Thanksgiving 2011

This year for Thanksgiving we decided to do something out of the ordinary and take a big trip to Disneyland! First we flew to Utah to visit with family and see Beauty and the Beast musical at my Dad's high school. The kids LOVED being able to meet Belle and the Beast. It was so fun to be able to enjoy that time with my family. We also were able to see Katie, Brendon, Shay and "baby Hudson." Although he isn't much of a baby anymore! The kids love being able to see cousins, aunts and uncles in Utah.

Utah was a short trip because we flew in on Wednesday and started our drive to California on Saturday. We went on the trip with my Mom, Dad, my sister Alisa and her husband Kurt and two boys Jake and Josh. We ended up staying the night in Las Vegas with my Grandma Saturday night and continued our drive on Sunday down to California. It was fun being able to hang out in the car and watch movies with my kids. I got to sit in the back seat with them and enjoy every minute with them. Monday we went to Legoland. The kids liked seeing all the things built out of legos. Their favorite part was driving the lego cars. It was a fun start to the week. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday we went to Disneyland. There we were joined by my brother Rob and his wife Aubrey, and my littlest brother Jeff. We got in early and did Fantasyland with all the rides. The kids loved the all the rides! Sydney got to do her favorite, the Carousel. Tyler enjoyed all the roller-coasters. It was so fun to be able to do the bigger rides with my daredevil. In fact we were standing in line for a ride and Tyler said, "Mom when are we going on more roller-coasters?" Brady was just happy being with his cousins and grandparents. He was especially happy to be hanging out with Daddy. He is a little bit of a Daddy's boy and absolutely loves being with Daddy. The second day we did a little in Disneyland and then went over to California Adventure Land. Once again Sydney LOVED the Carousel, especially since it was Ariel. But Tyler did not like the Tower of Terror. It was his idea to ride it, but he did not like it at the end. It was mine and Ryan's favorite ride. But I also liked the California Screamer.

Thursday was my favorite day! We went to Disneyland and it was all decked out with the Christmas decorations - it had been the first two days we went also but this time on Main Street we walked down and everyone waved and said hello. Also the characters were all out for the kids to meet. It was fantastic!! The kids loved seeing everyone out and saying hello. We went on a few rides and did some shopping. And then for Thanksgiving dinner we ate at Goofy's Kitchen. It is a buffet and so yummy! The kids had a very different Thanksgiving dinner of corn dogs, fries, peaches, gummy worms in "dirt", and lots of treats. Ryan and I stuck with some of the more traditional turkey and potatoes. Our favorite part was meeting all the characters there. Sydney's favorite princess is Aurora from Sleeping Beauty. She was there and Sydney was so excited!! There was also Captain Hook who Tyler really liked, and Brady's favorite was the Fairy Godmother. He loved her and was such a flirt. She came over and he pulled up his shirt and showed him his "chub chubs." So cute!!

It was so fun to be there with all the family and spend a Thanksgiving dinner with the characters. A memory that I will treasure forever. I love my little family and love being able to see life through my little kids eyes.

October Happenings

We had a great October. We have a new addition to our family - A beta fish. The kids named him Spiderman Spikey Alexander. Tyler decided on the Spiderman and Sydney chose the Spikey. They absolutely LOVE this fish. Brady squeals with delight anytime I feed him or he gets to see him. It is so fun to have a new pet.

The kids had their Primary program oneof the Sunday's in October. They were so excited to sing the songs that they have learned. Grammy and Papa and Great Grandma and Granddad came up to see the program. It was great to have family there and fun to visit and eat a good dinner afterwards. I am glad that everyone made the effort to see the kids perform at their best. They were super cute all dressed up and singing on the stand. I am lucky to be in the presidency so I was able to sit right by Tyler and enjoy his first program with him.

October also brought 2 holidays for us. Daddy's birthday and Halloween. We celebrated Ryan's birthday by eating donuts for breakfast. The kids love donuts and are excited anytime they get to eat them. Sydney and Tyler colored pictures for Daddy that he was able to take to work. It was fun to see them think of things that Daddy would like and how they could make his day better. My favorite part was that we put the kids to bed early and got take-out. I love those kind of dates with Ryan.

This year for Halloween the kids partied and partied and partied. It was a little out of control - but lots of fun. It started with Tyler's school Halloween Party. Grammy came up and off we went to have a fun time at school. The boys got to play games, eat snacks, and go trick or treating around the school. Sydney also had a school party that I was able to help with. THey had lots of fun. Her favorite was making a Halloween necklace. Then we had a Trunk-or-Treat at church, trick-or-treating at the shopping mall, and trick-or-treating around the neighborhood. Of course - as any good Mother does - I tax the kids on their candy and take all the Twix. :) Sydney dressed up as a cheerleader, Tyler was Spiderman (for the second year in a row - but it was what he really wanted to dress up as) and Brady was Superman. The cutest superheroes and cheerleader ever!!

Tyler's First Day of Preschool

Tyler had his first day of preschool! He is so excited and so ready for preschool. He loves having something that he does all by himself. The first day, Ryan and I were able to stay with him and be able to ease him into this new experience. It is the same preschool that Sydney went to - so he is familiar with the school. He was nervously excited for his first day. He wanted to wear his Superman shirt and Buzz Lightyear shoes. We were able to make a scrapbook picture of our family, play with trucks, have snack, do some crafts and have a fun day at preschool!

Brady Walking and Other Cute Pictures

My back is grateful, but my heart is a little sad because my baby is walking! He started about 2 weeks ago. He waited a long time, but now he is a pro. He just likes to wait his time and then take off. He did the same thing with crawling. Now I have to be careful because he is fast! He loves to climb and get into kitchen drawers. Every morning when I take him out of his crib he is so excited to get downstairs and see the family. He says Ma Ma, Da Da, and Ty Ty. Sydney tries to get him to say Syd, but I think it will take awhile. Brady is a very happy toddler. He loves to laugh and has a great big toothy grin. He loves playing with Tyler and their play tools. He loves balls and his favorite game is to go and fetch toys. When I teach piano lessons I can keep him busy by throwing balls across the room and he goes and gets them. I just love this boy!! He is with me all of the time and I LOVE IT!! We still call him Boo Boo - a nickname that Sydney and Tyler gave him.

Tyler is really growing! He has had a little bit of an adjustment having Sydney go to school. In the morning he still says he misses her when we walk her to school. But I am loving having him home and being able to spend time with him. He knows all of his Upper Case letters. I am working on the lower case. He knows a lot of them, but there are a few hard ones. He loves being in Sunbeams and is participating in his first Primary Program in a few weeks. He loves riding his bike and running around. He is a big helper in the kitchen and loves to bake treats with me. He still loves playing with dinosaurs and loves playing with them with Brady. He is such a big helper. I love my little/big boy!!

Sydney is so much fun! She is loving first grade. She is such a good reader and getting really good at piano! She is still a morning person and gets up early so we usually get a lot done in the morning. Piano, reading, shower, homework plus all that is involved with getting her ready for school. She loves to decorate and organize. She tells me that she wants to be a hairdresser when she grows up. She loves playing with make-up and is a really good big sister. She likes to play mini-mom. She tries to help Brady walk, even though he already knows how to. She likes to swing and play with her friends at school. Even though I keep telling her that she can't grow any bigger, she does. I miss her when she is gone, but I love having her home when she walks in the door. She tells me everything that goes on and I love hearing about her day.