Lincoln turns 4!

Yesterday was Lincoln's 4th birthday and we celebrated it Batman style! This year we limited our guest list to cousins only. Lincoln had a hard time understanding why he couldn't invite all of his neighborhood friends too, but I just thought it would be too out of control for me to handle. Sorry guys!

We enjoyed of dinner of batdogs, watermelon, corn & salads and then went on to play a few fun Batman games. The last game, musical chairs to batman music, brought every kid to tears except for the winner. Lincoln even cried a few times because after he got out he joined back in twice more and cried again and again when he didn't get a chair (probably won't play that one again!)

Then came the opening of the presents where Lincoln wore his mask the whole time and was SO excited over every present he opened. He kept saying "Oh, I've always wanted one of those!" to every present.

When he took his mask off this is what he looked like! Can you say EXCITED!!!!

Then came time for the favorite part of the night...Chocolate cake with chocolate icing & cream cheese filling...OH YEAH!

And finally the party came to an end. Here are Lincoln and Hazel at the end of the party playing and eating their party favors.

We had such a wonderful time and are gratful for all of the cousins that came to party with us.

Lang Reunion

Every year we meet up with my dad's family at my grandpa's land near the Mountain Meadow Massacre Monument. We have been having our family reunions up there for as long as I can remember and we always look forward to it. This year we had so much fun getting to know all of the new members that have joined our family. It did rain a little bit off and on, but not bad enough to mess up all of the fun things that were planned. We played teatherball, horseshoes and the kids loved the sandbox and bounce house.

Hazel and Sierra in the sandbox

Here is Hazel with my dad

The kids even had a visit from the "pocket lady"

Here is Miss Hazel sporting some of her goods from the fish pond and the pocket lady

and Lincoln all covered in dirt and wearing part of the broken pinata as a hat

and last, but not least, our family photo (minus my little sister and her family)

We had so much fun and are grateful that we were able to spend a fun filled weekend with our grandparents, cousins, aunts, uncles, etc. It is always fun to visit and catch up since we don't get the opportunity very often. See you again next year!

New York

My mom and I went to NYC last week and had a blast! I loved it more than I thought I would. The highlight of the trip was that we met Cameron Diaz - okay, really my mom met her, I was too chicken to talk to her. We were walking through Greenwich Village and my mom spotted her and approached her. Cameron was SUPER nice, asked how our vacation was so far, told us to enjoy ourselves, then headed off to her restaurant. We had our cameras with us, but didn't want to bug her for a picture. I regret it now, but I always feel so bad for celebrities that they are always getting hounded everywhere they go. I also regret being a chicken and not talking to her. I clammed up when we met Will I Am from the Black Eyed Peas a few years ago too. Chicken!

Anyways, the first day we were there we bought tickets for a two day bus tour that allowed us to hop on and off as we pleased. This helped us see all of the major sites in both downtown and uptown NYC and we also took a tour of Brooklyn. We learned some interesting facts about NYC, the architecture, etc from the tour guides. One of the first places we visited was the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island. We totally lucked out and didn't have to wait in any lines, just cruised through security and boarded the ferry. We were able to get tickets to go inside the pedestal and I am so happy we did - we were able to see life sized replicas of her face, torch and feet and learn a little more about the history and rebuild. You can also look up through the glass ceiling and the spiral staircase that leads to the crown (which re-opens July 4). We also visited the Metropolitan Museum, saw South Pacific, walked around most of Central Park, ate at both Magnolia's and Crumbs Bakeries, bought a knock-off purse from shady people down a side street and much, much more. I loved Times Square and all the hustle and bustle and I loved figuring out the subway and buses to get us around. I am surprised how much I loved the public transportation and now I wish we had it here.

I was torn between going up the Empire State Build. or the Top of the Rockefeller, but after reading many reviews we decided to go of the top of the Rock. Glad we did! - we were able to see the ESB to the south and Central Park to the North. They had 3 observation decks to look from - two with plexiglass walls and the top one was just an open balcony. It was so beautiful!

Lincoln and Hazel missed me pretty badly and they were happy that I was home. Here they are with their Liberty suckers - I couldn't have brought home a better present for them. I had a wonderful time but I am glad to be home with my family. Thanks for going with me mom!