!

my lil beach bum!

Me with the bebes.  Such cute little stinkers 

Ella 10 months & 11 months old

Ella is 10 months old!!

Some fun facts about Ella at 10 months old: 

• She is frightened of people with beards, other than that she is perfectly content going to anyone
• Crawls to your feet and pulls at your pants when she wants to be picked up
• Has trouble sleeping in new environments (not the best traveler these days)
• Stands up in her crib and yells until someone comes to get her
• Loves reading books and turning the pages
• Loves bubbles 
• Starting to be more clingy, and wants to be held more 
• Learned how to clap her hands
• Gives kisses (technically she started doing this around 9 months)
• Loves to drink from straws

she loves her grandpa

playing at the park

her favorite cup

come get me!!!!

Ella is 11 months old!!

Some fun facts about Ella at 11 months old: 

• Says uh oh, mamma and dadda 
• Her favorite thing to do during bath time is stand up and throw all of her toys out of the tub, and say "uh oh"
•  Has turned into a picky eater, and doesn't want anything to do with baby food/pureed food, and insists on feeding herself.  She will eat almost anything you are eating... but some things we can't give her because she still only has 2 teeth!
• Loves to chase you around the house or have you chase after her crawling (she finds this hilarious)
• Is so interested in everything and busy that it is hard to distract her while cooking or cleaning
• Likes watching Baby Einstein (this will usually hold her attention for about 10 min which is pretty good!)
• Loves playing outside and pulling grass and eating plants
• Still loves straws, and gets angry if you drink something in front of her and don't share
• Finally likes swings!  :)  Took her awhile, but she finally isn't scared of them anymore
• Furniture cruising like crazy!!! We have had to baby proof everything

Playing the drums

Kisses for Grandma

Happy Easter

Here are some pictures from Easter.  Brandon's parents came down to Elko to celebrate Easter with us.  We had a huge feast with the Harts on Saturday night complete with ham, mashed potatoes, deviled eggs, grape salad, broccoli salad, rolls and sugar cookies.  It was delicious!
Ella got her first Easter dress, and since she was a little too young for an Easter egg hunt, we did Easter eggs in the bathtub instead.  It was wonderful to spend time with family.  I am so grateful for my saviors sacrifice, and for my eternal family.  Happy Easter!