Three boys and a girl

{Color-coded}

2012-02-10T21:13:00.000-07:00

I somehow got very behind on laundry again. I’m not sure how it always happens. One day, it’s completely finished and put away. The next, at least it feels that way, the kids are complaining that they don’t have anything to wear. [Sigh]

Anyway, as I sat down to sort laundry this morning, I realized that if I did it my usual way, I’d have several loads of each sort pile. So I mixed things up a little bit. I sorted by color. I had a brown pile, a black, a grey, a jeans, a whites, a reds, a blues, and an everything else. Clearly, these are our favorite colors. At least during the winter.

The “everything else” pile was small. Especially after I added the oranges to the reds pile.

Kind of a silly blog post, but I thought it was funny how it all worked out. I might do it this way all the time. Of course, if I kept up on laundry, I wouldn’t have enough dirty clothes at any one time to color sort this way. In my dreams… [Sigh]

{Might I say “Told ya so!”?}

2012-02-08T17:40:00.001-07:00

I told you I would post some updated pictures of our dogs, all long-legged and grown up. Sort of. They still have some height growing to do, and plenty of filling out to do. It’s more like we have horses than dogs.

Our dogs are beasts. Well, I guess technically, all animals are beasts. However, our dogs are beasts in another sense, too. Not the mean and growly kind. (Although their barks do pack quite a punch.) No, they are simply big. Massive, actually. Way bigger than we ever anticipated. Don’t even ask how much food they eat in a week. It boggles the mind. But the proof is in the pudding - they are none too fat. In fact, Jack is still below normal weight. Although, how could he NOT be with the rate at which he has been growing in height?!?! In the four weeks he wore his cast, he had to get two new ones because his bones were lengthening so much that the cast got too small.

So Sean and I went out a few nights ago to try and get some pictures of them. Just to show you. They were pretty entranced with the camera flash and refused to really do anything I wanted them to. Just sit there. Which is something they rarely do. At least they held still for the camera. Anyway, here is the best I have to offer.

Jack is not even stretched out as much as he usually is when he’s giving hugs. Usually, I have to lift my face back or he’ll lick me because his nose lifted up is pretty much in line with my face. I might love my dogs, but I don’t do dog kisses. Unlike the woman we saw at the vet last week who got down on the floor to say hi to Jack and kissed him, right on the mouth. Ewwww! Anyway, back to the point.

Jack is definitely the “beastier” of the two. For some reason, I’m just quite reassured that Jack, the male, is significantly bigger than Jill, his female counterpart. I don’t know. Call me sexist. I just like that he’s bigger.

Can you fix ~~red-eye~~ yellow-eye on a dog? I didn’t try. But they really aren’t possessed with some dog-loving evil spirit.

I don’t know if these pictures really do them justice. Can you tell how big they are? Or is this post just a big jumble of words? Hmmm, either way, I love the dogs and think they’re cute. Now if we could just get Jack to stop chewing off Jill’s bark collar, which allows her to bark, which makes our neighbor yell the F-bomb over the fence. Hmmm. Any suggestions?

{You would think…}

2012-02-06T17:51:00.000-07:00

…that the Super Bowl party was at our house after seeing this picture:

It wasn’t. But I did make some rocking 7-Layer Dip and Rice Krispy Treats. (I’ve always been good at them. I made them for my co-horts at Girl’s Camp every year growing up. I don’t know what the trick is, but my RKTs rock.)

And Saltine Toffee. Have you ever had these? Oh my heavens. They are yummy. I got my recipe here. So easy. Give it a try. You won’t be disappointed.

PS - We went to my in-law’s for the game. I remember who played, but I can’t remember who won. I was there for the company, the food, and the commercials. My favorite was this one:

How was your Super Bowl Sunday?

{Happy Anniversary, Mom and Dad!}

2012-02-04T08:47:00.000-07:00

I’ve posted this picture before, but I just had to do it again because have you ever seen a cuter couple? This is my mom and dad on their wedding day in 1971. Today, it’s been 41 years since they became husband and wife. Love you both so much, Mom and Dad. Happy Anniversary!!

{More catching up}

2012-02-03T08:40:00.000-07:00

WARNING: BE PREPARED FOR MANY, MANY PHOTOS

The boys started school this year full of excitement. Hayden started his first year of all day school and Jaren started his last year of elementary school. Where has the time gone?

I’m the embarrassing mom who follows behind her kids walking to school with the camera and…..

….takes pictures of her kids with their principal…..

…. and their teachers. You can tell how thrilled Jaren was by the whole process. He couldn’t wait for me to leave!

We went to the farm the weekend after school started. My sister and her two boys were there. And my favorite sister-in-law was there with her two kids (because they live there during the summer.) Jaren found a pretty cool spider web in a pine tree in front of the shop.

Here is my beautiful niece. She’s a beauty, and she’s only three. Better watch out, mom and dad! The boys are gonna come knocking!!

My kids got D.I.R.T.Y. You can’t even tell in this picture. But he was a mess.

The cousins were all enthralled with my iPhone. I think this time, they were playing with the Talking Tom app. I have to admit, it makes me laugh when I hear the kids playing it. It really is pretty funny.

We went camping over Labor Day weekend and had a ball. We’re already excited for our next adventure!

We went caving – a million stairs in and another million out. I didn’t think I would make it, but I did and was so proud of myself.

Our tent was like the Taj Mahal of tents. It was massive, but so nice because there was so much room. And our campground was perfect! Close to water and bathrooms, isolated, quiet. It was really nice.

Sean kind of took it upon himself to be in charge of the fire. He did a great job. He must have been a lumberjack in another life.

We ate soooo good. My in-laws brought up their trailer, which meant we had access to a stove and our meals were scrumptious! We ate like kings. Better than we eat at home.

We played games, like Spot It….

Explored at ice cave….and enjoyed being in nature. It was so much fun!

Just a few weeks after we went camping, poor old Jack jumped off our back porch and broke his hind leg. Had be been an older dog with brittle bones, he’d have needed surgery. We were so glad it didn’t come to that, but after four casts, many cones, several trips to the vet, a serious infection, and about $800, he recovered just fine. (I am so blown away by this picture. They are so small!! I’ll have to post another soon of how big they are. Jack currently weighs almost 70 pounds and Jill is hovering around 55.)

In September and October, Hayden played soccer. His team was abysmal, and we struggled keeping him motivated. He had fun, but winning a few times would have been nice. We had a great coach, though, and I think Hayden definitely learned more about the game.

Jaren had a birthday. He nearly died with excitement when he opened his present from Sean and I – an iPod touch.

That weekend, I took the boys and their cousins to an arcade/fun center. They thought the Go Karts were the best thing since Autopia and Disneyland.

Hayden became obsessed with his Captain Jack costume, and Jaren decided not to dress up for Halloween this year.

Hayden decided he wanted a picture of him and me by his bed, so we had an impromptu photo shoot one day after church. This is far from the best picture, but the sun was glaring so badly in the others that they were pretty much ruined.

I’ve about made it through October. More catch up to come!

{Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole}

2012-02-02T15:21:00.001-07:00

This is a super yummy recipe that I got from one of my most favorite recipe blogs, Mel’s Kitchen Café. She cooks real food with real ingredients that I almost always have in my house. She’s also slowly convincing me to get over my fear of yeast and actually bake some bread.

This recipe was a big hit with me and my kids. My husband liked it but didn’t love it. I will definitely be making it again. It is a bit time intensive, but not horribly so. It probably took a good hour to prepare.

Mel’s Chicken Cordon Bleu Casserole

(The entire casserole can be made ahead if needed.)

INGREDIENTS:
Topping:
1 - 1/2 c. bread crumbs
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Filling:
3 pounds russet potatoes (about 4-5 medium), peeled and sliced 1/8-inch thick
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3 medium garlic cloves, finely minced
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup heavy cream or milk
6 ounces Swiss cheese, shredded, about 2 cups
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard (I used honey mustard because that’s all I had!)
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I at least doubled this, maybe more. We like it spicy!)
2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breasts, trimmed of excess fat and sliced thinly
9 ounces deli ham, chopped

DIRECTIONS:
For the topping, mix the bread crumbs and butter with a fork until crumbles form. Set aside.

For the filling, preheat the oven to 400 degrees, making sure the oven rack is in the middle. Place the potatoes, 6 cups water and 1 teaspoon salt in a large pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, uncovered, until the potatoes are partially cooked, about 2 minutes (don’t overcook because they will continue to cook in the oven!). Carefully drain potatoes, or remove them with a slotted spoon, and transfer them to a bowl. Set aside.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, thyme, and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook until the onions are softened, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, stirring constantly, about 1 minute. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until golden, about 1 minute (this helps cook out the flour taste in the roux). Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and the cream or milk. Bring the mixture to a simmer, whisking often, until slightly thickened (if using milk instead of cream, you may have to cook longer for it to thicken up a bit). Off the heat, whisk in the Swiss cheese, Dijon, and cayenne pepper until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover and set aside until ready to use.

Toss the potatoes with half of the sauce and spread into the bottom of a lightly greased 9x13-inch baking pan. Layer alternating pieces of the chicken and ham over the potatoes, overlapping as needed. This is not a scientific procedure, just make sure that the chicken is in a single layer (not on top of each other) so that it cooks thoroughly. Pour the remaining sauce evenly over the chicken and sprinkle with the bread crumb topping. Bake until the chicken is cooked through and the casserole is bubbling, 30 to 35 minutes (add about 5-7 additional minutes onto the baking time if baking it after it has chilled in the refrigerator for more than a couple of hours). Cool for 10 minutes before serving.

Final Thoughts: I did end up cooking the casserole longer than the recipe called for, probably about ten minutes. Also, I’d like to try the recipe again and serve it either over rice or egg noodles.No matter what, it was winner in my book and I’ll definitely make it again. Enjoy!

{My Blog Banner}

2012-02-01T21:46:00.005-07:00

I read a really great blog called Clover Lane. I can't remember how I stumbled upon it, but I've been an avid reader of her blog ever since. A couple of years ago, she posted a tutorial on how to make a simple blog banner (she changes hers every month!) without using Photoshop. All it requires is Picasa, a free photo organizing / editing software by Google.

Side Note: I'm a HUGE fan of Picasa. I do some editing with it, and use it to make all of the collages I use on my blog, but mostly I use it to find photos, order photos, send photos, etc. It's fantastic. I went to my sister's house several months ago looking to burn several hundred pictures from many events going back four years or more. I thought it would take me hours to find everything I needed. Instead, because her pictures are in Picasa, it was a breeze. Literally 20 or 30 minutes and I was done.

I've used Sarah's tutorial to create my last two blog headers and it's super easy. Granted, I'm quite familiar with Picasa. But I wasn't when I did my first one. I thought, since she'd already gone to all the work, I'd just link back to her tutorial and throw in a few tips of my own.

Basically, I found all the pictures that I wanted and "held" them with the select tool (a green lightning bolt) near the bottom of the page in Picasa. That way, even if the pictures you want to use are from different folders, the ones you've selected are held for the banner.

For this banner, I also downloaded some free scrapbook paper and picked a piece to use as my background for my banner. I selected and held this "picture" too.

Again following Sarah's instructions, I created a collage using Picture Pile. Last time, I tried to make my pictures of equal heights and it was a nightmare and every time I opened my blog, I felt like they were uneven. So this time, I decided to do it pretty haphazard to avoid that. I added a white border to all of my other pictures and started resizing and positioning the pictures I wanted in my banner. I only placed pictures along the very top of the background paper. You'll see why when you look at the tutorial.

After you have it the way you want, you "create" the collage. At that point, you can crop off the excess background paper and also add text. I have a wide screen monitor, so I wanted my banner to go across the whole page. I cropped the background paper long and skinny and then saved it.

Again, this whole post probably doesn't make a whole lot of sense unless you 1) understand a little bit about Picasa and 2) have at least read Sarah's tutorial. She explains how to add the banner to your blog when it's completed.

Play around with it. It really is pretty easy. Good luck!

{Let’s do some catch up, shall we?}

2012-01-17T21:45:00.000-07:00

I may or may not go back and do some catch up posts from the time period when I was not blogging, if only for record-keeping sake. However, I thought I’d at least go back and highlight a few events from the past six or eight months. Months where not a lot of pictures were taken because, let’s face it, without a blog, I didn’t feel such a pressing need to take pictures of every detail of our lives. But I managed to get a few. So here are some memorable events from this past summer.

After I painted my bedroom last spring, I was looking for some artwork to complete the room when I came across these at ShopKo. I did a poll on Facebook and asked for votes between these and two others. These won by a landslide. (They were Sean’s favorites, but not mine. But I listened to popular opinion, and now I love them!) (Did I blog this already? I really can’t remember.)

I take lots of pictures of our dogs through the window. Because when they are in a cute pose and I want to capture it, if I go out through the back door, they come running, thus ruining my perfect shot. But taking a picture through the window pretty much ruins my perfect shot anyway. I’m not sure why they were tied up on this day. We put them on their leads occasionally for the yard care people, repair people, when they get out through a hole in the fence and run two miles away…That’s a story for another day, methinks. Anyway, I think they’re cute. They are expensive, but we’ve never once regretted getting two. Just watching them play outside together, running, exercising, interacting - the proof is in the pudding, so they say. And I have a lot more of these blurry photos where this one came from. Just you wait.

Hayden adores his footie pajamas. And he’s got a few pairs that need some serious help. As in, he’s grown too much. But still insists on wearing them. I finally took this picture as proof. No, I’m not a mean parent who won’t buy her son new pajamas that fit. However, I am the parent of a son who refuses the wear the pajamas his mother bought for him.

We continued our annual tradition of a Fourth of July party in our backyard. For three years running (every year we’ve lived in this home), we’ve invited our families to come and celebrate with us. This day was particularly momentous because Mandy had sworn off chips at our last party one year ago. And tonight, she was eating her first chip in twelve months. That’s dedication right there. We then traveled over to Heather’s for some fireworks. She has the best backyard for fireworks. The Fourth of July party just might get bumped to her house if I can’t produce a cool fire pit like hers. And soon.

Hayden turned six. How did my baby grow so big? What keeps happening? He’s so disobedient. I keep telling him not to grow and he doesn’t listen! And we can’t forget that Sean had a birthday, too. What was I thinking asking to be induced on Sean’s birthday? I thought it sounded cool at the time. Six years of shared birthdays later, I realize my mistake. Oh well. Too late now.

Check it out. I actually made kind of a cute cake. Hayden wanted a duck cake. This was the best I could do.

I got a new griddle. See how many pieces of French toast are on that baby? TWELVE!! I’ve been in griddle heaven ever since I got it.

Ah, I remember the days when we could take the dogs for walks together. Those days are in the past. They are so strong now and not well trained yet. It’s pretty hard to not get pulled to the ground these days. Good thing we’ve got a half-acre yard for them to run around in.

Hayden is one of the goofiest kids I know. This summer, he decided his underwear was a good enough swimming suit and made good use of that plan whenever we had a sprinkler out.

This is one of those pictures I took with blogging on the brain. I was out late shopping one night and drove through Taco Bell for a quick bite in the midst of it all. I ordered a Crisp Taco Supreme. It’s supposed to come with mystery meat, sour cream, cheese, lettuce, and tomatoes. Emphasis on the plural there. This is what I got. One lousy piece of tomato. ONE! I guess that’s what I get for continuing to eat at an establishment that serves mystery meat.

Sean’s parents took the kids camping this summer. They were gone for three days and we all had a fantastic time. I sent the camera with the boys and this is the best of what they brought back.

More coming soon!

{Old made NEW}

2012-01-15T21:05:00.001-07:00

My in-laws came over for dinner the other night. By the time we’d set the table for six people, there wasn’t a lot of room left for food, water pitcher, salt and pepper, and napkins. I decided it was time for a change.

We bought our table and chair set from Sam’s Club several years ago. Not the best purchase. We’ve decided we don’t like counter-height tables, and when we moved into this home almost three years ago, my dear father-in-law took our table from our townhouse and cut the legs down on all of the pieces before we needed it in this house. It’s much better now.

Since we moved in, I’ve only have four chairs around it. When we had company, the kids would sit on the bar stools on each end. A couple of months ago, I decided to haul in the extra two chairs from the barn. I liked having the extra chairs but didn’t like how far the chairs stuck out from the table when they were all tucked in.

So, combine that dilemma with the no-room-for-food situation of a few nights ago, and I decided it was high time to expand my table.

No, I didn’t create some miraculous addition, build something with my bare hands, or shop from a thrift store and re-finish something. What I did took me about five minutes, and with a little help from Sean, I expanded our table from 42” x 60” to 60” x 60”. Yup. Our table had an extension in it. One we’ve never used. One Sean forgot all about.

Sure, it fills up our dining area a little bit more. Sure, it’s big. But I really like it, and now I’m kicking myself for not doing this a long, long time ago.

What do you think?

{I'm Back}

2012-01-07T02:00:00.003-07:00

I have missed blogging.
I didn't think that I would.
Blogging had become
a chore for me.
Something on my To Do list that
needed to get crossed off.

I thought I would be happy
with my choice. But I've missed it.
And after all, I don't blog to make
money, to tell the world how
wonderful my family is, to publish
my poor photography skills.

I blog because it creates a record
of our goings-on, my thoughts, current
events, and the general state of our
lives. And what greater blessing could
I give my grandchildren and
great-children?

And so, I'm blogging again. I'm
sure I will jump in slowly at
first, but I have many, many
posts rolling around in my head
that have screaming to get out
these past six months.

For now, just know that I am
back. This time, to stay. Whether
anyone reads this blog or not.
It's not going anywhere.

PS - Do you like my new header?

Disneyland Photo Book

2011-10-31T19:53:00.001-06:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

You'll love Shutterflys award-winning photo books. Try it today.

This blog is on vacation…

2011-06-23T21:46:00.000-06:00

…until at least the end of August.

See you then!

{I’m a Guest Poster}

2011-06-21T08:18:00.001-06:00

For the first time ever, I am an official Guest Poster. Yes, you heard me correctly. I am guest-posting over at Domessitcated today. Tyra scours the web for the best recipes and shares them with us. I’ve discovered many a new foodie websites thanks to her.

Go and check it out here.

Thanks, Tyra!

{Journal}

2011-06-15T18:59:00.001-06:00

I used to keep a faithful journal. Every day from around sixth grade until I left for college, I would write in a journal before I went to bed. Once I got to college, the habit fell by the wayside. Lately, I’ve been feeling like I need to start again. Nothing big and extensive. Just a daily note about what we did, where we went, the weather, etc. I already scrapbook. I already blog. I Facebook. Was this really necessary? One more thing? But then, as I was pondering this, my sister posted something on Facebook about a great idea someone had. It’s called OhLife. It is the coolest thing. I immediately subscribed and have been at it for over a month.

Here’s how it works, directly from OhLife’s website:

From: OhLife
To: You
Subject: How did your day go?

How did your day go? Just reply to this email.

Oh snap, remember this? One month ago, you wrote...

I hadn't seen John for a while, so we met up for dinner at an Italian restaurant he wanted to check out. The second we sat down he started flirting with the two girls at the next table. He stopped once their boyfriends joined them.

OhLife is private, secure, & friendlier than Ned Flanders. Only you can see your entries.

It truly is the greatest idea. I never even think about it. I just respond to the email every day and I record my life. It’s that simple. Sometimes it’s a few sentences. Sometimes it’s a few paragraphs. It’s never a lot. Sometimes, I even type it out on my phone.

If you log onto the website, you can see all of your past entries and can even export them. I plan on exporting mine every other month or so.

So give it a try. See what you think. You’ll love it, I’m sure!

{Summer rain}

2011-06-08T21:06:00.001-06:00

I know just barely posted for today, but I looked up from the computer because I was seeing a faint orange glow coming in from the back window. The wind is still blowing and it is still raining, but the clouds are dissipating, enough that we actually got a sunset. And because of all of the clouds and the moisture in the air, it’s casting an orange tint across the landscape. It almost looks like I’m looking through sunglasses. It’s a bit disconcerting. But the sun also allowed for a rainbow. A full one that went all the way across. Despite the wind and rain, I ventured out to try my hand at capturing the moment. I guess I did okay, but I sure wish I had a nicer camera and knew how to use it. Oh well. Here’re my best efforts.

From the front yard (don’t mind the big raindrop on the lens):

And from the back:

{Wet}

2011-06-08T20:44:00.001-06:00

Sean has ridden his bike to work twice this week. Both times, he’s left the house at 6:30 under a sunny, cloudless sky. Both times, he’s left work to grey skies and rain. The first time, I went to pick him up. Today, he decided to come home on his bike.

To say he was wet is an understatement. He was soaked. To the bone. But he enjoyed it. He’s adventurous like that. It’s one of the things I love about him.

{The return of Fort Back Yard}

2011-06-06T20:39:00.000-06:00

Rachel and Ellie spent the weekend with us. On Sunday afternoon, they and the boys decided to resurrect their fort that was first constructed last year with blankets, the clothesline, and every clothespin we own, which, to be honest, is a plethora. And then they wanted to sleep in it. So they did. And they had a fantastic time. It took hours for them to get it just right, and once they went out to bed, I didn’t hear another peep. I have no idea how late they stayed up. I just know the house was quiet!

This morning, I checked on them before I left for work. They were already up and playing a game, happy and content. I snapped a few pics and took off. That afternoon, they got the fort cleaned up just in time, for an afternoon rainstorm moved in and soaked the yard.

{Weekend away}

2011-06-05T20:39:00.000-06:00

After watching my sister’s two boys on Friday afternoon, me and my boys packed up and headed to the farm to get my other sister’s two girls, who were going to stay with us for a few days. It was out first time out this year, and we had a fantastic time. We went to bed early on Friday night. Well, let me rephrase that. The kids went to bed early. I stayed up until after 12:30 talking to my mom. Even though I was yawning my guts out, she wasn’t tired and she ended up showering and finishing her book before she went to bed at 2:30. She was still up long before me the next morning!

Goofy kids!!

I love how the tree trimmers carved my dad’s initials in one of the stumps when they came last fall.

My dad’s massive tractor.

The kids begged and begged and begged to bring home some of these eggs so they could raise the birds themselves. I wouldn’t let them. And then they begged some more. And I still said no. Hopefully, the nest didn’t get disturbed and the mother bird will come back and take care of her babies.

Hayden and Rachel doing what’s called the “spider swing.”

The kids played games, played outside, swung, looked for bird’s nests, and climbed the pit hill. I helped my mom and SIL plan the breakfast menu for our big family reunion in a few weeks and helped get dinner on the table. Afterwards, I took the two youngest kids on a ranger ride. My mom and dad left for town while we were on the ranger. They were attending a baptism. I nearly fell asleep on the drive from the farm to town and had to stop in my mom’s driveway for a quick 10-minute nap before we went to a local grease joint for some supper. (The kids were content to hang out in the back of the van watching their movie while I snoozed.) Then it was back to my mom and dad’s for a potty break, and since they were just back from the baptism by then, of course I stayed and visited with my mom for a bit before we finally made it out the door.

We had a great visit, and I can’t wait to go back out for our reunion in a few weeks.

{Sand castle extraordinaire}

2011-06-04T00:05:00.000-06:00

We need a lot more sand in our sandbox. But Jaren has been making good use of what’s in there. He and his cousins moved most of the sand over to one half of the box and piled it into a mountain. Then they dug a series of holes around the base of the mountain and the next step was digging tunnels to connect all of the holes. They finished it off with molds of a cup stacked in the middle of each hole and on top of the mountain itself. Jaren was so proud of his masterpiece. He spent quite a bit of time working on it after his cousins left. And he was so upset when Hayden and his little neighbor friend smooshed the whole thing. But I told Jaren that it was to be expected since it had been tempting Hayden for six days. I’m just glad Jaren took the camera out for pictures before the smooshing occurred.

{YW BBQ}

2011-06-02T23:55:00.000-06:00

Last week for YW, we had a casual wienie roast in a YW’s backyard. We had such a blast! It was so fun to hang out with the girls and laugh and relax. I took pictures of all the girls for my own memory books, but I promised a couple of them I wouldn’t post them on my blog, even though they are beautiful girls!! I sure love them all….

{What Santa does in his off-season}

2011-06-01T18:02:00.000-06:00

Remember the Santa suits that Sean’s mom made for the boys for Christmas? They’ve both been wearing them quite a bit lately with all of the cooler weather we’ve been having. This is how I found Jaren reading one night before he went to bed. So warm and comfy. (He’s re-reading the “Ranger’s Apprentice” books. He’s starting on “Fablehaven” as soon as he’s done.)

{What’s the big deal with Kosher salt?}

2011-05-31T17:14:00.000-06:00

Every recipe blog I read calls for kosher salt when cooking instead of table salt. I’ve wondered about the difference for ages. I using kosher salt because they tell me to, but I didn’t want to follow blindly, so I finally did some research to figure out the difference. This was the best article I found, so I’m posting for my future reference and for anyone else who has wondered the same.

Q. What is the difference between kosher salt, sea salt, and table salt?

A: For the cook's purposes, the main difference between salts is in their texture. Table salt's fine granules dissolve quickly, making it the preferred salt of bakers. Sea salt and kosher salt possess larger, irregular grains that add a delightful crunch and hit of briny flavor when sprinkled on food at the last minute. Generally, savvy cooks prefer kosher salt when cooking, since its coarse texture is easier to take a pinch of when seasoning savory dishes.

Chemically there is little difference between kitchen salts. All are at least 97 1/2 percent sodium chloride. But there are significant differences in the provenance and processing of these salts.

Table salt is mined from underground salt deposits, and includes a small portion of calcium silicate, an anti-caking agent added to prevent clumping. It possesses very fine crystals and a sharp taste. Because of its fine grain a single teaspoon of table salt contains more salt than a tablespoon of kosher or sea salt.

Sea salt is harvested from evaporated seawater and receives little or no processing, leaving intact the minerals from the water it came from. These minerals flavor and color the salt slightly. However, because these salts are usually expensive, it is worth keeping in mind that they lose their unique flavor when cooked or dissolved.

Kosher salt takes its name from its use in the koshering process. It contains no preservatives and can be derived from either seawater or underground sources. Aside from being a great salt to keep within arm's reach when you are cooking, it is particularly useful in preserving, because its large crystals draw moisture out of meats and other foods more effectively than other salts.

Food Network Kitchen

{Friday Fill-ins}

2011-05-27T22:00:00.000-06:00

1. This week I spent a lot of time with our new puppies. They’ve been so much fun and our family is so in love with them! I think we’ve settled on the names Jack and Jill, although Sean (who made the final decision) is having second thoughts, so we’ll see if they’re still named that by next week!
2. Tomorrow, I need to spend a few hours taking returns to several stores, including Wal-Mart, Shopko, and JC Penney. I love getting money back, but I wish I could have just bought the right things in the first place, because going back is such a hassle.
3. It's all about sunshine for me right now - I can’t get enough of it and I find myself being annoyed by the clouds. I am currently enjoying the beginning of a four-day weekend, and the weather is not going to cooperate with my grand plans. Phooey!
4. Even though it’s supposed to be chilly this weekend, my goal is to spend as little time in the house as possible. We might go see a movie, go to the park, take the puppies on a walk, maybe even go on a little road trip. Who knows?
5. I demand to know why some people have not learned the golden rule, even those who are well past the age of learning. Life is not meant to be spent angry and bitter, and it’s so sad and depressing that some people have lived their entire lives in this state of mind. And even worse, they force their pain and anger on everyone around them. I refuse to be brought down by it. I choose to be happy!
6. Although I never would have guessed I’d be on this life path, it's filled with so many blessings and surprises that I can’t complain one bit. My life is so wonderful.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to playing with the dogs and Jaren’s first late-nighter, tomorrow my plans include a little cleaning, the aforementioned returns, and our first wienie roast at our house and Sunday, I want to enjoy the day watching my sweet little nephews while their parents prepare for and attend seminary graduation!

{Recipe - Pizza Sauce}

2011-05-26T07:27:00.000-06:00

I’ve been looking for a good homemade pizza sauce because our family likes pizza A LOT. It’s one of our favorite meals and we buy it a lot, because I’ve never found a sauce that I love. Well, here is one that I think we will use again and again! It’s full of spices that everyone has on hand, including a couple of red pepper spices and honey, for that sweet and spicy combination. Plus a touch of parmesan cheese for added flavor.

Exquisite Pizza Sauce (recipe found here)

1 small can tomato paste

6 oz. water (use can)

3 T. grated Parmesan cheese

1 t. minced garlic

2 T. honey

1 t. anchovy paste (optional) - I didn’t use this because I didn’t have it

3/4 t. onion powder

1/4 t. oregano

1/4 t. marjoram

1/4 t. basil

1/4 t. pepper

1/8 t. cayenne pepper

1/8 t. red pepper flakes

salt to taste

Combine all in a small bowl. Let sit for 30 minutes to blend flavors. Spread over pizza dough and prepare pizza as desired.

Yield: 1 pizza

Jaren made his pizza with ham and pineapple. Hayden loaded on the pepperoni. They (the pizzas) were a huge hit, especially the making of them. We’ll definitely do this again!

(That Hayden - he’s kind of a goob…..)

{iPhone Picture Roundup}

2011-05-25T18:02:00.000-06:00

Here are some random pictures I’ve taken on my iPhone. There are a couple of really cool apps for cameras and picture editing, and I’ve got a couple, but I don’t really know how to use them quite yet. So you’ll just have enjoy them in their raw format. Enjoy!

My good friend, Nicole, who I scrapbook with as often as I can

Me and my boys

Jaren can always make a good funny face

Cutting dessert with Grandma

Hayden meeting my sister’s new chickens for the first time

A darling clay dinosaur diorama created by my extremely talented niece

Right after Disneyland, Hayden loved playing with his new aliens from Toy Story

Hayden discovering the two-sided camera on my iPhone.

The prettiest rainbow I think I’ve ever seen, a double one outside our restaurant window. The colors were so vivid and so distinct, you could clearly see all the colors of the rainbow. I wish I’d had a better camera.

Jaren’s new bike - I feel like I’m always buying this kid a bike. But this is the last one, because it’s an adult 26”. As big as it gets. Phew!

More face camera experimenting.

Hayden with the new puppy the day after she came home.

The IncrediBooth app on my iPhone.

A little bird sitting on a garbage can near the entrance of my work. I was seriously just a foot or so away. Such a pretty little thing!

{Mother’s Day gifts - Part 2}

2011-05-23T17:35:00.000-06:00

I realize that this is now my fifth post having to do with Mother’s Day 2011. But it will probably be my last. Jaren designed this Lego plaque for me on Lego Digital Designer. You can build your own creations and then price it out and purchase the pieces and instructions to build your own. But it’s very expensive. This particular design would have cost more than $40. I told him that although I loved it, a picture would have to do.

{Wherein The Girl and her three boys are crazy}

2011-05-22T18:49:00.003-06:00

We decided as a family that it was time for us to get a dog. We researched for months, hired someone to close off our fence, and asked everyone we knew for suggestions and opinions. And this weekend, we became the proud new owners of this sweet little thing, a six-week-old pure-blooded Labrador Retriever who is as of yet unnamed.

And despite most people telling us we are crazy, we knew we wanted two. We wanted her to have a friend. So call us insane if you want, but know that we didn’t come to this decision lightly. No, we probably don’t know what we’re in for. But won’t it be fun to find out? (Ask me again next summer and see if I’ve changed my mind!)

So last night, we added to our brood again and brought home this little guy. He was born one day after the white one and is just a bit bigger than her. He is also without a name. ( haven’t gotten any good pictures of him yet.)

They already love each other. They play and wrestle and eat and sleep (and POOP!!!) together. The first night, the white one cried all night. The next time, with the brown one by her side, she was fine. They are outside dogs. They won’t be in the house. EVER. For now, they’re living in the sun-room and the backyard. Until our fence gets finished, they are staked on leads when we’re not outside.

We’re so excited for this new phase in our life. We’ve already had two pretty major poop disasters and cleaned up more poop piles than we can count. We’re making visits to the vet, the pet store, and our city offices this week.

Aren’t they cute?!?

We’re having a hard time with names. We’re thinking maybe Sugar and Spice, or Jack and Jill. Maybe Bonnie and Clyde. Or Rusty and Biscuit (our childhood dogs’ names). Sean even suggested naming her Bill and him Hillary. Offer any suggestions in the comments. We are also totally new to puppy ownership, so if you have any constructive tips, I’d love to hear them.

*******************************

I just took this picture of Sean and his buddy, so I thought I’d throw it on the end of this post.

{Recipe - Hawaiian Haystacks}

2011-05-18T21:50:00.000-06:00

This is one of my all-time favorite meals. Ever. I’ve been eating it since I was a little girl, my mom having found the recipe in a Make-a-Mix cookbook years ago. I know it is quite common and quite popular, but I thought I’d post the recipe for anyone who’s never heard of the deliciousness known as Hawaiian Haystacks.

You will need:

Sauce (see below)

Steamed rice

Chow Mein Noodles

Grated cheese

Toppings of your choice - I generally use diced tomatoes, pineapple tidbits, shredded coconut, and sliced green onions. I know other people who use celery, peas, olives and/or mandarin oranges. My mom likes slivered almonds, but not I! No nuts at this house! There are all kinds of possibilities.

Sauce:

2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 can of milk (more to thin, if necessary)

1/2 to 1 cup of sour cream

Salt and pepper to taste

(For a more gourmet sauce, click here to see Mel’s ideas. I’m using this next time I make them!)

I decided to eat outside. I’d just cleaned the kitchen and I didn’t want rice bits all over the floor. So for the first time this year, we set up a table and enjoyed our food in the fresh air. Paper plates and all!

(Sean was having serious heartburn issues, so he ate graham crackers and applesauce, his home remedy that almost always works.)

{Destroy and Conquer}

2011-05-16T21:28:00.000-06:00

We’ve had an old desk hutch that needed to be gotten rid of. It’s been sitting in the garage since not too long after we moved in. We are using the desk portion of it as our game table in the family room. I finally dragged it out last weekend and let Jaren have at it. I figured the best way to dispose of it was to simply break it into smaller pieces and throw it away. I gave him a hammer and a rubber mallet and he got straight to work.

My camera is old and I still don’t know how to use it very well, so I got lots of fuzzy action shots.

This is the inside of the hutch. See that? It’s cardboard, people! Cardboard!! No wonder IKEA furniture is so cheap. It’s half corrugated materials.

Then Hayden had to get in on the action for a bit. But I had promised this project to Jaren.

So then I just let Hayden start hammering the piece of fence that blew over last fall. It’s getting torn down in a week or two anyway.

They had a great time and keep asking when they can destroy something else. Boys and their need for breaking things!!

{Let’s go fly a kite!}

2011-05-15T17:04:00.000-06:00

Is there anything that screams summer fun more than flying a kite? We think not!

We got this kite several years ago from a fantastic toy store here in town. An amazing place, really. And this kite is amazing, too. It takes absolutely nothing to get it in the air, and then it stays there. We let the string all the way out, and it went what seemed like a mile into the air. We had such a great time!

And then?

We had to wind the thing back up. When I first started, Jaren begged to let it out again. But then he took his turn winding. He changed his mind pretty quick. I was really wishing we had something like a fishing reel to aid us, but alas, we used our own muscles.

Hayden got a little bored with the winding. So he had some drinks (and then desperately had to pee!), swung on the swings, played on the monkey bars, and looked for words he could read in my book.

We can’t wait for more fun summer days!!

{Birds and beaches}

2011-05-14T17:47:00.000-06:00

Sean and I had a fantastic weekend. The boys slept over at Sean’s mom and dad’s and the next day, his mom and dad took them to a bird show. (Had we known that Sean’s brother and his family were going to be there, we’d have gone, too!) The kids had a blast. They got to see some amazing birds (Jaren took all of the bird pictures) and they each got to make a small planter box courtesy of Home Depot. Then they played in the water by the lake, where Hayden promptly fell in and had to get wrapped up in a hoodie for the ride home.

Sean’s brother and his girlfriend and her son were there and I was glad that the boys got to spend some time together. They had a great time together and I’m glad that my boys were there to play with him. Like I said, I wish we’d have known they’d be there and we would have gone as well.

This picture is blurry, but they lots of buffalo. Very cool!

Bird tracks in the beach sand

Sand and water - a perfect combination!

And mine and Sean’s weekend was fantastic because we were alone for over 24 hours. We went on a date on Friday and Saturday, we spent almost the whole day cleaning out the garage and made tremendous progress before we moved into the house and spent quite a bit of time in there as well.

{Mother’s Day at my mom’s}

2011-05-10T22:13:00.000-06:00

What better place to spend my mother’s day than at my own mom’s house? My sister and brother and their families were also there and it was just fun to spend some time together. We all helped prepare the dinner…yummy meatballs over rice, garlic balsamic asparagus, homemade rolls, and a big green salad. So yummy!!

Mom and Dad - my mom wouldn’t look straight at the camera because she had just rubbed all of her makeup off. But isn’t she cute? And you can’t even see her rubbed off makeup!

My brother is always throwing his kids in the air and balancing them way up high. There’s no way any of them will ever be scared of heights with him for a dad! And don’t worry. They laugh and scream with delight when he does it. They love it!

The grandkids soooo love being together. It’s the highlight of any visit to Grandma’s, for sure.

There always comes a point when the older grandkids just want to hang out with the grownups. Which is just fine. We keep it clean around here!

My mom’s house is so comfortable to relax in. It’s warm and inviting and a great place to hang out.

Sean mostly loves to read. He’s always a little more anxious to leave than I am, but he enjoys my family, too. Although, often you’ll find him outside playing with the kids. He loves him some fresh air!

Happy Mother’s Day!!

{Recipe - Garlic Balsamic Asparagus}

2011-05-09T18:27:00.000-06:00

(Recipe from Our Best Bites)

Garlic Balsamic Asparagus

1 lb. asparagus

1 Tbsp. olive oil

1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

1/2 Tbsp. Kosher salt

1/4 tsp. freshly-ground black pepper

1 tsp. minced or pressed garlic

If roasting in the oven, heat oven to 425. If grilling, prepare grill to medium heat. Wash asparagus and then remove the bottom couple of inches of each stalk.

In a small bowl, combine salt, pepper, oil, vinegar, and garlic. Drizzle over asparagus and toss to coat.

If roasting, place in a single layer on a broiling pan. If grilling, reduce heat to low, lightly oil grill, and place asparagus perpendicular to the grate of the grill. Drizzle any remaining oil/vinegar mix over the asparagus.

If using oven, roast for 10 minutes, turning once. If using grill, grill for 8-10 minutes or until asparagus is bright green and still slightly crisp, turning very frequently.

I love asparagus. It’s one of my favorite vegetables, despite the unfortunate consequences. And this is a great way to prepare it. Next time I do it, though, I’m going to do it on the grill.

{Mother’s Day gifts}

2011-05-08T17:50:00.000-06:00

I’ve got such a great husband. He brought these beautiful flowers to me at work on Friday. I love the colors!

He also got me this gorgeous wind…thing. I’m not sure what to call it, but it’s so pretty and it changes colors as it spins.

{My mothers}

2011-05-08T15:33:00.001-06:00

Happy Mother’s Day to ALL women on this special day. I’m not an eloquent writer. But I want to pay tribute in my own words to the special mothers in my life. First, my sisters.

My oldest sister is amazing. She has not graduated from college (yet), but she is constantly teaching herself and learning to improve herself and her family. She truly “seeks after these things.” She started home-schooling her kids a few years ago and she loves it and embraces it. She loves to be with her kids, and she really knows them. She’s had to teach herself in order to teach them. She is constantly going to conferences and workshops, taking classes online, and participating in group studies.

She is also striving to be self-sufficient. She plants a garden and she’s canned nearly anything you can think of and has done loads of research on ways to preserve food. She wants to build a greenhouse, and this spring, she acquired her first chickens. She’s learned all about ways to survive without outside help.

The thing, I think, that I admire most about her is the way she teaches her children to work hard and be responsible. Her oldest son just got his Eagle Scout award. Her oldest daughter just received her Young Womanhood medallion. They are only fourteen. All of her kids do their own laundry. They know how to clean a house. They know how to prepare meals. The girls know how to sew. She even had her two oldest complete a farm equipment safety class. They learn about money management and how to save. She teaches them about sacrifice and debt. Any girl is going to be so lucky to marry her son. And her three daughters are going to make wonderful and amazing mothers and wives.

My next older sister is such an example to me. She has always been “the good one.” She’s so nice and kind. She went on a mission and was an exemplary missionary. She married a fantastic man who I also have always looked up to. They are more in love now than they were on their wedding day. They still act like newlyweds, using sweet sentiments with each and being lovey-dovey. For many years, they longed to start their family. But the Lord had other plans. Until finally, the blessed day came when a birthmother chose my sister and her adoring husband to be the parents of her baby. I’m not lying when I say they went through hell before that baby was placed in their arms. But they have become amazing parents, just as I knew they would.

And then, a miracle. She became pregnant. On her own. Just like that. After grieving for the loss of that experience, she was pregnant! She was able to go through nine months of pregnancy and give birth to a beautiful little boy. And she is such a good mom. She teaches her kids the gospel and lives as an example to them every day. They have consistent family home evening, family prayer, and family scripture study. She’s been a Young Women’s president three times and although she was dreading it the last time she was called, I told her she kept getting called because she has something special to give to those girls. And she does. She’s amazing and puts so much time and energy into her calling. But her family isn’t put on the back burner. Her house is clean, she cooks lovely dinners each night, she gets on the floor and plays with her kids, and she reads, reads, reads to them.

My younger sister is not yet a mother. But I believe she will be someday. She’ll make a good one. She’s so organized. She never forgets a family event. When my older sister was miraculously pregnant, she flew home just to see that pregnant belly. She knew she’d have lots of chances to see the baby. But she was not going to miss the chance to see her older sister in a state we never thought she’d be in. She flew home again a few years later just to attend the baptism of one her nieces. And she tries to make it home every summer for our big family reunion. One year, she flew home unbeknownst to my mom for Thanksgiving. She got in late and went straight downstairs to bed. My mom got up early to start cooking and imagine her shock and surprise when my sister came walking up the stairs. They both burst into tears. She is missed dearly by all of us when she’s not here. She adores her nieces and nephews and loves shopping for them for their birthdays and Christmas. She hates that she is so far away. We do, too.

My dear sister-in-law, my one and only so she’s my favorite, is the most amazing mother. I don’t think I’ve ever seen her grumpy. Not once. I’ve seen her sad when she misses her family who live in Canada, but I’ve never seen her grumpy. I’ve never seen her short with her husband or impatient with her kids. She is the epitome of calm and peace. She is great at raising her kids to be healthy. Her daughter didn’t have sugar until she was nearly 18 months old. She offers healthy food options and her daughter takes them and loves them. She lives a healthy lifestyle and I love that about her.

And she’s such a great mom in other ways, too. She reads to them and plays on the floor with them. She earned a bachelor’s degree when she had one daughter and was pregnant with the second. It was a stressful time for her, but she loved taking her classes. She had grand plans for life. And getting married young was not part of that plan. But then she met my brother. And who could say no to him? :) She embraced the path the Lord had for her and has never looked back. She has so much faith and lives her life by that faith every day.

My mom’s mom is my only living grandparent. And she’s wonderful. She was a working mom in an era when it was rare. And when she still had two children at home, she became the primary breadwinner when her husband suffered an aneurysm. But she prevailed. She raised five wonderful children and cared for her husband when he was diagnosed with cancer, 20 years after his aneurysm. She’s been widowed now for almost 16 years. But she is still going strong. She shops. She cooks. She walks every morning and she loves to spend time at the temple. I love her attitude and the positivity with which she faces life. I’ve never once heard her wish it was her time to go. I’ve never heard her complain about being old. I’ve never seen her despondent about being alone. She is an amazing woman and one I admire greatly.

My mother-in-law is so generous. This past week was one filled with assignments and responsibilities for me. And even though she has had her stressful days at work due to a new computer system, she called me on Friday to ask if she could make one of my food assignments for me and have the boys sleep over at her house to give me time to accomplish what I needed to get done. She is always making us dinner. She adores her grandkids and does such fun things with them, like letting them play with bread dough and cook their own shapes, or letting them spin clay on her pottery wheel, or sleeping with them in the camp trailer in the backyard just because it’s fun. She’s always dragging us to one event or another and we love it because she gets us places we’d normally not go. She went back to school when Sean was in high school to become a nurse. She worked her tail off, and she is a great nurse. She is very smart and knows something about everything. I always said that if I were ever on “Who Wants to be a Millionaire?” that she would be my phone call. She’s also very culturally minded. She loves art and music. She loves to travel not just for the sake of being in the sun, but to actually learn something.

My mom. Where do I even start? How can I put into words how much this woman means to me? My eyes are welling with tears as I type this. I can hardly see my computer screen. She is beyond comparison, so wonderful in so many ways that I don’t know where to begin. She is kind and generous and full of love. She loves all of her children and adores her grandchildren. She loves my dad. She is such a hard worker, a wonderful teacher, and a faithful follower of Christ. She embraces the gospel and lives it every day. She taught me about keeping a clean house, about cooking for my family, and supporting my husband. She taught me to work, to be responsible, to be a good example. She instilled in me a love of books and made sure there were always books to read in our home. We were frequent visitors to our local library. She encouraged my education and helped me gain many opportunities that I don’t think I’d have had without her help. When I didn’t asked to Junior Prom, she took me for a night out on the town. Just her and I. When I had miscarried a baby I’d waited so long for, she mourned with me. When I had a baby who didn’t sleep through the night, she’d show up at my door to spend the night with my baby so I could get some sleep. When we moved into a new house, she helped me clean. And when my children have special events, she’s there. She is one of the most supportive moms I know. I wouldn’t be who I am today without her. I owe her so much and I hope she knows how much I love and admire her.

So many other women have blessed my life in so many ways. Church leaders and friends, grandparents and aunts, co-workers and neighbors, and many more. I am so grateful to all the women in my life. I am enriched and blessed because of you.

(I’ll update this post with pictures tomorrow. And please don’t count how many times I used the words “amazing” and “wonderful.” Like I said. I’m not eloquent.)

{Happy Mother’s Day!}

2011-05-08T07:24:00.000-06:00

I’ll be posting a more serious post later today, but this is my Mother’s Day morning hair. Enjoy!

{Cycles}

2011-05-07T17:17:00.000-06:00

After a delay getting my new bike ready to ride, we finally made it out the door today. And it was a blast!! I couldn’t help but grin from ear-to-ear while I rode up and down our street. Hayden and came with me and had to stay right I think I may have found my new passion! Thank you, thank you, thank you, Sean, for giving me this bike. I feel like a kid again!!

And as soon as the weather warms up, we will be able to take a lot more rides together as a family. Yay!

{Another kitchen appliance I can’t live without}

2011-05-07T13:21:00.000-06:00

I “heart” my smoothie maker. My mom got me a Back to Basics one several years ago for my birthday and I made so many smoothies for my family that we wore it out. Completely. So I started doing some research and ended up getting another Back to Basics machine. But this one was the premium one. It’s got a bigger blender jar that is made from glass, a more powerful motor, and a smoother finish. I love it. My family loves it. We use it for smoothies and for shakes. My favorite features are the stir stick to help move the fruit and ice to blade at the bottom and the dispenser spout. And it’s a quick cleanup. Tis the season for smoothies!

{It’s finally here……}

2011-05-07T13:09:00.000-06:00

I think Spring might finally come. Yay!!

And of course, not to be outdone by wonderful signs of Spring, the detested sure sign of Spring has reared its ugly head all over our yard.

WEEDS:

{Quote - Dorothy C. Fisher}

2011-05-06T09:56:00.000-06:00

{Hayden’s Un-birthday}

2011-05-02T17:08:00.000-06:00

Because Hayden’s birthday is in the summertime, he got to have an un-birthday at school and it was so much fun! I made him a poster with pictures of him over the years, and he got to fill out a birthday book all about him. He answered the questions and colored the pictures. It was so cute. Hayden got to sit with me in front of the class while I went though the booklet and tell about the poster. Then the kids got to ask Hayden questions. Hayden was the center of attention and it was darling. Afterwards, all of the kids got a homemade cookie. And they were so yummy!

Happy Un-Birthday, Hayden!!

Could he BE any cuter?

{Facebook - April 2011}

2011-04-30T19:41:00.000-06:00

Cindy: Scrapbooking digitally on Studio J may be quick and nice for certain things, but traditional scrapbooking simply cannot be beat. (Sat, 30 Apr 2011 03:43:45 GMT)

Cindy: We made prom dresses out of newspaper tonight for YW. The girls had a blast!! I'm glad I'm done with this activity, though. We can finally stop saving all of our newspapers... (Fri, 29 Apr 2011 03:21:38 GMT)

Cindy: I'm outside with the boys playing with sidewalk chalk. Dipper, the cat, is over in the garden going to town on a garden snake. He thinks it's a toy. The poor little snake is dying a slow death. If I could handle it, I'd put the snake out of its misery. But I can't. At least Dipper didn't drag it into the sunroom like he did the last snake!! (Wed, 27 Apr 2011 23:09:50 GMT)

Cindy: I just ordered another 14 layouts from Studio J. Everything is finished now except for Disneyland. Which I'm sure will take another 10 or 12 layouts to complete! That's my project for May. (Wed, 27 Apr 2011 04:08:04 GMT)

Cindy: I love my family. When my mom and dad built a new house six years ago, I was so sad to say goodbye go my childhood home. I thought their new house wouldn't be the same. But you know what? I never even think about or miss the old house. Because home is where they are. I love being there. And we had such a fantastic Easter. (Mon, 25 Apr 2011 03:17:28 GMT)

Cindy: Boil eggs. Check. Make funeral potatoes. Check. Force the kids to play outside because it is so beautiful today. Check. Go to Malad and spend the day with family? Coming right up! (Sun, 24 Apr 2011 20:50:14 GMT)

Cindy: I'm making deviled eggs for family dinner tomorrow. It'll be hard not to eat them all before we get there! Any tips on how to transfer 3 dozen deviled eggs from Logan to Malad? (Sun, 24 Apr 2011 00:14:56 GMT)

Cindy: The guy at the restaurant where we ate today said it was a nice day but it would probably snow tomorrow. Because Utah has bipolar weather. Funny, and so true!!! (Sat, 23 Apr 2011 21:15:54 GMT)

Cindy: Easter eggs hidden. Had to lock up the dog because he kept eating the chocolate. Just waiting for the kids to get home so they can start hunting!! (Sat, 23 Apr 2011 18:28:05 GMT)

Cindy: I'm in the kitchen listening to Jaren, who is in the living room, talk to the Talking Tom app on my iPhone. So cute! (Thu, 21 Apr 2011 03:39:40 GMT)

Cindy: Hayden brings home anywhere from 12 to 17 pages of homework every week. He's in kindergarten!!! I'm about ready to go on a homework strike. It's ridiculous. (Wed, 20 Apr 2011 22:24:26 GMT)

Cindy: I just gave my kids the option of either working in the house or playing outside. They picked playing outside. I'd rather do the work myself and let them get some much needed fresh air. Who knows when we'll see it again? The extended weather forecast has changed four times since yesterday morning. (Tue, 19 Apr 2011 20:56:55 GMT)

Cindy: Got up early to put a load of laundry in the dryer so Jaren would have something to wear to school today. Then I remembered there's no school today. So I went back to bed! (I still put the clothes in the dryer. Last load and then I'm done!) (Tue, 19 Apr 2011 13:17:02 GMT)

Cindy: Oh, and PS - if this weather doesn't get better, ARGHHHH! I want to plant my garden! (Fri, 15 Apr 2011 14:44:25 GMT)

Cindy: It has been a long and interesting week. I'm so glad that it's almost over. But there have been some highlights. A great digital scrapbook class with my good friend, 50 lbs of fresh hamburger (I know, but I love a full freezer!), a great YW activity. But still. I'm so glad the weekend starts today. Six more hours, baby! (Fri, 15 Apr 2011 14:08:41 GMT)

Cindy: We paid someone to power rake our lawn today. It is unbelievable how much thatch we have in our grass. It's going to look so good this year! He's coming back to aerate and fertilize next week. (Wed, 13 Apr 2011 23:14:20 GMT)

Cindy: I need laundering help. I've got a melted cheese oil stain on a white shirt. I used Dawn the first time I washed it to break up the grease. That looks fine. But I can't get out the orange. It has not been dried. Just washed three times. Any suggestions? (Mon, 11 Apr 2011 15:42:44 GMT)

Cindy: I'm selling my Becky Higgins School Kit and expansion pack if anyone is interested. They are brand-new in the box, never been opened. (Sun, 10 Apr 2011 19:15:28 GMT)

Cindy: Taking a break from the To Do's to check out the new Chuck-a-Rama in town. By the kids choice, not my own!!! (Sat, 09 Apr 2011 22:58:15 GMT)

Cindy: Haircuts for the kids? Check. Onward and upward! (Sat, 09 Apr 2011 20:45:00 GMT)

Cindy: My laundry is COMPLETELY finished. Folded AND put away. Anyone who follows me on FB knows that this is a miraculous feat that probably won't be repeated for at least another month or more. Now it's on to cleaning the bathroom and then haircuts for the boys and then preparing my lesson for tomorrow. I'm on a roll baby! (Sat, 09 Apr 2011 18:49:57 GMT)

Cindy: One thing down on the To Do list today. About 399 things to go. (Sat, 09 Apr 2011 16:27:53 GMT)

Cindy: I just finished watching "Social Network". Mark Zuckerburg seems like a real...well, an a**. Makes me question my "membership" in his empire just a little bit. (Sat, 09 Apr 2011 07:22:43 GMT)

Cindy: Sean and I just saw "The King's Speech" with my sisters and BILs. It was a fascinating and wonderful movie!! I absolutely loved it. We all did. Collin Firth and Geoffrey Rush were phenomenal. Now I want to find a biography of King George VI. If anyone knows of a good one, let me know. And go see "The King's Speech"! (Sat, 09 Apr 2011 03:41:39 GMT)

Cindy: ...and now it's snowing. (Thu, 07 Apr 2011 19:01:45 GMT)

Cindy: It is a depressingly rainy day. The farmer's daughter in me rejoices in the moisture. The SAD-sufferer in me longs for sunny Spring. (Thu, 07 Apr 2011 18:17:11 GMT)

Cindy: The sun is shining. I don't care if it's cold. I am just so grateful to see the sun. (Wed, 06 Apr 2011 14:17:29 GMT)

Cindy: This wind is BITING!!!! Brrrrrrr! (Tue, 05 Apr 2011 23:52:19 GMT)

Cindy: I think that's the first time I've ever gone to Target and not spent anything!! (Tue, 05 Apr 2011 23:41:03 GMT)

Cindy: It's not even 10:00 and I can hardly hold my eyes open. I guess the laundry folding will have to wait until tomorrow. It's been four days. What's one more, right? (Tue, 05 Apr 2011 03:59:07 GMT)

Cindy: Ummmmm. Is $1100 worth it to have air conditioning in my car? (Fri, 01 Apr 2011 22:31:31 GMT)

Cindy: It just occurred to me this morning why my eyebrows are so unruly. Perhaps it's because they, like my hair, are naturally curly. I am always plucking out hairs that aren't necessarily stray, just going all over at odd and crazy angles. Huh. Go figure! (Fri, 01 Apr 2011 14:16:35 GMT)

{Slanted}

2011-04-30T19:08:00.000-06:00

Our house is over 50 years old. As such, there are a lot of little bits of curious workmanship. Including this:

This is a level sitting in the middle of my craft room.

Look closely.

See where the bubble it?

As far over as it will go.

So yes, when sit in my office chair, I roll across the floor unless I dig my toes into the floor. It’s rather a pain.

But I sure love my 52-year-old house, crazy quirks and all!

{Beads…or whatever you call those flat glass pebbles you can get at the craft store}

2011-04-28T18:52:00.000-06:00

Hayden’s teacher occasionally sends home teaching bags. Each bag has a theme, whether it is estimation, show and teach, guessing with clues, or something else. He patiently waited all year for the estimation jar. We decided to send it full of these glass pebbles.

When he brought it home the next day, Jaren separated them into colors and made these pictures on the carpet behind the couch. This little project kept him busy for over an hour. Um, super cheap and easy craft for the kids!

{Say “YES” to the Dress}

2011-04-28T17:36:00.000-06:00

The Beehives were in charge of a combined activity this week. We decided to have the girls make formal dresses out of newspaper. I was amazed at the girls and the creations they came up with. They had a blast and I loved taking pictures of them all. We didn’t have a lot of girls show up, so we had three groups of girls and one group of leaders and we ended up with four dresses. We had some of the young men come in for the fashion show and voting. We even had one of the girls determined to wear her dress home. And she did pretty darn good!

Leaders:

Girls, Group 1:

Girls, Group 2:

Girls, Group 3:

The finished masterpieces:

The fashion show:

And the voting:

(I feel so bad that all of my pictures turned out so dark and yellow. Although, I’ve never seen a church picture turn out otherwise. Oh well.)

{Chalk - a summer staple at our house}

2011-04-27T18:39:00.000-06:00

My kids love chalk. Lucky for us, we’ve got a big cement patio in front of the barn. Hayden drew a hopscotch and practiced his jumping. It was so stinking cute.

He drew so much, he only had a little stub left. (And he wanted you to see it!)

And then he posed like “America’s Next Top Model” is his dream job.

{More Scrapbooking}

2011-04-27T16:33:00.001-06:00

Our Las Vegas hotel

USS Midway

San Diego Zoo

Coronado Island

Maritime Museum

Random San Diego

Huntington Beach

St. George

My title page and closing page for my album

I have been loving this digital scrapbooking. I’ve completed 23 layouts and now all I have left is Disneyland. Which will probably be another 23 layouts, based on how many pictures I took during those three days.

{Ranger’s Apprentice}

2011-04-26T14:50:00.000-06:00

My sisters have raved about a great book series by John Flanagan called “Ranger’s Apprentice”. They are children’s fantasy novels and I knew Sean would like them, so I got them all for him for Christmas last year. He quickly read all nine. Well, after Jaren had either read or listened Harry Potter six or seven times, he was finally ready to move on and has really broadened his reading horizons the last few months. But one day, he was lamenting our lack of new and exciting reading options and so I talked him into starting the Ranger’s Apprentice series. He whipped through them in no time. The latest, and last, book came from Amazon today. Jaren is currently devouring it as I write this. (Sean has to wait - Jaren is too impatient!) I’m sure he’ll want to stay up until the wee hours of the morning reading. I’m so grateful that he loves to read. What a blessing that is to me as a parent and what a blessing it is to him. That love and desire will serve him well his entire life.

PS - Any recommendations on great another great series he can read? He’s starting Fablehaven as soon as he’s done with RA.

{Say what?}

2011-04-25T21:32:00.001-06:00

$4880

What does this number represent, you ask? Let me explain.

Have you ever heard of $Flex accounts? I hope you said yes, because I don’t want to explain the nitty gritty. Basically, it’s a way to pay for medical and health expenses pre-tax through payroll deductions. We opted to have $4180 withheld from Sean’s checks during his current benefit year, which runs from July 1 to June 30. My company just started a $Flex account that runs through the calendar year and I elected to withhold $700. Are you getting it? The number above is the total amount Sean and I have available for medical expenses.

And it’s gone. When I pulled out the $Flex card to pay for Sean’s appendix bill, imagine my surprise when I learned we only had about $350 left on his card! And the total bill that we owed for the hospital, the surgeon, and the anesthesiologist was close to $1700. I used all $700 of my $Flex money and the rest of his $Flex money and still ended up writing a check for over $600.

That’s right. Between July 1 of last year and around the middle of March, we’ve spent well over $5,000 on medical bills and expenses. And since we sometimes forget the card and use cash or check to pay for co-pays and prescriptions, the number is even a little bit higher.

I’m grateful for insurance, because I shudder to think what our bills would be without it. But man, that’s a lot of money.

{Cowboys}

2011-04-24T17:26:00.000-06:00

**Amazing Race Spoiler Alert**

I bid a fond farewell to the Cowboys from the Amazing Race. I rooted for them the first time they ran it and I rooted for them this time. They were perfect gentlemen. Patient with each other and kind to all the people they met. They were always smiling and took their mistakes in stride. They were ready for adventure and faced it head-on. Cord even bungee jumped with his cowboy hat on! They were true to themselves the whole race. I’ll miss them a lot. I’m not sure to root for anymore. Maybe Gary and Mallory.

{Easter Egg Hunt 2011}

2011-04-23T18:36:00.000-06:00

Despite our wonderful yard, we’ve somehow started a tradition where we go to Sean’s mom and dad’s for our Easter Egg Hunt. This year was no exception. The kids slept over the night before and went with their grandma and grandpa to help clean a rental house, which was the perfect time for Sean and I to hide the eggs. I bought a few extras this year that I ended up just poking in the ground because they wouldn’t fit in a plastic egg.

The boys had a great time hunting. We didn’t count the eggs while we hiding them, so who knows if they were all found!

We decided to forego Easter gifts this year. It just gets so expensive. We just did candy. That’s how I grew up, and I think it’s a good way to go. They were perfectly happy with some sweet treats!

{Quote - Dalai Lama}

2011-04-20T07:44:00.000-06:00

{Springtime Playtime}

2011-04-16T18:02:00.000-06:00

We took our two nephews with us to see “Rio” and after we got home, we sent all four of the boys outside to play in the backyard.

It was a little chilly, but we made them get some fresh air anyway. We have four foam sword-type toys that are huge hits with every child. They played “War” for over an hour.

Dipper, doing his best to avoid the front line, retreated to a treetop lookout and watched the action from above.

Despite the chilly weather, a good time was had by all.

(Don’t you just love my kids in their bare feet and flip flops?)

{I’m so excited I can hardly stand it!}

2011-04-16T15:40:00.001-06:00

Check out my new acquisition!! And they were FREE! (Okay, it was a trade. I did some accounting work. He made my garden boxes.)

They are all 4x4 boxes and I am going to plant my garden using the square-foot gardening method. As soon as I think this weather is going to stay a little more consistent. I might not fill up all three this year, but I love looking at them. Aren’t they pretty?

PS - They clearly are not staying in the front yard. That’s just where I told my guy to put them. I still haven’t quite nailed down where the permanent spot will be. Somewhere sunny where I can see them every day. And they need to be squirted off. But aren’t they pretty?

{Look what I did!}

2011-03-31T18:13:00.003-06:00

I have spent several, but not in excess, hours the last few weeks digitally scrapbooking layouts for our California trip. My plan is the print them all into a Shutterfly book for the coffee table in the living room. That way, we’ll all look at it often and can remember the good times we had.

I have a friend who is a Close to my Heart consultant. I love the company. I love their products. And my consultant is the best! Let me know if you’d like her contact information. I would be willing to share her.

These are the layouts I did for Legoland.

And for Sea World:

Two days down and only eight more to go!

{March 2011 Facebook}

2011-03-31T14:44:00.000-06:00

Cindy: Driving down Main Street with the windows down on a sunny 30 degree day = Spring Fever in Utah. (Tue, 01 Mar 2011 22:14:23 GMT)

Cindy: Starting to pack. My mile-long list is slowly getting crossed off. I love crossing things off lists! (Wed, 02 Mar 2011 00:19:14 GMT)

Cindy: Vegas Baby!!!! Hi Michelle! Hi Vanessa! (Fri, 04 Mar 2011 04:17:17 GMT)

Cindy: So totally unimpressed with In-N-Out. Completely. We're 5 Guys fans through and through. (Fri, 04 Mar 2011 19:50:07 GMT)

Cindy: Riverside, CA......hi Dave and Diane! (Fri, 04 Mar 2011 20:58:37 GMT)

Cindy: The Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham in San Diego is one of the coolest hotels I've ever been to. Secluded, quiet rooms, beautiful walkway to the rooms. Two bedrooms, two bathrooms, a fully stocked kitchen. I am duly impressed and we've only been here for ten minutes. So far, it's highly recommended in my book. And did I mention it's also very reasonably priced? (Sat, 05 Mar 2011 02:23:04 GMT)

Cindy: Even at Target in San Diego, I can't leave without spending $300. (Sat, 05 Mar 2011 18:03:15 GMT)

Cindy: The San Diego zoo? I thought the Hogle Zoo was steep! It's got nothing on today's experience. Grateful for moving walkways, buses, and the skyfari. Loved seeing the pandas and the koalas. And the baby hippo. Then we went to Coronado Island via the San Diego - Coronado Bay Bridge and ate our lunch at the park and played on the beach. Then back across the bridge to go to the Maritime Museum. Great day! (Mon, 07 Mar 2011 02:33:57 GMT)

Cindy: On the Coastal Cruise at Legoland. Lovin' it!! (Mon, 07 Mar 2011 19:11:17 GMT)

Cindy: At Tony Roma's across the street from Disneyland. We're meeting Mickey tomorrow! (Tue, 08 Mar 2011 02:36:40 GMT)

Cindy: Disneyland rocks!!!! So lovin' it! (Tue, 08 Mar 2011 22:33:55 GMT)

Cindy: The day just took a turn for the worse. I've lost my camera. (Tue, 08 Mar 2011 23:01:16 GMT)

Cindy: Thank you, thank you, thank you to the nameless but honest stranger who turned in my camera. You answered many prayers and made me cry. (Wed, 09 Mar 2011 03:54:21 GMT)

Cindy: 81 degrees in Anaheim today. Could not have been a better day. And today, I tied my camera to myself. No lost items today!!! (Thu, 10 Mar 2011 01:20:26 GMT)

Cindy: My kids are going to be scarred for life. I made them do Space Mountain yesterday and they hated it. Then I made them do Matterhorn today because I thought it would be tamer. They hated that, too. Jaren actually came off crying. I told them I wouldn't make them do Thunder Mountain Railroad. We'll be lucky to get them to ride Casey's train that is a jr. roller coaster in Toontown tomorrow. (Thu, 10 Mar 2011 03:27:29 GMT)

Cindy: Toontown is just as cool as I remember it being 20 years ago when I first saw it. (Thu, 10 Mar 2011 19:04:29 GMT)

Cindy: Funny how a 30" Buzz Lightyear balloon can totally make a five-year-old's day. especially after meeting the real Buzz earlier today! (Fri, 11 Mar 2011 01:58:35 GMT)

Cindy: Beach closed due to the tsunami. :( (Fri, 11 Mar 2011 21:58:32 GMT)

Cindy: We've been so spoiled. Even St. George feels cold. We'll freeze when we get home tomorrow! (Sat, 12 Mar 2011 05:51:35 GMT)

Cindy: Home again, home again, jiggity jig. (Sun, 13 Mar 2011 01:10:13 GMT)

Cindy: See how my status does not say "via iPhone"? That's right! I'm posting from my home computer. Yay! We're finally home! (Sun, 13 Mar 2011 03:14:25 GMT)

Cindy: Game night with the kids - Sorry, Spot It, and The Scrambled States of America. Good times! (Tue, 15 Mar 2011 03:58:53 GMT)

Cindy: You know how your washer has a delay start? I've finally been taking full advantage of it. Throw in the last load of the day and delay start for 8 hours. Throw a load in in the morning and delay start for 5 hours. That way, either when I get up or when I get home from work, I have a fresh load of laundry to change instead of one that smells like wet dog. I love it when I'm smart like that. (Wed, 16 Mar 2011 20:36:30 GMT)

Cindy: I'm having major issues posting to Blogger from Windows Live Writer. Anyone else having similar problems? (Wed, 16 Mar 2011 23:34:09 GMT)

Cindy: I'm so tired. Why can't I go to sleep? (Thu, 17 Mar 2011 06:56:20 GMT)

Cindy: My friend and I are conducting an unofficial survey. If you work outside the home and are not self-employed, how many vacation and sick days do you get per year from your employer? And does it increase the longer you're employed? (Thu, 17 Mar 2011 17:59:00 GMT)

Cindy: Thanks to my big sis!! She hosted a great anniversary dinner for Sean and I. Happy 14th, babe!! (Mon, 21 Mar 2011 02:23:34 GMT)

Cindy: Sunshine makes everything better. (Wed, 23 Mar 2011 16:43:32 GMT)

Cindy: I can't wait for 2:00. (Fri, 25 Mar 2011 17:08:13 GMT)

Cindy: Watching "Holes" with the family. Jaren just read it this week to pass off a Newbery. Favorite line of the whole movie coming up. (Sat, 26 Mar 2011 03:30:05 GMT)

Cindy: Jon Voight: Let me tell you boys a story. Once upon a time, there was a place where it never rained. The end. Now get back to work! (Sat, 26 Mar 2011 04:16:54 GMT)

Cindy: I'm awake. It's 2:16 a.m. Come sleep!! Come!! (Sat, 26 Mar 2011 08:07:30 GMT)

Cindy: Dinner at the in-laws. Yummy!!! (Sun, 27 Mar 2011 00:54:50 GMT)

Cindy: In Malad for family dinner. (Sun, 27 Mar 2011 23:24:52 GMT)

Cindy: I'm sitting here on YouTube listening to theme songs from old movies and TV shows and Sean is guessing which show/movie it's from. He's really good! So fun! What memories - Wonder Woman, Knight Rider, Dallas (I didn't watch it - my dad did), Last of the Mohicans, Pirates, Jurassic Park, and more and more. Try it! It's fun! (Tue, 29 Mar 2011 02:48:02 GMT)

Cindy: Doesn't make sense, does it? Homeless in the US go without eating. Elderly in the US go without needed medicines. Mentally ill in the US go without treatment. American troops go without proper equipment. American veterans go without benefits that were promised. Yet we donate billions to other countries before helping our own first. (Wed, 30 Mar 2011 18:16:16 GMT)

Cindy: Sean just gave me the best news ever!!! (Thu, 31 Mar 2011 00:36:15 GMT)

Cindy: I've done 5 12x12 2-page layouts today. While helping with homework, making dinner, and doing laundry. How, you ask? Why through Studio J, Close to My Heart's digital design program. I love it! I'm doing our whole Disneyland trip digitally. I just may have to do more of it. It's sure quick! And the layouts look great. I can't wait to get them printed. (Thu, 31 Mar 2011 05:17:01 GMT)

{Southern California - Days 9 & 10}

2011-03-23T17:57:00.000-06:00

We were on our way home. While the rest of us went up to breakfast, Heather started packing the car. When I say it was full, I might not even be telling the whole truth. Ellie actually had to sit on the Thule to get it closed. We had dirty clothes stuffed under every seat and in between suitcases. Things were under our legs. We were packed in like sardines. Seven people is a lot of bodies. Add to that luggage and souvenirs and it makes for a full house. But Heather worked her magic and we made it all fit.

We made our way to Huntington Beach. I had to take a picture of the Tom Tom showing Highway 1 and the street sign showing the Pacific Coast Highway. I’d love, someday, to take a trip where I can drive all along the coast of Oregon and California along the Pacific Coast Highway. That would be such an adventure.

As we had feared, the beach was closed when we got there. See, the day that we had planned on going to the beach was also the day that Japan experienced a massive earthquake of it’s coast, causing a tsunami whose waves reached the Pacific shores. And because of that, the beach was closed. Closed!! Our kids were so sad. But we decided to get out and let them at least walk in the sand at the very top of the beach, near the parking lot. Even though the waves just looked a little choppy, we learned later that a bit further north from where we were, the tsunami aftereffects capsized several boats, ripped apart a pier, and actually pulled one man out to sea. We tried to make do with the situation we were given.

We were trying to get them to jump at the same time. Um, didn’t quite happen. Photoshop anyone?

It didn’t work off the wall, either.

Sean would love living at the beach. When we are millionaires, we’re there.

Hayden never wanted to leave. I think he was most taken with it. I felt so bad that we couldn’t really do anything. So sad!!

Despite our promises, we made it to St. George too late to swim. So we simply went to bed. We were all exhausted. Don’t you love this bed that came out of the wall? Coolest hotel room ever. But I guess it wasn’t really a hotel. It was a condo available as part of travel packages that people buy. Heather’s friends got it for us and it was so great.

The next morning, it was swim time. And lots of it.

Heather and Sean and I simply enjoyed the sun. Even though it was only around 60 degrees, the weather was perfect. I even had to take my jacket off. We all relaxed and read while the kids splashed around. I could have spent the entire day at the pool.

After we packed up, we grabbed a quick lunch and Five Guys, and then we headed home. We pulled in after dark and got all of Heather’s stuff unloaded. Then we went home and got all of our stuff unloaded. And then we left all of it in the living room and crashed. We were home. It was good to be in our own beds. Home.

{Southern California - Day 8}

2011-03-22T17:33:00.000-06:00

We knew we were headed to Toontown first thing, and the quickest way to get there is the train. We got past the ticket counters without incident. Finally!! But while making our way to the train station, we ran into a couple of friends that we just had to stop and say “Hello” to.

Ellie had been dying to meet a princess. We didn’t see a.single.one. Not one. The entire three days. So Alice in Wonderland would have to do. Hayden took a seat on top of a nearby garbage can to check out his map while Ellie got her picture with Alice. I thought it was cute, but a cast member came over and made him get down. Oops! And then, just a minute after that, we saw Pluto. Hayden had been talking about Pluto since day one, so this was a wonderful treat!! (Don’t look too closely at Hayden’s hand. He sort of looks like he’s trying to “grab” Pluto in a not very nice spot!)

We finally made it to Toontown. I absolutely adore that place. It’s literally like walking into a cartoon. I couldn’t stop taking pictures. Here are just a random few that I took. Trust me, there’s so many more!!

First stop? Minnie’s house:

Everything is so exaggerated. I could have taken pictures of every little thing. It really was so cool. If you’ve never been, it’s definitely something worth going for. Her kitchen was awesome. A working washing machine, a fridge full of food. Ellie loved the ginormous light switches. And the chair and bed might have looked comfy, but they were rock hard!!

Then it was on to Mickey’s house. It was great fun. He had a garage and a workroom, a dog house for Pluto. Again, everything is exaggerated, but just so, so cool. The details are exquisite. It might be a cartoon, but there were no shortcuts when planning and designing this area.

We were lucky because we got to meet Mickey twice. Once in his entryway and then again in his studio that is connected to his house.

The kids went to Chip ‘n’ Dale’s house while Sean and Hayden rode the little Casey Jr.’s train roller-coaster. (None of the big kids would even touch it with a 10-foot-pole. We seriously have ruined them!) Look closely. Hayden and Sean are in the fourth seat from the back.

We did a few other Toontown things, like drive Mickey’s car, lift some weights, and escape from jail. (It’s one of my fondest memories of my first visit to Toontown!)

Then we went to see this guy in action:

Once we left Toontown, we decided to ride all of the classic Disney rides in Fantasyland.

Alice in Wonderland:

Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride:

Snow White and the Seven Dwarves:

Peter Pan:

And Pinocchio’s Daring Journey (no pictures!).

And then we got hungry. For some famous Disneyland churros.

And visited the Rabbit’s house:

And took another Sleeping Beauty's castle shot:

Then we (sans older kids) rode Thunder Mountain Railroad:

And the Matterhorn again (Hayden rode both with us):

And then we needed some down time. So I bought the kids these Buzz Lightyear bubble guns. Actually, they bought them. And we found a bench and blew bubbles for fifteen minutes. Bubbles are always a hit, even in Disneyland! It was a much needed break and rest. And then we were ready to go some more.

We split up. Sean took Rachel, Ellie, and Jaren to Inoventions. Heather went to get a corndog. And I took Hayden in search of his most favorite character, Buzz Lightyear. I asked several people where we could find him. And when I finally nailed it down, we stalked him. We sat and waited where we knew he would come out and sure enough, before too much longer, there he was! We were first in line. Hayden was so excited….

Hayden played with this marble water ball while we waited for everyone to get back.

Then Sean took all of the kids to ride Autopia again while Heather and I went to Captain EO. Lame, I know. But it brought back some fun memories from our first trip to Disneyland, over 25 years ago!

We rode a few more rides, repeats of ones we loved and then headed for the gates. We figured we’d better get one shot in front of the flowered Mickey’s head, a classic Disneyland photo op.

And then we left. We were done. Disneyland was over. We walked back to our hotel and got jackets and then made our way back to California Adventure where we picked up our pre-ordered picnic dinners and went to get a spot for World of Color by the pier. (We decided to do the picnic lunch, and you can’t pre-order on the day of the show, and that’s why we didn’t go yesterday but chose to go today instead.)

One really funny thing happened while we were there. Jaren got his leg stuck between the bars of the railing. I don’t know how he got it in there, but it was stuck. Somehow, it was wedged. And it was his knee that was causing all of the problems. Those of you who know Jaren know that he tends to be a wee over-dramatic and exaggerate things just a tiny bit. Well, you’d have thought that we were going to have to amputate his leg the way he was carrying on. He was a basket-case. Finally, some very nice people standing next to us, probably in an effort to just get him to stop crying, offered their bottle of sunscreen. Heather gooped it all over his leg and POP!, it slid right out. Phew! Glad we didn’t have to call the fire department!

World of Color is an amazing light show over the water. It was indescribable. I’ve never seen anything like it. I almost didn’t go because my feet hurt so bad. I’m not kidding when I say that I have never felt pain like that in my feet before. They were so bruised and sore from all the walking I’d done the last seven days, and they were screaming to rest. Screaming to be done. But boy am I glad I went. Don’t ever miss this show if you are in Disneyland. It is worth the wait. Truly.

The best part is when scenes from classic Disney movies play on a sheen of water. Water! Who’d’ve thunk?

And even though my feet were screaming at me and I was feeling an excruciating pain in both of them, we made the long trek back to the hotel. Did I mention it was right across the street? Well, as close as it was, I think it was the longest walk of my life. But still, as I walked under that welcome sign for the last time, I was so sad that we weren’t going back. It was over. The whole thing. I wished so badly we could have stayed at least another day. Sore feet and all.

While Heather and Sean and I scrambled to get packing, the kids took some goofy pictures of Hayden.

And then we fell into bed exhausted. Home was on the horizon.

{Southern California - Day 7}

2011-03-21T19:31:00.000-06:00

We started the day by going straight to California Adventure to get our fast passes for World of Color. We had heard that they go fast, so we left Sean home to finish getting ready. He slept in because the toilet flooded during the night, worse than he’s ever seen, he said. He even had to call the front desk to get more towels. Water was flowing into the kitchen. It was a mess, and he didn’t wake anyone up to help. So needless to say, he was extremely tired. Anyway, we were smart and left his ticket this time so he could at least get in on his own! Again, thank heavens for cell phones so we could all stay connected! Almost the first thing we saw when we got to California Adventure were two “people” who Hayden adores.

This was definitely one of the highlights for Hayden. Life-size Mater and Lightning McQueen cars! We missed the new Cars area, set to open later this year in connection with the release of “Cars 2.” But we’ll definitely be catching it next time! It was around this time that I got a call from Sean. He had a pocket knife in his pocket and the security guard saw it and wouldn’t let him in. He said he could either throw it away (not an option, since it was a $40 knife), or take it back to his hotel. So he opted to take it back. We apparently have bad luck getting into the park.

While we waited for him, we decided to ride Soarin’ over California, a ride that I knew Sean would love, but I also knew we would have time to go on it again.

Imagine sitting in a very long ski lift chair, about 12 seats long. Each person has their own seat and seat belt. Then imagine that there is a huge half-dome directly in front of you. It looks like it’s been cut in half from top to bottom. As the ride starts, wind rushes in your face and your ski lift seat suddenly raises you up and into the half dome, where a movie is playing. Basically, it’s as if you are paragliding or helicoptering over California. The chairs move in such a way that you really feel yourself lift and turn and swoop. When you “fly” over an orange field, you can smell the oranges. When you swoop down near the ocean, you can feel the water spray your feet. Near the end, you fly over Disneyland at night and watch a fireworks show over the castle. It is truly one of the neatest rides I’ve ever been on. The kids all loved it and instantly wanted to go again. So we did.

We were still waiting for Sean, so after that ride, we wandered over to the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail, which is basically a huge climbing fort for kids. Heather and I sat in the shade and let the kids run around. When we finally met up with Sean, we made our way back to Soarin’ Over California so Sean could ride it and then headed toward the Paradise Pier.

First stop? Toy Story Mania. The other Toy Story ride, one that we’d heard was actually better than Astro Blasters. The line was very long. Definitely one of the longest we waited in. But the ride was fun. It was a 3-D attraction where you shoot Nerf guns at targets, kind of like you’re at a carnival game, except the Nerf bullets were digital and 3-D. I spent most of my time trying to take pictures of Sean and Rachel and Jaren in the car next to me. Heather and Ellie were behind me, and Hayden is hidden by Sean. This is the best I could do!

After Toy Story Mania, we took a ride on the giant Ferris wheel pictured above. About half of the cars are stationary and half of them are on tracks so that as the wheel turns, the cars slide back and forth. (Look closely in the picture above. See the ovals circling the wheel? Those are the tracks the cars slid on.) The kids, still freaked out by the roller coasters the day before, went with Sean on a stationary car. (He was afraid he’d get motion sickness, so he was fine with that arrangement.) Heather and I took a sliding car. It was kind of nice to kick back for a minute and just visit, although there was one time the car was sliding and it rocked back and forth so hard we kind of thought we were going to fall right in the water! Of course, we didn’t. Super fun, though. I’d recommend the sliding cars to anyone.

Then, Hayden got to have another really cool meet-n-greet. With Woody! And a green army man, of course. The Disney helper let us all know that Woody was only going to be there for another 15 minutes or so and then Jessie was coming to replace him. I was silently urging the line forward and was quite perturbed at the parents who encouraged their children to not just hug Woody and get their picture taken with him, but to talk to him and give him high five. Then there were the parents who had to have their own pictures taken with Woody. One with Woody, Dad, and kid. One with Woody, Mom, and kid. One with just Woody and kid. And then one with Woody and Mom and Dad. I was getting so frustrated. I told Hayden we would give him a hug, snap a picture, and be done so someone else could have a turn. As it turns out, right after we snapped our picture (which turned out fuzzy because I was in such a hurry), Woody took Hayden’s hand, led him out of the pavilion area, met Jessie on the sidewalk, had Hayden give her a high five, and then high-fived Hayden one more time and then took off. I wish I’d have had my camera ready! So really, he got to meet both of them!

By this time, we were hot and tired, so we walked across the pier and found an ice cream stand. What a relief!! It tasted so good. We found some shade and rested for a bit.

Just as we were finishing up, another opportunity came our way.

Hayden was getting really into the character thing!! I’m so glad. What’s Disneyland without the characters?

We were winding down in California Adventure. We headed over to Bug’s Life and Hayden ran through a sprinkler for a minute. Then we found Tuck ‘n’ Roll’s Buggie bumper cars. Something else they can drive all by themselves? It was a hit! They all rode two or three times and had a great time. Why don’t I have pictures of Jaren and Rachel, I wonder?

Heather had been looking for some food down near the Pier and caught up with us there. We walked to Hollywood Land, a really neat area that literally looks like a Hollywood movie set. It feels really cool. We passed Hollywood Tower of Terror, but did not ride. None of us were interested in that.

We came upon the Monster’s Inc. ride and went right in. I loved the replica of Boo’s door at the entrance. It was so cute!! The line was literally non-existent, so we decided to ride twice.

Some shots Heather I took in the ride. Very well done. As far as the slow-moving rides like this one was, it was one of my favorites. So well designed down to every little detail. The factory with all the doors was my favorite scene but the picture I took didn’t work out.

After that, we decided we were done with California Adventure. We slowly made our way back to Disneyland where we went to New Orleans Square to do the Haunted Mansion again, then Pirates again, and then Indiana Jones again. This time I went. It was an okay ride, I guess. A little too bumpy for me. But that part where the huge rocks is rolling toward you? Um, yeah. A little freaky.

While we rode, Heather took Hayden and Ellie to some shops where Hayden was determined to become a pirate.

After those three rides, we hopped on the train again and went to…

…you guessed it - Autopia. Seriously, if I had known the kids were going to love it this much, I would have saved my money and just bought them a Go-Kart. Okay, not really. But honestly! Of all the rides in Disneyland and California Adventure, this is the one they kept begging to come back to?? Oh well.

Then we got back on the train once more. (Seriously, that train saved my bacon. After so many days of “Lands”, as Hayden called them, my feet were begging for some relief. We utilized that train to take us to every area of the park that we could. It made it easier to get from one place to another.) This time, we went to Mickey’s Toontown. We had looked on my phone and discovered there were quite a few places to eat there, so we decided we’d finally have some dinner. Sean and I and the kids all got personal pizzas, and they were good! I loved the crust. Since we’d had ice cream for lunch, we ate every single bite. It was so yummy.

Then since we were right there, we decided to ride It’s A Small World. Boy, that ride has totally changed since I was a kid. They still sing the same song over and over and over and over and over and over and over and over again. But for some reason, it’s much cuter.

I know that it got a major overhaul several years ago. It now incorporates many of the “new” Disney characters.

And then after Small World? Back to Autopia. That’s right. We went there twice. And while Heather went to ride Space Mountain again (I am seriously regretting not going with her), Sean and I watched the kids ride Autopia (probably four or five times) until right before 9:00, at which point we had to practically drag them off kicking and screaming so we could catch the train back to the entrance of the park. We stayed so late that we didn’t even let the kids swim this night. We just went to the hotel and went to bed. An exhausting day, but so wonderful! I was so sad to realize that the next day was our last day. It wasn't enough time! We needed another day! There was still so much to do!

(Man, these blog posts take forever! I’ve been sitting here for over an hour!)

{Fourteen years and counting}

2011-03-20T14:34:00.000-06:00

Happy Anniversary, Babe!

It’s been a wild ride - here’s to 14 more!!

{Southern California - Day 6 (Part 2) and (a miracle)}

2011-03-20T10:04:00.000-06:00

…dreadfully, horribly wrong.

We’d already missed out on a couple of hours of Disneyland that day, but we were ready to play the rest of the day, all the way until 9:00 when the park closed. But Sean stayed behind at the hotel to finish taking his medicine and finish getting refreshed. So we left him there and took off. And thought things would be just fine until we realized, as we were re-entering the park, that he couldn’t get in without his ticket, and I had the ticket in my bag. So I called him (how did we ever near the ticket booths in the plaza by the Mickey Mouse head made of flowers.

We finally spotted him, and right as I saw him, I realized that I couldn’t just hand him his ticket through the ticket counter. People could buy one ticket and then hand it someone else to enter the park. I knew I would have to get my hand stamped and then use two tickets to get us both back in. This occurred to me within a matter of milliseconds, so I jumped up and scooted through the exit gates to re-enter with Sean.

Once we got through, we gathered all of the kids and quickly made our way to the Main Street train station. We were headed to New Orleans Square. Once we got off the train, a couple of the kids needed to use the restroom, and I waited on a bench (in the shade - it was hot!). Once our group was all back together again, we stood up to go to the Haunted Mansion. All of sudden, it dawned on me. “Where’s my camera?” I asked. It was no where to be found.

To make a long story much shorter, Sean and I spent the next two hours asking cast member after cast member if anyone had seen my camera or turned it in. We were directed by the train engineers, who communicated between both trains that were running that day, to go to the Main Street station as they hadn’t had anything turned into them directly. We were directed by the engineer at the Main Street station to check the Lost & Found area near the entrance to California Adventure. My hopes lifted when the four people in front of me all found what they were looking for. But alas, I was not so lucky. We were then directed by the Lost & Found cast members to check with City Hall in Disneyland around 8:30 as any lost items were to be taken there at the end of the cast member’s shift who received the item. Then at 9:00, the official Lost & Found office gathered the items from City Hall to keep them all in one place. I also had to fill out a bunch of paperwork indicating my name, address, and a detailed description of the camera including the last pictures that were taken on it.

Okay, maybe the story isn’t much shorter. Anyway. We finally made our way back to the Main Street Station and took the train back to New Orleans Square. By this point, I was convinced I’d never see my camera again and all the pictures I had taken on our trip up to that point were lost. During the time Sean and I had been camera hunting, Heather had taken the kids on the Haunted Mansion, which they all loved. (Thank heaven for Heather on more than one occasion during this trip. She saved us so many times! She was wonderful.) After the Haunted Mansion, she took the kids over to Tom Sawyer’s Island, which is now a Pirate Themed Island centered around Pirates of the Caribbean. They were still there when we got back to New Orleans Square. She told us - again on the cell phone - to ride the Haunted Mansion and we’d meet up afterwards. By this point, I was determined to be positive and not let my missing camera ruin my day. I loved the Haunted Mansion. It has always been a favorite of mine and it was fun to actually ride a ride with Sean, since usually one or the other of us was alone while the other one went with one of the kids.

Here are the pictures Heather took on the Pirate Island.

I can’t really tell you much about this adventure because I didn’t go. But Heather let them run for quite some time to get out burn up serious pent up energy. My boys’ favorite was the raft ride over the river and back.

Once we were all back together again, we headed for Pirates of the Caribbean. One of my all time favorite rides. It’s been completely overhauled since the last time I was at Disney. While it is definitely still Pirates, they’ve incorporated more of the movie, including several characters and the music. Jack Sparrow appears several times, as does Captain Barbosa and Davy Jones. Davy Jones appears as an apparition in a sheet of mist. Can you see him?

And my favorite scene from when I was a kid, although it’s been revamped a bit - the pirate trying to sell the ladies into marriages.

Everyone but me then went to explore Tarzan’s treehouse. I’m so disappointed that it’s not the Swiss Family Robinson treehouse anymore. That was seriously cool. Especially after watching the movie. You could just imagine that a house in the trees would really work. And you wanted to live there sooooo bad. But here are some pictures from the Tarzan treehouse.

After Tarzan, we headed around the corner to Indiana Jones. Hayden wasn’t tall enough to ride it. I don’t understand why he couldn’t ride that one but he was cleared to ride Space Mountain. Huh. Anyway, Heather had been on it before so she stayed with Hayden and went looking for some food while the rest of us went on the ride. Ellie was really nervous about the ride, especially after Space Mountain that morning. The fear of the unknown was finally too much, and she decided she didn’t want to go, so I sat out the ride with her and waited while Sean and Rachel and Jaren went on it. They all loved it. Jaren had a hard time choosing which was his favorite ride, that or Autopia. Once we came out, the kids wanted to go again, so the three of them went again and Heather tagged along with them this time while I sat outside with Ellie and Hayden.

We told the kids that we were going to ride the Matterhorn. All of us. After Space Mountain that morning, they all freaked out. Except Hayden. But tough love prevailed, and we forced them all to go. Of course Hayden loved it. Everyone else? Not so much. This time, Ellie came with me and she was screaming “Make it stop!” and “I want to get off!” the whole time. I think we’re done with roller coasters. Lesson learned: we should have started small and worked our way up. Not the other way around.

By this time it was almost dark and we were hungry. So we went in search of the famous Disneyland corn dogs we’ve all heard so much about. And we found them. And they were Y.U.M.M.Y. Hand-dipped goodness fried in oil. What could be bad about that? The kids all agreed. Super yummy stuff.

The park was closing soon, and we were already on Main Street so we made our way towards City Hall. This was the moment of truth. The moment I had been dreading but yet anticipating all day. The moment when I would learn if Disneyland really is the happiest place on Earth.

One cast member manning the desk.

One person in line in front of me.

It’s my turn. I describe the camera. He goes to the back.

He’s talking to someone. I’m waiting. He’s trying to help two people at once. I’m waiting.

He asks me what the last pictures I took were. He’s looking. I’m waiting. I’m giving up hope.

He’s talking to someone else in the back. And then his head pokes around the corner. And then his arm. He’s holding a camera.

“Is this it?” he asks.

I started to cry. I asked him if I could give him a hug. He just squeezed my hand really hard and told me he was so glad he had it. I filled out some paperwork. I said a prayer of thanks. I was so incredibly grateful. There’s no way to know who turned it in or where. But I was so touched.

After discussing it with Heather and Sean, we came to a conclusion. Disneyland is different from the outside world. There are people from all walks of life, all races, from all over the world. Young families, couples, teenagers, empty-nesters. But when you’re there, it really is like you’re a great big family. Everyone is kinder. Everyone watches out for others. People are polite and for the most part patient. We experienced little acts of kindness time after time after time while we were there. Just little things. But those things make a difference. People understand that a lost camera at Disneyland represents more than a missing asset. It’s missing memories. It’s a record of the entire vacation. It’s a devastating loss. And someone turned it in. My angel. Had I lost that camera anywhere else in Anaheim, I probably would have never seen it again. But people are different at Disneyland. It really is the Happiest Place on Earth.

The kids begged and begged to go swimming. It was late. But we figured - what the heck? So we let them get suited up to swim for half an hour. That half an hour eventually turned into an hour, but as I sat outside and watched them, snapping pictures on my miracle camera, I was just so content. And they were so happy. A perfect ending to a perfect day.

And then? The two little ones crashed. Sleep came quickly. Three to a bed meant serious snuggling and I’m sure the dreams were happy ones, filled with memories of the best day ever.

{Southern California - Day 6 (Part 1) and (a major surprise pulled off!)}

2011-03-19T21:29:00.000-06:00

This post is going to sound much like a boring travelogue to some of you. Because our first day in Disneyland, at least the first few hours, was mostly that. Just a log. But for my own personal remembrance sake, I’m gonna give all the details. Skim if you must. (That’s for you, Dad!) But at least you’ve been forewarned.

The day started early for me. As in six in the a.m. You see, unbeknownst to my children, two of their favorite cousins and their mom, one of my favorite sisters (I have three, you know. Favorites. Wait. Make that four.) were doing this:

Because for the past five weeks or so, we had all pulled off the surprise of the century. The girls even knew and didn’t say a word to my kids. A.Maze.Ing. Simply amazing. I can’t tell you how many times Sean or I almost slipped and accidentally said something that would have given it away.

Even though we were on our way to Disneyland, the day didn’t quite start out like we’d all hoped. Heather had texted me first thing that morning to let me know the plane was loaded and they were on time. But after that, her phone died. So she couldn’t text me again to tell me that they were de-icing the plane and they sat on the runway for over an hour before they finally took off. I have a friend from high school who lives in the area and he recommended that I leave no later than 6:45 or I would run into traffic. I chose to play it safe and leave at 6:35. But not knowing that the plane was late, I ended up circling the airport, which is tiny and one circle around took about three minutes and that’s if I was driving 15 mph, for an hour. I couldn’t stop because there was a cop making sure on one was on the curb just waiting. And the airport is under major construction and there were no parking lots available for just a few minutes. So anyway, after an hour plus of random driving, I was finally able to take this shot:

I was so excited, I could barely contain myself. Seeing as how they’d been up since 3:30, they were all famished. So we pulled out my trusty little iPhone and found a McDonalds that was close by to get them some food. I was hungry, too, since I’d left the hotel before they’d started serving breakfast. The McDonalds was in the parking lot of a Target, so I decided now was as good a time as any to zip in and buy some groceries for our lunches for the next few days. So I ran in while the girls ate in the car. Then we told our TomTom to take us back to the hotel and got on our way.

Except the TomTom failed us. The first and hopefully the last time that happens. We ended up on Harbor Blvd, but far to the north of Disneyland. By the time we figured out where we were and made it back to the hotel, it was after 10:00. The park had been open for an hour. I had Heather and the kids stand outside while I went into the room. I said, “I’m back! It’s time to go!” at which point, Hayden ran outside. And then ran right back inside. I wondered if he’d seen anything until he raised his voice to a glass-breaking decibel and screamed, “Jaren - they’re here! Rachel and Ellie! They’re here!!!” And then Jaren got all shy and kind of embarrassed. They both reacted just like Heather and I predicted.

We got settled down and finally made our way across the street to Disneyland. And when I say across the street, I literally mean directly across the street. We could not have stayed in a closer hotel.

Of course, we had to stop and take this picture on Main Street:

And then, because it’s all we’ve heard about for the past several weeks, we made our very first stop at BuzzLightyeowAstwowBlastow. All one word. Just like that. For those of you who don’t speak Toy Story addict/five-year-old language, that would be Buzz Lightyear Astro Blaster. Hayden’s dream ride.

It had a life-size Buzz. It had a life-size Zurg. It had lots and lots of little green aliens. Hayden was so excited I though he might pass out. Really. In his short little life, there has never been anything more exciting than this. It was the ultimate experience.

(See? More proof that I really was there. And you can barely see Sean behind me. It’s a darn good thing Heather came. Or I might literally only have three pictures of myself on this whole entire trip!)

Since we were in Tomorrowland, we decided to head over to Space Mountain. I kept telling the kids it wasn't that bad, that they had to try it. Hayden was tall enough for it, so it couldn’t be that horrible. After all, I LOVED it when I was a kid and I hate roller coasters.

Um, yeah. Either it’s changed or I’ve turned into a complete wuss. It was horrible. I hated every second of it. Although, I think I’d like to try it again when I’m not hanging onto my five-year-old for all I’m worth because I’m afraid he’s going to fall out of the rocket blaster thing and worrying in my head about my ten-year-old who didn’t like the little roller coaster at Legoland and is now, even at this very moment, probably dying second by second as the ride whips us around corners and bends and such. It was a miserable experience, I must admit. And I ruined Jaren. He never wants to step foot on another roller coaster for as long as he lives. But we all survived. That in itself was a good thing.

But right after Space Mountain, we went to the Finding Nemo submarine ride, which had a surprising long line. We couldn’t really figure out why. It’s not that cool. While standing in line, I looked up and realized I was standing right next to a high school classmate and his cute family. He was a year younger than me and we now both live in the same town. Or thereabouts. I knew from Facebook that he was down there, but imagine running into him. Of all the thousands of places we could be at the Disneyland Resort. And we get into line right next to him. Crazy! So we visited with him while we waited in line and at that point, my aforementioned friend from high school who has a season pass (for cheap since he lives in California) met us and went on the ride with us.

Okay, confession: This “friend” was my old high school boyfriend. My first boyfriend. My first kiss. Then I broke up with him in a letter. That I didn’t even hand deliver. I mailed it. And then that was that. When you’re 15, there’s no “can we still be friends?” option. Our school was small, so I still saw him a lot. But it has been nearly 18 years since last we spoke. We’re both married. We’ve both got two kids. We’ve gone to school and have careers. (In my case, I say that very lightly, as I don’t consider my job a career.) Anyway, I thought it would be really awkward. But it wasn’t. It was so much fun to see him and his little boy and catch up with him for 30 minutes or so. Thanks, Chris, for coming down to Disneyland! We’ll catch up with you again next time.

We totally made up for Space Mountain by taking the kids to Autopia after the Nemo ride. They LOVED it. Seriously loved it. Favorite ride of the whole place. Could have spent an entire day’s worth of park rides driving those little cars around the track. All four of them. Here are some of my favorite pictures.

My favorite is Heather’s picture of me trying to take a picture of her and Ellie. (See the angle of the camera? No wonder I just kept getting shots of the back of my car! And PS - Hayden was driving, not me.) And I love the picture of Sean. He’s just meant to drive a convertible. Don’t you think?

Once we’d ridden all of four rides, we decided we’d head back to the hotel for some lunch. So we started making our way back to the front of the park and who did we run into? Why, Minnie of course!

I knew Jaren wouldn’t want anything to do with the characters. But I wasn’t sure how Hayden would react. I need not have worried. He loved them all and wanted to give everyone a big hug. But after he gave Minnie a hug, he had to go hang with the boys. Just chillin’. Cute little buggers. All three of them.

We made the trek to the hotel, ate some lunch, and then headed out to the park. Without the morning throngs of people, we thought now would be a good time to take pictures by the Disneyland sign. Did I mention that it’s right across the street from our hotel?

We made it back to the security check and that’s when things started going dreadfully wrong…