A car seat in an umbrella stroller

You read the post title right -- you can put a car seat in an umbrella stroller. My sister Emily showed me this and it is AWESOME! It is so nice and perfect to travel with--especially in airports. The larger strollers are just so big and cumbersome, not to mention expensive. An umbrella stroller is cheaper and exceptionally smaller and you still have space left in your trunk. I have had several people stop and ask me how this is done so I just decided to blog about it.

Exhibit A

Exhibit B (Kronk is not needed)

Final result

Still perplexed? Here's a video.

Family time

With each family gathering there are usually times where it is nice to not have anything planned and just spend good quality time together. During those moments it was fun to watch Grandpa play with Andrew and Elizabeth. He mainly tickled them and the kids loved it.

Hannah and her cousin Jackson (who is 9 months) enjoyed playing with each other. They were always checking each other out and it would keep them entertained for several minutes.

Other things that Hannah and I did during those down times was helping Grandma in the kitchen with food preparations. Hannah has always enjoyed watching cooks work their magic in the kitchen.

But one of the most entertaining things during my visit was this:

One morning my Mom and I had the TV on and we were watching Say Yes to the Dress (LOVE that show). I put Hannah in her bumbo and attached her tray with a few toys for her to play with. Now that I had my arms free I could go into the kitchen and make myself a late breakfast. While I was making breakfast I glanced in Hannah's direction and I noticed that her eyes were fixated on the TV. I guess I have a child who already loves to watch TV.

Angel game

A trip to Southern California would not be the same without going to an Angel game. My sister Emily reserved tickets so our family could go for Big Bang Friday (that means there were fireworks after the baseball game). The Angels played a GREAT game against the Cleveland Indians and they ended up winning in the 11th inning. Go Angels!

For me one of the best parts of the game was the first pitch. It was thrown by Tim Salmon. He is my FAVORITE baseball player. I was so excited.

Andrew and Elizabeth were so excited about the game too. They kept asking when the fireworks were going to start. It is hard to be patient when you are a kid.

Emily was looking forward to her hot dog and the fireworks.

Mary and I enjoyed watching everything--the kids, the game, and other people throughout the stadium. We also got some good laughs with playing on her i-phone using the CamWow app.

Eventually the kids were so exhausted they fell asleep during the game. But they were awake and alert for the fireworks after the game.

Family dinner and a breast pad

While I was visiting my parents we had a great family dinner with a few other siblings that were in California at the time. It was so nice to have a dinner outside with great weather.

But the best part of the evening was when my 3 year old niece came outside and gave me this:

If you are thinking "is that a breast pad?" you are right! During dinner, Elizabeth had to go use the restroom. She went inside to take care of her business and then came back outside to join the rest of the us with a breast pad in hand. She quietly came up to me and said "Here Aunt Rachel. I think this is yours." Everyone at the table looked at what she had just put on the table and we all started laughing. My mom, sisters and I could not stop giggling. Elizabeth must have been so bored while using the potty that she started digging through the trash and found a breast pad.

I guess privacy and modesty really do go out the window when you have children.

Visit with my in-laws

During my visit I was able to spend time with some of my in-laws. On April 30th there were stake service projects throughout the southern California region. Hannah and I headed over to the Anaheim East Stake with my in-laws and did service for the city of Yorba Linda by re-painting trail fences (well...we watched people). It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed our time spent with family in the great weather.

Solid

The title of this post says it all. Today Hannah started solid foods.

So this video is really just for my mom because I know she'll want to see Hannah's reaction from the moment that spoon first hit her mouth. Hope you enjoy it Grandma. :)

Mother's Day

My first "real" Mothers Day!

Ironically I spent it without Nathan as I was in California and he was in Iowa. :( Nathan did very well for my first Mother's Day and gave me two wonderful gifts.

Gift #1: He had this bouquet of flowers sent to me. I love getting flowers from Nathan! He has consistently given me flowers since we have been dating. When Nathan and I got engaged I had several married friends tell me that the flowers would eventually stop coming. I'm happy to report that 7 years later they are still coming strong!

Gift #2: He gave me the opportunity to spend my very first Mother's Day with my Mom. That was a great gift and I know many women who would love to spend that day with their mothers. Here are a few shots that my mom, Hannah, and I took after church.

Wedding bells

My cousin Heather got married today in the Los Angeles Temple. Thanks to my brother-in-law Ryan I was able to leave Hannah at home and attend the sealing. As many of you may know we cannot take pictures inside the temple, but here are a few shots I took outside the temple and at the reception.

My sister Mary and her husband Patrick. They are no longer the newlyweds of the Sorenson family.

My cousin Daniel, Aunt Jill, and cousin Andrew.

The "real" cousins (there are 10 missing--including the bride).

Nile and Charlene Sorenson and posterity.

My parents.

The newlyweds coming out of the "starting gates."

The bride and her siblings. Great smiles guys. You must have had a great orthodontist. :)

Me and the bride at the reception.

Me and Hannah with my parents.