The Happiest Place on Earth....

Sisters and Friends...obviously thought we were done taking the picture.

Jake and Gracie dancing during the magical hour at California Adventure. ( We were able to spend an hour with about 200 other people at the park after it closed!)

Painted faces...so cute!

Gracie and Tinkerbell

Gracie, Emilee and Pixie Hollow Fairies

Me, the boys and Mickey...

Imagine that, Gracie and Tinkerbell again!

Family Photo...a little blurry. All the Christmas deco was up, it was so pretty!

All of us girls...with red-eye. Can't seem to get rid of it!

The boys on Bugs Life ride

Grumpy Bugs!!

The boys with their cousin Zach

Brother-in-Law , Pa, sang with this quartet...pretty cool! My sister Brooke performed with them earlier that day in front of everyone. They asked her to come up and sing.

The girls...Gracie, her cousin Lily, and Kenzee and Kaylee, our friend's twin daughters.

Yeah, a peaceful moment!

Merry-go-round...Jake loved it!

Gracie and the Princess Castle...she wanted to stay there!

Splash Mountain...scared Riley, it was funny to see his face!

The whole family!! My mom made shirts for all the grandkids with their favorite Disney character!

Nov. 10th we left with my entire family for Disneyland. It's a sort of Christmas present from my parents...and a way to get all of us together at the same time in the same place for longer than 2 hrs. We had so much fun, despite the occasional whining kid and frustrated parent. Disneyland has always been a favorite of my mom's, and I have a lot of good memories from there with my family. We also ventured into California Adventure...which I have grown to love even more. There was definitely a lot of walking, standing in line, tired cranky kids, expensive food, begging for unnecessary toys....blah , blah , blah. But in the end , the only things I really remember from this trip are the moments I laughed so hard with my sisters I thought I'd pee my pants, or knowing that my brother and brother-in-laws get along well and that the cousins couldn't wait to see each other every morning. Or even the fact that I love to ride Thunder Mountain in the dark, that I hate churros but love the frozen lemonade, and pushing a stroller with two kids and 50 lbs. of "crap" is not my idea of "strolling". Nevertheless, I got to spend time with the people I love most, the people who are most important in my life. So whether we're in Disneyland stuck on Indiana Jones, again...waiting 45 min. for a 2min. ride, we were there together, helping each other along the way, crying, laughing and screaming. Now these are memories!!

Fright Night

Haydn "Skeleton Pirate"

Gracie "Diamond Castle Princess"

Emilee "Vampiric Mistress"...sloppy eater

Riley "Vampire"... obviously hates the light

Well, Halloween is one of my favorites because you can be anyone you want to be! And this year, I decided to be a mom...you know, the one that is busy getting everyone else in their costumes and then hands out the candy? Anyway, we went to Trunk or Treat, not my favorite, but fun to see the others in their costumes. And afterwards I took  Riley and Gracie around the neighborhood while Emilee was off with her friend Hannah.  Delon had Haydn and Jake at the Aggie basketball game...it's that time of year again! It was a fun night but a busy one. Hope everyone had a great Halloween!  (For those of you wondering...Jake didn't dress up this year. No luck getting him in anything!)

Primary Program

I have been in the Primary Pres. four different times and seem to be destined for a lifetime of it. I really do enjoy the Primary though and am very grateful for the example the children set. We just had our program today, and when it's all said and done I'm very relieved. But I must say, the kids do such a good job and the music we've learned this year is incredible. It's definitely worth all the hard work! I have a testimony of the Primary Program and believe it's necessary to help our kids learn and understand the gospel. What a great place to go every Sunday to witness all the sweet and sincere testimonies of these kids.

Tagged "8"

8 TV Shows I Like To Watch
-Grey's Anatomy
-Biggest Loser
-Divine Design
-Today Show
-Ellen
-Oprah
-Private Practice
-Planet Earth

8 Things That Happened Yesterday
-counted fundraiser orders at Haydn's school
-did my ab workout
-vacuumed
-put away laundry
-watched Ironman
-answered emails
-talked to my sister
-mopped the kitchen floor

8 Favorite Places To Eat
-Olive Garden
-Subway
-Tony Roma's
-Outback
-Mainstreet Pizza and Noodle
-PF Changs
-Panda Express
-Baskin Robbins

8 Things I'm Looking Forward To
-Going to Disneyland with the "whole" family in Nov.
-the next book I can find time to read...anything that will take me away
-my next early morning run...just me and my music
-the Twilight movie
-sleeping through the whole night
-my kids participating in school sports
-my next trip "alone" with Delon
-Jake potty-trained

8 Things On My Wish List
-a home with more land
-traveling...everywhere
-learning how to play the guitar
-kids that clean up after themselves
-going to NY to see several Broadway shows
-to learn everything I can through reading and traveling
-completing more of my Family History
-witnessing the power of a tornado firsthand...at a safe distance of course!

8 People I Tag
-Kristen
-Sharee
-Lanae
-Maryann
-Holly
-Tori
-Emily
-Mom

Sleeptalking

Okay, I have obviously let Jake watch too much "Dora". He has been coming to sleep with us in the middle of the night now, for about 2 months. It's hard enough to sleep when he's got his head and feet in our sides...but the talking in his sleep keeps me wide awake! Last night, Delon and I had the privilege of hearing almost an entire episode of Dora. Jake sat up in bed and said, "Swiper, no swiping. Swiper no swiping!...Oh, man!!" And then of course that was followed by hysterical laughter, all while he was completely asleep. Then, again, there were mumbled conversations about Dora and Tico. Wow, this kid needs to get out more!

Scrap...eat...scrap...eat...

Scrapaway Cabin

One of the many "Great" Rooms

Cute cottage-kitchen

Scrapaway gals

You get the idea! The last weekend of Sept. I was invited to go up to a little Scrapaway retreat. It was a few days to get away from everything at a "Better Homes and Garden-like" cabin in Heber. It's beautiful there, I wish I could get away there more often.
Most people who know me, know that I am not a big scrapbooker...but this was a perfect opportunity to get something done. I am so behind! And in the process I met a lot of really great people. I had heard how intense these weekends were and that they meant business...little did I know. Those girls would get up and scrap, eat breakfast, scrap, eat lunch and so on. ( A few of us needed to get out and run or take a walk). The body doesn't handle a sedentary lifestyle very well when you're eating like we were! The food we had there was one of the best things...I can still remember the stuffed french toast rolled in cornflakes and coconut, mmmm!
Anyway, it was definitely a good experience for me...and though it may sound cliche', I learned a lot about myself that weekend and had the privelege of learning a lot about all the other great people there. Thanks to my friend Kristen who invited me and put up with my scrapbook sarcasm!

Our Little Princess

I love this picture!

My sweet Gracie-girl

Now you can see why we love her smile.

Ready to blow out the candles

The King, the Queen and the Jester!

Snow White...another dress to add to her collection!

Gracie with her singing Barbie...

Gracie is four now. The time has passed quickly. I was looking through old photos while trying to organize at the same time. I found myself flipping through all of them again and again...trying to remember what each day may have been like. I definitely remember the day Gracie was born, because she just couldn't wait! ( that was an intense 45 min.) Gracie has always been a girly-girl. She loves princesses, pink, lip gloss, high heels, dancing...the list goes on and on. She's also very independent, heaven forbid you flush the toilet for her! (that's another story). But through all of the drama, Gracie is such a sweet girl. She loves her brother Jake, and big sister Emilee. I think she wants to be just like Emilee when she gets bigger. Gracie helps to remind us of the simple pleasures, like playing, reading, coloring and picking flowers. We are grateful for Gracie and her smile. I just wish I could experience those first few years with her again...those were good times but busy times(with four kids)and I often wonder if I payed enough attention to all the little things she did. Gracie has helped me to recognize some of those things that are most important, like being there and responding when they look to you for approval after they've done something, or smiling when you see them come in the room, instead of acting like you're being bothered...even spotting the butterfiles way across the street in the neighbors yard while they dance around the flowers. I would be an empty shell of a person without my kids...they help me to be better, try harder and love deeper. Happy Bithday Gracie girl...we love you!!