Right when school got out, Sebasthian got to go on a school-funded trip to Southern California to visit a college of Optometry, SCCO. Although seeing the school was the point of the trip, they weren't going to waste all those miles by not seeing the other sights!
Like the FABULOUS Las Vegas.....
Sebasthian loved all of the sights and sounds of the city! He has been missing city life for so long and was happy to be back in the middle of it. He got to eat at Hard Rock Cafe, and his favorite Casino was Ceasar's Palace, because it was HUUUGE.
He also was able to visit the Los Angeles Temple
...and he found the tree of life! (or at least, he thought it looked like it)
Living in the East Coast, Sebasthian had never been able to see a West Coast beach. He loved it! It was so warm and clean and he had fun playing in the ocean and the warm sand.
The most important part of the trip, visiting the school, he didn't get any pictures of. However, we are so glad he went because he thought the school was great! He didn't want to apply to any Western schools, but after seeing this campus, he had a slight change of heart and will definitely be applying to The Southern California College of Optometry.
Benji and I also had a fun weekend while Sebasthian was away, because Benji's Aunt Melissa (Sebasthian's sister) got to stay with us. It was really fun and we enjoyed spending the weekend together before she had to leave back to Connecticut for the summer.
The next weekend was fun, too! We went with some good friends to Yellowstone and it was the BEST! We saw so many cool things that I don't remember seeing in my visits when I was younger, and the weather was great for mid-April!
This one was my favorite! "Paint Pots" It's like a bubbling cauldron and it sounds awesome. Benji also liked it as you can see :)
Waiting for Old Faithful...
There it goes!
This one is Incredible! It's kind-of indescribable, but the entire side of this mountain is covered in terraces that are beautiful, natural, colorful waterfalls and there are many of these structures throughout the area. It is definitely worth the drive to Mammoth Hot Springs.
Sebasthian closed his eyes, but I still like the picture!
Bison EVERYWHERE!! They were right next to our car pretty much the entire time.
It was a long day, but a good one. Benji was sooo good and happy all day, we are so lucky to have the best baby ever. We did wear him out though, and he was a sleepy guy on the way home:
The next morning was EASTER! We were so wiped out from the day before that we didn't dye eggs as we had planned. Though I woke up early (more like, those tired, tired boys slept in!) and made sure to "check" that the Easter Bunny had come!
We had fun with Benji's first "Easter egg hunt", which basically means they were all on the floor in plain sight and he tried to reach them.
Sebasthian didn't have it so easy! I made him his own Easter egg hunt and each egg had a little message inside for him. I'm a pretty good egg hider, so he definitely had to work for them. We had such a fun morning together! (Can you see the egg that he hadn't found yet??)
Although we did have fun with the Easter Bunny side of the holiday, we definitely can't forget truly why we celebrate this Easter Sabbath. We are grateful for our Savior, Jesus Christ, and his atonement which allows for us to return to live in our Heavenly Father's presence again. I personally have seen His hand guiding my life and I know of a surety that He is there always, watching over each of us. I feel great joy in the relationship that I have formed with my Savior and I feel His love daily.
He lives! All glory to His name!
We look forward to the rest of this summer, the rest of our lives, and the rest of eternity sharing adventures together, because our Savior made this possible.
