Like I said before, December was a whirlwind. A very fun whirlwind, but crazy nonetheless. We started off with a birthday party for Austin! Technically, it was a normal day of Joyschool, but cupcakes can make anything a party :)
Austin was so happy to have all his Joyschool friends there, singing happy birthday!
He has been asking for a Superman party for months. Luckily, Grandma Susan found some superhero gear at the dollar store. Everyone loved them!
We had a fun time playing games and coloring pictures. Simple parties really are the best.
The next morning it was off to the wedding! We flew down to LA and met up with the rest of the Walker clan. My favorite part was finally getting some playtime with my nephew Lincoln!!!
The wedding day was gorgeous. We were high up in the hills above Malibu, with this amazing view. (Driving there was a little...nerve wracking...but worth it!)
Eli and his newest best friend, Auntie Kim.
We really wouldn't have survived the weekend without her.
She came armed with snacks, coloring books, crayons, and even toys.
She was way more prepared for the day than I was.
Eli had a tough day. He was up all hours the night before with signs of an ear infection. Thankfully, Ryan and Auntie Kim took him to Urgent Care and got him some medicine while I took a much needed nap. After all was said and done, Eli learned a new word..."BUS!" [insert Eli's deep baby-man voice here]...which he managed to try out during the ceremony.
My only goals for the day? Get the kids to behave during the ceremony and get a family photo for our Christmas card. One out of two isn't too bad, right?
The Bride's Family (I copies these super gorgeous photos from Carly's FaceBook Album. I only wish I could take pictures like these.)
The Walker Sibs
Can't decide what my favorite part of this picture is...the hug/wrestling match or Grandma-Great's photo bomb. Isn't she adorable?
Still waiting patiently and mugging for the camera....
Awww.
Our boy is 4!!! Austin was happy to share his actual birthday with Aunt Carly and Uncle Eric. A few four-year-old stats for Austin: 35 lbs, 40 1/2 inches tall, with 20/20 vision. He has grown up so much during the past year. He talks constantly and always surprises us with how smart he is. He knows most of his letters and numbers and is learning how to write his name. Austin is really interested in learning about animals and likes sharks most of all. He loves to run, ride his bike, and play at the park. Austin is scary good with computer games and Legos. He is always giving me hugs and kisses. We sure love this kid!
Auntie Kim and our close family friend, Amy aka the amazing duo. They took care of Eli and Lincoln for most of the day so we could really enjoy the wedding. We love you both!
Grandma & Grandpa Great!
Almost ready to start...
Finally, it was TIME!!! Here are the ring bearers walking down the aisle.
The happy couple enjoying an 'enthusiastic' music performance by the wedding singer.
It was a beautiful ceremony.
Afterwards, it was time to party! The boys discovered the dance floor and didn't hesitate to show off their mad break dancing skills. Clearly, they got this trait from their dad. At one point later in the evening, the crowd made a circle around Sam to enjoy his dancing.
More break-dancing!
Austin's caption of this photo is my favorite. "I said, I want to dance with you and then I said, No! I was just teasing her." Did I mention Austin is a total tease?
Sweet Aunt Carly wanted to make sure we celebrated Austin's birthday, so she and Aunt Lew presented him with his favorite pie (pumpkin) while the crowd sang Happy Birthday to him. Special thanks to Carly and Susan for the Transformers on his pie, complete in wedding gear!
The following morning, we headed south to San Diego, where we would be staying for a few more days. Since it was Sunday, we decided to visit the LDS temple grounds with the kids. We had so much fun remembering our wedding there 9 years ago. We probably won't be able to get back to San Diego again before our 10 year anniversary, so we counted this as our trip down memory lane :)
This is from the CPK parking lot across the freeway, where we had our family dinner at our wedding.
The boys loved running walking calmly around the temple grounds. Luckily not many people were there, so we could let them roam a bit.
Sam and Austin were playing on these steps for a while before we realized this is the wedding exit, where we took our first wedding photos.
Peeking inside the temple doors.
After the temple we had dinner with one of my favorite people, Melanie, and her darling family! We were roommates at BYU and have lots of goofy memories together. Thanks Mel for putting up with all my rowdy boys :)
Our final adventure before heading home was a day at the San Diego Zoo. Austin and Sam have been looking forward to this for weeks!
The reptile house was a big hit.
Even Eli loved watching the giant Galapagos tortoises.
The chimpanzee wasn't a fan of Austin, and kept running up to hit the glass.
Where is Sam? And where did this monkey come from?!
Austin getting up close and personal with an orangutan.
In one of the aviaries, we discovered a new bird called "Cock-of-the-Rock". Someone (ahem, Ryan) made the mistake of laughing when the kids said its name, and for the rest of the day the kids would loudly say "Cock-of-the-Rock" at random times. Oh, boys.
We were so happy and surprised when Aunt Carly and Uncle Eric met up with us at the zoo! Carly showed off her best Flamingo pose for us :)
There were tons of baby animals at the zoo. Here is the baby giraffe with her mama.
Preston the Paleontologist
Carl the Construction Worker
Austin was so happy to have his Uncle Eric around for the occasional shoulder ride.
He even shared his hat!
Everybody liked the Sky Tram. The zoo grounds are huge, so catching a ride back to the front is always a good idea.
We couldn't leave without seeing one of Sam's favorites, the Harpy Eagle. The picture doesn't do it justice...it is a HUGE eagle!
We survived the day and headed back to Uncle Darren and Aunt Janelle's home to rest and chase the cats :) All in all, it was a great long weekend in California!
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