Finally some FAMILY time!

After having Ryan gone all summer we were very excited to get to take a family vacation - just us! Ryan planned the whole thing! 3 days at the Naval Base Resort on Coronado Island, CA. It was such a great few days! The place was awesome! Beautiful private beach, great pool and playground.

 The view from our hotel room. It was so great being on the beach!

 After bringing all our luggage to the room we suited up and headed out to the beach!

 Mars insisted on walking on her own way across the beach, so we lagged pretty far behind the others.

 In awe of the big beautiful ocean!

 Getting ready to run on in. 1,2,3.....

 And out they come! They had SO much fun! I LOVED just sitting there and watching them.

 Watching this, being together as a family, literally the PERFECT evening and just what we needed!

 The sun was casting horrible shadows, but it was our one family photo!

 Breakfast with the sweetest 17 month old ever! The hard boiled eggs were her favorite part, who knew?

 Waking up to these 3 sweeties. Didn't take Brinley long to get her suit back on!

 My beach beauty! Marlee had fun playing in the water with us for a little, but it was cold and she enjoyed just playing in the sand and chasing birds.

 Cheering for Dad!

 Loving her Daddy!

 The 3rd day we headed to SeaWorld. We hit the Shamu show first and the kids had fun staning in the front!

 Pretty neat show. Just amazing what they can teach a killer whale! The show isn't what it used to be, without people getting in the water with them. But still pretty impressive!

 Soaked by a whale!

 The dolphin show was next! Pretty neat and exciting, kept the kids attention... except Marlee she was over tired and only interested in eating snacks :)

 Waiting for their turn on the Flying Fish ride

 The kids had fun watching the little Sesame Street show and waited in line 20 minutes to give them hugs. Casen was the most excited and Marlee was pretty hesitant.

 After waiting in line we found these two characters on our way out!

 Trying to pet the dolphins. Brinley was pretty disappointed that she didn't get to touch one.

Casen was too short to go on the big Atlantis roller coaster, so while Brinley got to go with Daddy, I let him get his much desired dolphin pretzel.

Long-awaited IDAHO!!!

 Here we go! This was a twin prop plane, one of the smallest commercial planes I've ever been on. It was SO loud and vibrating the whole time! Casen's cup even kept shaking and moving across his table to fall off the edge! We also had the worse turbulance I've ever experienced! But the 3 kiddos and I survived :)

 Marlee was so excited to finally make it to Grandma's house! The kids had fun just playing outside in the beautiful weather!

 Eating dinner with Rachel and Brooky

 Saturday was the big Nelson/Mickleson family party! The kids had a blast playing with the dunk tank! Casen waited forever to finally be able to make Brigham fall in.

 Brinley was hesitant at first but then loved taking her turn getting dunked!

 Our fishing pond, with real little gold fish. Marlee loved it. The kids had so much fun catching them over and over.

 Brinley and Rachel had fun doing the relay together!

 2 years ago Quenalee bought rubber ducks to float down the little stream in her front yard and the kids had so much fun doing races... ok the adults too. Now it has become an annual event and this year the Mickleson's got to join us!

 Casen's duck won the little boys race! Yay Casen! He was pretty excited!

 5 cute little girls! Brooklyn, Brinley, Karli, Rachel, and Annie. Brinley is pretty excited to have these two "new" cousins :)

 Marlee was sick the day off the duck race and wasn't feeling well enough to open her prize. She ended up having a 103 degree temp that night, but was feeling better on medication the next morning and was very happy to get her new baby doll :)

 She loves babies :)

 Monday we headed up to the Mickleson's cabin in Island Park, the kids had a blast! Here is Brinley riding on back of Karli.

 Go Casen! Casen was begging to ride the quad by himself and so we gave it a go. He did SO good! He was cautious but not scared and controlled it so well. I think being able to ride a bike helped. He loved it and I was so proud!

 Casen also had a blast on the jetski with Kristen

 Marlee getting messy in the sand... she was trying to inch her way down to the water :)

 Casen sure loved these girls... especially Karli  in the black shirt :)

Lunch on the lawn! Kristi, Kristen, Becky, and I went up to the cabin with Dale and Quenalee and all our kids, plus 2 of Wendy's. Scott and Brent got there just in time for dinner and left early the next morning, so us women were pretty out numbered with all these little ones running around the whole time!

 Everything was SO beautiful up there! I loved the sunset hidden behind the trees and wild flowers. If only I were a photographer!

 Casen wanted to constantly be riding the quad so Marlee and I followed behind to keep an eye on him. She loved riding too and wished she had her own!

 Relaxing and eating cookies with Grandma Q!

 Casen was the only little kids that wanted to ride the "Jumbo Dog". So it was Casen and all the preteen girl cousins! He did awesome and had so much fun!

 Back on the four-wheeler and loving it!

 I found this old helmet like the ones we wore when I was little! I was glad he could finally see!

 Marlee was pretty sad she couldn't really ride on her own but still had fun sitting there looking pretty :)

 Brinley finally decided she wanted a turn. She was much more hesitant then Casen and didn't last as long, but still looked cute! I think she would do great with a little practice.

 This place was a photographers paradise! So beautiful! I hurried and threw Marlee in the grass and grabbed a shot my way back from the little quad track.

 She LOVES flowers so she was happy to just sit

 We had a great time picking veggies and fruit from Quenalee and Dale's garden. The kids sure enjoyed it and it made me wish I had a garden! Maybe some day :)

 Marlee isn't in the above picture cause she was too busy taking picture with me :)

 Wednesday night I met up with my cousins Esther, Suzie, and Rachel, and their kids. They all live in Rexburg Idaho and it was so fun to get to catch up with them! Plus the kids had a great time playing together!

 Afterwards I let the kids play in the "splash pad". It was more like a water park without the pool. SO awesome! Wish we had one like this in Vegas! It was so freezing!!!

 I just love when I catch Brinley's real faces and not her typical camera smiles :)

Racing down the slides! Poor Marlee was still in her clothes. She tried climbing into the end of these slides and got soaked. She sure wishes she was bigger!

I forgot I had all these pics on my cell phone so just wanted to throw them in at the end...

We had quite the dramatic Sunday morning... I forgot Brinley's church dress and she wouldn't wear anything I offered. In the end she ended up wearing my black swim skirt :)

While eating my turkey sandwich I noticed a smudge of avacado on my finger in the perfect outline of a heart. Call me crazy but I had to take a picture!

The kids trying to do a sleepover at the cabin. After 2 hours of moving their sleeping location and playing they all had to sleep in their own rooms. But they sure had fun :)

We got Chinese food one night and this was Casen's fortune, I thought it fit him perfectly!

Casen got stung by a bee for the first time! It was a big fluffy and fuzzy bumble bee. He was brave, but did cry a little.

Dale and Q got the best icecream and waffle cones from a nearby creamery. It was amazing!

Casen was excited to get to ride horses with Brigham and Stratton! So nice of them to take him!

Marlee is always asking to go potty and for the first time in ever she went #2 in the potty! Yay Marlee! 17 months and on her way... hopefully she will be ready by 2 years, she's not quite there yet.