Spring Break - Saturday, Sunday

**I should have posted these backwards...scroll down to Spring Break - Wednesday, Thursday then read UP, if you care about chronology at all...**



Good morning, sunshine!
 Look who slept from 9:30 - 9:30!

No big plans for today except...

Dyeing Easter Eggs!

I might do this every year!  No worries about spills at all.

We had SO many eggs that the kids dyed to their hearts content.

We had each brought candy and filled plastic eggs, so we put Melanie and Shareen (sp?) in charge.  They rounded up some spray paint (when you have 52 people you are bound to find anything you need!) and sprayed out a large circle.  This way the kids knew where to look.  They put eggs up high, down low, and every where in between.  A hunt for all ages...

Ready, Set, GO!

Those who wanted to went on a big ride.  That means most of the little girls, the moms, and a few stray boys stayed at camp.  John and Jeffrey stayed, John under the guise that he would take down our tents (he actually laid down and read) and Jeffrey so he could drive one of the four wheelers to his hearts content.  The little girls dug a super deep hole and pretended it was their castle.  The moms chatted, played games, and peeled (and peeled) eggs to make egg salad for lunch.  So nice to relax!

We eventually did get our tents down. Here is our tent, up:

Cute Cousins!  Maeci, Mikayla, Melanie, Katie Anne, and Alyson.  Katie Anne LOVES being the center of attention.

Dinner: Park City Stew
Sleep: Clean! In Hurricane! In real beds! Thank you Elaine!

We all met up for Easter Sunday church at 11:00.  It's always so much fun to sit with family, spread the kids out to make one more memory with cousins.

We left Jack there...he would get a ride home with Jardines on Monday.  We took Kurt with us, loaded up and headed home.  Besides a stop for gas we had a smooth ride wee wee wee all the way home.  Wish the Jardine's could have said the same the next day!
Back at camp (on Monday) they went on another big ride, then came back to clean up.  By the time they got to Hurricane it was 7:00.  They got the trailer lights working (because you always have to GET them working), grabbed dinner and were on their way.  Just 45 minutes from home they had a flat tire!  I picked up Jack at 1:30, but everyone was safe and sound and that's a good thing.

All in all, I would call that a good Spring Break!

March Forth!

My dad turned 76 a couple of weeks ago.  He's been asking me for only one thing:  a poem.  I wrote one for my mom a few years back so it was only fair.  I've had a hard time...I'm not really a poem writer...I just wait for a little ditty to float through my brain and then I write it down.

I wanted to include a lot of things...dad's saggy Levi's, his organized wood shop, stopping by his desk at the university.  It just never came.  My sister suggested I do something with dad's birthday, March 4.  So I did and here it is:

MARCH FORTH!

March Fourth, the day that Dad was born,

Is not a date, it’s a command!

March forth is how he’s lived his life,

And taught us to understand…

March forth when a job is given --

You might as well have fun –

For you can be mad and stomp around

Or just smile and get it done!

March forth to serve your fellow man.

Be kind to all you see.

Faithfully respond to whatever the call…

Be the best that you can be.

March forth through all your days

Enjoying the blessings of life.

Remember what’s real and eternal,

Avoid the evils of strife.

March forth to play as hard as you work

Roaming the world to your hearts desire.

And when you’re home and all worn out,

Take a nap in front of the fire.

March forth to use your God given talents

At home, church, work, school, and play.

“Where much is given, much is required.”

It is sure, you’ll be shown the right way.

March forth in love for your family,

Those on earth or who’ve gone before.

Relationships strong on both sides of the veil

Help you strive for eternity more.

Marching forth has been his motto,

Taught by example to his family.

A woodworker, teacher, disciple, and friend

A good husband and father is he.



To midnight and beyond!

New Year's Eve (day) found us in Roy for Isaac's baptism.  Because he lives all the way in Wisconsin now, the likelihood of any family being there for his big day amounted to, well, none.  So they worked things out to hold it at Grandma's stake.  Isaac is just the cutest kid and his smile stretched clear across his face.

After the baptism we all met up at the Pizzeria (amazing pizza, and don't forget to get the large deluxe salad!) Thanks, Grandma and Grandpa for a yummy dinner!!!  One of the fun things they have for kids is a large fish tank.  Except when they fell off the stool they had a great time!

Everyone made their way to our home after that.  We all lazed our fat tummies on the couch for a while then got up the energy to make Christmas Crack and put out the other snackies.  Mark had the wild idea to play Minute To Win It games.  Even Grandpa played!  A Christmas miracle!

The kids had fun playing everywhere and everything.  I even caught the big boys playing house in the playroom!  ("Get me my dinner!")  All the sibs and spouses made their way to the ping pong tables where we played Around the World.  I have never felt so energized, even if I did get out on the first hit most of the time!

I assumed we'd have kid meltdown around 10, call it midnight somewhere in the universe and hit the sack.  It's so tiring being wrong all the time!  While some family members left early, there was no kid meltdown and Annette with her 4 little ones 7 and under all made it to the ball drop.  We 'clinked' our glasses of sparkling apple cider, banged pans on the deck, put the kids to bed, and I STILL STAYED UP AND TALKED with John, Mark and Kristina until 1:30.  One Thirty, people, in the MORNING.  I am not a night owl so this is a big deal, as you can see by all the capital letters.

Sunday we dragged ourselves out of bed and, for once, were thankful for 1:00 church.  We did indeed make it on time and sat in the soft seats.  We were terribly sad to then say goodbye to the cousins.  Ahh, but that's life.  And now we are well into the new year and looking forward to everything it has to bring us! 

Enjoy Twenty Twelve!

Christmas Day!

I am a lover of Christmas.  I love traditions, I love creating magic (though I might get a teensy bit stressed in the meantime), and I love memories.  These all come together at the most wonderful time of year when we can throw in  lots of family time and the more intense focus on our Savior and his incredible birth story. 

With Christmas being on a Sunday this year we had to do baths and get lots done the day before.  We are not super early risers on Christmas anyway but John and I had to get up and shower so we wouldn't gross ourselves out the rest of the day.  Somehow or other we found oursleves all downstairs.

Our Christmas day always starts with breakfast per my tradition.  Most people gasp in horror when they hear this but I just smile and feel sorry for them.  Really, I do, because the anticipation just builds and that is a major part of the magic.  When I was a kid I would practically die of excitement and then my dad would ask if Santa brought him some half and half.  My mom would carefully go through the blanketed door, get him his prize, then he would enjoy a small bowl of corn flakes while we jumped out of our skin.

We do serve a little different food...we have sausage, eggs, fruit, and cinnamon rolls (side story: made a whole batch without ANY cinnamon!), washed down with chocolate milk or eggnog.  I didn't say it was a healthy breakfast!

 ***Santa Blocker 2000, Breakfast!, Jumping out of their skin with excitement***

 Finally we were in!  Santa's sleigh had indeed tipped over so we started going at it gift by gift.  Some years we've had lots of 'it was my turn to open a present' or 'hey you're in the way' or what have you.  But this year we had none of that, only oohing and aahing and the occasional scream of delight.  Magic.  We don't dabble too much in the Santa lists, so Santa tries to pick up on what they want through random conversation his elves overhear.  Santa also likes to surprise with stuff they had no idea they wanted and sometimes Santa doesn't do so hot, but this year worked out pretty well for the big guy.

We took our time but were still done and ready to go to church on time.  I had to play last minute for the choir to sing.  Lucky for me and anyone who had to listen most numbers were hymns or easy arrangements.  I hate stage fright!  The meeting was spirit filled and a sweet reminder of why we even have this day in the first place.

 After that we ate cold pizza and other various snacky do's we could find.  We played for a while then loaded up and headed to the Jardine's where the spread is to die for!  So yum.  (Mozzeralla sticks: string cheese dipped in flour, egg, and panko bread crumbs then fried.). Also fun to see everyone.

We stayed there for an hour before heading to Roy for Agren Christmas.  We were spoiled by Nate and Dawn who had our name.  A popcorn popper and a lugaloo (a bucket for doing your 'business' when there's no other option) plus lots of scrapbook stuff for me.  You can see in the bottom left corner the hit of the family picture discs.  It was more fun watching them react to the pictures than to see the pictures!  What a fabulous day. 

Thankful

Today is Monday.  Last Monday I was cleaning and prepping for a big Thanksgiving dinner.  This Monday I've spent a fair amount of time on line trying to find good deals for Christmas.  But, the memories, and a laundry basket full of Thanksgiving decorations, are still with me.

We had John's side plus my parents (in-law year left them all alone!) come for dinner.  I love getting things ready...the tables were pretty, the food was amazing (thanks to all the contributors!), the weather kept the kids running around outside, and everyone got along.  What else can you ask for?

Let Freedom Ring!

I LOVE the Fourth of July.  I also love that you can't change the colors from say, red and green, to hot pink and lime if the mood hits.  It's red, white, and blue all the way, baby. 

Our party included:

1. Wildness.  At the beginning when everyone came and the kids were all hyped up there was a bit of wildness, which always leads to crying by someone.  Because I didn't see it all I just got mad at everyone.  Not a good way to start the party and I wish I could do that over and be all calm and sweet and sparkling unicorns.  To my credit, after my little breakdown, I pulled it together and, I think, went on to host a super fun party.

2. Food.  We had hamburgers and hot dogs (of course!), chips, fruit, and salads.  We ate and ate, then later we ate some more when we had dessert.  For dessert I made homemade lemon ice cream, which I am absolutely certain with every fiber of my being will be served at my welcome home dinner when I go to heaven.  So good.  Otter pops were a hit, as were the ice cream sandwiches that you were welcome to dip (but not double dip) in red, white, and blue sprinkles (which Katie Anne calls sprinklers).

3. Water.  And not just for drinking.  The creek behind our home has been running this summer, which is a change from our previous summers.  I think there's just a whole lot of water coming out of the mountains this year.  It's not running super fast so lots of the kids and dads and some moms got in there and made, what else, a dam.  These are dam boys, I tell ya.  You could put a tea cup full of water in front of them and they'd make a dam in it.  Anyway, they had a lot of fun and now there's a nice swimming hole.  Poor Preston slipped and hit a rock while in the creek giving his eye the look of a mountain on a mole hill.  He said it didn't hurt, but it looked really bad.  He took a break but then got right back in, just going to show that somethings really do look worse than they are.

We set up a kiddie pool too, that saw a little action.

4. Toys.  Outside the trikes and bikes all got a fair share of riding.  Inside the chess game, stratego, and a limited amount of electronics took center stage.  I had a little craft basket just in case and the kids made USA bracelets and straw creations.

5. Visiting.  The deck was a hot spot for taking a break and chit chatting.  It could be John's folks set up camp there, or it could be the food table that kept people coming up. Either way, good times. My parents stopped by after a visit to my sisters town (like 2 minutes away) for a parade and breakfast.  It was fun to have them stay a while as well.

6. Work.  Lowe's picked Independence Day to deliver our new freezer which was kind of a pain at the time they brought it (lunch!) but was nice to have all those big, burly brother's-in-law to help move the new one in and the old one out.

Everyone left by about 5:30 except for Andrea, who was here most of the day as well.  She helped me a ton and brought me the cutest apron I have slated to show in a future post.  Her brother, Brian, came over for dinner.  We had kabobs (funnest food to say) of perfectly marinated meat (thanks John!), onions, and red peppers.  Of course we had salad (lettuce coming out of our ears!) and bread that we found when switching freezers.  We headed down to Pioneer Park where we had a great spot for viewing the fireworks, even if Brian did get hit by a falling firework!  I had fun taking pictures of the fireworks...

In the end, we still have 4 boxes of sparklers but we'll get to them. Sunday the 3rd we cornered our neighbors who were walking by to stay and watch our homemade show of fireworks. We had a good time with those as well, thanks to my pyro hubby.

I am so grateful to live in this wonderful country! 

The Sun!

By the time we hit our like 300th rain day in a row, you can bet we were ready to get out of town for Memorial Day weekend.  Now, I'm used to spending the day at the cemetary, but this trip was fun too.  We headed to Hurricane (pronounce that Hurr-i-cun, ya'll) to hang out with my brother, Mark his wife Elaine, my sister Betsey, and all the cousins.  Here are a few of the highlights (and lowlights...)

Got in late Thursday night.  Highlight of the drive? Eating at Jason's Deli and figuring out how to rig up the laptop to watch a movie. 

Lowlight: My brother had some kind of episode Friday morning scaring us into thinking he had had some kind of heart attack or blod clot issue.  It's too long of a story, but he hurt his leg a couple of months ago and the troubles keep on coming!  Still not sure what happened, but they did find pneumonia so he was admitted.

Highlight: The kids were having a blast playing with each other and had no problems whatsoever!  Elaine was able to stay quite a while at the hospital, I was able to go in and visit, and John got to read and read and read.  That night we took a nice walk to an awesome park for a change of scenery.

Highlight:  Saturday we found out the age restriction had been lifted for Mark's floor so we ALL went in to see him.  That's 5 adults and 11 kids.  We had a great time.  The littler kids even left him a nice present of hot breath and fingerprints all over the window. 

After that we ate a picnic lunch on the Tabernacle lawn, then walked a few paces to the town square (sounds so quaint!) to the new splash park and water ways.  Best part?  FREE!  And the kids had a blast. 

One of the following two pictures is a pose and one is not...any ideas which is which?

Lowlight:  Ran into an old highschool pal and completely forgot her name.  Wouldn't be so bad but I ran into her at Christmas and did the same thing.  BRAIN???  WHERE ARE YOU???

Highlight:  Ran home, bathed my kids, and sent them all (yes, 11 of them) to see Kung Fu Panda 2.  No adults this time.  We headed into the hospital with Bajio food in tow for a nice relaxing dinner.  Mark had other visitors while we ate and then some, (including my awesome Uncle Dale!) and then we got down to business.  You know how they say laughter is the best medicine?  Well, he should be doing fine now!  We were laughing and carrying on that the nurse told us she could hear us with the door closed.  At one point he was supposed to be taking his tylenol, when something set him off.  The tylenol and water went spewing all over the bed, the floor, and his gown.  Elaine had to do the cross-legged hop into the bathroom as fast as she could! 

Lowlight:  We thought he'd be home on Sunday but it was not to be.  He still had a fever and that had to be dealt with before the discharge.

Highlight:  When Elaine and Melanie (my neice) played their piano duet in Sacrament Meeting, someone on the stand called so Mark could hear it.  Phones do come in handy!  Sunday afternoon included lots of yummy food and yummy naps.  And the kids did the dishes!  Here are Maeci and Jack doing their share:

Highlight: Monday morning I got to go to Ace to look around. (It's not just a hardware store!)  Plus, free popcorn.  Nice.  Mark came home about an hour before we wanted to leave so we were glad to see him!  We stopped at Cove Fort on the way home and remembered why we went to Hurricane.  Freezing! (I guess that part was a lowlight).  Made it home just after 10.  Katie Anne fell asleep about 15 minutes before we got here.  Debating the use of Benadryl on our next trip!

Grandma.

     Nearly a month ago we went through a bit of a sad time.  I had been trying all day to reach John's grandma to see if we could take her to dinner that night.  As I became more and more concerned that I couldn't get a hold of her I tried calling someone to get the number to the assisted living place.  In the meantime, John's sister called and let me know that Grandma had been found on the floor of her room, and it appeared that she had a stroke. 
     We went to see her the next night in the hospital and were able to talk to her a little bit.  She wasn't too clear in her speech, but we heard her ask very clearly how our drive down was.  Just like her to be concerned for our welfare.

     Grandma was a pretty independent woman.  She was widowed quite young and had three young girls to raise, including one from her husband's first marriage, when he was left a widower.  She was able to purchase a home, work to support her family, and have many happy years.  She loved her grandkids!  She was so helpful to them and tried hard to know what was going on with everyone. 

 (with a few of the greats in 2005)
     She stood no taller than Jack stands now, and while she was little, you for sure didn't want to mess with her!  She had spunk!  She also had a sense of humor...here she is at Christmas...

    So when she passed away just a couple of days after seeing her, we were happy for her great life that she had been able to live, but she left quite a hole.  Because she was 96, it wasn't too big of a surprise.  But for some reason, I was so sad.  She was my friend and we wrote letters while our family lived in California.  She kept them all and gave them back to me just a while ago. 
     I'm grateful to my sister-in-law for this great photo of her...this is where she always stood when we left her house!

She looked so pretty, the night of her viewing.  She looked peaceful to me.  Katie Anne, when she saw her, got very concerned and asked when Grandma was getting out of there.  I told her that Grandma was going to rest there for a while and Katie Anne replied, "I think she needs her mommy" to which I confidently replied that she was indeed with her mommy.  (Incidentally, Grandma was orphaned along with her sister at a young age so I'm sure there were some amazing reunions for her when she got to the other side!)
    Throughout the viewing there was often one or two kids who would go up and look at her, then go back to playing or running around the mortuary.  I think they were just processing.  The next day, at the funeral (which was planned by a Mormon, a Catholic, and an Agnostic and was held at the First Presbyterian Church) my boys teared up then later on at the cemetery Jane became very concerned about how things would be for Grandma in heaven.  Some people might not have exposed their children to such a time, but I was very thankful to have a chance to talk about the Plan of Salvation.
   We have a few reminders of Grandma around our house, and I doubt anyone will sit in her chair at family dinners for a while...we'll just save that for her!

Weekly Review (what a boring title)

Boring title or not, it's our life and I'm going to remember it!

I let Jane play with the camera one day while trying to get a few things done.

I loved seeing all the pictures from her point of view.  I'm considering getting myself a new camera, and letting the kids 'check' mine out (like from a library).  I think we'll get a few interesting pictures for the blog this summer.

I attended the talent shows for the boys at school.  They do them by grade level so, lucky me, I got to sit through two whole performances!  Jack and Jeffrey each showcased their basketball talent.  (Jack used the basket on the far end of the gym and I didn't get any good pictures).  When they told me their plan for the talent show I asked, "Can you make baskets on a tall hoop?" They assured me they could, because that's all they do at recess. They were right...they could make baskets!

Anyway, when Jeffrey was shooting, all the little 2nd graders were chanting, "Go Jeffrey!  Go Jeffrey!"  I could tell he didn't like it much, made him nervous, and he doesn't really like all that attention...but he kept going and made a few baskets and felt so good about himself.  I teared up and yet grinned like a lunatic...  Jack did a great job too. 

I hosted my last preschool day last week.  We were learning the letter Z and all about transportation.

We did all kinds of artsy and creative learning activities on Tuesday, when it rained.

On Thursday we went to the Zoo.  Well, it's a park that has quite a few animals. It was still a little chilly in the shade, but we had a grand time checking out all the animals.  You can see in the middle picture that Katie Anne and Cade have taken it to the next level.

We were missing one little girl.  She was staying at her aunt's while her mom and dad went to see the shuttle lift off.  How cool is that!

Sunday afternoon...
The creek in the back has been turned off.  It holds irrigation water until the irrigators are ready to, well, irrigate.  It's a little less scary to me off, and the boys had a great time down there.  The neighbor kids walked up from their section of the creek so the boys took off with them for a while.  Believe me when I tell you that NEXT TIME they will tell their mother where they are going!!!

The girls and I had fun on the tramp.  Look at that form.  And if you're pictures are too tiny, click on it to make it bigger and check out Katie Anne's staticky (word?) hair!

 

Sunday in the real afternoon, we took off to Roy to see the newest little Agren side baby!  He is such a cutie and so so little!  We all had fun holding him and gooing and aahing over this sweet little bundle of joy.  John's sister, Jenny, is already a fantastic mom!  (33 hours of labor will do that to ya!)

Happy Birthday, Grandma!

John's Grandma turned 95 this year so of course we had to have a party! We had all but one of her grandsons here and we took advantage and spent several days together. This picture was taken at a park, where she was 'dolled' up for all of her loved ones. She is just the cutest little thing, and I can say little because she's well under 5 feet tall! She came from England as a little girl, faced the hardship of losing first her mother, then her father, and was raised by a family friend her father had met in the hospital when he was ill. She married a widower with one child, had 2 more children, then he passed away and she's been on her own ever since. She is very independent, so it's hard for her since losing most of her sight and hearing. We all went and stayed at a cabin in Midway, where John's brother put on a fantastic program honoring her life. We all learned a few things about her and had a good time. Here are the pictures of everything...if you watch until the end you'll see a picture of the cabin, and then a picture of a very sad Jeffrey, who was very sad to leave

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Happy Birthday, Mom! Hope you have a great one! I love you, K

OOOTAH

Well, you figured it out! We are moving to Utah, or as Jane says it, oootah (Things are also cooot, not cute, in her world!) So, I got home from girl's camp and the next day we left for this trip (I know, stressful!!!). We were able to go house hunting on Saturday and found nothing. We figure we'll just live in my sister's basement for the rest of our life (not) but maybe for a week while we find something to rent while we look for somewhere more permanent.

We did have some fun while we were there, of course. Sunday morning we took a walk along lower second dam. We had fun looking at fish, throwing rocks, and studying this very cooperative butterfly. I had to have John take a picture of me in my $10 skirt from Albertson's. Who knew? And it's really cute, in case you can't tell. Move over Mervyn's, you've got competition!

We enjoyed playing outside every day and night while there. We had a nice dinner with John's side on Monday night. My parents irrigate their yard so the kids got to play in it. Mom then fed them all the popsicles she could find so she wouldn't have to store them over the winter. Katie Anne also took her first crawl through the coffee table, a rite of passage at Grandma's house.

Next we were off to Big John's Flat in Beaver, Utah for a family reunion for my side. We went here last time and it was so good we decided to go again. Katie Anne was sick the first night but, besides not eating much, she was really good. We had matching t-shirts made and we look so cute in every picture! I love it! Highlights include: a nature walk, a "talent" show, crafting to your hearts content, and a long ATV ride. We had 15 ATV's including a Rhino that holds 6 people. Jack even got to drive one by himself and is still grinning. On the way down the mountain as we were leaving the reunion we had to stop while some cows went by and one stopped and blowfished the window. Jane LOVED that we had cow spit on our window! So, good times from start to finish.

Happy Father's Day!

Happy Father's Day!

The kids dressed up in some of John's things for a picture for Father's Day. Jack is in John's beloved basketball shorts and shoes, Jeffrey is a combo of what he would wear to work and what he would wear to church, Jane displays his woodworking side, and Katie Anne is sitting in a pot that he takes camping, you know for cooking and stuff, and playing a game!

John is a great dad and is very concerned about doing what's best for the kids. He's really fun to play with and also knows how to relax. Thank heavens one of us does! I think if I keep typing this could turn sappy, so I'll just say "We're so glad when daddy comes home!"

And here is my dad. I feel so lucky that I got to have him for a dad! He taught me so much, and I think of his little sayings all the time. I am starting to understand his longing for us kids to have a cow! If I had to say one thing about my dad, it's that he loves life and lives it to the fullest. Happy father's day to my dad, my hubby, and to my brother and brothers-in-law...

YOU'RE GRRREAT!

Happy Mother's Day...(to my mil)

Happy Mother's Day to John's mom, my mother-in-law. I tried to write a poem about mother-in-law's but it just wouldn't come together. It went something like this at the beginning...
Mother-in-laws always get a bad rap, but I think those people are full of, well you can see why this wasn't the greatest poem ever. But, I am thankful for a great mother-in-law and hope she has a wonderful day too! She sure raised a good family and had plenty of challenges along the way. Here's to you!

With Janie at Roy Pool, 2005 (Cute hats!)


At Manzanar, 2008

There aren't a whole lot of pictures of her alone.

With the grandkids, 2008

Happy Mother's Day! (to my mom...)

I wrote a poem for my Mom in 2006 so I'll share that again here...Happy Mother's Day to one of the greats!

For My Mom

Mother's Day 2006

My mom had a purple robe,

And slippers shiny and gold.

She wore them every morning

As she cooked breakfast on the stove.

My mom plays the piano,

and paints on wood with care.

But the most impressive talent

Is "Undressed by the last stair".

My mom likes to get dressed up

She looks good from toe to head

She cleans up very nicely

In her signature color red.

My mom is fairly funny

That's what makes her cool.

Like the time in her pajamas

She slid into the pool.

My mom loves the gospel

It's not her thing to preach.

It's through her love and actions

That she's able to teach.

My mom may not ever know

how much she is loved, and so it's time to say

"Dear Mom, How I love you!

Happy Mother's Day!"

Disneyland Pics, Volume 2

And it wouldn't be a trip if...

We didn't run into someone we know! Our aunt, uncle, and cousin were there and we saw them as we were leaving Frontierland. My brother also saw some people from his ward. Fun!

Jeffrey and Jane getting ready to fly on Dumbo.

Jack getting ready to ride Thunder Mountain. He wasn't too scared most of the time. Except he really didn't want to ride the Matterhorn later on, but I pried his fingers off the rail and took him with me. We both screamed our way through!

Jeffrey and his cousin get ready to ride the rockets.

We love the Whinnie the Pooh ride.

Good Times!
So, as you can see from the pictures we had a super fun time at Disneyland! My sister showed up on Saturday and we left to my Uncle's after church on Sunday. We were surprised to see their Christmas tree still up! My aunt's mom or grandma or someone used to leave their tree up until March, so she did it this year. It was very pretty! I'm just sorry I forgot to take a picture. The next morning we were up and at 'em to meet up with my brother who was staying at a cousin's house a few miles away. We were finally at the happiest place on earth! The kids took that to heart and really were all very happy all day long. With 16 people we could have had some breakdowns but we didn't, thank heavens. We drove home from Disneyland that night, barely making it home just before 2 a.m. We were very tired the next day, and John came home sick from work. He had a stomach ache from all the crap he had to eat to stay awake while driving, and the flu bug hit him as well. Wednesday evening my sister, brother, and families showed up for another fun couple of days. Thursday no one wanted to go anywhere! I had come up with some ideas but the kids just wanted to play and hang out. The adults were quite relaxed as well. We were talking that not many siblings get together like we do and actually want to do it. Thanks for coming everyone!