Our Little Slice of California!!

 We are really loving our neighborhood here in California!! We are in such a beautiful area, right next to lots of farms :) This field of sunflowers has to be my favorite! It is literally one minute from our house.

 Ryan has already been hard at work making our yard look beautiful :)

 This picture doesn't do it justice...Ryan put a lot of hard work into making this yard presentable :) I am so grateful he loves doing yard work!!

  This is the first time in our entire marriage that we have had a back yard!!  We are really enjoying it.  Ryan has taken the opportunity to grow some herbs- basil, oregano and lemon thyme...yum!!

 Our backyard has two covered areas that are really nice with the near constant sunshine here :) He utilized our old table and turned it into a fun, colorful outdoor eating area with the help of IKEA! Ryan set up a little date night for me and him out there one night with cupcakes...my favorite!!

Here's the back yard!!

 To really drive home the fact that we live in California now, fate decided to put a real live orange tree right in our neighbors back yard.  delicious oranges fall into our yard every now and then.  Plus, it just looks so neat!!

 To celebrate our very first back yard, we just had to get a trampoline!!  We ALL have so much fun playing in it :) The best part about our yard is the three HUGE redwood pine trees in our neighbors yard that provide a canopy of shade over the trampoline nearly all day long!! And they are simply beautiful and we see humming birds flaying around them alot :)

 Here is Elsie's very own room!!

 She really loves it- hehe...

 One of the wonderful things about the layout of this house is there are two living spaces on the main floor.  So this front family room stays totally separate from the kids play area :)

 Here is a view down stairs. I love that big window! Beckham loves when he can see the big C5 airplanes flying by in that window!

 This is the view outside to the backyard from the kitchen window...it makes me happy!!

Jane and Beckham love their new rooms!!  Jane really wanted an owl theme in her room!!

 We decided to give Beckham a "big boy" theme and gave him a super hero theme rather than a jungle theme that he previously had.

 This living area has been designated for the play area right now.  It is nice to keep the kids' play messes out of the front family room and it is right off of the kitchen so I can be readily available as a referee for my kids whenever I am needed...which is often.

 Another view of the front room.

 Here's the entrance :) I loved this sign that I saw at my moms house so I stole the idea and got one for mine as well. It says "Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass, it's about learning to dance in the rain."

 And here's the kitchen and dining room with a door leading right outside!!  It has been so nice.

 We are also very lucky to have a three car garage!!  We are truly blessed to have our own, comfortable little slice of California to call our own...for now at least :)!!