Musical Fusion

 

 Kylie had her Christmas piano recital this weekend. She did a great job and we were so proud of her. She  played Jingle Bells first, and only got lost once, but figured it out and played the rest perfectly. Then she  got to play The First Noelle in a duet with her dear teacher, and it sounded awesome!

Kylie has been working so hard and has been really good about practicing. I have been impressed with how quickly she has picked up her new found talent.

The only sad thing was that her grandma and grandpa didnt get to come hear her play, being that they live so far away. I figured we would record a little clip of it for them, but it didnt end up working out. Drats.

Oh well.

WooHoo to the Moo!

Festivities

 

 

 

Since our 2 youngest cant sit still for longer than a few minutes, we decided to switch around the older 2s Christmas programs as they both did the exact same play, just different nights, and that way we kept the younguns at home- to destroy here instead of out in public. Daniel took Monday- which was Toastys night. Apparently Ty was the spazz who almost punched the kid behind him in the face, but by some festivous miracle, he restrained himself. Of course hearing that the kid behind him kept messing with my boy, I wanted to find out who the little rascal was so that I could have done the honors. Just kidding. I'm not violent like that, but I could at least give him a really mean scowl. Nobody messes with my kid.
I took Tuesday- which was Kylies night. Sadly we couldnt see her the entire time, so I spent much of my time texting Daniel instead of watching the little play. I'm terrible, but geez- the only reason I went was to see my girl, but I couldnt see her amidst the hundreds of other kiddies, so what was the point? Nah- actually there were several kids from the primary up there, so it was kinda fun to see them and listen to their little parts.. The one show stopper- one poor little girl fell right off the stage and the very audible slap of her body hitting the floor was pretty traumatic. She lived, apparently, with no broken bones either, so another festivous miracle!

Random change of subject: we, the Jacksons, have a few little traditions that lead up to Christmas. Each night in December we do something Christmasy together, and we've been having lots of fun with it. We've done lots of Christmas crafts, Christmas baking, Christmas movies, Christmas stories, Christmas singing, and of course the Christmas gingerbread grahm cracker house decorating. We did that one last night and boy was it fun. Kylie, my sweet darling daughter, tends to be a bit of a perfectionist. She was having a melt down cuz she couldnt get it to look just right. Toast was mad that James ate the candy that he wanted to decorate with, and wacked him, which made James turn into a crying gremlin, who refused to participate anymore. Ben kept grabbing the candy and throwing it all over the kitchen, and he also kept grabbing Kylies creation, which, of course, ruined it, making her meltdowns even more fun. It was quite a  night! Oh the joyous memories we are creating!
(all pictures were taken before all meltdowns and fighting ensued. Hence the smiles as opposed to the tears and grumpy faces that soon followed)

The Children were Nestled...

...

All Snug in their hallway.

This is how we found these two last night.

I dont know what it is about a sleeping child, but looking at those innocent faces makes my heart almost burst.

Prophesying

My last post I told about the couple that compared my little family to a pack of wild animals- well I now have something even better.
Let me start out saying this- I am by definition a pipsqueak. There are a few kids in our primary that tower of me, and several of my nephews use me as an armrest. So I know that I'm not that big- and thats ok. Sure womanly curves would be very welcome, as would a little-(4 or 5 inches would do) added heighth, but I picked some weird combination's from the gene pool, and "you get what you get, and dont throw a fit" right? In all honesty I'm just thankful to have a  healthy body that allows me to take care of my kiddies and enjoy the many wonderful things our Heavenly Father created for us -(cue for the primary song "My Heavenly Father Loves Me" to start playing in your head.)
OK- so I am used to comments about how small I am. What I am not used to are comments about how big I am. Except when I am pregnant. and that is just because-(i've decided anyway) people can be quite obnoxious when one is expecting. And NO, this is not an announcement- although I would assume everyone(the few friends/family who read my blog anyway) knows we are trying for our caboose-(if anyone knows the secret or trick on how to have a girl- we really would appreciate any and all hints/methods!!! ;)), so hopefully that announcement will be following sometime in the new year, but this is not it. So back to my story.
This past weekend we drove up to Mesa for Daniels dear sweet cousins wedding-(which was, of course, wonderful) but had to stop at "the supersized" store for a few supplies before heading home. So we check out and get to the door where there is the guy who makes sure you're not trying to break the 8th commandment, when he looks at me and says-and I quote, "you're not hiding twins under there, are you?" ............................................................(I'm pausing here for full absorption
........................)..........................................................................................

I'm quite flabbergasted by that comment. I mean if I was supporting a little preggo belly, then yeah- i would get his "joke." But for me, the pipsqueek that I am, I am just kinda baffled. Who says something like that? I think I should start a national PSA with the little clip from Bambi cuz obviously not enough people have heard that infamous quote.
So I tell this little story to some friends at my dear, wonderful friends awesomest of awesome Christmas party, and one sweet friend tries to soften the blow by saying maybe he was having a premonition or something. Yeah- maybe if the One who sends these sweet little spirits into the world wants me to end up in the looney bin, or on some powerful anti-crazy drugs cuz Daniel and I keep telling each other were are crazy enough as it is with the "herd" of kids we already have been so blessed with.
2 more -at once no less- would definately do me in!!!!
But then I tell my dear sweet wonderful mother about that guy, and she says the same thing.
Right. Some little old man who doesnt know me from Adam, is gonna be prophesying to me that I'm gonna be carrying twins? Still doesnt make me feel better.
I think I will just chalk this one up to having a  supersized "fat" day. And I shall be burning the shirt I was wearing.

Really?

So Daniel and I went to the store with all the kiddies the other day. Nothing unusual. The kids were actually being really good. We were getting ready to check out and the couple in front of us turns around and comments on the stuff we are buying. And then they count the kids and say, "oh no wonder, ...... you have a HERD!" Really? Thats how they describe us, a herd? Geez. Ok- I get that 4 kids is "a handful." But doesnt "herd" classify as a large group of animals? And its not like the kids were being crazy acting like wild animals. Two were in the cart and the other two were standing right by it. No one was throwing temper tantrums or yelling or ripping packages of cookies open with their teeth, like they normally do. Sheesh.
What ever happened to the notion if you cant say anything nice, dont say anything at all?  

A few of my Favorite Things

"I'm OLD. I'm like the crypt keeper!" (movie trivia)
I'm officially old! Yesterday marked the 30th year of my blessed arrival into the world. And while I may still act, think and look like a 14 year old, I am no longer a "young pup." 
Daniel, having already crossed that aging line, and being the wonderful guy that he is, made the death of my youth a celebration of my favorite things. How I got so lucky to have him in my life I will never know, but I sure am grateful.
So one of my all time favorite things is the rain. I love love love rain. But we hardly ever get that wonderful force of nature in these neck of the woods. But Daniel called in a special request and I woke up to the lovely smell of rain, wonderful gray clouds, and it lasted the entire day. Pretty darn cool that Daniel has such a pull in the weather, dontcha think?
Daniel put fresh clean and crisp sheets on our bed, as thats another favorite of mine. He also took me to get my favorite lunch ever- olive gardens soup, salad and breadsticks. He brought me my favorite flowers, and even had them arranged with fresh pine as the smell of Christmas trees is yet another favorite. And he wrote me a perfectly sweet love note- can I say favorite.
He had the kids give me my favorite treats. And he made my favorite heath bar cake. And he cleaned up from the daily mayhem  so I could have a clean house for a few hours. And then he put the kids to bed, so we could spend the rest of the night together in peace- most definatley my favorite way to spend the evening.
Aging isnt too bad when one has a favorite person to do it with.


 

Turkey Party and a little Jail Time

We were so very blessed this Thanksgiving. One of my favorite brothers and his family came down for the weekend. We never get company, so we were LOVING it! Add to that that we only get to see said brother and fam once a year, this was indeed a special treat. The kids loved having their cousins over, and Kylie especially loved having a substitute little sister. My nephew even turned into our slave for the day on Friday and weed wacked our neglected yard. Then he watched the crazies so we could do a double date that night. And he only wanted to be compensated with a Subway sandwhich. What a great kid!
So they headed back on Saturday morning, and my kids were so sad all day long-(sleep deprivation from the late nights intensifies the hard to say goodbye thing, apparently) So we put them to bed at 6 pm that night. Daniel ran out to grab a few groceries that night, while I cleaned up from our wild week. He seemed to be gone a while, but I wasnt too worried.  

Until he called me.     

And told me that he had been arrested.
My heart stopped beating for a few seconds and I asked him what had happened. He told me he had taken some garbage to dispose of (we thought that garbage day would be thrown off from the holiday and missed it, therefore had a full trash can) and some cops caught him, searched his car and found his gun, and then cuffed him.
So I freak out, imagining him at the county jail in an orange jumpsuit sitting by some smelly scruffy drunk druggie, trying to figure out how I can get over there to get him as my kids are in bed. Plus there is no way I can come up with enough bail money to get him out. Then I am thinking they will have impounded his car, so we are gonna have to come up with more money to get that back.  And then I am wondering if he is gonna have to go to court for something, and we will have to pay some lawyers fees on top of it all.
But back to the first problem;
Daniel, in jail.
How to get him out.
SO I ask him- "what should we do?"

Daniel replies, "just kidding."

WHAT?????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!??????????

My dearest darling Daniel is in BIG trouble now.

Polar Express II

 

 

 

Last  year we went up to Williams to take the kids on the Polar Express. We had such a magical time that we decided to do it again this year. Us Yumians are not used to the cold! We froze our little noses off, but it was well worth it. The oldest 3 were so excited by every little thing- from the hot chocolate to the lights of the north pole, and of course the sleigh bells from Santa! Ben, being the not-yet-2 year old that he is, wasnt too interested in much besides trying to crawl in between the the seats. What really surprised me though was how excited Daniel was this year. You know how Buddy the Elf gets so excited at the department store when they announce Santas coming? Daniel acted just like that when Santa came dancing down the aisle. (I lied. It wasnt Daniel....... it was me.) Daniel was humiliated that his rapidly aging wife started acting like a 4 year old, jumping up and down to see the jolly old fat man. What can I say? I am a kid at heart- especially at Christmas time.

Run Daniel Run

My dearest darling Daniel ran his first official half marathon today. Being the supporting wife that I am, I chose to do this post instead of being at the finish line to cheer him on. I can admit it, I am a schmuck.

He did really well, except at mile 10 when he puked. 4 TIMES! Poor poor Daniel. But after the contents of his stomach were spewed on the side of the road, he jumped back in and finished the race. "What a man, what a man, what a man, what a man, what a mighty good man!" Way to go hun!

OUCH!

So good news. I didnt die. But it sure feels like I have been through heck. Surgery is not fun. In my naive little mind I figured this would be a walk in the park; get knocked out, sliced open, and super glued back up, followed by a little groggy discomfort, but that I would be up and about the next day. Yeah, thats not really the case. I feel like I was hit by a bus. I dont recall anything after I talked to the anesthesiologist. I dont know how I got home or up in bed. I only know that I was puking my guts out that night. Yesterday I could barely move. Anytime one of the kids came to give me a hug my body was screaming in agony. So not fun. Today the pain is less severe. I can actually breathe without every bone and muscle in excruciating pain. Hopefully by tomorrow I will be as good as new.
So the morning of my surgery I was telling the kids that Daddy would be taking care of them that night and that they needed to be his big helpers and yada yada. Their curious minds had a zillion questions for me. Tyler wanted to know if I was gonna die. Then he wanted to know if it was gonna hurt. He also wanted to know how they would get my guts back inside after they cut me open. Kylie was worried about the fact I would be on drugs. After all we dont do drugs. She also wanted to know if they would be able to see my skeleton. And then was worried about me bleeding to death. After the kids were reassured, Ty just had one last concern; he wanted to make sure daddy would play lego star wars with him that afternoon. Such a major concern, dont you think?
So now that this little ordeal is done, I need to express my deepest thanks for the many offers of help and support, for the well wishes, and the prayers. I am so thankful for such amazing friends and loved ones! You're all the best!

No worries

My lovely surgery is scheduled for Monday. And while I know its not a big deal, signing away my life at both pre-ops has me just a tad nervous. My Dr tells me he has never had a patient die during surgery, but then I reminded him that he hadnt  had a patient with a rogue IUD before either. He tells me it should be a quick surgery, says it should take less than 15 minutes. Of course, last month when he did some procedure to find the IUD it was only suppose to take 5 minutes, but ended up being more like 45.  And of course in all the paper work that one needs to read and sign, it says "risks include: infection, bleeding, nerve injury,altered personality(just kidding about that one) blood clots, heart attack, pneumonia and need for additional surgery." That is followed with "These risks are serious and possibly fatal." So I have to ask myself- am I feeling lucky?

I get to starve myself for a good twelve hours before surgery, and then they tell me that I most likely will be puking from the anesthesia once I come to a state of conciousness. Not my preferred choice of dieting. I am also not allowed to wear make-up the day of the surgery. Not that I wear a lot anyway, but what I do use is kinda vital for the sake of humanity.  Yes, I am vain- but really- I feel naked without it.

My post-op care instructions tell me that I will need to avoid activities that require much concentration. I guess I will need an interpreter to understand what my Bennie-boy wants/needs/ or is trying to say. Also, it says I shouldnt lift objects such as laundry and kids until the incision heals. So I might need to hire and nanny and a maid for 2 weeks. I am also told to avoid going up and down the stairs for the first 2 days. How is that suppose to work exactly- especially at nap time and bed time since all the bedrooms are upstairs?

My Dr asked me if I want to keep the IUD once he removes it, you know to frame and hang on our wall. I'm not sure if I should be embarrassed or entertained by that question.

Anyway- since I most likely wont be blogging until after this event, I want to say (in case I happen to be one of the 1 in 1,000 who dies from surgery)  my dear friends, family/relatives and  that one blurker that reads my blog from the ukraine,  I love you all! Seriously I do. My life has been blessed by each of you. And please dont let Daniel sell any of the kids if I dont make it through.  OH- and since I am not the bigger person- dont encourage Daniel to get married again cuz HE IS MINE!  Not only am I a tad dramatic- I am also a tad possessive.

Spooktacular Week

I like where we live. Mostly. But I really really dont like being so far away from my family. I miss getting together with my siblings and celebrating birthdays and holidays and having FHE with everyone. But I mostly miss my mom and dad and the interaction they could have with my kids. My mom, being the cutest grandma that she is, decided that since we couldnt go trick or treating at grandmas house, she would trick or treat us with a fantastic little haunted house kit. The kids thought it was the coolest thing ever. So that started out our spooktacular week of celebrating.
This past week we hit the pumpkin patch and the kids picked out their pumpkins. We made the haunted houses, we made spiders and bats and hung them above the table. We made spooky cupcakes with ghosts, spiders and eyeballs. We carved out some seriously awesome jack-o-lanterns, and we hit the trunk or treat and loaded up on lots of cavity inducing candy. It was a party all week long.
But now as Halloween is officially over, it is time for CHRISTMAS!!!! We've got the tree out and its my goal to have it up and decorated before the day is through. The rest of this week will include me getting the rest of the house decked out in its holiday glory. And just so you know, I'm not skipping over Thanksgiving... its included in my Holiday celebrations, as the greatest blessing we have is the Son of God, his birth, his life, his example, his perfect love, his mercy, and his Atonement.. Without Him all other blessings wouldnt really be possible.  To me, this month and next is all about celebrating Him. Thats why its my favorite time of the year. All the songs, all the decorations, all the gifts --it all ties into Him.

Halloween bash

Last week the kids were out of school, and while I loved having them around, there got to be a point in which I really just needed a break from all things kiddie. The week started out fine, but by Thursday the kids were fighting and arguing over every little thing. There were tantrums every few minutes and lots and lots of whinning. And of course there was one mess after another-(pretty much normal, but with all the whining and arguing and tantrums it just seemed to be more messier than usual)I was ready to yank my hair out. Instead I just sent a text to Daniel telling him that. And what did my dearest darling Daniel do? He came home and sent me off to get some therapy---a pedicure. Heaven! I love my Daniel! He's the best!

So Saturday we went to the best Halloween party around! Awesome decor, fabulous food, great company, hilarious costumes, and fun games. Daniel and I even won the best couple costume award. WOOHOO! Daniel looked smashing as Hercules, and even though I couldnt do my hair as dramatic as Megs,(hers being animated and what not)we pulled it off. We are trying to figure out how to paint ourselves black so we can go as Barack and Michelle next year!

The Flood

Tuesday morning I was running late in my morning routine. I was in the shower 15 minutes later than I should have been in order to get the oldest 2 ready for school, kylies lunch packed, homework checked, breakfast, hair done, and the like, for the kids to be on time for school. I was mentally going through what I could do to shortcut the amount of time usually needed in order for the kids not to be tardy. Then Ty rushes in yelling "I didnt do it, but there is lots of water coming out of the fridge!" Thinking he just let a cup overfill when getting a drink, I told him to go grab a dishtowel and clean it up. He replies, "but we are gonna die if you dont make it stop soon!" Confused, I asked him what he meant. He told me I needed to come see what was going on, and reminded me that he didnt do it. So I jump out of the shower, wrap myself in a towel thinking I really dont have time for this, and went downstairs only to find the entire kitchen floor covered in a lake of water. And indeed it was coming from the fridge. Knowing full well there was no way I could push the fridge out to look behind it to find the source of this flood, I called Daniel, but wasnt too optimistic that he would answer cuz he was in a meeting at that time. Shockingly he did answer and i quickly told him what was going on, and he calmly tells me to go shut the water off. Ummm yeah, I really dont know anything about plumbing and dont know how to do such a simple sounding task. He tells me there is a valve in the garage, and he needs to go.
Wanting to cuss him out for leaving me alone to deal with this catastrophe-(in my mind it very much was, as I was running around in a towel and had more than enough water to fill up 3 bath tubs covering every inch of the floor but no idea how to stop the flowing water, let alone clean it up and we were already running late) I headed into the garage but had no idea what kind of a valve I was looking for. But I looked. Just didnt know for what exactly. I figured I needed to get dressed cuz I was very indecent and then sent a lovely little text to my dearest darling Daniel saying he was gonna be facing the wrath of Kimmy if he let me try to deal with this on my own just cuz he was in a meeting, one that I am sure was important but not more important than my need right then. Being the knight in shining business attire he is, and not wanting the wrath of Kimmy to worry about, he left his meeting, called me, told me where another valve was and how to turn it off, and then rushed home to help me. So I turned the water off, rushed through the needed preparations for the kids for school, and loaded them up. Shockingly they werent late. Of course that might have to do with the fact they had frozen eggos waffles with a side of nothing else for breakfast, nor did their homework get checked, and both ky and ty had really bad hair that day, but at least they were there on time.
Then the 2 youngest and I drove home. Daniel had moved the fridge out, and turned off the water source to the fridge, but then he had to get back to work. So then I had to figure out how to soak up gallons and gallons and gallons of water. Unfortunately the only way I could think of doing so was to occupy every single towel we own. And it still didnt soak up all the water. So I changed my clothes as mine were soaking wet, loaded the boys up and went to buy more towels. Finally-(2 and a half hours later)a dozen new towels, all of our beach towels, all of of rag towels, all of our fancy towels, all of our bath towels, every wash cloth, burp cloth and any sort of cloth that can absorb water was piled in the downstairs shower awaiting its turn in the 5 batches of "just towels" laundry.
The silver lining? I had a really clean floor for a few hours!

My other 6 year old

Jamesy boy celebrated his 3rd birthday earlier this week. When the kids and I asked him how old he was he would answer 2, and then we would say, "you were 2, but how old are you now?" and he would say "6!" Kylie took some time with him and showed him how to hold up 3 fingers, so now he will hold them up when I ask him about his age, but he still says 2 or 6. We spent the day doing whatever he wanted to do, including blocks, wrestling, jumping on the tramp, eating lots of popsicles, and playing light sabers. He wanted ramen noodles for dinner and a turtle shaped cake. SO I thought his birthday was fun for him, but when he talked to his grandma he told her he hated his birthday. He sounds just like grouchy smurf.
We sure love our James. Daniel and I have felt so strongly with this kid that more than he is ours, he is Heavenly Fathers. Its true for all of our kids, as well as everyone elses of course, but the special experiences we had at his birth really made it hit home for us. What an awesome responsibility to have these kids to teach and take care of. And I know its been said over and over how remarkable the spirits coming into the world are, but its cuz they really are. I feel and see it in my kids, in my nieces and nephews and in the kids in primary. They are remarkable and are being sent here for with a great purpose. And James is no exception.
James is kind of an old soul. Which makes me laugh cuz he is also ALL BOY. The kid is crazy. He loves to wrestle wrestle wrestle. And is just so active. But he is so in tune with things of a spiritual nature. His prayers are so sweet and heartfelt and sincere and he doesnt even need my help anymore. He loves to sing Jesus wants me for a Sunbeam and I am a Child of God every single day, and wont let me shut his door at night until we have done so; James will frequently randomly start talking about Jesus and it feels like he knows Him. I am so grateful that James was sent to us. He is such a special guy and has really been such a blessing to our family.

A few things

Where did September go? I totally missed a birthday post for Toast, nor have I been recording much of the moments that I hope not to forget. I am gonna try to do this quick since the weather has been so wonderful and I promised to take the boys to the park, something we havent done since April.
--- Tys B-day. Since we had just gotten back from Disneyland, all he needed was a cake. He wanted me to try to make the death star-(yeah right) so instead I just made a bundtcake and put his yoda bobble-head on top and told him his candles were like lightsabers. He was most impressed with my most unimpressive cake for him. Last week he finally had a pretty good week at school. No notes or phone calls from his teacher! Of course I cant get my hopes up too much cuz I am afraid of jinxing his week of good behavior. But maybe 6 is his magic number and from here on out he will be an angel of a boy. HAHAHAHAHA! I can dream.
--Bennie-boo. Oh my heavens I dont recall ever having had so much fun with an 18 month old. The kid has got to be the cutest little punk I know. I love everything that he does right now. And I mean everything. When he wakes up in the morning, I absolutely love how he just babbles away until Daniel or I get up and get him out of his crib. And then he points to where he wants to go. And if I try to dissuade him, he makes this fake sad face that not only makes me bust up laughing, but it also makes me give in to him. He is so flippin funny. He is so curious about everything and gets into a lot of trouble because of it. Unfortunately he knows how to open the fridge now, and if I turn my back for a second he will have it emptied in record time. I love how he dances no matter where he is, just as soon as he hears rockin music. I love how he runs and tries to keep up with his brothers and gets frustrated if they run off without him. I love how he wants to be outside ALL day long. I love how he laughs just to laugh. I love how he waves goodbye with a huge smile on his face, and I really love how anytime anyone is mad or sad he runs up and gives them a love. And then does it again and again until they give him a love back. I love how excited he is to see Kylie after school each day and how he just refuses to let her go anywhere without him for at least 20 minutes of her undivided attention. I love his temper tantrums even. Cuz again he does the fake sad face and it is just the most hilarious and adorable thing. I love how excited he is when its bath time. He loves bubble baths and just splashes and swims and gets so mad when I try to take him out. I love how he will sit for 5 seconds when we start prayers but then runs around to Kylie and Toast to get their attention, and will have us all laughing when we are trying to be reverent. I love how he gets so messy when he eats, but is just so happy about it. I love how he claps for himself when he does something he is proud of, like cleaning up his toys or doing a somersault of the couch. This kid is just so delightful right now. I kinda wanna just keep him in this stage for the next year cuz the terrible twos are right around the corner and the temper tantrums arent quite as adorable the older one gets.
--Kylie. Kylie has been a bit of a vegetarian since she was 3. I have tried time and time again to try to get her to try chicken but she just wont do it. Until last Saturday. Daniel bought some chicken taquitoes and he and the boys were eating them up, and Ky decided to try one and loved it. Its a miracle. But she also informed me she wont be eating chicken ever again. Weirdo.
---James and I have been doing a little preschool stuff each day, and I am happy to say he recognizes most of the letters and their basic sounds. Hooray. We have also been counting but once he gets past 4 he starts mixing them up. Funny kid.
---Daniel. Daniel has been pulling some crazy hours at work. The kids didnt see him at all last week, but he is just trying to provide for us, so really we cant complain too much, although we do anyway. We just cant get enough Daniel time, even if we got to spend 24/7 it still wouldnt be enough.
---Kimmy...... I get to have surgery! WOOHOO! Ok- not woohoo- I am a bit scared of the dr slicing me open, but he says it will be a small incesion. And since they have superglue stitches now, chances are I will heal in no time. So woohoo right? So why am I having surgery? (not that anyone really cares but I am kinda shocked at the why so I will spill the beans.) Apparently my IUD-(the only form a birth control that has worked for me) has somehow made its way into my abdomen. And apparently this is MOST unusual. (I should say so.) So the only way to get it out is to slice me open, stick a camera around to find it and then fish it out. EWW, SO GROSS!
So now that we are all updated, we are gonna head to the park. I am LOVIN this weather!

Happiest place on Earth

This year for the kids birthdays we decided to forgo the presents and took them to Disneyland to celebrate. My wonderful parents were able to take off a few days and join us which made the celebration even more exciting as we usually only get to see grandma and grandpa twice a year. They were such an immense help with the kids, and made it much more enjoyable for Daniel and I. We would have been frazzled without them. We had good luck with lines for the most part, and only had a few tantrums due to exhaustion and starvation, but after a nap here and there and some sugar coated snacks, we were back to the smiles and wonder of it all.
Kylie was most excited for the Dumbo ride, as it is very calm, but she decided to be adventurous and ride the less than calm rides with us too. She even rode on the tower of terror, even though her dear friend has told her that its NOT fun.
Toast loved everything, but his favorite was Star Tours of course. He was so funny giving us a play by play while on the ride. He loved it so much he rode that ride 5 times.
James and Ben were so curious in regards to the characters, especially Sulley and Mickey Mouse. James loved the Buzz Lightyear ride and loved blasting Zorg with the lasers. They both crashed hard at the end of each day after so much fun and excitement.
And we all loved the Halloween Spooktacular fireworks. Disney sure knows how to put on a great show!