Knowing Scott had the first half of the day off and my to-do list growing quickly, we decided to involve the kiddos and get some serious items OFF my list!
The boys woke up between 8:30-9 and we were off. I had a list of cleaning to-do's for the boys to mark off.
Here's my list: Weed garden (100 weeds each boy), sort laundry, clean bedrooms, clean bathrooms, unload dishwasher, load dishwasher, clean stove, clean microwave, fill up soaps, take out all trash, vacuum, wash walls, sweep kitchen, wash down bar stools, carpet clean bedroom and basement.
As the boys and I were hustling to clean the house, Scott and Will started on the larger projects that needed attention.
That list was: Attach ball holder in garage, make a new coat hanger, hang all 3 coat hangers in garage, cement loose rocks from outside stairs and wall, print vinyl stickers, install new fan in living room, sand down kitchen chairs, hang medal holder, stain craft board.
We got through the entire cleaning list and most of the project list by noon, so we decided to take a little break. We drove across the street to 7-11 for FREE Slurpees. Then, drove around the corner to another 7-11 for another delicious Slurpee. Next stop, Barnes and Noble to turn in the boys Summer Reading charts for FREE books. Last stop, Chik-fil-A for FREE food (if you dress up like a cow). I taped black and white spots on the boys, some hung signs around their necks, some wore noses with ears. Our bill came to $47, but we paid ZERO!
Back home we worked on the rest of the project list, and everything is OFF my list! WOW!! The incentive I offered the boys in the morning was if they worked fast and hard without complaining, we would have a water balloon war after. As I'm typing this post up the boys are filling up the balloons!
We spent over SIX hours at one of the local Santa Barbara beaches, Hendry's. We swam, boogie boarded, skim boarded, built sand castles, buried our loved ones, ate food, found seashells, dug for sand crabs, and relaxed. It was a perfect day! The beach is truly my favorite place on earth. I love everything about it.
Later that night we had over 30 cousins and close friends come over to my mom's house for taco dinner. It was great to reconnect with so many loved ones. I have such a wonderful extended family.
On Sunday, we attended our home ward in Santa Barbara, packed the car and were off to St. George for the night. We arrived late and the boys fell right into bed and fast asleep. We all slept in and headed for the pool where we spent a couple hours playing and horsing around.
After stopping in Beaver for squeaky cheese, we were able to finish out our trip home. Aww...It was a long road trip, but totally worth it. We had a great time!
After 9 days and 2300 miles, we hope that it is a trip that our boys talk about for a LONG time!
The big boys, Scott and I woke up early and headed for Magic Mountain. Earlier in the year, the boys participated in a special reading program where the reward was a free ticket to Magic Mountain! So of course, we took advantage of that!! We left beautiful 70 degree weather in Santa Barbara and entered 95 degree nastiness. BUT, we were able to ride fun, scary rides to make up for the terrible weather!
We spent the night at a nearby hotel and headed back to Magic Mountain the following day. Well, the boys did. I chose to stay behind and lounge poolside, read a book and relax. I'm glad I did. The boys were there right when the gates opened and ran right onto several rides! They had a blast!!
We left around 4 or so and met up with Nana, Papa, Nathan and Preston in downtown Santa Barbara. My mom took the kids to a new fun pizza place while Scott and I indulged in some delicious Italian food at Pascucci's.
Can't beat the view!!
