Spring Break 2013

Oh! This year was a fun one.  We kept the trip a surprise from the boys for months, which was much harder than anticipated.  Then, the day before we were supposed to leave, I made up a little scavenger hunt for them with clues.  At the end were their backpacks, all ready to go, with snacks and goodies, activities, and the big announcement that we were going to Disneyland!

Beck's reaction was an instantaneous and very enthusiastic, "We're going to DISNEY LAND! We're going to DISNEYLAND!" As he bounced all over the room.  Asher's response, on the other hand was slightly delayed and he didn't really catch on to what we were doing until he started asking about flying somewhere.  Silly boy.  There is no Disneyland where we live.  Then, he smiled big and started getting really excited, and soon asked if we'd be going to a Laker's game too.  Um, no.

We flew out that evening and got into LAX laaaaaate. Whew, was it late. The boys were troopers and amazing little fliers, so it wasn't so bad, except for my ears not popping until the next morning because of an oncoming sinus infection.  Ouch.  We stayed at The Candy Cane Inn, which made us really nervous...any place with a cheesy name like that sounds a little suspect, but on website after website, it was recommended as being wonderful for location, families, etc.  When we checked in, we soon realized that it really was great, and you can't beat the location. Yay for the Candy Cane Inn, !

 

 
 

The next morning we were up and on our way to California Adventure, a first for our family.  I was really excited to see what it was like, and it did not disappoint!  I thought it was fantastic. Especially Cars Land.  Our biggest folly of the trip was made the second we chose which ride to go on first.  Corey and I have been on the Tower of Terror before, and knew what it was about.  Asher, we knew would love it, and we (stupidly) figured Beck would be fine with it too.    He was a little apprehensive while we waited a few minutes to get on.  What a mistake. He hated it.  Woops.  The poor kid just turned four...what were we thinking?! We spent the rest of the day just hoping he'd forget it.  You know it's bad when he says, "I wasn't even scared that time!" following every ride the rest of the day.  Ah, regrets:(  But, the day was still fun.  And, of course, Asher claims his fave ride to be the Hollywood Tower of Terror.  I personally loved the new Cars ride and Soarin...Corey's faves too, I think.

We spent the following two days at the big D (what we started calling Disneyland so we could discuss things in front of the kids while planning this surprise trip). Love, loved it.  I seriously love Disneyland.  We had a great time, saw tons of characters(the boys even line danced with Mickey and Minnie), never waited more than 20 minutes for a ride, and made some fun memories. Asher loved Space Mountain, and Beck actually loved Splash Mountain, believe it or not.  The crowds weren't bad at all until our last day there, which was a Saturday, and even then, it was no biggie. We came home with a couple of Mickey swords/light sabers and a few new songs to shake out of our heads (Beck has been singing 'It's a small world' and 'A Pirate's Life for Me' a LOT).

 

 

Oh, and on our last day, we tried to hit the 'Padowan Training' show where they pick a bunch of kiddos from the audience and train them to be little Jedis.  Beck loved this idea and was elated when he was chosen.  He took his training very seriously...listening to every word of their instruction and doing exactly as they said.  When it was his turn to fight Darth Vader, Darth said to Beck, "I find your lack of faith disturbing", and then the combat began.  He was SO darn cute up there and has been telling anyone who cares (or doesn't care) that he fought Darth Vader.  It was great.

After our busy and exhausting days at Disney, we high-tailed it to Seal Beach for a few lazy days.  Our rental was great, right on the beach, so we just walked out and played.  We really didn't leave the house/beach except to go to In -N-Out (Corey was really excited), and dinner out the night before we left.  The weather was nice, but still a little cool, so our sweatshirts became a sort-of uniform throughout the trip. What a quaint little beach town!  We walked around main street, played at the little beach park, made sandcastles, combed the beach for shells, played frisbee, watched boats, took naps, watched movies and just relaxed.  What a nice little spot for a family trip:)  The night before we left, we explored the area a bit and ended up checking out the Newport Temple on a whim.  Gorgeous.  That whole area is absolutely gorgeous.

We had a fantastic time, ate, played, rested and had fun.  We all enjoyed this trip to the fullest (except for our annoying colds...well, Corey wasn't sick at all at least!) This was for sure one of the best family trips we've ever done. I'd do it again anytime!  Next week maybe?

 

Love-ly Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day has not always been a favorite.  It seems like it's all built up and wadded into this one day when people pay quadruple amounts of cash for roses.  But. This year. Was just so fun.  Somehow, Valentine's Day was magical this year and I'm not really sure what to attribute that to, but I'm guessing it was just the whole day's events combined equaling a fun-loving day.

In the morning, the boys found a simple little 'super hero' valentine on the table with a little box of heart gummies, which Beckett ate immediately and Asher saved for later.  Then, for breakfast, I made them heart shaped pancakes.  My kids just love pancakes.  Somehow this pic was taken before the usual dousing of whipped cream took place. I took an excited Asher to school with Ninjago (I know, I know...Lego/Ninjago...AGAIN?!  That's what they wanted.) Valentines to share with his class.

Beck and I went to his playgroup later that morning.  He also handed out Ninjago Valentines to his little buddies.  My friend, Tami made heart cookies for the kids to decorate and had them put glittery letter stickers on bags for their Valentines.  They loved it:)  It was a fun morning of moms chatting, and happy sugared-up kids playing to their heart's content.  Tami sent all the mom's home with seriously decadent chocolate covered cheesecake bites, which I could have eaten for breakfast, lunch and dinner and not been a bit sad about. Yum.

That evening, we had Spaghetti and Meatballs and the kids excitedly shared the day's fun times with Corey.  Oh, and when we decide not to do anything on V-day (primarily since we have a night to ourselves the very next evening), what does Corey do?  Answer:  comes home with a dozen lavender roses for moi, that's what.  What a fun surprise, and what a sweet guy.  They are happily blooming on my table.

Valentine's Day itself was just fun and enjoyable, and I felt none of the usual 'pressure' to love the day, even though I totally did.  Beckett kept saying throughout the day and into the night..."mom...I can't believe it's Valentine's Day!!" And Asher's decorated Valentine's bag from school had this written all over it..."Asher who likes Valentins Day is num. 1. Everyone in the hole world likes Valentins Day and every where you go there is Valentins Day!"   So funny.  It really was a nice little holiday to celebrate with my 3 Valentines!

P.S.  Corey and I swapped with Aaron and Meagan for a 'night out'. We decided to simply stay home and be comfy and cozy.  We made a fabulous dinner together of steak, mushroom risotto, with roasted asparagus and then some creme brulee for dessert.  It was wonderful cooking and eating together.  Th next morning we slept in a bit, then went to a late breakfast at Flying Star and did a little shopping. It was so very nice. I missed the boys though, when I realized that for the first time in 7 years, I wouldn't be checking on them before I went to sleep.  Our house was so unusually quiet!
We were excited to go and pick them up the next day:) It was a wonderful way to wrap up the Valentine's Day weekend!

Ninjago Birthday Extravaganza

Beckett is now officially a 4 year old.  My sweet (not so) little baby boy is growing up.  Boooo.  Time just keeps on chugging along, the boys keep on getting bigger, and I keep on finding myself with bittersweet emotions as I'm forced to move along to the next phase. Letting kids grow up is hard (as if I had a choice)!

Beckett's birthday was celebrated with parties (yes, plural) this past weekend.  First off, we celebrated with our family on Friday night, followed by his first 'friend' party on Saturday afternoon. He's been talking about his birthday for months now, so having it finally arrive was so exciting for our B.

Friday night was lots of fun with Corey, Asher, Adam and Kayla, and the cousins:)  We had Beck's fave, Macaroni and Cheese (homemade, yummmm), and ribs and fruit.  He loved opening his presents, and received some really fun things.  The first thing he happen to open was an orange shirt, to which he replied, "Oh! I always wanted and orange shirt with a number on it!!" Knowing how much kids love to get clothes for presents at this age (har, har), I was taken back.  So gracious, so sincere, so sweet.  I love how sincerely excited about his gifts he still is...even clothes.

Ninjago was the b-day theme of choice for our big boy, so we had to get creative, since you can't buy the stuff anywhere.  My super crafty and helpful mom sent me over a bunch of paper ninja guys, Chinese dragons and lanterns, which really made the party.  They were so festive and cute.  I put 'Ninjago' eyes on just about everything else...balloons, drink boxes, treat bags, you name it.  I even found an iron on and had made him a shirt! Beck was thrilled with us turning our house into Ninjago-land. It really was a fun theme!

The next afternoon, all of his little buddies came over and we had a Ninjago Bash.  He did great, all the kids had a good time, and the party was lots of fun. We played games:  Pin the Sword on the Ninja, did a pull Ninja pinata in the family room, had Ninjago coloring pages, had an obstacle course for 'Ninja Training', and colored some wooden Ninja stars.   The kids had pizza and cupcakes, and Beck was really excited about his cake...'Jay' the Ninjago guy made out of cupcakes, because Jay is his fave guy.  Fun, fun, fun.  Little kid birthdays are the best:)

Happy Birthday Beck!  I can't believe you are already FOUR years old.  We love your feist, your sweetness, your snuggles and all your funny comments.  We love YOU!

Party, Lego Style

This past Saturday, we had a 'friend' party for Asher's 7th birthday.  It has been SO much fun to search and plan for it.  Asher had been looking forward to it since his 'real' birthday, three weeks ago.  I decorated with anything LEGO I could find and made a few things I couldn't.  The kids decorated LEGO head cookies, played a team relay race with LEGOS, guessed how many bricks were in a jar, and each built masterpieces out of a random assortment (they each received a medal and award for their efforts).  So fun!  And the food...pizza, chips and queso, apples and dip.  Again, fun. The cake was a few LEGO bricks.  Corey ordered so much extra pizza that he called his brothers up to come and make a dent.  I guess he overestimated the appetites of 7-year old boys...had they been 12, I think it would have been a completely different scenario.

Asher had a great time with his buddies, received some fun gifts(which he could not WAIT to open...he kept asking when he could open them), and enjoyed his special day:)

I just love that boy.

First Lobos Game

 

Last night we took the boys to their first Lobos basketball game at the Pit!  It was such a fun night, and Basketball games are my favorite to go to.  Corey and I go to a couple a year but have never taken the kiddos before. The boys' first glimpse of all the hoopla was the starting lineup, which they both watched in awe (see pic!).   Once we arrived at the game Asher was totally in the zone and loving everything about it...the roaring crowd, the music, the contests, the hype.  He loved the plays, the calls, the time outs, the paper coupons that fall from the mini blimp, the band...all of it!  He jumped out of his seat when there was a bad call, and cheered as loud as he could the whole time.  He was in basketball heaven, truly.

 

Beckett, on the other hand had a very different perspective on it all.  He had a good time too, but was very distracted by the popcorn (he wanted some), cotton candy and icees (he also wanted some). He was especially miffed when a young boy went out and swept off the court...he wanted to know why he couldn't do it too.  Then there was the rack of team basketballs sitting to the side of the court at halftime...he thought it'd be nice to take one of those home too.  Why wasn't that okay?  The little coupons that get dropped from the mini blimp were a great distress...when was one going to fall into his lap? He did actually watch some of the game too!

Ah, well.  In the end, they won the game against Colorado State 66-61, Go Lobos!  They are having such a fantastic season, it was a real treat to go and cheer them on.  We were glad Asher loved it, and we might have come to terms with the fact that an almost 4 year old might need some time to fully appreciate it all.   Fun night though!

Asher turns 7!

Woo-hoo!  My Asher is such a great kid, and I can't believe he just turned 7!  We really could not be prouder of him.  He is an excellent reader, tries to do the right thing, loves school and church, is kind to others, says the best prayers, loves to play sports of all kinds and has an amazing imagination.  He is already talking about getting baptized next year, which really throws me for a loop!  How can he be almost old enough for that?

For his birthday this year, it was all about LEGO's.  We'll be having a 'friend' party in a couple of weeks, which will also be a LEGO party.  He also brought in some doughnuts (his treat of choice for the occasion) into school for a class b-day treat at school.  He had fun opening presents, blowing out candles, eating Dion's pizza (his dinner choice), and playing with family. 

His favorite presents were LEGO sets (of course), an alarm clock, his LEGO watch (he never wants to take it off), NBA Jams Wii game and a sand art kit that I still haven't let him break into because it's going to be a huge mess:)  The alarm clock has been a fun surprise.  He listens to it when he goes to bed at night, and especially loves to listen to sports channels and games.  It's even kept Beckett (who comes out of his room several times before finally calling it quits) at bay.  Corey and I have both reminisced about when we received our first walkman's or alarm clocks and how empowering and cool it was to have a radio.  I would venture to say the alarm clock is probably his favorite thing this Christmas/Birthday season.

Anyway, the birthday celebration continues for a little while more until his next party, so, let the extravaganza begin!  Happy Birthday, Ash-man.  We love you so much, buddy!

Durango Escape

We headed off to Durango on New Year's Day!  We had hoped for a little bit of the white stuff in Albuquerque over the break so the boys could play, but it was beyond dry, so we went to the snow instead.  Most people in NM will scoff at us for wishing for snow, but I figure if it's going to be cold and dry, at least a little snow would liven things up a bit, and dress things up a bit too.

Durango had just gotten a nice snow storm the day before we drove up, so it was beautifully covered with a fresh coat.  Yay!  We rented a great little cabin.  I fell in love with it's rustic stone wall, cozy fireplace and gorgeous surroundings. We settled in instantly and Corey quickly became the  'Master of the Fire', keeping us all warm and using his pocketed scouting skills. Fire, snow and all it was such a nice reprieve from suburbia.

 

Games!

After weighing our options, we (don't laugh...it was well below zero while we were there!) went swimming at their amazing-for-kids rec center pool and also hit the sledding hills.  I loved that we didn't hurry to get anywhere, took little naps in the afternoons, hiked around behind the cabin, watched movies, played games, were pummeled by the crazy jacuzzi tub in the bathroom (it was stuck on HIGH, yikes!), read books(Asher!), drank cocoa and just plain RELAXED.  It was great, really.  Corey and I even met season 2 of Downton Abbey head on and watched several episodes per night! 

Giganto pizza slice at J. Bo's. We are new fans.

 

Giganto cookie from Bread, a favorite stop. They're oatmeal cookies are really just amazing.

We have come here enough times now that we are starting to know where we want to eat, play and spend our time, which is nice.  And the 3 1/2 hour drive is a breeze, although, only five minutes out of town and Beck wanted to know if we were there yet (!). It's been over a year since we last drove to Utah, so I guess they are out of practice for the long road trips. All in all, a great, much needed escape for our family, and Durango totally fit the bill.  I am just sad now that Ash goes back to school this week, and the Christmas holiday is over.