Grand Canyon

We decided to go to the Grand Canyon before summer break. We had Daniella's cousin, Trentten, along for the trip and we all had a wonderful time.

Daniella loves to take pictures with our camera. She is getting better at her self portraits.

Our first stop was at a park at the base of Mars Hill. It was the best little park for our three little travelers to get some wiggles out.

Kendell has turned into quite the gymnast. He never lets a bar go by with out hanging and swinging for a little while.

He can really get some air all by himself.

We visited the Lowell Observatory atop Mars Hill. It was a fun time. This is the place that Pluto was first discovered. It was not quite dark so we only got to see the moon.

We made it to the Grand Canyon at last. It was a very windy and cold day.

Here is a good picture of our family. It won't be long and we will have another little one to tag along.

Daniella and Trentten loved their time together. They played long and hard together. They really wore each other out. Where are those kids' parents. Probably off hiking to the bottom of the Grand Canyon.

This was our last chance to hang out with Seth. He leaves for Argentina at the beginning of June.

At one of the lodges there were some relaxing chairs to sit on out on the deck.

Grandpa showed the grandkids how to swing really high.

We had a really good time and hope that we can take this trip again when the kids are a little bit older to appreciate the beauty of the Grand Canyon. Maybe we will hike to the bottom when hey are all grown and want nothing more than to hang out with their parents on a long weekend.

We're having a.........GIRL!

We had our first ultrasound. We are very excited to be having a new little girl in our family. Daniella is even more excited to have a sister. Our due date is August 18th. We are now half way there. Keep checking, we will post a list of names to vote for in upcoming posts.

Skiing at Brian Head

Kendell is a very happy little boy. Daniella took this picture.

Here is the cabin we all stayed in while at Brian Head Ski Resort. It was very nice and roomy.

Here is Daniella's Ski teacher. She had a really good time and learned to ski. She was able to learn to ski without her rubber worm (rubber rope holding the tips of the skis together). She could turn and get up all by herself. She was very proud of herself.

The snow was very deep and fun to play in. This is Daniella at the front door to the cabin.

All of the cousins got together and made snowmen in the fresh snow.

Kendell has been doing a lot of traveling.

We made a quick stop in St George to visit Grandma and Grandpa Ferguson. They are also known as Grandma and Grandpa with the farm by Daniella. It was such a nice time to spend with them.

Let It Snow!

This past weekend we went to Flagstaff to enjoy the snow, skiing, sledding and family. We had a great time. Grandma and Grandpa Ellsworth and the Griffin Family were all together at the Little America Hotel and went skiing at Snowbowl. We joined Kyle's family for sledding at Oak Hill.

Kendell really loved his first time in the snow. He liked to touch the snow and walk around in it. It was a perfect time for our little explorer. He didn't want to wear a coat or gloves until he touched the snow and learned that it was really cold stuff.

Daniella enojoyed sledding with her cousin Samantha. Daniella has no fear.

We don't need to explain how much fun she was having.

Daniella went skiing for the first time at Snowbowl. She thought it was hard. Her instructor said Daniella was a good listener and really liked to lay in the snow. Notice how she didn't mention skiing. That's ok, she still loved going. Daniella had a private lesson with her cousin Trentten. While the instructor was talking to him Daniella pounded him with a big snowball without him knowing.

What a cute little girl. Daniella was pink from head to toe. Except for her new goggles. Her parents thought her brother would not want hand-me-down pink goggles. She was a good girl for letting us get the black pair.

This is our first time trying to do a video. Hope it works.

San Diego/Carlsbad

We took a quick trip to San Diego/Carlsbad. We had a great time. The weather was a little wet but bearable. We decided we would see the sites and relax.

We took a tour of the San Diego Temple grounds on our way to Carlsbad. Kendell has always loved plants.

The cold weather has never stopped Kendell from exploring.

We walked the pier in Oceanside. It was really long and has a restaurant and bait shop right on the pier. The kids loved looking down at the ocean and the birds flying all around.

How cute is this picture. There were surfers in the water. There was a high surf warning the entire time we were there. But the water was too cold to even dare to go in. As Daniella would say "that's ok, next time."

Daniella used her money to buy cotton candy from the bait shop on the pier. She was so excited to use her money and share her cotton candy.

Kendell really loved the cotton candy. It was so sticky and yummy.

There is nothing like a cute picture with Daniella posing for the camera. She has the best expressions.

Check out the view from the hotel. Can't get much better than this.

A nice walk on the beach. It was cold but well worth the time. We found lots of shells and even tried to race the waves. But the waves were faster than we thought. Daniella and dad got a little wet.

What a cute little family we have.

All good things must come to an end. Daniella and Kendell did a great job on the drive home. Daniella always makes sure that Kendell is laughing and has a toy to play with.

We have to thank Grandma and Grandpa Ellsworth for sharing their Time Share in Carlsbad with us. We really enjoyed our little break from our busy lives. Now we have to get ready for Christmas.

Thanksgiving

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day. We had both grandparents over at the Griffins for Thanksgiving Dinner. There were so many of us we had two turkeys. Of course we just had to smoke one. We sure love our smoker. Check out how yummy that turkey looks. It was really juicy and flavorful.

Lowell decided to build a round table that sat 15 people. It was really nice to have so many people around the same table. It was also really nice to be able to enjoy the wonderful Phoenix weather during November. Lowell did a great job. Everyone really liked the meal and company.

Daniella had a great week. She had so many play dates she couldn't even count. She has loved being able to see so many cousins. We are so glad she can see her cousins so often.

Daniella really likes her cousin Trentten (aka "T"). Trentten was so much fun. He was even willing to play with dolls just to make Daniella happy. Thank you Trentten.

Checkout our little Kendell. He plays so well by himself. He had a great time going back and forth and following his sister and cousins around all day long.

The trampoline was a favorite spot for all the cousins. We are so glad it is close to the ground and safe.

We hope you enjoyed our pictures from Thanksgiving.

Disneyland

We took our first trip to Disneyland as a family. We had a great time. Grandma and Grandpa Ensign came along to enjoy the grandkids. We have to say it was an excellent time to spend at the happiest place on earth. The lines were short and the weather was great. We couldn't have had a better time. Even our beautiful 4 year old Daniella and brave 1 year old Kendell were able to make the three days at Disneyland with only a few breakdowns. We couldn't be prouder. Here come the pictures.

We started at the Disneyland Hotel and went for a swim. Kendell loved the birds so much he followed them right under the chairs. Daniella kept them close with some broken potato chips.

Daniella was a cute dresser the entire trip. Did you notice the jelly shoes.


Daniella was so excited to meet the princesses. Jasmine was at Goofy's Dinner at the Disneyland Hotel.






The birthday boys.

Grandma and Grandpa enjoying Kendell while Daniella rides Dumbo.

Family photo, not even photoshoped.

The Turkey Leg. This is our family tradition started by Daniella two years ago at DisneyWorld.

Daniella just had to meet Chip.