Disneyland!

I was very excited to take Ava and Brielle to Disneyland. I knew they would love it. They are the perfect ages. And they did love it. It did get warm in the afternoon, it was pretty crowded and we had an 18 month old Zachary to chase, but all in all it was a fun Disneyland day.

We were nervous about how Ava would react to the rides and "excitement" of Disneyland. Would she be scared and not dare go on a single ride? We started her off slow to ease her into it all. It worked. We started with dancing with the princesses and "It's A Small World". After "Alice In Wonderland" she was sold. She loved it all and had so much fun. The favorites of the day were the teacups, "Dumbo" and the Pooh Bear ride. "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "The Haunted Mansion" were the scariest, but they still rode them and had fun.The girls resting in the shade while I stood in a long line in the blazing hot sun waiting to ride Dumbo.
Our only other long, hot wait was to meet (yes, I repeat "to meet") Rapunzel from Tangled. To be honest, it was worth it. It sounds crazy I know, but that is what Ava wanted to do more than anything.
Headed off to climb the Tarzan tree.
Zachary and Brielle amazed at the "wildlife" we saw on the Jungle Cruise.
We even met Aladdin and Jasmine just before heading over to California Adventure to see their show. Awesome show!
California Adventure.
Finally! All the excitement kept Zachary going all day long until he finally crashed at about 7pm. We watched the new "Worlds of Color" water and lights show while he snoozed.
And then, as true Disneyland goers, we went right back over to Disneyland for the fireworks show and all the last rides we could ride. Of course, the Buzz Lightyear ride was one of them.The Dumbo train ride. These are the monkeys in the monkey cage.
And then a few more rounds of Winnie the Pooh. The park was closing. We arrived at 9:30am and it was now 11:30pm. The kids did so well. They loved it all and had so much fun. We did as well, but it was time to go.
What a good day with the fam. Can't wait until next time.

A Day At The Beach

After all of the wedding festivities were over we did MORE driving - this time to Newport Beach. It was an awesome sunny day and it felt SOOOOOO good to be at the beach while it is still winter at home.

We walked along the shops where Scott went for his Senior trip with all his friends. He showed us the best place for sprinkled donuts. We made our way down the pier to see the waves and birds.
Finally, the kids got to put on swim suits and hit the water. Just as you would expect, Brielle dove right in, Ava cried because the the water was "too sandy", and Zachary ran free after birds and waves or anything that caught his eye.And what caught his eye the most? These girls behind us. Zach would just stop dead in his tracks and stare until someone dragged him away. Poor boy.
We left the water to came up to play on the sand for a long time. I guess the actual sand wasn't "too sandy" for Ava.
Brielle and Ava turned into mermaids.
They tried to build a sand castle amidst a lot of screaming that Zachy was throwing sand and bulldozing their buildings.
The fun ended when Zachary stuffed his mouth full of sand and when we thought these white kids from Utah were getting a little too fried in the sun.
We went across the street to The Crab Cooker for some really delicious shrimp, scallops, crab and clam chowder. Oh yum.Here is our beach bum boy while the car gets loaded up. He looks ready to pick up some chicks, eh?
We got to our hotel right by Disneyland and went directly to the heated pool. That water went over better with all of us. And then after a long day in the sun and sand it was bath time for everyone before we went to Princess Tiana's diner for dinner at Downtown Disney.

Bryce and Serena Get Married!!!

On March 12, Bryce married Serena in the Redlands California Temple. It was a beautiful day. We drove from Bakersfield to Redlands and met everyone there at the temple. We left all of our children outside with Tawna, Kory and Krista and went inside the temple for a very nice sealing ceremony. I was just so happy for Bryce. He was beaming. I love Serena and I am so incredibly glad that the two of them found each other. They are the picture of happiness. I am sure they will have a wonderful life together. It was also neat to be in the sealing room with my family. That is always special.

As we waited for Bryce and Serena to come out of the temple, this is what went down . . .

a game of Peek-a-Boo.
the little girls, not so patiently, waiting and watching through the windows for any glimpse of the bride. Brielle had flowers in hand to give to Serena that yes, she picked from the temple gardens.
corralling children.a lot of chatting with family we don't see often enough. (And speaking of watching kids, take a look at who is escaping in the right side of the pic. Surprised?
posing.A perfect study in the personalities of our kids.
more Peek-a-boo . . . with anyone who will look.
and then, just as Serena and Bryce were exiting the temple as a new married couple, came the great dive of 2011
The kids happily playing in the fountain turned into me looking over and seeing Zachary standing soaking wet IN the fountain.
We marched him off to the car to change into pajamas. He was cold and we were both soaking wet for all of the official pictures. Look at those little wet foot marks. What a true boy.
And here they are . . . the happy couple.
We all met at a restaurant for dinner afterward. It was quite nice to have more time together.
And then they were off for a honeymoon in the Grand Canyon and haven't been heard from since.