We Moved!

Well, we thought we'd be in our Plano house a little longer, but we decided to make the move while the market was hot this summer (and the weather, too).  We found a house in Murphy that we both loved, so we jumped on it!  Our Plano house sold in a weekend, so it was perfect.  We closed on the Murphy house a week before we closed on our Plano house, so it was nice to have several days to gradually move our stuff over.  Matt gave us a ton of banana boxes, and our sweet friend Sister Longhurst came and helped me pack up my kitchen, which was the biggest job.  The whole time I kept thinking how glad I was we were only moving 20 minutes away!  Mom also came and saved the day while we were getting things moved in and painted in the new house.  On moving day, we had good friends and family come help us, and it went rather smoothly!  I felt terrible that Dennis and Barbara came to help us that day because they were moving out of their house the same day! 

Goodbye, Plano home.  You've been good to us.

Here's a screen shot of our Murphy house.

The plan is to be in this house for a long time.  We really just wanted to move to an area where we felt like our kids could enjoy the neighborhood and schools and where James wouldn't have to drive too much longer to work.  The commute is about the same for him (35 minutes when not in traffic), but there are a ton of other perks being where we are.  First of all, it's way cheaper out here.  Also, there's a big park and community pool across the street, there's a decent backyard with a play set and driveway space for the kids to play, and the schools are close and great, so we're thrilled!  Matt lives less than 10 minutes away now, although they're renting, but I have high hopes they'll stick around!  The only bummer is that I'm a little farther from my friends who are in Plano and McKinney, and we're much farther from Dennis and Barbara's new house in Prosper.  We'll just have to get used to driving a bit more to see people!  As far as Murphy goes, we're right next to Wylie, and we have everything at our disposal.  I kind of thought it would be more country because we live near Southfork Ranch, but there's plenty of a city feel amongst the open fields.  I told James I just really love it here!

California Vacation II

Wednesday was our relaxing day because we planned to go to DISNEYLAND Thursday!  I say that we go for the kids, but James called me out -- I really like to go just for me too.  It's just such a feel good place!  I love that you can hear music everywhere and everyone is so happy!

Right as we walked in, we saw Ariel!  She's Hazel's favorite princess.  I almost didn't want to wait in line to meet her, but James insisted upon waiting and reminded me this was the top thing Hazel wanted to do, so why would we miss it?  Cute daddy.  It was worth it.  Hazel loved her.

Dad, James, and I went on the teacup ride with Hazel.  Dad and I got the most dizzy, but luckily, Hazel loved that as well.  

Then we went to a show "Mickey's Magical Map" and there we met up with Steph and Carrie (Speed).  I can't believe how much Hazel and Phoebe look alike!

Hazel can't ever pass up a carousel ride.  

We waited in another line to meet 3 princesses, but we didn't know which ones they would be.  We lucked out! Hazel loves Snow White, Ariel, and Cinderella.

We did the Buzz Lightyear ride in Tomorrow Land as well as the rocket ride with Grandpa.

Then we took a break at Downtown Disney and met up with my mom's aunt (Grandma Helen's sister), her cousin Kathy, and her daughter Julianne.  I loved seeing Aunt Susie because it reminded me of Grandma - her mannerisms and how she looks.  They are such sweet ladies.  Mom said she loved all of Grandma's sisters; they were strong, sweet women who enjoyed being girly girls.

Back at Disney, we rode the jungle safari ride and then met up with one of my good friends from college - Dave and his wife Karla and 3 kids.  I couldn't believe that the last time we saw each other was in Utah before he was even engaged to Karla.  Now here we are with 5 kids between the 2 of us!  We rode the Pirates ride together and headed out afterward before the masses got too out of hand for the nighttime shows.  

Until next time, Disney!

Friday was another swim day, and then in the evening we went to San Onofre beach with the Speeds.  Steph's husband Dave is a surf instructor, so he took James out for his first surf experience.  No surprise to me, he got up on the board after a few tries and a few shoves from Dave.  It was fun watching him learn something new.  He came back with only minor back pain and a scuffed up stomach.  I'll take it, especially considering we heard (the next day) that beach is known for having several great whites!!!!!!  This is why I'm scared of open water!

Grayson finally got it down - scoop, dump, scoop, dump.

We cooked some burgers and had ourselves a grand time.  Love that Steph and Dave have a sweet pop up van.

Dave and James paddling out...

 My dad has video of him getting up, so I'll have to get that from him. 

Saturday we swam one last time at the resort, and then we had to say goodbye to Mom and Dad.  Hazel was so sweet in the prayer she said before they left.  She prayed for them to not be sad on the airplane.  My mom was grateful for that because she sure was sad to leave paradise!  

After that, James headed out to meet one of his best mission buddies for lunch.  Will was probably his closest companion in Chile, and they hadn't seen each other since the mission, so it was great for them to catch up.  We would've joined them to meet Will's family, but Grayson was sick and Will had a 6 week old baby.  I asked James if he got a picture at lunch, but he said it felt a little weird to ask someone to take a picture of 2 dudes having lunch together.  Oh well.  Anyway, while he was gone, Hazel, Grayson, and I enjoyed the sports area and kids' club.  They even had an animal show down by the main lobby, so the workers arranged for us to be shuttled down so we could go.  And then there was free popcorn!  Hazel was in heaven.  Popcorn addiction must run in the Palmer blood.  Of the little animals we saw, Hazel said the bearded dragon was her favorite.  Not the cute sugar glider or sweet bunny... Random!  We were shuttled back on a golf cart, and again, the simple things are so fun with kids.     

That night we ate at Tin Leaf for the 2nd time because we just loved their fresh food and grassy area for the kids to play!  The first time we went, we couldn't believe they had what James had been requesting for days - s'mores bars.  And then their salmon was delicious, so my dad was thrilled and kept trying to go back everyday.  

Sunday was our travel day, but we had several hours to kill in San Diego before our flight, so we spent some time at Balboa Park.  There are tons of museums and things to see, but we just hit some highlights.  

It took awhile to walk through this artsy area because Hazel only wanted to step on "girl" colors.

This miniature train was so cute and so fun for the kids. 

Next to the carousel, a guy was doing balloon art, so we had to have an Ariel balloon! 

Then another place I read about was called Extraordinary Desserts, so naturally we made a sweet pit stop before the flight.  Beautiful, amazing, and deliciously divine.  

  Poor Grayson had an ear infection or something, so the flight home was a little more difficult, but we made it okay.  We're still adjusting to 2 hours earlier, but for the summer I'm okay with a little later schedule!  We sure did love every second of Southern California!  Hopefully we can go back in a year or two!  

And how can I forget this beautiful temple that we passed several times on our trip...

California Vacation I

James doesn't say no to a good deal, and I don't say no to vacation.  When he put out a request for the 4 Seasons in Carlsbad, for half the points, we had to figure out a way to go when it hit!  Southern California was the ideal vacation.  It was the perfect balance of planned activities and lazy vacation with some family and friend rendezvous mixed in.  Did I mention the weather was absolutely perfect?  I was almost convinced to pick up and move to California instead of Murphy.  I would never want to leave all my family in Texas though!

We flew to San Diego Sunday, and my parents were already at the Speeds' house (one of our best family friends growing up), so we drove over to San Clemente to joint them.  We walked down to a nearby park to play and then Cindy spoiled us with delicious fish tacos and peach cobbler with homemade ice cream.  I got to see Stephanie, her husband Dave, her girls Phoebe and Sunday, and Carrie showed up later with her little boy Van.  I wish this family was closer because I love them!

 We're not used to sand at every park, so the kids were thrilled!

We drove to the resort that night, and it definitely exceeded our expectations.  I'm not sure we fit in, but we sure enjoyed every bit of it!  My parents joined us for most of the trip, and Dad kept making jokes like, "It's too bad it's just 1 degree too cool!"  

Hazel and Grayson loved the kids' club, and the helpers loved our kids too.  They even brought them gifts one day just because they were so cute!  I would say Grayson's favorite part was the sports area right outside our rooms.  Every time we walked outside, Grayson would say, "Ba, ba, ba" (ball) before we even got to the top of the stairs.  The kid went nuts every time he saw the balls, and he loved throwing them all over the parking lot.

The grass in the "backyard" was up to Grayson's knees.  He didn't mind one bit.

Monday we let Grayson have a good nap and then headed out to the beach.  It was the kids' first time at a beach, and they loved it.  Hazel got to build sand castles and Grayson got to throw sand everywhere.  The water was too cold for me, but James got in and let Hazel enjoy it a bit too.  

And here was our nice, free, blend-right-in photographer/videographer.

Tuesday we went to the San Diego Zoo!  Our kids love animals, so there was no way we were missing one of the best zoos in the country.  Although we've been to several other zoos, we've never seen koalas or pandas, so that made it really fun!  What I loved most was that we could see a lot of the animals more closely here than we have at other zoos.  

Wednesday was a more low key day of swimming, napping, and the San Diego Botanical Gardens.  The Botanical Garden had some really cute, interactive kid areas and, of course, tons of unique plants, flowers, and fruit trees, etc.  Hardly anyone was there, so we really enjoyed our surprisingly fun, quiet activity!  

Love these banana boys!

1st Palmer Campout

I guess we've never been camping together - James and I.  So this was our first time, and with 2 kids!  Initially I thought one night may not be long enough to really enjoy a camping trip, but it turned out to be just perfect.  My friend Megan told us about Tyler State Park because they had gone the previous year, so we headed out there to have a good time with some friends!  Sadly the Robinsons got sick at the last minute and couldn't join us, but I'm sure we'll go again next year so they can join us then!
It was almost a 2 hour drive out there, but it was worth it because the wooded area and weather were just perfect.  Our never-been-used-before tent worked out great, and the kids slept pretty well.  I was shocked!

   

Hazel cracks me up.

The sunset by the lake was gorgeous, so we all snapped a family photo.  

The Formans

The Nylanders

My friends Jamie and Megan

This next picture shows the boys' attempt to catch one of the many bold raccoons around our camp that night.  Believe it or not, they got close one time; however, after that raccoon went back and told his friends there were free mini marshmallows, they all started to come out of the woodwork.  Fail.

The next morning the Taylors joined us, so that made it extra fun!  The kids had a great time exploring and the men cooked up a pretty darn good breakfast.

I just love these little baby friends!  It's so fun to watch them grow up together.  They get awards for being such angel babies! 

(Grayson, Paxton, and Kelsey)

We hope to make this an annual trip!  We'll see how that works out in the future with pregnancies, babies, and everything else between all the families, but we can hope and try!