Newport Beach

Saturday This is my parents new puppy "Tank". He is so cute and alot of work. All he does is eat, sleep, pee, poop. Just like a newborn baby!
Ammon and Carter had a BLAST dragging him around all weekend. My mom said that this was the first time that Tank would willingly go into his little cage thing. I wonder why???

Grandma & Carter

My parents on the Newport Beach Pier. And down below eating at my Dads favorite pizza place. It was really good!

Then Saturday we went to Newport Beach, I think the news said that 1/2 million people flocked to So. Cal. beaches this weekend. Yes, it felt like that many people. It was CRAZY. We still had fun eating at "Original Pizza" (so yummy and greasy) and walking out on the Pier. I personally LOVE to walk around to see what the fisherman caught that day. Nothing too interesting this trip but last time we saw a shark and 2 manarays. Anyways, we had so much fun. It is just soooooo hard to let them leave to go home. Lots of tears. Right after they left we went to church and I kept having tears fall randomly there also. I don't know if it will ever get any easier. Probably NOT... But we sure had fun while it lasted. Thanks Dad & Mom for everything. The game, all the eating out (Cheescake Factory... YUM- I really can't get enough of their lettuce wraps), WE LOVE YOU GUYS!

sO fUn... sAd tO sEe tHeM LeAvE!

FridayJust waiting and watching out the play room window. Grandma, Papa are you here yet?????

We had so much fun this weekend with my parents and little brother. They got here at about 11:00 am Friday. We hung-out and showed them Mikes new school, then the boys minus Carter went to the Angels vs. Yankees game. I guess Ammon was hilarious. All he did was EAT JUNK. Every time the guy would come around saying "Peanuts, popcorn, cracker jacks, etc." Ammon would raise his hand to get something. They were laughing one time when another guy had bought a pretzel and so everyone was passing it down the row and when Mike passed it on Ammon got mad and said "Why didn't you give it to me"! That is TOTALLY Ammon... Thanks Dad, We had fun!

It really is a SMALL WORLD afterall...

So last Sunday, our first Sunday in our new ward, we walked in and the one missionary looked so familiar. I thought it was our friends (Nick Thompson's) little brother. They were sitting in the back so I couldn't see him very well. Then after Sacrament lots of people came up to us and were so friendly. Needless to say I totally forgot about the missionary. Then after Relief Society Mike came up to me and said that Nicks little brother was a missionary that was assigned to our ward boundaries. I couldn't believe it. I had signed up to feed the missionaries in Relief Society on Thursday night. So tonight we had them over, it was so fun! What a small world. What's the chance that we would be in the same area??? Anyways, here's Elder Marc Thompson and Elder Smith (from Orem). They were so fun. Ammon and Carter enjoyed a pillow fight with them. Oh and Nick and Clenece, Elder Thompson wanted me to tell you HI. It's a small world!!!!

Sad:(

I probably shouldn't be posting this, but I'm going to. For some reason I'm sad today. I don't know if it's because everything that needed to get done is almost done, and now I have time to think or what?!?!?!? But I really need to STOP it. I haven't cried for a week and a day (until today) and I thought I was going to be fine. I will be fine, it's just quite an adjustment. My family is coming this weekend and I'M SO EXCITED, but I'm already dreading them leaving before they have even arrived, HOW LAME? Anyways, that's enough. I have to stop now.

And finally life in California, so far...

Okay, so here is our new home. If you are one of those people who find it totally annoying, then just don't look because I personally love to see everyone else's homes, so bear with me.Walkway into the kitchen. I really just wanted you to see how pretty the tile is. I love the edge around the tile in this house, it's beautiful!

Master bath, more beautiful tile work. And check out my tub... finally a nice tub.

I also love that this home has so many of these, I don't know what the proper name is but it's so nice to be able to put my decorations here without having to put nails in the wall since I'm just renting.

The huge "play room". I'm so glad that my kids have more room to play and use their imaginations. It's weird, the kitchen they got for Christmas used to look so big in our tiny house and now I barely notice it.

This is the front room, we don't have any furniture for it. So it will be empty once I get everything put away.

Here is a closer view of the cool little shelf thing in the front room.

And our family room that is connected to the kitchen. i love this room. I love that the kitchen is so open and that I feel part of the family and can still see what's going on when I'm cooking and cleaning. (it's still not totally decorated)

And the kitchen... what can I say except... I LOVE IT. We have had ALOT of cleaning to do in this house. It had been vacant for a while and it was one huge spider web... really! We have killed at least 6 HUGE black widows, a tarantula, and so many flys. We live next to tons of dairy farms and the flys are out of control, so that's been gross! Not to mention that they didn't clean out any of the drawers or cupboards. The master bath had layers of makeup in the drawers. That didn't make me happy, but it's all clean now. So we are doing good, everyone has adjusted really well. I won't lie, it was really hard to let my family leave last Sunday. I cried the night before, in the middle of the night, and of course the next day. Now, we just look forward to their visit next weekend. At least it's close enough that they came come often to see us. Mikes mom has been here with us to help with getting everything cleaned and put away. We did go to Disneyland on Tuesday, but I forgot my camera- HOW LAME IS THAT? We had alot of fun and are going next Tuesday too, so I will bring my camera. **I will take some pictures of the outside of the house and the park that is just next door and I will post then soon.

Happy 2nd Birthday TODAY Carterpillar!!!

Ouch, not exactly what he wanted for his birthday!
Yes, those are my tomato plants from Utah. If you have been to California you know that they stop you to make sure you don't have any fresh fruit or plants that could bring "bugs" into the state. Well lucky for me they just waved me past, but stopped my dad. I thought it was HILARIOUS.

Today is his "real" birthday. He received a birthday card in the mail (so did Ammon) with $ to buy a toy from Grandma and Grandpa Bale. He thought that was pretty cool. So tonight I think we will go to the store and let him pick something out. The boys swam all morning in the swimming pool they got for their birthdays from Uncle Kason and Aunt Wendy. Too bad Carter fell and busted his lip open. I think he had two cold sores there before it busted open. The poor little guy has a fat lip!

Birthday Party... just a little late!

My kids had so much fun. Ammon wants a party everyday. Today he wanted an Iron Man Party. Too bad, dude... one more year!

duck, duck, goose!

CHECK OUT THAT CUTE CAKE! No... I didn't do it. My sis-in-law Wendy did it and totally saved me. I LOVED it and so did my boys. Thanks, Wendy!!! Also, thanks to everyone else who came to the Party and made my little guys day, WE MISS YOU ALL!