A Magical Prelude - Balboa Pier

As hard as I tried to coordinate and plan our outfits at Disneyland,

it is this family photo at Ruby's Diner, where we all look slightly disheveled, 

that wound up being my favorite from our trip.

The kids weren't totally prepared for the chill in air that evening; 

but because of where we were and what we were about to experience, no one seemed to mind.

Earlier that afternoon, we had arrived in Anaheim, checked into our hotel 

and purchased breakfast items for the week. 

After a little downtime at our hotel, we ventured out once more to Ruby's Diner.

We arrived around 4:00 pm. To our surprise, we were one of two groups in the restaurant.

We couldn't believe it!

The ambiance was amazing and so was the food. 

It was here that we were reunited with Mark and Jen's family.

They arrived in California that afternoon after flying in from Alaska.

Knowing that a week at Disneyland was beginning the following day

(and that we had a group of cousins and a Nana to enjoy it with;)

there was joyful anticipation in the air.  

As the sunset, we introduced our kids to the ocean's waves. 

Sure, they have been to the ocean before but their beach memories vary. 

Screams of elation filled the air as they dipped their toes into the water 

and then raced back up the sandy beach to a place of safety before the water could catch them!

We delayed the drive back to the hotel as long as possible.

The kids were loving every second on the beach; especially once they were joined by their cousins.

They played tag for awhile before it was time to rinse off their sandy feet.

On the drive back, Forrest was fading quickly! Because we were concerned that a power nap would postpone bedtime for everyone, we did our best to keep him awake!

The boys were in bed first and thankfully, fell asleep immediately.

Lucky for the girls, they were still awake when the firework show at Disneyland began.

We had a perfect view from our hotel window.

Enjoying that moment with Andrew, my Mom and girls was a magical welcome

to the Happiest Place on Earth!

Road trip to Disneyland!

All Aboard!

Our long awaited, much talked about, meticulously planned,

DREAM trip to Disneyland finally arrived!

My fingers were crossed throughout the month of February 

that our family would be able to dodge major illness. 

The possibility of a sudden fever or an upset stomach bug making an appearance 

while on our vacation, stayed in the back of my mind while planning.

The weather was something else we kept a close eye on. 

With these things in mind, 

I called upon my inner girl scout to peruse Amazon

 to help me prepare for all scenarios. 

Saturday, February 24 arrived and by some miracle 

(or Mom's crazy awesome efficiency!)

we made it out the door on schedule - 9:00 am. 

Our first stop was to Nana Marie's house!

I was so happy that she was willing to drive with us.
She is one of the people I love most on this planet. 

Also, her presence helped all of us stay on our best behavior. :)

After a long stretch in the car, we made our way to Chik-Fil-A in St. George.

While eating lunch, we drove over to the fabulous new, all abilities, play ground, Thunder Junction! 

"Are we there yet?"

When we left our house that morning, our driveway was covered in snow!

You can imagine that after months of winter,
that St. George sunshine was a welcome change!

After eating their lunch, we were more than ready to stretch our legs!

I know the kids could have stayed a lot longer, but we were eager to get to Las Vegas.

Travel weary Fleglets!

On to the next adventure!

Late in the afternoon, we arrived in Las Vegas.

Our first stop was to the Bellagio hotel. 

Again, the kids were excited to walk around, 

although they didn't fully understand what we were about to do.

Check out the video below to see their fun reactions to the fountain show. 

After the fountain show, we walked through the conservatory gardens at the Bellagio.

Next up, we picked up a box of Little Caesars pizza before

checking into our hotel and calling it a night.

We had a great little breakfast the next morning at our hotel and then left for Anaheim! 

Monkeys!!

Valentines Day 2017

Valentines Day 2017

Valentine's day is always exciting. 

Breakfast included pink heart shaped pancakes with nutella and whipped cream!

(To be honest, what that really means is that the first four pancakes are hearts

and all those made after are normal circles...because who has time for that on a school morning?)

Eliza got dolled up for the fifth grade lip sync.

Her group danced to "You Aint Nothin but a Hound Dog!"

She also took charge of making her  valentine's box and Henry's. 

Sweetening the deal even more, they used supplies we already had on hand.

She was in heaven as she crafted away.

I was so happy that I didn't have to do much!

After her performance, Forrest and I headed over to his school.

I was lucky enough to stay the whole time and help with his class party. 

Here he is delivering his valentine cards to his friends.

And here is one of his best pals!

I was so happy to see that Forrest followed directions really well.

He was quiet and attentive when his teachers were speaking. 

I am so proud of him! 

Spending time in my kid's classrooms is so helpful.

It helps me put a name to the faces of their friends

and observe how they respond to their teachers.

I do my best to develop a relationship with both their teacher and peers. 

When the kids came home,

it felt like Halloween all over again. 

They sat down together and began to sort through their candy and talk about their class parties. 

I don't generally ration their intake of candy.

This is probably terrible parenting,

but I let them go to town on their treats so that it's out of the house quicker!

The highlight of Valentine's day was helping Henry deliver a special valentine to one of his best pals.

Real quick, first. 

This is the box Eliza helped him make!

Henry was very open at school that he was going to ask someone to be his valentine.

But rather than do it publicly at school, he wanted to deliver her valentine to her home.

He wrote a darling card, picked out a box of chocolates that said, "I am TOAD-ally yours!"

and chose a rose for her.

He was full of excitement and nerves as we drove to her house.

Her reaction was darling. 

It made his day. 

And mine. 

I loved it all. 

These two will be the first to tell you  that they are just really good friends.

Even so, Henry cares a lot about her.

One time, while talking about her on the way to a violin lesson, I said to him,
"Henry! I hope she never breaks your heart." I paused a moment before I added, 

"Or, I hope you never break hers!"

He solemnly replied, "Mom, I will never break her heart."

Hearing the sweet and honest tone in his response nearly made me cry!

 And finally, check out these lovely flowers my valentine gifted me!

I LOVE them and have enjoyed them so much. 

It's the middle of March and they are still in bloom!

Fly By February

There's no such thing as a low-key month anymore. 

Rather than dwell on the challenge of change, 

I wish to focus on the positive. 

This girl. 

Her confidence and willingness to watch her siblings while I run an errand has increased.

I often find myself alone in the car when just a few months ago, 

I was still loading all four kids into the car so we could run to the bank or drop Lottie off at dance.

She is diligent as she prints out a chart every month to help keeps track of when she babysits.

Every couple months, she earns her payment. 

The form chosen is a shipment of clothing from kidpik. 

Cute, right?

This is just one sample of the things they put together for her based on her style profile.

Lottie reached another Kindergarten milestone.

Her class celebrated their 100th day of school.

In honor of this achievement, 

they were invited to dress up as a 100 year old version of themselves.

Eliza and Henry never did this, so I was super excited for this first!

Here she is... in all her cat lady glory!

I love picking up Forrest from preschool 

(I still get super sad dropping him off...STILL...it's the worst)!!

His reaction when he sees my car is darling.

He jumps up and down and screams so all can hear,

"It's my Mom! She is here!"

It makes me feel so special.

The other day, I was nearly hit with cuteness overload when I spotted him

wearing his heart crown and red cape...

They had learned about having royal manners that day.

After that, he was deemed, "The King of Hearts"

and I melted.

This year, I wised up and decided that the four kids had to have the same valentine card for their friends.

I like branching out and doing something beyond store bought...

but customizing and paying for FOUR different ideas overwhelmed me this year. 

The kids were supportive of my decision and had a fun time assembling them together.

At the end of the month, 

Eliza participated in the Science Fair.

She and her friend Kambri decided to see what would happen to a gummy bear in liquids.

They worked well together and learned a lot about osmosis in the process.

She wanted to dress up for her presentation.

I thought she looked stunning.