Game On: The 14th Level Begins

My favorite Buddy is turning 14 and I am in disbelief that he is getting so old. Caden is seriously the best kid. He is always happy, goes with the flow, never causes conflict. He's a hard worker, a great athlete, and a great student. But yes, he is a typical teenager. He eats like no other and sometimes he can get into "obnoxious teenage boy" mode. That one I could do without. Even if he does enter obnoxious mode, we were so excited to celebrate another year older. 

We got back from our vacation the night before Caden's birthday. He woke up to presents and cinnamon rolls. 

Caden got some new basketball shoes, Legos, clothes, and Oreo cookies. 

Later that day we had to run a few errands and get Caden a birthday dessert. We told him we would stop at the gas station and he could pick out a treat. Caden asked if his treat could be a hot dog, chips, and drink, and since it was his birthday we agreed. Did you know when Tyler was growing up they never got treats or snacks from the gas station? He thinks it is so weird that we stop to get stuff. I told him I am raising great gas station kids. 

For dinner, Caden requested homemade pizza. Then we were off to the Bees Game where Caden got to meet Bumbl. We told him it was Caden's birthday, so he made a big deal about it. 

The game was surprisingly cold, and they ended up having a double header, so we stayed for a few hours and then came home for Caden's favorite: cookie cake. 

The following week it was amazing weather for Caden's family party. We had pizza and the kids played baseball before we started the traditional basketball game. Everyone did great, but it a unique turn of events, Grandma Terry ended up winning 1st place, with Carson in 2nd, and Ashley in 3rd. That may be the most unique group of winners we have ever seen. Grandma Terry kept laughing and saying, "I can't believe I won!!!"

After the game Caden opened presents. He was spoiled with a lot of clothes, gift cards, and money. The best part is that we told Caden he had to give everyone a hug after he opened their gift and he totally did it! It was funny when he hugged the Jones boys because they just didn't know what to do. 

We sang Happy Birthday to Caden and he blew out the candles on his cupcakes. 

For Caden's friend party this year we decided to keep it low key and just invite a few friends to a movie. They saw the Mario Galaxy movie and then hung out at our house after. 

Happy Birthday Caden! I love the great young man you are turning into. You are such a good example to everyone around you. You work so hard in basketball and school, and I am so impressed every quarter when you earn a 4.0. You are a great leader with your friends and your church group. You are so helpful at home and are always asking if there's anything I need. You are funny and always know how to make us laugh. I am so honored to be your mom and can't wait to see what this year has in store for you. We love you, Buddy!!

Sunny San Diego for Spring Break

For Spring break this year we decided to go to San Diego. It was a very needed get away and a great reminder of how much fun we have together. We decided to leave as soon as Tyler woke up, and in true Tyler fashion, he was up before 4 am, so we headed off to our adventure very early. The kids and I slept until about Cedar City, so half of our drive was already done. 

We stopped for Starbies and since Makayla needs driving hours before she turns 16, Tyler thought it would be a great idea to have her drive... through Vegas. I did not think that was the smartest idea, but I got out voted. Makayla ended up doing great and drove for about 3 hours. 

The kids slept in the back, played games and watched movies. Then we finally made it to our hotel. We stayed at Bahia Resort. This was the perfect place to stay because they have their own private beach, and we were just a short walk to Mission Beach. We ended the night with swimming at the hotel pool and then headed to bed for a full day in San Diego. 

The next morning we played pickleball and spent some time at the private beach. 

Then we ventured downtown for dinner and explored SeaPort. 

Fun fact, we were at this same carousel when we came here a few years ago before our Disney cruise, but none of the kids remembered going on it. Look how much they have grown up in just a few years. 

Then we were off to our next adventure which was our very first MLB game!! We got to see the Padres vs. Giants. The baseball field was so cool and was right in the middle of down town. 

The Padres were losing the whole game and were down by 3 until the last inning. The Padres were last at bat and one of the players hit a home run, so they were only down by 1. It was so exciting! Caden was taking a video at the perfect time and got the home run on his phone!! Unfortunately the next at bat got out, so they lost, but we had fun watching them. 

The next day we spent at Sea World. The last time we were here, Brynnli was only 3, so she didn't remember anything. We were so glad we could go back again so she could experience Sea World. The kids loved the doctor fish that eat all the dead skin off your hands. 

We got to see sea lions and the kids were imitating them. 

Check out this cool picture!

You're never to old for a piggy back ride from dad!!

Kids and their phones these days. Even when we are on vacation they have to keep checking their phones. 

I have a weird fascination with Orcas. I think they are amazing, so I was so excited for the orca show. I told the kids all about the documentary Blackfish and how the Orca show at SeaWorld had to change because of the orca that ate the trainer. They were grossed out, and I promised them we would watch the documentary when we got home. Luckily no trainers were eaten during our viewing of the orca show and the kids thought the tricks were pretty cool. 

Sea turtles are my other favorite sea animal. I find it weird that I like so many sea animals even though I am totally grossed out by them. 

No pictures of this, but we liked the rides at Sea World, even though some of them had really long waits. We really liked Manta and Electric Eel. We didn't think we were going to have time to ride "Journey to Atlantis" but Brynnli insisted we go on it and I'm glad we listed to her because it was a really fun ride, especially at night. We all got wet on it, but it was our last ride, so it was fine. Lesson learned: listen to Brynnli. 

Day 3 in San Diego we rented paddle boards and spent the whole afternoon at the beach. It was amazing and we had really great weather. The kids were so good at the paddle boards and spent hours on them. 

That night we ventured back to Seaport Village. We had an amazing view of the sunset by the Midway aircraft carriers. We went shopping for our souvis, and got some dessert. 

The next morning some of us were ready for more fun, and others wanted to hang out on their phones. 

We decided to go to Cornado Beach and stopped for gas in Old Town. Inflation is crazy right now, but can you believe gas is almost $7 a gallon!?

Coronado was super cold, so we didn't spend too much time here. We did find time for my favorite beach past time: writing in the sand. 

We had lunch at the cutest pizza place then headed to see the movie "Hail Mary". On our way back to the hotel we asked Chat GPT for a recommendation of a local place and we ended up at this cute place. The food was amazing! I wish I could remember the name of this place. 

We wanted to spend one last night at Mission Beach and got some great photos. 

Our last morning Brynnli woke up early with me and Tyler and we went on a long walk. I think Brynnli just wanted to come along to get hot chocolate with us. 

We spent a few hours at the private beach and then headed back home. 

 This was one of my favorite trips and I would totally come back here again! I love spending time with my family and experiencing new adventures together.