*Happy Birthday Chris*

You know how sometimes I talk about my special memory box? This was another one of those memories I'm sticking in it. I couldn't have ordered up a better day!

We started our day out at the San Diego temple. We hadn't been to this temple for years. It used to be our temple when we lived in OC before, but now we have the Newport Temple in our backyard. What a beautiful, beautiful place. Filled with natural light. Some special experiences and prayers answered that day.

Trying to get a picture of both of us. Not anyone out and about on the grounds on a Tuesday morning. ;)

Next we headed down to Sea Port Village. Haven't been there since before Kathrine was born. The weather was crazy beautiful. Sunny, clear, 72 degrees.

Then on to Coronado.

We spent the afternoon catching some rays. I actually fell asleep! Relaxing to say the least.

We toured this hotel. On our 1st anniversary Chris had set up a special dinner for us here when we were staying in La Jolla. Unfortunately, I'd gotten serious food poisoning and we weren't able to go. It was nice that 18 years later we got our chance!

Happy Birthday Chris.

USS Midway (Lots of pic's ahead!)

For Logan, Chris and Kathrine's birthdays we decided to spend one of our days off this month down in San Diego. It was BEAUTIFUL! We visited the

USS Midway Museum.

Getting On.

Anchor Chain:

4 links = 1 Taylor

Working knots at Sea....

who knew there was so much to know?

The brig.

This engine room was AMAZING. This whole ship was awesome (in the true sense of the word.) It was huge. (As Donald Trump would say.) It was built in 1941 in two years time. Contrast that with the newest aircraft carrier that is taking 8 years to build right now. The USS Gerald Ford, due to be finished in 2015.

Back to this ship.....it hosted 4,500-6,000 men at a time. It held over 3.4 million gallons of fuel. Burning 265 gallons a mile. (Cha-ching!) Good thing gas didn't cost $2.97 in 1941. It is the longest running aircraft carrier in Naval History. There was tons and tons of interesting facts and information to digest.

See the girls in there?

Do you see how huge this thing is?.......look behind the boys. We weren't even at the front of the ship (or bow) when I took this picture.

Anyone want to whip up 4,500 pastries?

Or fry 2,000 lbs. of chicken?

Eject! Eject! Eject!!

Sick bay.

If you weren't sick when you went down there, you'd probably catch something. Such cramped quarters.

The War Room

The flight deck.

Very cool.

All the color coated people who work the flight deck. ....It's crazy that men fly these planes and land on a aircraft carrier in the middle of the ocean.

There was a quote from one of the pilots talking about how tiny the flight deck looked from the sky. Scary.

As we walked around I was touched by the dedicated men who lived and worked on this ship to ensure our safety here in America. Even though I already have a soft spot in my heart for men in the military, this experience just deepened my appreciation for them and the freedoms I enjoy here with my family.

I'm grateful for the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Dinner at the Rahms! Can't beat that for a great end to your day.

Thanks for everything!

Me, Sydney and Sarah

Crazy kiddos.

He's 9 now!

Good Morning birthday bud! This guy is a great addition to our family. He keeps us balanced with his wonderful personality. What a blessing. We love you Logan!

PS: (He thought he should have school off on his birthday....isn't it a national holiday like Washington's or Lincoln's birthday?)

Delicious and nutritious breakfast of fresh doughnuts. (Dad ran out and got them before seminary so Kathrine could enjoy one too.)

What do you suppose Logan requested for dinner on his birthday?

That's love.

Favorite gift of the night.....a box of magic tricks.

Another fav. One of Logan's favorite things to do right now, is go to the skate park up the hill from our house. It's fun to sit and watch him. He's getting pretty good.

Kathrine's homemade mud pie for dessert. Sugar, sugar and more sugar!

Happy Day!

Big News!

Big news this day. Claire lost her first tooth! YAY!

In even bigger news, she lost her second tooth that same evening. I couldn't believe it. None of my other kids have lost 2 teeth in one day. She was pretty darn proud of herself. They were SOOOOOOOOOO loose. It was a crack-up to see her bending them back and forth with her tongue all day until she got the courage up to have me pull one in the afternoon, and then (if you know Chris) was 'helped' by him loosing the other one.