California Vacation - Part 2

Our second day at Disneyland was spent in the regular park. Again we got in an hour early and I ran onto Matterhorn while Dan stood in line with the kids for Dumbo. Then he ran onto Matterhorn while I took the kids on the carousel. (We did a lot of switching off at Disneyland.)

 Dan braved the teacups. My stomach can't handle that jazz.

Next we ran into Belle and after that, all Afton wanted to do was see other princesses, even though once she got close to them she'd get all shy and weird and start picking her nose.

So I found out there's a place you can go to see three princesses at a time and we headed over there while Dan and Sam did some other ride.

Next we hit up ToonTown and the kids stood in line FOREVER to see Mickey Mouse. I think the pics from that are on Dan's phone.

We also stopped at a random spot for lunch, watched a guy chew out some Indiana Jones employees, ate those Dole pineapple whip things, played in a tree house, and did lots more.

 I have a picture of me and Candice in this car almost 20 years ago so I had to hop in for a shot.

 My favorite picture from Disneyland.

 Iron man.

 One last pose with Goofy at our hotel before we hit the road.

Next stop: Visit with Ryan and his kids, then Yosemite.

California Vacation - Part 1

We are moving in less than six days. So we decided to go on vacation last week for one last hurrah. It's hard to truly focus on having fun when you've got packing and moving looming in the very near future, but I think we did a good job and had an awesome time. I think I'll split our vacay into two posts since I've got quite a few pictures.

Saturday night at 9 we flew out of IAH and into LAX (arriving around midnight). Here are the kids' excited faces.

The kids did a great job of sleeping on the flight and we found our janky hotel near the airport and crashed for the night. Ate a delicious breakfast the next morning and went to church at a random ward for sacrament meeting. It was the smallest ward I've ever attended in the US. I thought that was interesting w/ all the members in California. Anyway...

We then drove an hour out of town to see my uncle and two of my cousins, who BBQ'd an amazing tri tip and baked potatoes. This is when we began our 20-pounds-in-one-week weight gain. It was worth it. Sam loved playing with William and Eric and their hot wheels, nerf guns, and remote control cars.

Afton loved all the beanie babies. After a while, Aunt Lisa and Lauren got back from picking up Rachel at BYU and we visited a bit more before heading to our next stop. I love my family.

After a great visit, we headed back to Anaheim to stay at Paradise Pier - one of Disney's hotels and probably the most expensive hotel I've ever stayed in. We got comfy in there Sunday night and prepared for our adventure the next day at Disney California Adventure.

When you stay in a Disney hotel, you get into the park an hour early, which is nice. Cars Land was pretty awesome. We met some of our favorite characters.

And walked through Radiator Springs and Ornament Valley.

 Luigi's tire ride.

 Then we took in the rest of CA Adventure.

 We actually ran into some people we know from Houston there. And I recognized a guy from BYU but I didn't say anything because I'm pretty good at remembering people and names, but if I walk up to someone I haven't seen in 10 years and say, "Hey, I know you. You're name's Carter and you roomed with Richard," It sounds kind of creepy.

Buzz Lightyear ride.

 Bug's Life ride.

Near the end of the day we headed back to Cars Land because Dan wanted to see it lit up at night. First we stopped at Flo's for dinner.

Dan and Sam took a quick dip in the hotel pool and we called it a night.

We're moving and my birthday

We are moving to Richmond, Virginia! Dan starts a job with a new firm on May 13. More about that later. Right now things are crazy busy. We are packing and cleaning and showing our house and cleaning up after the kids, etc. Crazy.

Tuesday was my birthday. It was a great day. I went w/ Sam's preschool to Kroger on a field trip. It's funny how excited kids can get about things they see at least twice a week at the grocery store. Somehow, when someone other than their mom shows them string cheese, it's super exciting!! After Kroger, Gretchen and Dionne and I took our kids to chick-fil-a and they treated me to lunch. It was great. Next came nap time and packing. After that I hit up the gym for my requisite soul grooves. I'm going to miss that funky hour of dance twice a week. Dionne brought over delicious BBQ for dinner (THANK YOU!), we had a beautiful Dan cake creation, I opened presents, and then I headed out for book club.

Dan was really thoughtful and got me some new rotary blades, two piano books, an iTunes gift card, and a plane ticket to Kansas for me to run a half marathon in a few weeks. I love that guy. And I love his crazy cakes. The weird colors of frosting are my fault.

I love these ladies! I am really going to miss book club. Hopefully wherever we settle in VA there's another book club for me.

And last night we met up with Kirk and Gretchen at a fancy steakhouse for DELICIOUS Texas steak. Then we went over to Jeff and Dionne's for some great dessert and games. So fun.

Bluebonnets

Dan is "over" the bluebonnet picture taking tradition, but for some reason I feel like since I live in Texas, I must take bluebonnet pictures every year. So I took the kids out on a cloudy day last week and tried to get some cute ones before the flowers disappear. Here's what I got.

 Sam was being a good subject for me that day.

Sibling love.

 And my favorite from the outing? This one.