Family Vacation

Family vacation, we had one!  Normally it is just the kids and I traveling together, going on our adventures.  My sweet husband can rarely go with us.  For him to have two full weeks off of work was crazy!  Crazy in a good way.  We started off our vacation with an eleven hour drive to Saint George, UT.  It was a long drive and I get bored easily as the passenger.  At one point I told my husband he needed to let me drive as I couldn't handle the just sitting there doing nothing anymore.  Patience young one, patience!  The kids may have been a tad more patient during that part of the drive than I, probably.  We spent the following day in Saint George with my brother-in-law and his family.  Seriously love those guys a lot!  The kids had a great time hiking the red rocks, sleeping on the trampoline, and just running around with the cousins.  Archer is his young cousins favorite to follow around, cause he's so big.  Good thing he likes the little ones!

On Memorial Day we hit the road for California.  Arizona and Nevada were hot, flat, and dry.  Just as I suspected they would be.  It was supposed to be a quick six hour drive, nothing compared to the eleven the day before.  However we did not take into account the gamblers heading back to California from Las Vegas.  Oh my goodness!  A twenty minute drive turned into TWO HOURS of stop and, every now and then, go traffic.  It was madness.  Made it to my brother's a few hours later than expected and we had a nice birthday dinner with my mom.  Happy birthday mommy!

Turns out that my niece in St George had a tummy bug and unfortunately 3 of my 4 kids caught it.  I woke up the next morning to find that my sweet, amazing niece had cleaned up puke not once, but twice the night before!  Poor girl.  Thankfully the tummy bug only lasted a couple hours and the kids were better for the graduation that night.  My niece woke up to vomit and ended her day a high school graduate.  There's a story for her.

The next day was Disneyland!  My niece, nephew, dad, step-mom, brother, and sister all came with us.  It was so much fun!  Archer especially loved the fact that he got to go off with the teenagers for half the day.  The younger kids stayed with us and their grandparents and had fun exploring the kingdom.  We met the mouse and many others.  Rides were gone on.  Princess was freaked out by It's a Small World (thanks Doctor Who!).   Much laughter and many smiles were had.  As the night drew in it was time for fireworks!  We found a spot to sit and a gentleman that worked at Disneyland hustled over.  No!  You don't want to sit there, come with me I've got the perfect place for you.  And he did!  He set us up in a great spot with a view of the castle and the fireworks.  It truly was magical experiencing it all with my family.

The next day was meant to be day 2 of Disney.  Unfortunately Picasso woke up sick again.  This time it was pure exhaustion.  So Picasso and his dad took a four hour nap.  When he woke up he felt tons better.  So off to the beach we went.  My brother and niece joined us at the Santa Monica Pier.  The kids loved playing in the ocean, building in the sand, and stockpiling seaweed.  We wandered the pier and got our name made up with a drawing of sea related pictures.  The rides were all closed by then, but the lights and the music were beautiful.

Next morning, you guessed it, more vomiting.  Seriously NOT cool!  This time it was Princess early in the morning.  Thankfully after sleeping in she was good to go.  All the traveling and late nights sure was catching up with those kids.  We did another day of Disneyland and then the last day was California Adventure.  Picasso had been desperate to find "the duck".  Turns out Donald Duck spends his time in California Adventure!  We sat in a non-existent line for a good twenty minutes waiting for the duck.  It was completely worth it to see the joy in Picasso's eyes!  Roller coaster, ferris wheels, river rafting, bumper cars, more characters to meet.  Such an amazing time was had!  We could have used another day or two at the parks, but what we had was wonderful.

 

On our last day in California my sister-in-law made me arepas.  Venezuelan heaven in my mouth!  Seriously, I love those things.  I should try and make them myself sometime as it doesn't seem overly hard.  The food was the perfect send off to a wonderful week in California.  We piled back into the van and off we went.  We spent the night in Henderson, NV at the Springhill Suites (nice place, check them out if you need a hotel in the area).  We stopped in Vegas and checked out the M&M store.  The other things we wanted to see were no longer there or you now had to pay for and we didn't have the time.  So off we went.  We stayed our last night in Green River, UT at the River Terrace  (I will not stay again as they treated me awful when I checked in).  One last day of driving, with a stop at the John McConnell Math & Science Center (LOTS of fun).  Man was I glad to get home!  The three youngest were happy to be home in time for the last day of school.

Our vacation was truly fantastic.  All the time spent together, enjoying each others company was just what we needed.  I cannot wait for our next vacation.  Hopefully it won't be too long in coming!

Back in theSwing of Things

I suppose it is time to get back in the swing of things.  School is over and so is our vacation.  First things first, Archer did great!  He pulled his grades all up!!!  He ended the year with an A and the rest B's.  That was a lot of work, but hopefully it sunk in.  He and I went to the Alamo Drafthouse for dinner and Star Trek as a reward.  I really loved the movie (2nd time I saw it) and spending an evening with my boy was even better.  Truly hoping we don't have the same issues in the fall.  The rest the kids all did really well in school also.  Picasso struggles a bit with reading out loud, but his comprehension is in the advanced level so I'm not too worried.  We have Angel's 504 plan started and ready for the fall.  Phew!  I will definitely feel better having it in place before she gets to junior high. 

Picasso turned 9 last week!  Happy birthday bubba man!!!  He is such a great kid.  We went to a Colorado Rapids game with some of his friends for his birthday party.  The kids just laughed and smiled through the whole thing.  We probably drove the people around us a bit nuts, but it was a party!  Picasso has cub scout camp this week and is really enjoying that.

Princess turns 7 tomorrow!  I cannot believe that my baby is that old.  Where has the time gone?  I caved and she is getting a Build-a-Bear party with her friends.  What was I thinking?  Oh yeah, that Picasso just got a big party, even though we used Season Ticket Holder points for the party so it was essentially free, so it would only be fair to let her have the big party she has been begging for.  Sigh.  I am sure she will have a fantastic time with her friends and at the end of the day that is what matters.

Archer has been busy with pet sitting, 2 jobs already and 2 more next week.  He loves animals and enjoys making money taking care of them.  I enjoy him having spending money of his own.  We are working on getting some private soccer sessions set up with a Colorado Rapids player.  He is SO stoked! 

Princess is just having a good time being along for the ride.  She is definitely in pre-teen mode.  Holy smokes Batman!  Boys are so much easier in this regard!  I am just waiting for that girl to growth spurt like crazy one of these days.  Until then she is enjoying reading all the books on her kindle.  So glad we were able to get her one as she truly loves it.

My sweet husband is working hard at his new job and I am just trying to keep up with the kids.  All in all, we are doing great!  I will have to tell you all about Disneyland, but not now.  It is late and I am tired. 

Grandparents

I have been feeling lately like I need to go see my grandparents.  They are getting very elderly and are not in the greatest of health.  I have not seen them in almost six years and I miss them dearly!  My paternal grandmother will be turning 96 years old next month.  Last time I saw her was for her 90th birthday party.  She is one of those very elegant women who always has struck me as being very proper.  She was a beautician and had a salon in their house.  I have many fond memories of playing beauty shop there with my siblings.  Riding the chair up and down then sitting under the hair dryers.  My grandmother always had gum in her purse.  I remember once when we were having french toast for breakfast at her house my cousin mixed powdered sugar and syrup on his french toast.  My grandma was fairly horrified by the fact that he had done that.  Turns out it is a tasty mixture!  Grandma wasn't too sure about that though.  She has been ailing the past few years and has dementia.  I love seeing the pictures my cousin and aunt post of her on Facebook. 

My maternal grandparents still live in the same home I always remember them living in.  My grandfather is in his early 90's and my grandmother will be turning 90 soon.  Grandma cannot see so well anymore and grandpa has heart issues.  They are hanging in there and taking care of each other.  I last saw them on the way to my paternal grandma's 90th birthday party.  I get regular updates from my mom, so still feel somewhat in the loop.  It is not the same as being able to see them though.  My grandpa smoked a pipe for most of his life.  Many of my memories of him growing up revolved around him and his pipe.  He also loved to play gold.  I have a picture of him with Angel from when she was 2 1/2 sitting in his recliner.  He had his hand on the lever and would lay the chair back and then sit back up.  They were both smiling and laughing, just having a great time!  My grandma sat there and asked him if he was okay since he normally does not do things like that.  My grandma is a fairly tall woman and always liked to show off how high she could kick.  She loved to go to garage sales.  I still have a Christmas candle set that she bought me at a garage sale. 

I am planning on buying a plane ticket and setting up a car rental tomorrow so I can go out to see them all!  I will be going out the weekend before my paternal grandmother's 96th birthday.  I will spend two days with my dad's side of the family; my grandmother, my aunt, and my cousins.  My dad, step-mom, and I think their kids will be there also.  I am so excited to see them all!  I will then go spend a day with my maternal grandparents before I have to fly home.  I am very grateful to my sweet husband that is willing to make this trip happen for me moneywise.  I am also grateful to my mom for agreeing not only to take me to the airport, but to watch my kids for a couple hours. 

I cannot wait to get to see my grandparents!  They have made such an impact on my life and I love them so much. 

Happy December!

Happy December!  So far no snow, which is a big bummer.  Still it is December and it should be a really good month. 

My bff of over 20 years is visiting this weekend.  He's actually here for a NFL game with his son, but they are staying at our place so it counts as a visit.  Funny enough he and my sweet husband have never met!  We've been married almost 14 years and he's never met one of my best friends ever.  They've met now and get along fine, so life is good.

I am having surgery on my left foot in a couple weeks.  Doesn't seem like a "really good month" thing, but I am hoping it is.  If all goes as expected the surgery will greatly reduce, if not elimate, the constant pain I am having in that foot.  So a good thing. 

My sister is coming to visit!  She is coming out for a few days after I have surgery to help out with the kids.  I am so excited!  I love her lots and miss her.  The kids are all really excited to see her also.  She won't be here long, but I'll take anything I can get. 
Disney on Ice is this week.  I can't wait to go and share in the magic of the show with my kids.  It will be a great night spent together as a family.

Christmas is coming!  We'll be getting our Christmas tree this weekend.  I love watching the kids all fan out to find the perfect tree.  The discussions about which one is best and why.  The smell of the pine and just the beauty it brings to my home.  It will be fabulous.

I will be wrapping presents soon.  I love wrapping up the presents to put under the tree.  The excitement that comes with the unwrapping.  The tape, the bows, the tags, the paper are all just so much fun.  Yes, I did just say that tape was fun!

Christmas Eve is always spent at my mom and step-dad's house with the family.  We eat yummy food, we put up the nativity while my step-dad reads from the scriptures, we sing Christmas carols until we can't sing anymore.  I love Christmas Eve at my parents!  Then we will head home where the Christmas jammies will be opened.

Christmas is Christmas.  It is wonderful and magical.  Full of love and wonder.  The Spirit that surrounds it is amazing.

Last, but not least by any means, is Archer's birthday.  That boy will be a teenager!

So HAPPY DECEMBER!  It is going to be a really great month!  I hope yours is too.

What To Get?

My brother-in-law had a birthday at the end of November.  Actually quite a few family members had birthdays at the end of November, but that is besides the point.  My husband has been trying to figure out what to get him ever since then.  Then it hit him....Phineas and Ferb!  My brother-in-law loves Phineas and Ferb.  He comes over every couple of weeks to catch up on it since we DVR them.  Since we are taking our kids to see Phineas and Ferb the Best Live Show Ever we decided to buy him a ticket too.  The show is less than a month away and we are all pretty excited about it.  Even better, there are NEW episodes of Phineas and Ferb this week!  If you are planning on attending the show I'd suggest purchasing your tickets soon and use coupon code FFAPF to save $3 on opening night tickets (some exclusions apply).

Next week I'll be posting some fun ideas to do with your family to get ready for the show!  Until then I leave you with this for your enjoyment.....

Happy Birthday Sweetheart!

Yesterday was my husbands birthday.  I love that man!  I am very grateful to his parents for having and raising such an amazing man.  He is kind, gentle, loving, funny, smart, and the best husband I could ask for. I love you lots sweetheart!  I hope your birthday was a great one.

Happy Birthday!

Today is my oldest daughter's birthday.  Nine years ago today I was just a few hours away from giving birth to my second child and my first daughter. 

We were sure we were going to have another boy.  There are multiple boys on both sides of our family before any girls.  So we figured that we would follow suit.  So when we had our ultrasound I was shocked to hear the tech say "It's a girl!".  My response - "Are you sure?".  Not that I didn't want any daughters, I just was so sure she would be a boy!  On the way home my son, who was just over 2 years old, asked if we could get a second opinion.  He wanted a brother so bad.  After we brought home our sweet baby girl her big brother took to her right away.  She has been such a joy in our lives. 

She is such a sweet, kind, loving child.  She has gone through a lot in her short life.  She rarely complains and works hard.  I am so grateful to have such a beautiful young lady as part of our family.  She makes every day better.  I am blessed to be her mother. 

I love you sweet girl!