Time well spent!

Wow! It's been a while since I updated... it has been a busy few months. Not even sure where they went, just kind of flew by, but pretty much all of that time was very well spent.

In the middle of October we decided to make a trip out to California to see my sister Krystal and her cute little family who just moved there. This trip was different from most the of the California trips we make because we usually head to south Cali which is only 10-11 hour drive, but this time we were heading to the northern part of Cali which was a 13 hour drive. It would also be our first vacation with Brailey. Those 13 hours in the car were difficult. Brailey did pretty good, but there were a couple hours where she was just screaming and crying and nothing would get her to stop... and due to the fact that I didn't get much sleep the previous night and had to work before leaving for this trip I was EXHAUSTED. Usually Jordan and I take turns on driving and we drive about the same amount of time. This time, however, I barely drove 2 hours on the way there. I just couldn't keep my eyes open enough. So jordan was sweet enough to drive the other 11 hours. I'm sure you are thinking "isn't 11 hours enough sleep"? Well, with Brailey talking loudly in the back and the light streaming in through my window sleep was very difficult. I was getting up every few minutes to hand Brailey another toy or book or pick up the one she just dropped or get her blanket or give her some snacks.... and Jordan would point out random things, jolting me from my almost sleep. SO in all reality I maybe got a couple hours of sleep on the journey and not very restful ones at that.

I have never been to mid-northern California. It was more beautiful then I imagined. I don't mind palm trees but honestly I prefer pine trees so with the California I was used to seeing I was expecting lots more palm trees, which I really didn't want to see. I was pleasantly surprised by all the forests and pine trees we drove past. I was thankful to finally arrive at our destination and see some warm inviting faces that I had been missing.

While we were there, we visited Stanford University which was SO beautiful. The way it was built was amazing. I loved all the old building designs and I loved how huge their park was... so much green everywhere. We also went over the golden gate bridge to visit Muir Woods with all the large redwood trees, we went to Pier 39 and Fishermans Warf, we drove through the streets of San Francisco and saw the Full House Home. We also went to the beach and I took Jordan to go Skydiving as his early birthday surprise. :)

This is the size of some of the Redwood trees. Many are more large than this one. 

Hard to tell, but may of the trees were burned during a fire that happened many years ago and they still survived. Redwoods are some of the most resilient trees out there and can survive just about anything.

Golden Gate Bridge. It was cloudy that day (as is most days), so we couldn't see the very top, but it was pretty cool to drive over. 

Our day at the Beach. It was still a bit too chilly to me to get into my swim suit but everyone else seemed to be fine with it. It was still beautiful as it always is, but definitely not the best water to play in. Way to cold. 

Family pic at the beach.

Krystal and the girls. :)

Look at how HUGE these trees are! I was in AWE of them. 

Another pic of Golden Gate Bridge. 

We decided to visit Pier 39  with all the Sea Lions and there was a ton of them!

They were all just basking in the sun. 

From Pier 39 you could see the prison Alcatraz. It was kind of eerie to actually see it firsthand.  It almost seems like just a story when you only hear about it, but it all becomes real when your actually there. Sort of like Nostalgia, but this wasn't an "affection" for the past. 

We all decided to take a boat out to get a better look of Alcatraz. It was already a chilly day, but the wind mixed with splashes of the freezing ocean water made it even more cold. Luckily they gave all the passengers blankets to cover up and stay warm. :) 

On the boat and San Francisco in the background. 

After all this fun, we had to head home and Brailey did SO much better on the way home. She didn't get fussy until the last half hour of our drive and by that point I was gonna get pretty fussy myself. lol. This time I decided to drive most of the way home. We had a fabulous time being able to hang out and visit Krystal, Devin, and the girls. It was actually kind of sad to leave them and almost felt strange to leave at all because we had fallen in love with this part of California. (Although I could never get used to living there.. too many people). I loved the history of it all... the beauty. We hope to visit again. 

One morning back at home Brailey decided she wanted to take her giraffe and cow upstairs to breakfast.While I was getting her breakfast ready she did this. :) lol. She knows exactly what this is.... I give her kisses all the time and I am sure she sees me giving daddy kisses too. 

A day or two before Halloween I decided it was time for Brailey to have a bit of a trim. Her hair was growing in a little uneven in the sides and I had multiple people tell me to cut her bangs... So here we were. I didn't want to get her hair cut because... well she is a girl and I want her hair to grow long and since her hair seems to closely resemble mine it takes FOREVER to grow.

She did really good! She was scared in the beginning but didn't really cry and kinda liked watching herself in the mirror. 

That same week after getting home from Cali, Jordan and I decided to go to frightmares! It was a blast! Still love the rides, the shows, although the food has actually gotten worse. ha ha.

Whenever we go to Lagoon I always have to visit the Bingham cabin. This is my Great Great Great Grandpa Binghams house. Him and his sons were the founders of the Kenicott Copper Mines (not named that at the time). They eventually sold the mines because copper wasn't a huge use at the time. Dang it Grandpa! We could have been rich. lol. jk. There really is a Nostalgic feeling when I visit this house. It makes me wish that I could have lived back then to see what it was like.... to meet the men who eventually helped create me and my family. 

Then came Halloween and all the trunk or treats we could manage. Brailey got a huge stash of candy and made out like a bandit! It was SO much fun taking her out and walking door to door with her. She loved getting the candy in her bag. Everyone kept saying how cute she was and one kid and his mom yelled for their entire family to come to the door to see her. I almost think I had more fun then her. 

We carved pumpkins. I didn't get a picture of Jordans cause he took it out already, but this was mine. :) 

"When your with the Flintstones, you'll have a yabba dabba doo time, a dabba doo time, you'll have a gay old time!" 

Cutest little "Pebbles" on the block! 

Oh I just love her!

There was a family dressed as "Wreck It Ralph" at our ward trunk or treat and I just HAD to take a picture. It was ADORABLE! These guys were creative!

 So far it has been a good past couple of months. Brailey is getting big and learning something new everyday. She is super smart and I am always amazed at what she knows without me having actually taught her. I am so blessed to have her and my husband in my life. I just wouldn't be the same without them. :) That's all for now folks.