Getting ready for Easter

We asked the kids if they wanted to color eggs this year and they were excited to so we did!  They were planning a lot, including timing how long they left an egg in a color and making sure they were dry before putting them in the carton.  

The time they took shows in these super bright eggs! 

Happy Birthday Eli!

Today we visited with Eli to celebrate his 9th birthday!  It is hard to believe these boys are all 9 now!!

Corbyn enjoyed having Anna playing with her!  Anna is such a sweet big cousin!  

Happy Birthday Eli!  May all your wishes come true!

Sacramento - Day 2

Today we headed back to Old Town Sacramento.  We visited the history museum.  Outside the museum they have the equipment that was used to realign the river after the flood of 1861.  

The kids had fun playing with the props they had.  :-)

We took a tour of underground Sacramento.  Unfortunately they don't allow photos underground.  Our guide was dressed in period attire and one of our above ground stops was outside a building made of wood and canvas as they had done back before the flood.   They were sneaky and when boats came in and everyone got off and went about their way, others went onto their ships and took them apart to build the town, and when the boats owners returned their boats had vanished... 

After the tour we had lunch outside and got to see the bridge move to allow a boat to go through. 

 Very fun to see. 

One of Anna's requests was to visit the school house.  We tried to yesterday but it was closed for a group.  Today it was open and the kids enjoyed exploring.  I don't think they liked the rules they would have had to follow if they had been a student.  And I surely wouldn't like the rules if I was a teacher there! 

We went for a walk across a yellow bridge and enjoyed this sculpture bench. 

It was a really enjoyable day and a we really enjoyed our visit to Sacramento! 

Sacramento - Day 1

We are taking a long weekend to show the kids the state capital and learn a bit about the history of our state.  We are staying in a house build around 1904.  Very cool!  

We started the day by walking to the state capital.  We were very fortunate for beautiful weather all weekend which allowed us to enjoy all the locations we wanted to visit with ease.  

The doors on the main floor are giant! 

I love all the detail in this rotunda.  Amazed to think about how many hours and days it took!

 The state Senate is a very pink room! 

And the state Assembly is very green! 

This gives a good idea of the size of the room!  It is big!!

In our random wanderings around the building we came across a window up high that had this amazing view! 

And in the basement they had some view points to see the work that has been done to the building over the years. 

After lunch back at the house, we headed to Old Sacrament and visited the railroad museum.  It was very interesting to learn about the importance of the railroad with so many trains that we were able to walk through and explore. 

And the kids got to check out the conductors compartment. 

The kids got to do a simulator for a bullet train.  Very interesting! 

We enjoyed the view sites along the river. 

After stopping for a snack and doing a bit of walking we headed back to the house.  On our way back we stopped at the grocery store to get a few things and saw this very shiny horse outside the store. 

Talent Show!

This year Anna participated in the talent show as part of a dance group taught by one of the 4th grade teachers.  I am really impressed with their performance!  They did such a great job!

 Anna is third from the left.

 And she is front and center here.  Loved how she had a smile on her face!

Here is a short clip from their entrance. 

Our dancer! 

Beautiful day!

This weekend some of Matt's family from out of state visited us and it was a beautiful March day!  We visited the beach and enjoyed the beautiful waves, blue sky, and mild temperature.  For them it probably felt hot but for us the high in the low 60's is cool but nice for the start of March.  And very nice to be outside after the fair amount of rain we have have lately.  No complaining about the rain though!  

Happy Birthday Gus!

Today we celebrated Gus' 7th birthday!  There was a bit of rain but not enough for anyone to not enjoy spending some much needed time outside!  And enjoy some donuts!