We have arrived!

Kiersten playing on the beach the first day. It hasn't been terribly warm, but we are tourists, so that's okay.

Mark got a skim board and some boogie boards for us to play with. Costco carries different things here. Jared has tried it and he is convinced he is going to die.

This is a dog beach for sure. Lots of people constantly walk or play with their dogs along the sand. They are supposed to be on leashes all the times. Most are pretty friendly. Most are also bigger than Scooter.

The Tanner squat. On sand!

A Room with a View

We are so lucky to be able to stay in a beach house for two weeks! I love the view and the sound of the waves. Although I think I'm getting old, because I can't hear my kids when they are talking to me because of the "background noise."

On the way to Santa Barbara

Chillin' in the car.

And chillin' at the hotel.

Scooter doesn't usually get to come with us on vacations, but we will be gone for two weeks, so we brought him this time! He is really enjoying himself.

Cowboy Tanner

We went to play with Dixie today. Tanner is a regular cowboy! He really loves video games and electronics, but when I say I'm going to see the horse, he always wants to come. Maybe it's because he likes riding the 4-wheeler to the pen. He really likes Dixie, though. And he likes sitting on top of the barn. I'll have to take a picture of that.

Kiersten's Dinosaur Program

I love watching my kids perform. How cute is that?

Our new horse, Dixie!

It is harder than I thought to get decent photos of horses.

At Christmas time, Mark's mom called us and said she had a present for us if we wanted it. We just needed to build a fence 6 feet in from our back fence and it would supply all the fertilizer we needed.

Here's the story of Dixie. Mark's uncle Joseph (Linda's brother) bred his horse, Sunshine, and she had a filly named Dixie. She is a purebred Arabian (with papers!) She was given to Mark's grandmother, Lula Massey, who loves horses and always has. Lula was about 74 at the time. Lula rode her until she was 87 and then had to be moved into a care center, so Linda and Mark's brother, Andrew, have been taking care of Dixie since that time (about 5 years). Now it's becoming difficult for them to care for her, so we are the lucky recipients of this beautiful horse! She just turned 18 on May 5, and we are excited to have her. Mark thinks I am crazy. It is very possible.

Grandpa Curtis' Funeral

This is my Grandpa Curtis at his 90th birthday party!

Left to right: A 5 generation photo!

Madisin, her dad Anthony, his mom Stacey, her mom Karen, and her dad Grandpa Curtis.

This is my grandpa's casket at his funeral. It was a really nice funeral and I was able to go up there to Idaho Falls and see lots of family I hadn't seen in a long, long time. Grandpa had missed his wife for 23 years and we imagined the wonderful reunion they were having in heaven.