Look what Santa brought...

Christmas Card Drama!

I had such great plans to get our Christmas cards done and out by Dec 10th. However, I didn't make that goal. Here is why.

I wrote my annual Christmas letter the first week of December, so that was done--along with updating my Christmas Card address list database. Now I just needed to get a super cute picture of the kids in their Christmas clothing.

There was a particular dress that I wanted to get for Hannah and I've been eying it on Ebay for months. Every time it was listed it, would go for over $20.00 (plus whatever they were charging for shipping). The bargain hunter in me just wouldn't pay that much. I just kept waiting and watching--and I finally got it NEW WITH TAGS for the bargain price of $13.50 plus $5.00 shipping. Even though it was after Thanksgiving, I figured I was still okay with my timeline.

Well, it took the seller over a week to get it to me, so now we were into the first week of December. Then, I had to find the perfect shoes to go with it. I'm not sure why I didn't think about the shoes sooner--I just didn't. So, back to Ebay to find a bargain. That took some time too since her foot is so wide, I wasn't confident about buying a pair that might be too tight. After over a week of deliberating with myself, I decided to go with good old reliable Pedipeds that she always wears because I know they fit well and are super cute. I lucked out with another seller on Ebay and got a great deal on these. They arrived on the 17th. Sigh. Luckily, I already had Sammy's outfit ready to go.

So, now to get a great picture. I was set to take the kids back to JC Penneys and was all ready to do so when Hannah had huge fall--and landed right on her forehead. She fell face first on some asphalt so it also scraped her head a bit. She had a large red lump and some scabbing. I obviously had to wait for THAT to heal before we could take pictures, so there went another week.

I then decided to just use Costco to do our cards since they had a great deal on photo cards--50 for $15.99 and you get it within 24 hours of submitting it!! Who can beat that price?? It's way better than Penneys, so I set out to take my own photo and get this done!! Which leads me to this post.

I have tried over the past 3 days to take just ONE decent picture of my children. I have taken more than 50 pictures. And I don't have ONE that had both of them smiling/looking at me/not moving/not making a goofy face/not running away/not grouchy.

So, for those of you offended that you didn't get a Christmas card from me this year...I didn't ignore you, I'm apparently just sending out New Year's cards at this point. And I am seriously considering calling JC Penneys in the morning to get an appointment for tomorrow.

Here are some of my attempts for your enjoyment.

This one makes me laugh! When I got the camera out, they both leaned forward with these HUGE grins and yelled "CHEESE!"

Did you notice my feeble attempt to make these more "professional" by using a white sheet to drape over all the furniture? Too bad the kitty condo is right there in the background---oops! The more I look at this one, it isn't all that bad...maybe I'll use this one after all.

DISNEYLAND!!

My friend Leslie had two tickets to Disneyland that she couldn't use before they expired on December 13th, so she asked me if I wanted them. ABSOLUTELY! I've been wanting to take the kids to Disneyland for a while now, so this was just perfect! Samuel was able to take the day off on Wednesday to join us and I called Sarah to see if she Chloe wanted to join us since they had passes. They did so we were all set to meet up there.

The last time we went to Disneyland was before we had Hannah and Sammy was just 18 months old (so Hannah's age now). He HATED it. He cried during every ride and especially during the fireworks that night. So I didn't have too high of expectations for this trip either.

I couldn't get a hold of Sarah on her cell when we first got there (turns out they were on the Peter Pan ride), so we walked around Main Street and over to the castle to the rides over there. We went on the Merry-go-Round which neither one of the kids liked. Oh well. We met up with Sarah at the Merry-go-Round and went to the Pinocchio ride. Big mistake on our part. I didn't know that it was going to be as dark and scary as it was (at least to 2 kids under 4), both kids began crying the moment it began and didn't stop until we got off. After that, they were much more wary about the rides and were unsure whether they wanted to go on any.

Here we are at the front of the park by the giant Christmas tree. I was hoping that this would turn out well and we could use it for our Christmas card. But as you can see, no such luck.

So Sarah, Chloe and I got in line for the Dumbo ride in the hopes that Sammy (and possibly Hannah) would want to go. The line took about 20 minutes, so by the time we got up to the front, Sammy was ready to go on it with me. He had so much fun moving Dumbo up and down--I was glad that he wasn't freaked out by this one.

We walked through the castle and got some churros and went over to Tomorrowland to ride the rockets over there. It was a fairly short wait again and Sammy loved these even more than Dumbo because they went "super fast" and went higher. We saw Buzz Lightyear standing around to take pictures with, so Sam and Sammy got in line to do that while I ran over to Space Mountain to get Fast Passes for Sarah and I to ride Space Mountain (Samuel doesn't like roller coasters, so he volunteered to watch the 3 kids).

Sammy and I on the rocket ride

Samuel and Sammy with Buzz (Sammy looks so little!)

We decided to stake out our place for the snow and the parade, so we found a park bench along the parade route and directly under a snow machine and camped out. Sarah offered to hang out there with Chloe while we walked over to Frontierland to see "Woody's Round-up" where they had live reindeer. It was getting chilly so we stopped for more churros and some hot chocolate. We also found some McDonald's french fries being sold over by Thunder Mountain Railroad, so of course, Sammy (and Sam) wanted to get some, then headed back over to where Sarah was waiting.

The three of us by the live reindeer.
Again, I was hoping this would turn out cute...but no such luck

It was fun to see the castle all decked out for Christmas and with snow. When the snow started in the park, unfortunately, the machine we were under didn't work, so we didn't get the full effect. Oh well. Maybe next time.

We had just enough time between the snow and the parade to go on Space Mountain, so Sarah and I went. Twice. It was great!

The parade was fun and the kids enjoyed it, although Hannah was falling asleep since she didn't take a nap on the drive down to Orange County so it was waaaay past her bedtime. Sammy loved seeing Buzz and Woody in the parade--those are his favorite Disney characters.

We headed back to the tram (along with at least half of the park) to take us back to the parking garage. It was at least a 30 minute wait, but fortunately, they were selling kettle popcorn at Downtown Disney right next to where we were waiting, so that kept everyone happy until the tram arrived. Especially Sammy, it's his favorite.

We had a good time despite the fact that it started out in tears. I remember Disney World being such a magical place as a child (I lived in Florida until I was 7) and then Disneyland as a teen being so much fun and full of great memories and good times. I can't wait to have it be that way for my kids--to have them experience the magic and have us create new memories as a family. Maybe they'll enjoy it more when they are a little older and can appreciate it and have it not be so overwhelming. And with tickets $56.00 for kids and $66.00 for adults, I think I can wait.

Thanks Sarah and Chloe--we had a great time! And thanks Leslie for the tickets!

Our new favorite place to play...

I just LOVE the Pottery Barn Kids store, but let's face it: I can't afford 90% of what they sell, so I rarely go in there. Last week, my sister was looking for this year's PBK advent calendar since the store by her was sold out. I told her I would walk up to the store by us and see if they had any and check out how cute it was in person versus the catalog.

Of course, the minute we stepped into the store, the kids wanted out of the stroller to play. Who could blame them? With toys like this and this and plenty of room to roam--it would have been my dream play room as a kid!


They even had a little table set up that was covered with butcher paper and crayons so the kids could color, and a little reading nook with comfy chairs and several bookcases full of books. Sammy spent most of the time playing with this--not a big surprise. Hannah loved this, but not for $59.00...sorry. And she kept carrying this around and chatting away. We seriously were there for an hour!




Some of the salespeople gave us funny looks, so I kept trying to pretend like I was really shopping and my kids were just keeping occupied. Then I saw another mom actually sit down on one of the beds and start reading a magazine while her child played with the toys, and I decided that I wasn't the only one who had discovered what a great play place this was! Since we don't have the space (or the $$$) to buy all these fabulous toys--why not just come here and play for an hour or so and then go home?


I think I'm onto something here...we've already gone back twice. Maybe I'll actually buy something the next time we go.

Noah's Ark Visit

Everyone has been raving about the Noah's Ark exhibit at the Skirball Center, so on Thursday we headed out there to see for ourselves! We met up with Valerie and Jen while we were there and I have to say that all the hype is true!! It's great for all ages, seriously. I couldn't get Sammy and Hannah to leave the first room for at least an hour--they were completely and utterly enthralled with all the things to do and see.

Hannah "making" rain

Animals going 2 by 2

Sammy and Hannah loading the ark

Hannah helping a bird find her nest

After checking out the other rooms myself and telling Sammy that there was another room where he could climb all around--that finally convinced him to move on. We spent another hour in there--the kids had fun climbing the walls. Hannah was quite mad that she was too little to climb with the big kids, but then one of the workers got all the kids down from the rafters (literally) and led everyone in a rhythm and music activity that again was perfect for all ages, infant to adult.

Sammy climbing the walls

Music time!

Time to dance!

I can't rave enough about what a great time we had there! Sammy talked about it for days!! We can't wait to go back.

FINALLY, a new post

So, I've neglected the blog for a few weeks. It's not that I don't have anything new to write about...I just haven't felt like writing. Blog burn-out, I guess.

Thanksgiving was fun. My brother and SIL built a new house with a huge kitchen, so they hosted it this year. Their kids are the same age as ours (the boys are 7 weeks apart and the girls are 1 week), so it was nice to not have to entertain (or even really watch) the kids. The kids had a great time hanging out at Grandma and Grandpa's house in the morning and then over to Mark and Mariann's in the afternoon.

Hannah riding the horse at Grandma and Grandpa's house

Sammy's turn!

Hannah is VERY excited about driving...

Sam, of course, had to work. I felt bad leaving him all alone…they do feed the employees a Thanksgiving dinner at his work, and he said that was all he needed. I still felt bad leaving him, but since he had to work the night shift Thursday too we wouldn't even be able to hang out together anyway if I was to stay.

Dinner was yummy and we all had our fill. We picked family names for our Christmas gift exchange and then headed back to my parents' house to sleep. We spent the night and got up semi-early to do a little Black Friday shopping. While I am an avid bargain hunter, I REFUSE to get up at 4am to go shopping. Sleep is a rare and precious thing in our house and I won't get up early unless it is absolutely needed.

We hit a great sale at Michael's and then to Gymboree for a few things (30% off EVERYTHING, plus I had a coupon for an additional 20% off...I just couldn't pass it up!). We had a yummy lunch at In-n-Out and then we braved Ontario Mills for a few items that I wanted and then we headed home. The kids were glad to be on the way home and missed Daddy, but we had a fun time visiting the family!

Lots of Field Trips!

We have been busy this past week enjoying the beautiful warm Southern California "winter" weather by visiting lots of outdoor places.

We went to Travel Town last week with Dana, Sarah and Shannon and had a great time exploring the trains and going on a mini-train ride with all the kids. We have been there quite a few times, but the kids always love to go.

Off to check out the trains!

There are some great hiding places on these old trains!

The kids all ready to go for a train ride!

We went to the Arboretum on Friday and fed the ducks and just wandered around. There is so much to see there and the weather perfect. It's one of our favorite places to go and we usually try to go at least once a week.

There was no school on Monday for Sammy, so we met up with some of the other moms from MEPAF and spent the day at Descanso Gardens. I know I keep saying this, but the weather was so nice and just perfect. THIS is definitely why we live in Southern California and just one more reason why we don't want to leave. The kids had a great time exploring and playing in the dirt. We left a little early because it was waaaay past Hannah's nap time. I am noticing that the second child definitely gets lesser quality naps than the first child.

Sammy and Hannah exploring the maze

Lucy and Hannah hanging out!

Group picture!!

Today, we went with Sara and Eliza to the LA Zoo to see the new Gorilla Exhibit that just opened. It is very green and lush, although the gorillas didn't seem like they had quite adapted to their new surroundings. We visited Spider City AGAIN--it's definitely one of Sammy's favorite things to do when we visit the zoo. He's going to be sad when that exhibit is gone. The weather was HOT (see, I didn't say perfect!), but the zoo wasn't crowded at all so it was a nice outing.

Hannah is not quite tall enough!

There she is!!

I don't have many pictures from our zoo visit because I was too busy chasing my kids around because no one wanted to sit in the stroller today. Sammy was bit of a nightmare today (due partially to lack of sleep and partially just because he is 3). He passed out in the car within 5 minutes of leaving the zoo. Poor guy. I thought the time change would help to get everyone to bed earlier, but it seems like we somehow shifted bedtime an hour LATER...I'm not sure how that happened, but it sucks. Seriously, its after 10:00 and I can still hear him chattering away on the baby monitor. Sigh. 6:30am is going to come so early for him tomorrow.

Here is Hannah being goofy tonight talking on my cell phone with a bowl for a hat. Maybe she gets a better cell phone reception with the hat?

and you thought YOU had talent!

OK--I have nothing new/exciting/note worthy to post, but I came across this and was laughing so hard. Poor, poor girl. I'm sure she never thought her small town beauty pageant "talent" from 1980 would be all over the internet in 2007. And what is with the outfit? Is she from the future? Niiiice. I wonder if she still "plays" the trumpet...

Be sure to watch all of it so you don't miss the "choreography". Enjoy!

CHECK IT OUT!!!

Halloween Fun!

So, this picture pretty much sums up Halloween. Well, at least how it started out. Apparently, no one was in the mood to take pictures.

Sammy was, obviously, a pumpkin this year. I kept asking what he wanted to be for Halloween--Spiderman, Batman, a firefighter, and his response every time was "a pumpkin."

Hannah was a girl from the 50s--check out the "poodle" skirt with kitties on it. I just had to have her wear it. Next year she will definitely be a princess or fairy or some type of sparkly, flowy, girlie outfit--but this year, I had to use this skirt. I LOVE it--the pictures don't do it justice.

Once she figured out that people were actually giving out CANDY, she was all smiles.

Awww, my sweet pumpkin

We got the CUTEST Halloween treat bags from Pottery Barn Kids that had their names embroidered on them. Hannah had a pumpkin and Sammy had a spider. Hannah carried hers all around the house for weeks before Halloween. The girl definitely loves shoes and purses!

Hannah was really getting into it. She tried to open the door to the houses if they weren't answered quickly enough (for her standards) or if they weren't home.

She also got REALLY mad when I tried to go through her bag and pick out a candy for me. She started to yell "no!' "no!" and pull her bag vehemently away. What a stinker. She's never even had candy before Halloween. Apparently, one taste of a Kit Kat and I've created a monster.

Sammy still won't eat any candy (or cookies or ice cream for that matter). I tried to coax him into trying some this afternoon and then thought, what kind of crazy parent am I that I am trying to talk my child into eating candy. He'll figure it out some day...right?

Visit to Grants Pass

So last week we drove up to Grants Pass, OR to visit Heidi, one of my old roommates from BYU. Heidi and I always get together twice a year (it was 3 times this year!) and always have a great time! My parents were driving up to Vancouver, WA to visit my sister, so we hitched a ride with them since Grants Pass is on the way. YAY! Samuel stayed home since he had to work...and take care of the kitties.

The kids did quite well on the drive up--thanks to the DVD players in Grandma and Grandpa's car. Hooray for TV!! And I have to say that Sammy did really well about going to the bathroom on his first long distance 2 day road trip. I was afraid that we would have to stop every hour, but he was able to go 2-3 hours between stops.

The weather was beautiful and autumn-like: nice and crisp in the mornings and sunny and cool in the afternoons. There were so many trees changing colors--it was nice to actually feel like it was Fall, plus we FINALLY got to wear some of our fun Fall clothing! YAY!

The leaves are so pretty!

Isn't this the most FABULOUS sweater?? So CUTE!!

There isn't a ton of stuff to do in Grants Pass--not that I'm complaining. I love to go up there and just relax and hang out with Heidi and her family and eat good food and do girlie things like pedicures and watch Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea. Our kids play well together and they always seem to have a good time together.

We spent time at the park--it was a lovely day.

Sammy on the slide

Hannah on the slide

Whhhheeeeeeeee!

You can always tell I'm having fun when my tongue is sticking out!!

Scotty and Sammy race to the bottom

That was fun!

The train table is all MINE!

Hannah has a serious shoe fetish! She loves to put on shoes--it doesn't matter if they are hers or not and it doesn't matter the size either!

If I can walk in them...then they're mine now!

So, they're a little bit (okay, a lot) too big...I can still wear them!

Even Grandma's shoes work for me!

Am I cute or what?? (Yes, those are my brother's pajamas...and I fit in them better than he does!)

We had such a great time with Heidi and her family...I think I gained 10 pounds last week, but it was TOTALLY worth it! Thanks for having us!!