Disneyland!!!!!!

WARNING.....THIS IS A VERY LONG POST!!! (There were too many cute pics to choose from and I couldn't narrow it down, so I put a lot in.)

Okay, so on a Monday, Justin asked me how long the drive to Anaheim is. I said, "I don't know, maybe 13 hours, why????" And he said, "Let's go to Disneyland!" And I said, "......What!!!????" And then I said, "Okay, let's go to Disneyland!!!" So, we left on Wednesday (yes, that would be about 48 hours to pack and get all ready). We are NOT (okay, I am not) spontaneous AT ALL. So, it was hard for me to just up and go, but it was worth it! It was so much fun!!!

Above is our first pic at Disneyland, okay, well, in the parking lot. We are sooo excited!

After the boys went on their first ride we went and found this...awesome!!! Darth Vader, Darth Mall, it was great. Unfortunately, our boys didn't get chosen to get the training, but it was fun to watch.

Then it was off to Princess Faire, or in other words, Alyssa heaven. Sleeping Beauty is her favorite! Oh, this was my favorite part too!! It was so fun to watch her with the princesses. So cute! She LOVED it!!! It was worth the hour waiting in line.

Cinderella =)

Sleeping Beauty =)

So fun!!!!!

All the girls outside the princess land, so fun!

Back to boys....and Space Mountain! I love Space Mountain, they, unfortunately, didn't enjoy it as much as I did. For Halloween they had ghouls and ghosts projected on the space walls, and I didn't think it was that scary, but they did I guess.

Strike #2. The Haunted Mansion. Hahaha...look at TJ, he is scared already and we were still 20 min. or so from even getting in. They had the whole thing changed into "The Nightmare Before Christmas," which I don't like. Had I known, I wouldn't have dragged them in, but....oh well. They both kept their eyes closed pretty much the WHOLE time. Crazy boys. I thought it was funny. =)

Yay! A nap!

Off for some ice cream...yum!

This was the big Mickey Jack-O-Lantern, Happy Halloween!

The next day was Alyssa's birthday. She got to open her presents and had a little party.

She got mostly princess stuff and this is her new crown.

The inner-princess in me came out too!

That night we went to my all-time favorite restaraunt. It is called "Anthony's" in San Diego. It is right on the ocean and they have THE BEST SHRIMP IN THE WORLD!!!!! It melts in your mouth, it is amazing! Luckily, Alyssa likes shrimp, so it worked for her birthday.

While we were there this sail boat came in and docked right next to us, it was fun to see.

After dinner we went to Seaport Village, a fun little shopping village right on the water. There are fun little shops and the yummiest fudge. The hat shop was a definite hit. They have the greatest hats!!

Seaport Village was a success!

The next day we went to a cold and windy beach. It was cold, but it was still a lot of fun. TJ and Brenden were chasing seagulls and it was so funny. Justin and the kids played in the water, but wimpy me stayed dry. Kate and I just played on the blanket

Our hotel was about 2 minutes away from the San Diego Temple. It was closed for General Conference that weekend so we couldn't walk around, but it is gorgeous!!!

Sea World!!!!

This is in the shark aquarium.

Who doesn't love Shamu???? It has gotten really high-tec since I was last there. It is a great show!

Shamu again. And, it's Kate that doesn't like Shamu. She screamed through almost the whole thing.

I love this pic. It looks like TJ is petting this disgusting catfish, but it is through the glass.

The manatee. They are strange creatures.

Kate may not have liked Shamu, but she liked the penguins! (She must be mine....hehehe.)

I love the penguins, they are my favorite! I made everyone turn around and do it again. They are so cute!

 Alyssa wasn't big enough for most of the rides, so Justin took her to the Sesame Street play area at Sea World and they all went on this ride just for her. She actually really liked it. It was cute.

It was a really fun day and a fabulous trip! I could get used to this spontaneous thing!!!

TJ's Baptism

Last Saturday TJ got baptized!!!

He looked so cute (I mean handsome=). Can you be cute when you are an 8 year-old boy??? Anyway, it was so good to have all of our families up to support him. He did look cute and was excited. He doesn't much like having all the attention on him, so he was a little shy and embarrassed all day, but it was good for him. We are so proud of him for his decision and for the young man he is becoming. He is such a good kid. He works hard, helps a lot, is doing really well in school, and is a great big brother.

It was beautiful outside, even if a little chilly, but it was a fabulous day! Congratulations TJ, we love you!!!

Happy Birthday Gramps!!!

Saturday was my Grandpa's birthday and we had a fun party at Aunt Linda's house!!

Happy Birthday Gramps!!!!

Here are some of the pics from the party.

Brenden with his feet in the pool.

TJ with his feet in the pool.

Alyssa with her feet in the pool...okay, so I didn't let them go swimming because Justin was home sick and I wanted to get back to check on him. None of the other cousins swam anyway, so it turned out okay.

This is a surprise pic I found on my camera the next day...haha. Since he took it I thought I'd let the world see it! This is my cute brother Logan, not looking so cute at the moment, but hahahaha gotcha back! I'll show you not to steal my camera!! Love ya Logan!

Cabin Fun

Last weekend we went to my parents' cabin with everyone and had a really fun time!

The kids loved wandering around on the newly planted grass, which is a great addition!

They had a good time swinging, of course!

These are my two cute nieces.

Alyssa and Maycie are inseparable when they are together. It's really cute! They have a lot of fun.

And then, of course, TJ finally got to shoot the bbguns again. He has been asking all summer when he could do it again. He also, with Justin, caught 3 fish on the river. Wow! He was in heaven! This time, though, everyone took a turn shooting. Even Alyssa got into it!!

Thanks Mom and Dad for a fun weekend at the cabin!!!!

Last Camping Trip of the Year

Last weekend we went on our final camping trip of the year...so sad! I hate that fall is coming. I wish summer would last for a lot longer. Oh well, we had a great time!! It was so much fun! And we actually made it through a camping trip with NO rain!!! =)

On Sat. Justin's family came up and we went tubing and rafting down the river. It was really cold and I have a big purple bruise on my butt from hitting rocks on the way down, but it was a lot of fun. The kids loved every second of it and kept asking to do it again.

TJ even said he couldn't decide between Fishing and Tubing.....what??? There is something that rivals fishing?? That is quite amazing. That kids loves fishing, so he must have enjoyed himself!

Saturday was Justin's birthday (Happy Birthday Sweetie!!!!) so we took up a yummy Costco chocolate cake and gained lots of weight just looking at it.

Daddy and his girls =)

We took up the kids' bikes and they had so much fun riding around. Brenden practically lived on his. He'd only get off for tubing, eating, and playing in the river.

Happy Campers =)

They were just floating in a pooled area. It was so cute--they took turns pulling each other around.

We had a great time and were sad to leave. We stayed longer than we thought we would on Sunday, but we had the whole loop to ourselves. It was so quiet and peaceful. We'll for sure be back next year!!!