Disneyland!!!

The last week of September, we loaded up the new Pilot with a double stroller, pack n play and all of the clothes we could imagine needing. Armed with a DVD player and a bag full of food we set out for the long drive to California. We left after work on Friday night and stayed one night in a dive in St. George. It worked for the 8 hours of sleep we were there for but lets just say we won't be staying there again. The next morning we were off to Disneyland caravaning with Ginger and Dale, Scott's siblings. The girls did really well and they loved watching the new DVD players that helped us all survive the trip. Paige kept saying that it was a really long way to Disneyland and I couldn't help but agree with her. But the new vehicle provided room and comfort so we survived the drive in ease. When we arrived in California, we checked in and unpacked then it was off to the hotel pools for some swimming. We were up and ready to go the next morning, and after a short walk to Disneyland, we had arrived. Paige just kept looking around in awe. It was decorated for Halloween and that was really fun. The first ride was Space Mountain (which during Halloween become Ghost Galaxy). Of course there were scary monsters and Paige was terrified exclaiming that she wanted to go home and leave Disneyland. So off to Dumbo to cure her of her fear. The main problem of our trip was the record heat California happened to be experiencing. We thought that going in the end of Sept, we'd have balmy weather. Little did we know. The first day was 109 degrees and when we heard Monday was going to be hotter (114 degrees) we opted for Huntington Beach. It was so much fun just bobbing in the waves. Scott and I could have stayed out there all day but we had to return to our children on the beach. It was such a relaxing and peaceful day but when we returned to the hotel room, the piles of sand left from our bathing suits required a bit of housekeeping. Even though it was quite hot and my hair and makeup had melted by the end of each day, there were water rides and splash pads to keep us and the kids cooled down. We had a 5 day pass so we spent 2 days in California Adventure and 3 days in Disneyland. We were able to ride on everything and see almost everything that we wanted to. Paige told us she hated the scary coaster, the splash coaster and fantasmic (with the bad dreams) but she would go on 3 dumbos. We just laughed because we really spent a lot of time riding Dumbo, the Carousel, Alice in Wonderland and Pooh. We also had lunch with the princesses and Ariel (Paige's favorite because of the red hair). Paige thought that was fun but was pretty engrossed in her coloring to get really involved with the princesses. We loved the World of Color and the fun parades. Disney just knows how to put on a show. The trip was really a magical experience for our family. The kids were troopers with long days and little sleep. Paige and I were buddies riding alot of rides together. We also enjoyed spending the trip with the veterans in Ginger and Eric along with Dale and Cindi. They were terrific guides and helped us with the kids a ton! I wish I could post all 450 pictures but Blogger doesn't like that so here are a few highlights! (Keep in mind the heat contributing to the bad hair and makeup I had)

Girls Weekend

I was able to take a weekend off from home life and escape to sunny St. George with some ladies from my work. I think excursions like that are good for me because they help me appreciate my family and my girlies so much more. We had a lot of fun. We first hit Cedar City for dinner with my college friend, Kami, and then off to the Shakespearean festival's Pericles. I enjoyed it but some of the others who were with me didn't care for it too much. It helped that I had taken a Shakespearean class in high school and had an idea of what they were saying. Then to my coworker's, Steff's, beautiful home to go to sleep. I was lucky enough to have a quiet and dark place to sleep in the closet. It was very nice. The next morning was spent shopping!!! One of my favorite activities. We played in the pool and then home for some dinner and games. The next morning, four of us were able to go play golf at Kokopelli's Golf Club. The doctor I work for owns it and invited us to play. What a beautiful and fun time we had. After hitting 18 holes, Liz and I headed for a needed pedicure. I love having my feet rubbed and pampered. Ahhhh! That night half of the group headed to a play and the rest of us had ice cream and then curled up on the bed to watch letters to Juliet. A great chick flick and good company. The next morning we packed up and then shared a spiritual experience together. What a gift of the spirit we were able to partake of together. What a great weekend with some of the most amazing women!

Summer 2010

I haven't posted in a while because we've been so busy doing summer stuff. We finally opened our pool and have had quite a few pool parties including our young men/young women, activity day girls, Scott's high school friends, play groups and both of our families over. We have really enjoyed having the pool and being able to share the fun with other people. We were also invited to our good friends, the Nielson's (and the Stapps :)), cabin in the Uintahs. It was so much fun. We four-wheeled, roasted hotdogs, ate yummy food and playing games alllllll night long. We are continually blessed with such great friends and appreciate their willingness to share what they have with us! We also participated in a stake 5K run. We were the last people in but we had a great time and even Paige got to run for a little ways. We also took the girls to their first drive in movie(Despicable Me). They did pretty good but Ashley wanted to run all over the parking lot. We finally got her to sleep just as the movie finished. We'll have to try the drive in again. Scott and I took my mom and friend, Liz to The Lion King. Wow is all I can say. The costumes were amazing and the music was fantastic. I'm always amazed at the talent and creativeness people have. We truly had such a fun summer and enjoyed all of the experiences we were able to have together!

(Not a good picture but it shows how cute Ashley is in her swimsuit)

The Zoo

Time for our yearly trip to the zoo. This year my little sister was able to get us all free tickets so we loaded up the family for a great day in Salt Lake. We started at the zoo early so we wouldn't feel rushed and it wouldn't be too tired. It was nice to have our husbands there to keep the kids in line and spend time with us as well. The kids loved it (no matter how many times they go). We even saw the baby elephant. I want one of those!!! Then off to lunch at The Training Table. YUMMM!!! After gorging ourselves on greasy hamburgers and cheese fries, we took the kids to Kangaroo Zoo. It is a huge play area with enormous blow up slides. The kids loved it and the adults were able to take a breather as well. Then a yummy frozen yogurt treat to end the night. Everything was fun and it was nice to be able to give the kids a break.

My girlies!!!

My girlies are getting so big. I can hardly keep up with them. I wish I could remember everything they are doing and saying because they make me laugh.



Paige is so bright. I'm blown away by her vocabulary as well as her memory. She is definitely a princess and loves everything princess. She'd rather wear her princess plastic highheels than any normal shoe. She can't wait to go Disneyland (planned for Sept.) and asks us everyday if that is the day we are going. I finally showed her the dates on the calendar so now she'll pull the calendar down and ask me to show her Disneyland. She has been watching leapfrog letter factory and is starting to understand her letters. She is still a little singer ad likes to perform on our neighbors third driveway (her stage). She has been going to primary and loves to get up and sing the songs. She already has a testimony and is learning her articles of faith. We love hearing all that she learns about even though we can't figure some things out. They learned Love is Spoken here and when learning what crystal clear meant and that a crystal is a clear rock, she then began referring to that song as the rock song. We finally figured it out when she started singing it and directing Scott and I how to sing it properly with our individual parts. She has such a vivacious personality and enjoys people (except when they have her toys or don't do what she wants them to). She still throws great temper tantrums and doesn't really like Ashely yet. She also knows how to set me off and push my buttons, but we sure do love her and enjoy her being our daughter.





Ashley is growing so fast. She is such a good little eater and sleeper. She sleeps from 7pm until about 9am. Wow, huh! She is our little mover. She crawls so fast everywhere and is finally starting to walk. She has no fear and climbs on everything!! She won't really watch tv like Paige did so I don't get a huge break when she's awake. She still takes two naps but can get by with one. She loves shoes and is always bringing them to us to pur on her feet. She loves necklaces and anything that goes around her neck (even socks). When she's done eating, she'll drop stuff on the floor to get her attention. She is a momma's girl and wants me all the time. She does enjoy her time with Scott who is so playful with her and makes her laugh. She's never been much of a snuggler but lately while teething, she'll randomly lay her head down on our shoulders. AHHH! Her relationship with Paige is funny. She really likes to goad her and push her buttons. She knows what bothers Paige and she'll do it on purpose just to get a reaction. Sometimes that reaction will scare her and she'll crawl away really fast so she doesn't get in trouble. One time though, they were sharing a shopping cart in Costco when Ashley leaned her head on Paige's shoulder and Paige put her head against it. For sure a Kodak moment if only I could have captured it. The other day we took them to the splash pad and Paige immediately heads for the jungle gym because she doesn't want to get sprayed. Ashley heads head first into the water. She loved it and had no fear there. She loves the tub still and wants me to pour water over here head the whole time. She is a breath of fresh air and I cherish her being my daughter.

It's hard not to compare the two siblings and I try not to but they are completely different. Paige- snuggler, picky eater, movie watcher, afraid of everything, early talker and grumpy morning girl. Ashley- doesn't want to snuggle, eats everything, is a mover, climbs and gets into everything, still only grunting and smiles when you wake her up. Oh how I love these two very different girls.

4th of July

For the holiday, we went to Logan for some fun fireworks. I actually gave into the trends and put us all in matching flag shirts from old navy. (Too bad I couldn't get them to look at the camera) Fun huh!! We met my family at the park where we have a great view and there the kids ran around and enjoyed their cousins. It was a little chilly once the sun went down so we rounded up all the blankets and bundled up. We also had some mosquito repellant to ward off the bugs. Once the fun show was over, we went to my sisters house to sleep over. The next morning it was off to the Golden Corral for our family tradition of buffet breakfast. Then we spent the rest of the day helping my mom with some stuff around her house. We sure love spending time with the family. That night, Ashley wasn't feeling very good, so we just came home and went to sleep. The next day was Sunday and in the evening all of Scott's family came over to our house for some bar-b-que, cards and fireworks. Good times. It was a fun night but unfortunately Ashley was still under the weather with her teething. Poor thing! (The next day I headed off to girls camp so it was quite a busy week!!!)