Disneyland

 June 2013

Disneyland is often called 'The Magic Kingdom' and it was just as magical as I remembered! Monday morning dawned bright and early- and our kids were ready for it! We headed off to the Magic Kingdom for a full day of fun. We quickly learned the ins and outs of fast passes, and made our very first stop to the wonderful world of Cars land. As a child visiting Disneyland for the first time- I remembered thinking there couldn't be anything more fun or exciting. Now I realize there is- it's watching your own kids experience it for the first time. It really was so fun to just watch the kids and how excited they got seeing everything- the rides, the characters, and the amazing setup.

 My very favorite ride in Disneyland is Splash Mountain, so naturally I wanted it to be my first ride. Lucky for us- the line was almost nothing when we first got there. Mom and I both wanted to go- so we took the boys with us. Matthew was probably a little young, but I convinced him to come with me as my seat buddy. I think the drop at the end was a little much for his first ride, but he loved everything else about it!

 Emily and Lilah were SO excited to see their very first princess which happened to be Princess Jasmine. We were lucky that we caught her as soon as she came out, so we didn't have to wait in a line at all. By the time we finished, there were already a dozen or so other little girls waiting. I know it's sometimes easier to visit Disneyland when kids are older- but I totally think it's worth the extra work to see the excitement on the little kids' faces, it's not quite the same when they're older.

 Cole being Cole. The funniest thing about this sword is that when we visited as kids, Kristie was chosen to come up and pull the sword out during a performance. It's always been pretty cool to us since.

 Courtney was such a sweet angel baby in Disneyland. We mostly carried her around in our baby Bjorn. When she wasn't in the carrier, she was either being held or was able to lay down in the stroller. I purposefully got a double stroller with a full recline. It really made the trip so much easier. I loved seeing that sweet little baby sleeping so peacefully. I had wondered how well it would go having a 6-week old baby in Disneyland along with 4 other kids, but having family there really helped. We went around together doing the rides and attractions. Whenever I had to feed Courtney- every 2-4 hours- I would just find a quiet location on a bench or somewhere and feed and change her for 20-30 minutes, then join up with everyone again. That way the kids didn't have to sit and wait, and I got to enjoy some quiet baby time. It worked out perfect!

 Kristie was able to get a wheel-chair to navigate the park, and even had a swap pass to use. She did pretty well for most of the day, but then there were a few rides that were probably a little too rough and she ended up paying for it later on. :( It was a bummer that she had to leave a little early, but we were glad she was able to enjoy as much as she could!

 I will always love the original Disneyland, but I really did love the new Cars Land. I fell in love with the movie when it came out in 2006. Especially because all of our boys loved the movie and the toy cars so much, so I loved seeing the quaint little town of Radiator Springs. They did a fantastic job recreating the movie setting. It was especially amazing at night with all the lights. The main Cars ride constantly had about a 2hr+ wait time. We were able to get some fast passes that made our wait longer (and we were also able to use a child swap pass with Courtney which was fantastic!) but every waiting minute for that ride was worth it! It was such a great ride- definitely one of my favorites and the kids' as well.

We spent the entire day between Disneyland and California Adventure. We rode tons of rides, ran all over the place, and everyone was exhausted but happy. When I asked the kids on the way back to our house if they'd had fun, half of them were asleep and the other half responded with a very enthusiastic "Yes!" I'd say the day was a success!

California Vacation- June 2013

Early in 2013, Mom had the idea that it would be fun to do a family reunion in California- specifically Disneyland. Well, a lot of planning later- most of it thanks to Jeff- we found ourselves in California for a week long family vacation. Jeff found a great house that we were able to rent for the week complete with tons of room, a nice quiet location, and a pool and hot tub. It was about a 15 minute commute to Disneyland- but the location was great enough that we thought it was worth it. It was so fun to get together as a family, and for everyone to be able to meet Courtney for the first time (other than mom). We arrived on a Saturday afternoon and spent the rest of the day getting settled, buying groceries and enjoying the pool. That night played some games and enjoyed just visiting and catching up. I really wish we all lived closer to each other- it would be so fun to do this sort of thing regularly.

On Sunday we enjoyed breakfast before heading off to church together. We lucked out that the church building was just down the road. It was a really nice service- it's always wonderful that no matter where you go, the church is the same and you feel right at home. I think my favorite part was being able to hold Courtney for the whole 3 hour block (except when I shared her with sisters:), and being able to attend the meetings with family, especially Relief Society with Mom, Kristie, Lacey, and Becca.
After church, Dad, Jacob, Emily and I decided to enjoy the beautiful sunny afternoon and walk home together. I loved watching Dad and Emily hold hands the whole way.
We spent the rest of the day doing food prep and sitting out on the patio enjoying the day. The kids were a little bummed they couldn't swim on Sunday, but they still had fun. They're pretty lucky to have such great grandparents and aunts and uncles. It truly is such a blessing to be part of a family that loves and cares for each other. We love all the time together we can get!

Visiting Mark & Nettie

Our our way to the Tanner family reunion in California, we were also lucky enough to be able to make a stop to see Mark & Nettie! The kids were so excited to see cousins they hadn't seen in a long time. We pulled in late Friday afternoon and the kids sure didn't waste any play time!

 It was so fun to get to see them again, and their beautiful home and yard. Their backyard is pretty much a kids' paradise- they loved the trampoline, chickens, bikes, and all sorts of cool toys. Mark & Nettie had gotten all the supplies to do hot dogs and s'mores over the outdoor fire pit. It ended up being a pretty hot day, but it was still great- I think the kids especially loved the watermelon- I lost track of how many pieces everyone had! 

It was so fun to sit outside visiting, laughing, watching the kids play, and enjoying the weather (It was still pretty cool when we left South Dakota!). We've missed seeing and spending time with everyone, and I love that no matter how long it's been, the kids just pick right back up from where they left off and are best of friends.

Matthew and Michael were instant buddies- they had so much fun together the whole time we were there. Both of the them are pretty tough little guys- so they made up all sorts of games to play together, usually involving weapons or powers.

 The older kids had a great time together too- their personalities are all pretty similar, and they were usually off doing something fun together.

Saturday morning, Nettie made us a fabulous crepes breakfast complete with all the fixings and even some hot chocolate. I'm pretty sure my kids wanted to stay forever! 

After we had breakfast and got everyone ready, we decided to head off to some local orchards to pick cherries. There were quite a few places- some were crazy busy! We finally found a really nice little orchard that had fantastic cherries for a great price and it was a lot less crowded. I am not a cherry fan- although I try, I just really don't like cherries! But I'll admit, I even tried a few of these ones and they were pretty good.

It's a good thing no one wore their best clothes, because that cherry juice did NOT come off. It was hard to decide what was a brighter shade of red- the cherry juice or my kids' faces from the hot California sun. It was definitely a hot day, but so much fun!

Courtney was a little trooper hanging out in the baby carrier. I specifically got a carrier that was made of a mesh material so it wouldn't be so hot, and it was a good choice! She was a little fussy during the trip- can't say I blame her- being a 6 week old baby after a 27 hour road trip and I'd probably be a little cranky too! She really was pretty good though. I just loved having vacation time to really get to hold and enjoy her!

When we got back from cherry picking, we (changed clothes) had lunch, finished getting everything packed up, and enjoyed a little more play time with cousins before it was time to say goodbye. We're so grateful for the Howells- we just love their sweet family! None of the kids wanted to say goodbye, and we would have loved to stay for a week! Luckily, we got to say goodbye knowing that we would meet up again in just a couple months for the Stevens family reunion. We're so grateful for wonderful family!