big sky, montana

back in july we headed to big sky, montana to see our boston/nyc friends, the knights, and enjoy sometime in the great outdoors. we had delayed flights both ways and entertained ourselves with cameras and hats.

besides catching up with friends the main focus was fishing, fishing, and more fishing for the boys. ben practiced his cast in the backyard.

moms and kids enjoyed lots of outdoor time and playing in the very fancy house. even bath time was fancy.

we loved simply being outside in the beauty of montana. one day we took 'a fun ride' up the big sky ski lift for the view and family picture. 

and since we were in the neighborhood we had to visit yellowstone national park. of course the highlight was seeing old faithful blow. we felt very american.

thanks knight family for a fantastic getaway! it was perfect in every way.

newport beach

a few weeks back we joined the entire forrest family for a fantastic reunion in newport beach. william for the first time loved the airport and airplane ride. 

we spent the first day with great grandma hayden and thorougly enjoyed all her love, fun house and neighborhood. ben flew in from a week in europe and it was great to be together again as a family.

onto newport beach where we enjoyed staying right on the beach. after church on sunday we took family pictures outside the newport temple. the only way to get william to smile was a hug from both mom and dad.

monday was the family olympics! william participated by carrying all the baseballs and wearing sunglasses.

besides relaxing and playing with family at the beach, ben got some surfing in,                

i picked up long boarding at 6 months pregnant,

and william stayed far away from the water but was kept happy as long as he has his trucks and trains.

thanks to grandma forrest for putting together a fantastic reunion!

summer visit from cousin cal

aunt cory and cousin calvin recently visited from utah so that called for lots of fun activities to convince them that they want to move to california. first stop the oakland zoo where we saw all the animals and rode the carousel or in the words of william the 'up and down zebra'. 

another day we found a delightful beach in half moon bay. william wasn't too interested in the water as always but cal would have crawled right into the ocean if he'd has his way.

then onto pixieland a tiny tiny amusement park which was the perfect size for the boys. they rode the train with grandma and experienced the tea cups which they didn't quite understand.

of course a visit to the ducks near grandmas house was on the schedule. we had great timing and a woman who brings food for the ducks showed up while we were there so the boys got to feed ducks.

and lastly a visit from john, kristen, & jacob so we could get all the cousins together. we even managed a picture with smiles from all!

 thanks for visiting cory & cal. let us know when you decide to move here!

weekend in monterey

a few weeks back we joined katie & kurt for a very fun quick trip down to monterey. first stop was fisherman's wharf where william continued to hone his walking skills followed by a very tasty dinner in carmel.

william took an immediate liking to the hotel bed which was the only place he'd fall asleep (unfortunate for his parents).

saturday we packed full starting with a visit to the monterey bay aquarium. william was very impressed with the big and colorful fish and we heard lots of 'wow's' from him. he also enjoyed playing in the splash pools with aunt katie.

we even managed to take a rare family photo.

to williams delight he took the trolley (aka 'bus') back to the hotel with ben for nap time while i walked down cannery row and enjoyed some pooltime.

after naps ben and william took a swim, we all enjoyed some bread bowl clam chowder, rode bikes up the coast, and then drove home. a perfect california weekend getaway!

june recap

california continues to be good to us. we are settling in and loving the constant sunshine. some highlights include swimming in all it's forms, including a trip to the beach.

outdoor time at fathers and sons camping, a walk in the hills of woodside, and many many many walks around the neighborhood.

we also ventured to the san mateo county fair where we felt very american and william loved seeing and touching the 'big big turtle'. 

we also had our first trip to the emergency room which was no fun, but thankfully all are healthy. 

and he walks!

finally after months and months of encouragement last week william decided to officially take up walking, just one week shy of his 18 month birthday. the below video i'm sure is only interesting to me, but i felt the need to document this big milestone.

california adventures

one of the best things about moving to california is the weather. we've played outside a lot since moving. highlights include multiple trips to the zoo and play parks, 

first time in a bouncy house,

many trips to the park with new friends,

and family walks.

william also got into the spirit of easter this year.

and maybe the biggest highlight is a real size bed for william in his own room!

and we're back

here are my excuses for not updating this blog for a few months. 

1. we moved from new york city to redwood city, california. while we really miss so many things about the city we couldn't be happier to be closer to family, have more space, and enjoy better weather. our time in nyc will always be something we will look back upon fondly. 

 2. before ben started his new job we left william with grandma and grandpa and headed to mexico for a week of sunshine and tacos.

 3. and lastly we learned we are expecting baby #2! and i've been pretty useless with morning sickness. but we are thrilled to be adding another forrest to the family in october!

and now hopefully we are back with more frequent updates.

january happenings

this winter has been so different from our first in the city. it's hardly snowed and we've had multiple warm days - it has been wonderful! william did get to experience one snow day. he didn't seem to care.

we've enjoyed getting out in the city, especially with friends. the cannons visited and we ventured to times square to ride the toys 'r us indoor ferris wheel. we also all visited the 9/11 memorial.

the yins also visited and we ate lots and played in soho.

every friday night we attend young womens/young mens. some activities include ice skating in bryant park and learning to crochet. william loved the 'balls'.

ben and i also had a date to go to a taping of the letterman show. we highly recommend going.

and william has been exploring all around. he loves the bathroom the most.

new york is making it hard to leave.