I may post a couple of times, on this trip. I got all my pictures posted () and so now I can start documenting some of my thoughts and feelings.
One of my favorite memories were just driving in the car. Rosey had CD mixes she had made, and so we listened to those the whole way in and the whole way home. They were great Rose - thanks! Janey and I kept having a discussion of whether it would be worth pulling over and buying one of those things that hooks to your ipod to play our music on the radio. But alas, Rosey's music was good enough to keep us all happy.
One of the continuing conversations (which got funnier and funnier as the trip went on) was around whether something had become a big gap, or was just a funny idiosyncrasy. I pointed out early in the trip that no one is perfect. And everyone has weird things about their personality. And that's okay. It's when we allow our weird traits to get bigger and all consuming, that it becomes more than a trait, it becomes a gaping hole or a huge gap. And that's not okay. That's when you need some counseling, or you need to put some effort behind fixing it. And the example, I gave (which Rosey pointed out is the example I always give when I bring up this subject) was around Margarette and her dislike of hugs. When she and Rosey were little girls, they both laughed about not liking to get hugs. I was happy when Rosey overcame that weird little trait... but Margie let it grow and become kind of a personality trait. Again, that's okay - it's kind of funny and cute to watch her squirm. But if she let it grow to the point, where the she didn't want anyone touching her, or kissing her, or looking at her, then it would become a gaping hole, something for which she might need some help. Because it could keep her from being free to be what the Lord would want to be... married and motherly. So for the rest of the trip, whenever something came up where they were talking about a person who had a problem or a bad habit, and they would tell I was getting ready to preach about the dangers of that habit or trait, then they would clarify for me, that it wasn't a gaping hole.... but just a weird trait, and it was okay. That got funnier and funnier to me as the trip went on.
We loved stopping in Beaver for cheese curds, seeing N&S new house for the first time, going into St. George and watching Toy Story3, eating spahetti, having a little lesson on the declaration of independance and sleeping in Brent and Nancy's big bed.
I loved getting up early and seeing the red rock, going to N&S's church and hearing Nick bear a wonderful tetimony, and then hitting the road together. It was fun doing lunch outside of Vegas, and then listening to the mormon tabercale choir at full blast was we drove past Las Vegas with windows rolled down and me shaking my fist yelling out the window, "Repent sinners...the end is near" (or something like that). Knowing that all 3 cars had GPS systems, and we didn't have to see each other all the time, to know we would all arrive safely. I loved arriving at our hotel, seeing how beautiful it was, then having pizza (see Janey's story) and going to the fireworks show at DLand. I was happy the shuttle to the parks worked so well and that my feet were holding out.
I loved having breakfast at our place each day. The crispy creme donuts were a special treat which everyone seemed to appreciate. I never heard any complaints and never felt like anyone wanted to moan that we only had Peanut Butter and Jelly for sandwiches. I just felt gratitude from all, all the time.. I was happy that the food budget idea seemed to work so well. In the parks I loved not feeling rushed, and at the end of each day feeling like we had packed sooo much in. I loved that everyone wanted to hang out together... and for the most part we did. I appreciated that Rosey, Janey, Kristi and others were willing to go so often running off for going into the park to get 'fast pass' tickets. I loved how willing everyone was to sit with kids who couldn't go on rides while we took turns going on rides. I also appreciated how parents of young kids were so willing to sit out, instead of expecting others to take care of their kids. When anyone helped with kids, you guys were always so grateful, and that meant a lot.
I appreciated that even though Janey and Max both came down with illnesses, they were still able to enjoy the fun, and they didn't spread it to everyone. I appreciated all the little miracles....miracles including - Magic morning and being able to pull together all the loose ends so quickly. Blaine and Kristi finding her camera. Never losing a child. Never having to wait for multiple shuttles to take us back or forth to the park. That my feet held out. That Bentley didn't wander off and get lost when he'd go on his early morning excusions while his family still slept. That Bret was happy with his "Cars, Cars" even though they didn't roll. That we experienced an earthquake. That we got to eat out occassionally. That there wasn't any drama so negative that people came away feeling too badly.
And if I ever did say something or do something which offended any of you, or made you feel small, or unappreciated... I apologize, and hope to be able to make it up to you...
Thanks all for making it a wonderful memory. See you soon.
Loves. Dad.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Friday, July 23, 2010
Disneyland (Blaine)
Wow, it's been a really long time since I've written an actual post. I justify my inactivity because I'm so good at reading and leaving comments, but really it's about time that I post. For that matter I think it's about time that anyone besides Mom or Janey post (they get off the hook since they have actually written this month! :)
Anyway, I'm not sure what memory I want to talk about yet but I just decided I would start typing and see what comes out. It was a wonderful trip as we have all said. It was so fun to have all the kids just a bit older and I think it stood out to them more than last time. Having Ivy and Clayton along with us for their first time was great and I KNOW Ben and Bret got a lot more out of it. Ben was so cute in the months, weeks, and days leading up to the trip. He would hear us talking about the upcoming trip every so often and latch on to how much longer there was until the trip. The funny thing is, he wouldn't then "update". In other words, for about 6 weeks when we asked Bentley when Disneyland was he would say "2 months". And then, until the day before we left he would say "2 weeks". And then he said "tomorrow" which was true from basically the Friday (well, we were on our way on Friday's "tomorrow") until the end of the trip. However, unfortunately for him, that is still where he is at. He keeps hoping that we'll go to Disneyland again tomorrow or at least some combination of "not tomorrow, not the next day, not the next day..." etc. as if we have another trip planned. Finally I tried explaining to him that we'll probably go again when he's about Gwen's age, which was a little hard for him to understand at first, and then a little hard to accept, but I think he's finally gotten through his head what a fun, special time it was, why we were so excited for it, and what we have to look forward to again someday.
For Gwen's part, I think she had a much more memorable time as well. There was much more to anticipate this time and I was amazed how much she remembered and knew to look forward to. I'm sure it didn't hurt that she watched our home videos from the 2008 Disneyland trip 2-3 times each Sunday for months leading up to the trip. She knew all the rides she wanted to do and all the rides she didn't want to do long before we got there. And she knew most of all that she wanted to be a part of everything "fairy" or "princess" at the park once we got there. For weeks she saved all kinds of little trinkets in a special basket that was her "fairy basket" to take to Disneyland. This included bigger things like new Tinkerbell t-shirt, panties, and socks, as well as smaller things like shiny beads that she came across in her little life, pictures of "well-endowed" fairies that she had drawn (I think you know what I mean by this--the big circles she never fails to draw on her subjects' chests :), used stickers, feathers, pieces of granite she found at the cabin, and who knows what else. In the end, we definitely brought all the new clothes but I'm not sure what else made it. And ironically, when she found out that the Tinkerbell there was a full-size person in a costume (yep, there's no fooling her!), she pretty much lost interest in seeing her. Which was good for us because the Tink line was over an hour long and we had already done the 1.5 hour Princess line that day.
The other fairy bummer was that they didn't have as cool of Tinkerbell stuff as they did for the other princesses. For example they had no fairy wallet, much to Gwen's disappointment. So she had to go with the princess one. Which reminds me of another big Disneyland discovery Gwen made--the value of money. We decided to give each kid $35 for treats and souvenirs over the course of the week. Gwen and Ben both started frittering it away immediately as soon as they learned what having money really meant: that Mom and Dad aren't so quick with a "No" when they say "I want that $5 snow cone" or "Can I have a $2.50 lollipop"? Ben continued along this vein and ended up with little to speak of for souvenirs but had a yummy week. Gwen, on the other hand, slowly started to figure out that she could actually get something pretty cool if she saved her money. In the end we spent half of the time that the rest of the family was partying at the beach helping Gwen shop for just the perfect item. She ended up with a cute Princess wallet, a magic wand pen, and a Tinkerbell necklace. How did she have enough for all this after also having bought so many expensive concession stand treats already? She went on rides that she didn't really want to go on. Because there was already plenty of "sitting out" on most of the rides, Kristi and I were desperate to have the kids go on every ride that they were tall enough for. Gwen figured this out quickly and took us for all we were worth. For example, we ended up giving her $2 to go on Pirates (which she hated) one day and then $3 to go on it again the next day. We also paid her for Splash Mtn, Space Mtn (the first time, then she did us a couple freebies because she kind of liked it), and several others. It ended up costing us a fortune but it was good to see her start understanding the value of money and being able to bargain with her. Like I don't think either of us (me or Gwen) thought she would ever do Pirates again after her experience the first time, but we just had to find her price. That girl is nothing if she's not reasonable and logical.
Ivy seemed to enjoy Disney fine. She didn't get to do a whole lot obviously. But I think the real highlight for her was when we drove to Hollywood on Saturday and saw, if for only a fraction of a second, the Hollywood sign, and drove along Hollywood Blvd to see the stars in the sidewalk and the Kodak Theater where American Idol takes place. Just kidding, Ivy didn't really love that day but I wanted to mention that we did all that :) In reality, Ivy's favorite was the beach. That girl is fearless! She, in all her pale skinniness, was completely unphased either by the hot sun or the FREEEEZING cold water. She just went for it, laughing all the way. We couldn't get her out of the water. This in strict opposition to her big brother who was immediately bothered by the way the water rose and fell so unpredictably. He liked to stay far enough out that there were no surprises. Gwen, like Ivy, was a big fan and, unlike the rest of us, didn't have to pay the price in pain and peeling skin for the next week or two since her olive skin doesn't get sunburns.
Finally, I'll say a word on Kristi. Talk about the funnest Disneyland mom ever! (Well, "ever" is a strong word, since my Mom and Stef were pretty awesome too, but you can indulge me for a minute... :) She was such a trooper and was just tireless in trying to get everything done to make sure we didn't leave any memory un-made. This made for some LOOONG days, some sparse meals, some diaper blowouts at inopportune times, and lots of tears, but Kristi never slowed down. My favorite moment that made me totally fall in love with Kristi all over again was when we had our first night in the hotel and she kept tossing and turning all night. I worried that it was hard sharing a twin bed but when I asked her why, I learned that that wasn't it at all. It was just because she was so excited for the next day. ISN'T THAT CUTE?? She's the same on Christmas Eve; even as an adult she still just can't sleep well because she gets so excited. I think it's so adorable!
Anyway, Mom and Dad should win parenting and grandparenting awards for making the trip so much fun and such a success. What a truly magical place and what fun it is to add more memories to the pot every few years, especially as the family grows and evolves through different phases of life. Thank you to EVERYONE for being so fun, for helping with kids, for going on kid rides with a great attitude, for laughing when older brothers tease you (like Max holding up his one finger since he was riding on the Bug's Life bumper cars alone!), and for just being great!
Now let's hear everyone else's memories while they're fresh!!
Anyway, I'm not sure what memory I want to talk about yet but I just decided I would start typing and see what comes out. It was a wonderful trip as we have all said. It was so fun to have all the kids just a bit older and I think it stood out to them more than last time. Having Ivy and Clayton along with us for their first time was great and I KNOW Ben and Bret got a lot more out of it. Ben was so cute in the months, weeks, and days leading up to the trip. He would hear us talking about the upcoming trip every so often and latch on to how much longer there was until the trip. The funny thing is, he wouldn't then "update". In other words, for about 6 weeks when we asked Bentley when Disneyland was he would say "2 months". And then, until the day before we left he would say "2 weeks". And then he said "tomorrow" which was true from basically the Friday (well, we were on our way on Friday's "tomorrow") until the end of the trip. However, unfortunately for him, that is still where he is at. He keeps hoping that we'll go to Disneyland again tomorrow or at least some combination of "not tomorrow, not the next day, not the next day..." etc. as if we have another trip planned. Finally I tried explaining to him that we'll probably go again when he's about Gwen's age, which was a little hard for him to understand at first, and then a little hard to accept, but I think he's finally gotten through his head what a fun, special time it was, why we were so excited for it, and what we have to look forward to again someday.
For Gwen's part, I think she had a much more memorable time as well. There was much more to anticipate this time and I was amazed how much she remembered and knew to look forward to. I'm sure it didn't hurt that she watched our home videos from the 2008 Disneyland trip 2-3 times each Sunday for months leading up to the trip. She knew all the rides she wanted to do and all the rides she didn't want to do long before we got there. And she knew most of all that she wanted to be a part of everything "fairy" or "princess" at the park once we got there. For weeks she saved all kinds of little trinkets in a special basket that was her "fairy basket" to take to Disneyland. This included bigger things like new Tinkerbell t-shirt, panties, and socks, as well as smaller things like shiny beads that she came across in her little life, pictures of "well-endowed" fairies that she had drawn (I think you know what I mean by this--the big circles she never fails to draw on her subjects' chests :), used stickers, feathers, pieces of granite she found at the cabin, and who knows what else. In the end, we definitely brought all the new clothes but I'm not sure what else made it. And ironically, when she found out that the Tinkerbell there was a full-size person in a costume (yep, there's no fooling her!), she pretty much lost interest in seeing her. Which was good for us because the Tink line was over an hour long and we had already done the 1.5 hour Princess line that day.
The other fairy bummer was that they didn't have as cool of Tinkerbell stuff as they did for the other princesses. For example they had no fairy wallet, much to Gwen's disappointment. So she had to go with the princess one. Which reminds me of another big Disneyland discovery Gwen made--the value of money. We decided to give each kid $35 for treats and souvenirs over the course of the week. Gwen and Ben both started frittering it away immediately as soon as they learned what having money really meant: that Mom and Dad aren't so quick with a "No" when they say "I want that $5 snow cone" or "Can I have a $2.50 lollipop"? Ben continued along this vein and ended up with little to speak of for souvenirs but had a yummy week. Gwen, on the other hand, slowly started to figure out that she could actually get something pretty cool if she saved her money. In the end we spent half of the time that the rest of the family was partying at the beach helping Gwen shop for just the perfect item. She ended up with a cute Princess wallet, a magic wand pen, and a Tinkerbell necklace. How did she have enough for all this after also having bought so many expensive concession stand treats already? She went on rides that she didn't really want to go on. Because there was already plenty of "sitting out" on most of the rides, Kristi and I were desperate to have the kids go on every ride that they were tall enough for. Gwen figured this out quickly and took us for all we were worth. For example, we ended up giving her $2 to go on Pirates (which she hated) one day and then $3 to go on it again the next day. We also paid her for Splash Mtn, Space Mtn (the first time, then she did us a couple freebies because she kind of liked it), and several others. It ended up costing us a fortune but it was good to see her start understanding the value of money and being able to bargain with her. Like I don't think either of us (me or Gwen) thought she would ever do Pirates again after her experience the first time, but we just had to find her price. That girl is nothing if she's not reasonable and logical.
Ivy seemed to enjoy Disney fine. She didn't get to do a whole lot obviously. But I think the real highlight for her was when we drove to Hollywood on Saturday and saw, if for only a fraction of a second, the Hollywood sign, and drove along Hollywood Blvd to see the stars in the sidewalk and the Kodak Theater where American Idol takes place. Just kidding, Ivy didn't really love that day but I wanted to mention that we did all that :) In reality, Ivy's favorite was the beach. That girl is fearless! She, in all her pale skinniness, was completely unphased either by the hot sun or the FREEEEZING cold water. She just went for it, laughing all the way. We couldn't get her out of the water. This in strict opposition to her big brother who was immediately bothered by the way the water rose and fell so unpredictably. He liked to stay far enough out that there were no surprises. Gwen, like Ivy, was a big fan and, unlike the rest of us, didn't have to pay the price in pain and peeling skin for the next week or two since her olive skin doesn't get sunburns.
Finally, I'll say a word on Kristi. Talk about the funnest Disneyland mom ever! (Well, "ever" is a strong word, since my Mom and Stef were pretty awesome too, but you can indulge me for a minute... :) She was such a trooper and was just tireless in trying to get everything done to make sure we didn't leave any memory un-made. This made for some LOOONG days, some sparse meals, some diaper blowouts at inopportune times, and lots of tears, but Kristi never slowed down. My favorite moment that made me totally fall in love with Kristi all over again was when we had our first night in the hotel and she kept tossing and turning all night. I worried that it was hard sharing a twin bed but when I asked her why, I learned that that wasn't it at all. It was just because she was so excited for the next day. ISN'T THAT CUTE?? She's the same on Christmas Eve; even as an adult she still just can't sleep well because she gets so excited. I think it's so adorable!
Anyway, Mom and Dad should win parenting and grandparenting awards for making the trip so much fun and such a success. What a truly magical place and what fun it is to add more memories to the pot every few years, especially as the family grows and evolves through different phases of life. Thank you to EVERYONE for being so fun, for helping with kids, for going on kid rides with a great attitude, for laughing when older brothers tease you (like Max holding up his one finger since he was riding on the Bug's Life bumper cars alone!), and for just being great!
Now let's hear everyone else's memories while they're fresh!!
Thursday, July 22, 2010
"Happiest Place on Earth" (max)
Hello everyone!
I was just on picasa looking at all the fun fun fun fun fun pictures that everyone took! They are so great! I feel like I am there on the shuttle again driving to disneyland, or waking up walking into mom and dads room to find a box of Krispy Kreams on the counter, or watching the fireworks light up the sky, or waiting in a 13 minute wait time for Tower of Terror with NO fast passes, or watching the wonderful World of Color!(Thanks again Kristi for getting fast passes for that!) But thanks everyone for taking such fun pictures!
Thank you so much mom and dad for making the whole trip possible! Even being super sick in St. George and having no voice to sream on the rides, I had such a fun time being with everyone. I'm so glad we have such a wonderful family that can get along so well. I really loved every single minute of the trip!!!!
I just wanted to write and tell you all how much I love this family! You are all such great examples to me, and I couldnt have asked for a better fam to be in! I love you all so much!!!
Also, I was trying to make a link on this page to my song, but I couldnt ever get it to work. I will keep trying because I've finished another song too!
Thanks again and LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!
- Max
I was just on picasa looking at all the fun fun fun fun fun pictures that everyone took! They are so great! I feel like I am there on the shuttle again driving to disneyland, or waking up walking into mom and dads room to find a box of Krispy Kreams on the counter, or watching the fireworks light up the sky, or waiting in a 13 minute wait time for Tower of Terror with NO fast passes, or watching the wonderful World of Color!(Thanks again Kristi for getting fast passes for that!) But thanks everyone for taking such fun pictures!
Thank you so much mom and dad for making the whole trip possible! Even being super sick in St. George and having no voice to sream on the rides, I had such a fun time being with everyone. I'm so glad we have such a wonderful family that can get along so well. I really loved every single minute of the trip!!!!
I just wanted to write and tell you all how much I love this family! You are all such great examples to me, and I couldnt have asked for a better fam to be in! I love you all so much!!!
Also, I was trying to make a link on this page to my song, but I couldnt ever get it to work. I will keep trying because I've finished another song too!
Thanks again and LOVE YOU ALL!!!!!
- Max
p.s. HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM!!!!!!! I am officially the first one to do it on the BAWB!!!! :) Love you mom!
Tuesday, July 20, 2010
Disney Trip (Janey)
First, I want to say a big, huge, THANK YOU to mom and dad for such a fun trip! Heck, I thought it was fun enough when we got to St. George; I loved just being togehter. We could just do that for our next family vaca (although that probably wouldn't be as fun for Nick and Stef.) Anyway, I loved the trip, thanks so much.
I am going to write about Sunday night....what an adventure. I'll be honest, when all of it was happening I felt stupid, but looking back on the whole thing I just laugh.
On Sunday, July 4th, we finally arrived at our destination, the Double Tree Hotel with a beautiful lobby and nice rooms. We all settled into our rooms and eventually met in Mom and Dad's room to decide what the rest of the evening would consist of. Here's how the rest of the evening went (with an approximation on times):
6:35 PM: We finally were all togther after a long day of traveling. Lots of idea's were bouncing around as to what we should do for the rest of the night. After lots of debate, we decided to do a Pizza dinner and then catch the 8:00 shuttle to Disneyland for the spectacular and unique 4th of July firerowork show.
6:50 PM: Blaine (or someone) calls Pizza Hut hoping they can have pizza ready in the next few minutes; unfortantely that will take too long so we decide to settle for Little Ceasar's pizza.
7:00 PM: Blaine, Nick, and Max leave to pick up 6 pizza's. Mom and Dad go to the grocery store for soda pop, salad (because Rosey wanted it SO bad), and a few other things that we needed for the next few days. The girls stayed back at the hotel to get ice and pack up to go to Disney.
7:25 PM: The boys return to Mom and Dad's room with the pizza. We decide we don't want to make their room a mess, so we decide to go down to sit by the pond on some nice patio furniture on the back side of our hotel. We suddenly realize that we only have about 20 minutes to eat this pizza so we realize we need to HURRY.
7:30 PM: We hurry down to the lobby of the hotel, walk through the bar with our six pizza's, and settle down on the patio furniture. There was a couple sitting on some nearby patio furniture. I remember feeling bad, but thought, "well, we are guests at this hotel too." Blaine says a prayer and we dig in. Meanwhile the kids are running around and mom and dad show up with the pop and salad (we forgot the ice so now we are just going to have to drink warm soda.)
7:34 PM: We see two of the bar manager's come outside and we know we are in trouble. The lady was super nice and told us this was part of the bar and asked us to leave. (She was really nice and we could tell she felt bad making us move. The couple that we sat down next to obviously didn't enjoy our company and went and ratted on us.....)
7:35 PM: Everyone picks something up (whether it was 6 pizza's, the salad in a bag, the soda, or one of the kids) and we move about 100 yards down to the swimming pool area (we didn't even eat at a table, we just found an area where we knew we wouldn't get in trouble). We could tell that the people in the pool were a little suprised to see 14 people running around and scarfing down pizza and pop all at the same time.
7:38 PM: The hospital was right next to our hotel. As we scarfed down pizza, we watched as a helicopter took off...very cool.
7:40 PM: After everyone has eaten probably only one, possibly two pieces of pizza, we realize that we need to take all this stuff back up to our hotel room, grab our jackets (because it's cold), and head down to be on time for the shuttle.
7:55 PM: Luckily a few of us (namely Kristi) had gotten to the shuttle line a little early. Good thing, because lots of people were tryig to catch the 8:00 shuttle.
8:00 PM: By some miracle, we got on the shuttle and were on our merry little way to disneyland. Some of our tummies hadn't been filled completly, but we still had lots of pizza left, stinking up B&K's bedroom (sorry again Kris.)
We arrived at disneyland, picked up our passes, received "Honory Disneyland Citizens" buttons because we just looked so excited to be there. We got into the park and settled into a good spot at the end of main street. I love the fireworks show and was so glad we made it in time to see the show. I love how Disney puts music to go along with their fireworks (Max, maybe to improve your future fireworks shows, consider playing some music as you light your "flowers" and "sparklers" while we sit on the roof. :)
I can't wrap this evening up until I mention one of my favorite moments. We had about an hour to sit in Disneyland before the show even started. There were obviously lots of people around. I was sitting there visiting when all the sudden I turn around and see Kristi high in the air. Blaine was hoisting Kristi well above the crowd so Nick could take a picture of her with the castle in the background. Kristi needed this picture so she could update her facebook...I love you Kris. :) That was seriously one of my more favorite memories of the trip.
Thanks again mom and dad for the fun trip and lots of memories. And thanks to everyone who took so many pictures. The pictures make the trip seem alive!
Love, Janey
I am going to write about Sunday night....what an adventure. I'll be honest, when all of it was happening I felt stupid, but looking back on the whole thing I just laugh.
On Sunday, July 4th, we finally arrived at our destination, the Double Tree Hotel with a beautiful lobby and nice rooms. We all settled into our rooms and eventually met in Mom and Dad's room to decide what the rest of the evening would consist of. Here's how the rest of the evening went (with an approximation on times):
6:35 PM: We finally were all togther after a long day of traveling. Lots of idea's were bouncing around as to what we should do for the rest of the night. After lots of debate, we decided to do a Pizza dinner and then catch the 8:00 shuttle to Disneyland for the spectacular and unique 4th of July firerowork show.
6:50 PM: Blaine (or someone) calls Pizza Hut hoping they can have pizza ready in the next few minutes; unfortantely that will take too long so we decide to settle for Little Ceasar's pizza.
7:00 PM: Blaine, Nick, and Max leave to pick up 6 pizza's. Mom and Dad go to the grocery store for soda pop, salad (because Rosey wanted it SO bad), and a few other things that we needed for the next few days. The girls stayed back at the hotel to get ice and pack up to go to Disney.
7:25 PM: The boys return to Mom and Dad's room with the pizza. We decide we don't want to make their room a mess, so we decide to go down to sit by the pond on some nice patio furniture on the back side of our hotel. We suddenly realize that we only have about 20 minutes to eat this pizza so we realize we need to HURRY.
7:30 PM: We hurry down to the lobby of the hotel, walk through the bar with our six pizza's, and settle down on the patio furniture. There was a couple sitting on some nearby patio furniture. I remember feeling bad, but thought, "well, we are guests at this hotel too." Blaine says a prayer and we dig in. Meanwhile the kids are running around and mom and dad show up with the pop and salad (we forgot the ice so now we are just going to have to drink warm soda.)
7:34 PM: We see two of the bar manager's come outside and we know we are in trouble. The lady was super nice and told us this was part of the bar and asked us to leave. (She was really nice and we could tell she felt bad making us move. The couple that we sat down next to obviously didn't enjoy our company and went and ratted on us.....)
7:35 PM: Everyone picks something up (whether it was 6 pizza's, the salad in a bag, the soda, or one of the kids) and we move about 100 yards down to the swimming pool area (we didn't even eat at a table, we just found an area where we knew we wouldn't get in trouble). We could tell that the people in the pool were a little suprised to see 14 people running around and scarfing down pizza and pop all at the same time.
7:38 PM: The hospital was right next to our hotel. As we scarfed down pizza, we watched as a helicopter took off...very cool.
7:40 PM: After everyone has eaten probably only one, possibly two pieces of pizza, we realize that we need to take all this stuff back up to our hotel room, grab our jackets (because it's cold), and head down to be on time for the shuttle.
7:55 PM: Luckily a few of us (namely Kristi) had gotten to the shuttle line a little early. Good thing, because lots of people were tryig to catch the 8:00 shuttle.
8:00 PM: By some miracle, we got on the shuttle and were on our merry little way to disneyland. Some of our tummies hadn't been filled completly, but we still had lots of pizza left, stinking up B&K's bedroom (sorry again Kris.)
We arrived at disneyland, picked up our passes, received "Honory Disneyland Citizens" buttons because we just looked so excited to be there. We got into the park and settled into a good spot at the end of main street. I love the fireworks show and was so glad we made it in time to see the show. I love how Disney puts music to go along with their fireworks (Max, maybe to improve your future fireworks shows, consider playing some music as you light your "flowers" and "sparklers" while we sit on the roof. :)
I can't wrap this evening up until I mention one of my favorite moments. We had about an hour to sit in Disneyland before the show even started. There were obviously lots of people around. I was sitting there visiting when all the sudden I turn around and see Kristi high in the air. Blaine was hoisting Kristi well above the crowd so Nick could take a picture of her with the castle in the background. Kristi needed this picture so she could update her facebook...I love you Kris. :) That was seriously one of my more favorite memories of the trip.
Thanks again mom and dad for the fun trip and lots of memories. And thanks to everyone who took so many pictures. The pictures make the trip seem alive!
Love, Janey
Saturday, July 17, 2010
Disneyland Trip 2010 (mom)
Dear Family,
We have been home from our trip a week now and I am finally getting around to writing about it. If this blog is to be a record of our family (which is part of the original intent) then we ought to take a few minutes to document the trip! I thought maybe I would give a general quick overview of the trip and list some of the events and then each of you (Blaine, Kristi, Nick, Stef, Janey, Rosey, Max, Dad) could take one of the events (or another of your own choosing, the list is only to get you thinking) and write a quick paragraph or two about it. You could title it "Disneyland Trip" too and then we would have a fun record. Sound good? Let's not make it hard, lets just do it!
Saturday, July 3, 2010
*Bret, Wendy, Janey and Max got the van packed and were on the road by 8:15 a.m.
*Picked up Rosey at her Provo apartment and communicated with Blaine and Kristi and family who were not very far behind us.
*Stopped in Beaver for cheese curds, Wendy's in Cedar for lunch and arrived at Nick and Stef's in the mid-afternoon to see their new and adorable townhome.
*Bought tickets for the Toy Story 2 Movie and unpacked at Yorgasons.
*Met everyone (9 adults, 5 children) at the theaters to watch Toy Story 2
*Ate a spagetti dinner at the Yorgason home, played outside,
*Gathered in backyard, talked about The Constitution of the US and marched around the yard.
*Ice Cream with chocolate hard sauce
Sunday, July 4, 2010
*Sacrament meeting at Nick and Stef's ward, photo afterwards.
*Went to Nick and Stef's to change clothes and diapers, nurse, on road around 11 am.
*Stopped for lunch outside of Las Vegas for lunch at KFC. Ben blowout.
*Stopped for gas in Barstow. Gas prices going up.
*Arrived at the Double Tree Inn in Orange City. Checked into 4 rooms: Mom and dad/Blaine and Kristi's fam/Janey, Rosey, Max/Nick and Stef's family.
*Boys brought home Little Caesar's Pizza for dinner, tried to eat it!
*Took Shuttle to Disneyland Park, picked up 5-day passes, watched 4th of July fireworks show.
Monday, July 5, 2010
*Breakfast in Room 412 (mom and dad's) with cereal and milk. Everyone made lunches
*10 am Hotel Shuttle to Disneyland.
*Spent day in the Disney park, start with traditional Jungle Cruise, get fast passes, Pirates, Splash Mt, Haunted Mansion, Thunder Mt, Autopia, ate dinner in Tomorrowland (Mom highly recommends the mahi mahi wrap with fries) Captn EO, more rides
*Saw fireworks show on our way out to shuttle back to hotel.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
*Breakfast in Room 412. Made lunches.
*10 am shuttle to Disneyland.
*Spent day at California Adventure. Got wet on Grizzly River, Blaine chokes on a cornnut, chilled in Bug's Land, Aladin show, Soarin over CA, Janey leaves not feeling well, Tower of Terror, Screamin ride, ferris wheel, etc.
*Back to hotel, walked to Mexican Restaurant for dinner all together. Rosey and Kristi walk to mall to buy jackets (amazed at how cool our weather is all week)
*Shuttle back to CA adventure at 8 pm. Go to World of Color show.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
*Breakfast in Room 412. Breakfast upgraded with Krispie Kremes and chocolate milk
*10 am shuttle to Disneyland.
*Find ourselves waiting in that dumb Nemo ride again!! Autopia, train, Small World, decide not to go to beach, Janey doesn't feel well and leaves, TooneTown, Fantasy Land, split up a bit, notice people pouring out of rides, learn there was an earthquake, Disneyland seems CROWDED! Tiki room.
*Leave Disneyland, dinner with all but B&K.
*Dinner at TGI Friday's
*Many sit in hotel hot tub
Thursday, July 8, 2010
*Breakfast
*Catch 7:30 am shuttle for park. Enjoy our magic morning in Disneyland where the crowdes are much smaller. Peter Pan ride, Matterhorn, B&K head for Princess stuff. They end up staying all day visiting both parks. The rest do Pirates Island, more rides and shuttle back to hotel in early afternoon.
*Two cars drive to Corona Del Mar Beach, play in waves, build sand castles
*Dinner at Johnny Rockets
*Dad drops us at park barely in time for Fantasia show, split up, more rides, meet up with B&K who have been there all day. Most stay to midnight shuttle.
Friday, July 9,2010
*Late breakfast, Krispie Kremes again.
*Pack up and check out of hotel
*B&K stay an extra two days. Dad and Nick's cars drive to St. George.
*Stay at Yorgs, dinner at Bajio, N&S sleep over. Finish hard sauce! Lightening Thief Movie
Saturay, July 10, 2010
*Sleep in
*Swim at community pool. Little Bret gets brave in pool! Rosey gets sunburned. Where is that cool weather?
*Clean, say farewell, drive home to Salt Lake.
So there is the run down! It was harder than I thought to tell the days apart. They sort of blended together and that is okay. It's the little details that will make all the difference so if you can, write about some of your favorite memories. I think that will help the trip live on for all of us (besides all the wonderful photos that dad and others have taken)
Thanks and love, mom
We have been home from our trip a week now and I am finally getting around to writing about it. If this blog is to be a record of our family (which is part of the original intent) then we ought to take a few minutes to document the trip! I thought maybe I would give a general quick overview of the trip and list some of the events and then each of you (Blaine, Kristi, Nick, Stef, Janey, Rosey, Max, Dad) could take one of the events (or another of your own choosing, the list is only to get you thinking) and write a quick paragraph or two about it. You could title it "Disneyland Trip" too and then we would have a fun record. Sound good? Let's not make it hard, lets just do it!
Saturday, July 3, 2010
*Bret, Wendy, Janey and Max got the van packed and were on the road by 8:15 a.m.
*Picked up Rosey at her Provo apartment and communicated with Blaine and Kristi and family who were not very far behind us.
*Stopped in Beaver for cheese curds, Wendy's in Cedar for lunch and arrived at Nick and Stef's in the mid-afternoon to see their new and adorable townhome.
*Bought tickets for the Toy Story 2 Movie and unpacked at Yorgasons.
*Met everyone (9 adults, 5 children) at the theaters to watch Toy Story 2
*Ate a spagetti dinner at the Yorgason home, played outside,
*Gathered in backyard, talked about The Constitution of the US and marched around the yard.
*Ice Cream with chocolate hard sauce
Sunday, July 4, 2010
*Sacrament meeting at Nick and Stef's ward, photo afterwards.
*Went to Nick and Stef's to change clothes and diapers, nurse, on road around 11 am.
*Stopped for lunch outside of Las Vegas for lunch at KFC. Ben blowout.
*Stopped for gas in Barstow. Gas prices going up.
*Arrived at the Double Tree Inn in Orange City. Checked into 4 rooms: Mom and dad/Blaine and Kristi's fam/Janey, Rosey, Max/Nick and Stef's family.
*Boys brought home Little Caesar's Pizza for dinner, tried to eat it!
*Took Shuttle to Disneyland Park, picked up 5-day passes, watched 4th of July fireworks show.
Monday, July 5, 2010
*Breakfast in Room 412 (mom and dad's) with cereal and milk. Everyone made lunches
*10 am Hotel Shuttle to Disneyland.
*Spent day in the Disney park, start with traditional Jungle Cruise, get fast passes, Pirates, Splash Mt, Haunted Mansion, Thunder Mt, Autopia, ate dinner in Tomorrowland (Mom highly recommends the mahi mahi wrap with fries) Captn EO, more rides
*Saw fireworks show on our way out to shuttle back to hotel.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
*Breakfast in Room 412. Made lunches.
*10 am shuttle to Disneyland.
*Spent day at California Adventure. Got wet on Grizzly River, Blaine chokes on a cornnut, chilled in Bug's Land, Aladin show, Soarin over CA, Janey leaves not feeling well, Tower of Terror, Screamin ride, ferris wheel, etc.
*Back to hotel, walked to Mexican Restaurant for dinner all together. Rosey and Kristi walk to mall to buy jackets (amazed at how cool our weather is all week)
*Shuttle back to CA adventure at 8 pm. Go to World of Color show.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
*Breakfast in Room 412. Breakfast upgraded with Krispie Kremes and chocolate milk
*10 am shuttle to Disneyland.
*Find ourselves waiting in that dumb Nemo ride again!! Autopia, train, Small World, decide not to go to beach, Janey doesn't feel well and leaves, TooneTown, Fantasy Land, split up a bit, notice people pouring out of rides, learn there was an earthquake, Disneyland seems CROWDED! Tiki room.
*Leave Disneyland, dinner with all but B&K.
*Dinner at TGI Friday's
*Many sit in hotel hot tub
Thursday, July 8, 2010
*Breakfast
*Catch 7:30 am shuttle for park. Enjoy our magic morning in Disneyland where the crowdes are much smaller. Peter Pan ride, Matterhorn, B&K head for Princess stuff. They end up staying all day visiting both parks. The rest do Pirates Island, more rides and shuttle back to hotel in early afternoon.
*Two cars drive to Corona Del Mar Beach, play in waves, build sand castles
*Dinner at Johnny Rockets
*Dad drops us at park barely in time for Fantasia show, split up, more rides, meet up with B&K who have been there all day. Most stay to midnight shuttle.
Friday, July 9,2010
*Late breakfast, Krispie Kremes again.
*Pack up and check out of hotel
*B&K stay an extra two days. Dad and Nick's cars drive to St. George.
*Stay at Yorgs, dinner at Bajio, N&S sleep over. Finish hard sauce! Lightening Thief Movie
Saturay, July 10, 2010
*Sleep in
*Swim at community pool. Little Bret gets brave in pool! Rosey gets sunburned. Where is that cool weather?
*Clean, say farewell, drive home to Salt Lake.
So there is the run down! It was harder than I thought to tell the days apart. They sort of blended together and that is okay. It's the little details that will make all the difference so if you can, write about some of your favorite memories. I think that will help the trip live on for all of us (besides all the wonderful photos that dad and others have taken)
Thanks and love, mom
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