Easter Brothers

I had so much fun helping at Garrett's classroom Easter party today. Mostly I marveled at what a wonderful big brother Garrett was to Sam, taking him to each station, sharing his treats and his chair, and carefully helping Sam write his name on his artwork. Sam didn't want to leave! Drops of awesome, Garrett!

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What do you do when you have to miss school because of Strep? You get JCWs for lunch and have a picnic in the backyard in the almost-Spring weather!

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I loved this picture of S and G with cousin JT in their matching shirts that I made them wear for the picture (from our recent Cali trip).

In addition to my motley crew, we have my brother Scott and his wife Sarah and their two boys Derek and JT, my sister Melissa and my Dad, Joe.

All the grandkids (all 6 of them!)

(Aged 14,11,8,5,4,1)

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Rich had a conference in St. George last week and I tagged along while Grandma became zookeeper back home. It was so warm and wonderful! We didn't do anything super exciting, but there was a little give-and-take as I went shooting for the first time (WAY out of my comfort zone, I could not stop closing my eyes each time I pulled the trigger) and Rich watched Downton Abbey with me. I also read and shopped and ate yummies and slept late and all other sorts of wonderfully irresponsible non-mom activities. 

While in St. George we took a tour of the historic St. George Tabernacle. The tour was led by this most amazing missionary couple from Australia. I was so touched by their simple, heartfelt testimony. I'm so grateful for Church History sites and the missionaries who serve there!

Before St. George, I helped decorate two teacher doors. I do think my kids have the best teachers ever this year!

And finally...

Cassidy participated in her awesome Spring dance recital on Friday. She is becoming quite the Irish dancer. We are so proud of her hard work (and proud of her brothers for surviving the 2 hour show!).

14

On Sunday my oldest "baby" turned 14. Happy birthday, Ben!

We celebrated by waking up tired thanks to daylight savings, rushing to church after two separate 8:30am interviews, attending church, 3 different setting apart blessings/ordination after church, homemade buttermilk waffles for lunch (a birthday boy request), and finally Dad's grilled chicken and all the fixin's plus jello cake for dessert. Tonight we will continue the celebration at our annual Olive Garden party with Grandma (and Grandpa and a few other relatives) who celebrated her big day on Saturday.

How exciting to turn 14!

Time passes so quickly. I know people always say that but it is really so true. 

Somehow I have a feeling this is going to be a great year for our 14 year old. He is super smart and talented and just fun to be around. We love you Ben !

(And you're welcome for the phone.)

Disney Magic

Whew! We are just back from 3 wonderful days at Disneyland. I love Disneyland. It is very nostalgic for me, having grown up in So Cal, but also it truly does feel like a very happy place. Maybe it's the happy music everywhere, the churro fumes that I can never resist, or the Small World song I'll be singing for the next 3 months. Whatever it is, I love it, our family loves it (Rich almost loves it), and we've enjoyed taking several trips there as a family.

There are many wonderful things I will remember about this trip, but the one that stands out in my mind will be that our family got.along.with.each.other. Now wait--there was still whining and insulting, nit-picking and impatience, but there was also an overall feeling of togetherness, a spirit of determination to keep moving forward despite our imperfections, a feeling of being a family. That probably sounds corny, but it just meant so much to me, because most days it feels like our family really struggles. And so here goes the picture montage of Disneyland 2013:

Here we are with half a storm trooper. We LOVE the Disney/Star Wars connection---the new and improved Star Tours ride was amazing, as was the Jedi Training:

Autopia is always fun, especially if you're 4 and get to drive with your big brother!

(Everyone wanted to sit by Sam on every ride, it was awesome!)

The weather was warmish and sunny, the crowds were down and lines were short, and we got to ride Small World (and everything else) as many times as we wanted. 

You know the recorded instructions they play on every ride about keeping your hands, arms, feet, and legs  inside the boat/car/ride at all times? They have to play that several times when Garrett is in the park, and sometimes they even have to make a special live announcement over the intercom about what you can and can't touch on the rides. Just saying.

We rode almost every ride in Fantasyland, and I'm not sure who enjoyed it the most--Sam, or his brothers and sister and parents watching him. He loved the carousel and every other ride there. But I think the person who loved Disneyland the most had to be Garrett. He was just so excited about each and every ride. He was fearless and especially loved the roller coasters. He probably thanked Rich and I 10 or more times for bringing him to Diz. What an awesome kid.

Aunt Melissa joined us for parts of each day, being an annual pass holder and all. She is nicer than I am and will go on the Teacups multiple times without throwing up. Isn't she wonderful?

It's always fun to spend time with her when we go to Cali!

We spent most of Tuesday in California Adventure. We were so excited to try the new Radiator Springs' Racers and it did not disappoint. Fortunately we were able to snag a FastPass and avoid the 90 minute lines that were a standard feature of that ride. We also used the single-rider line to ride it multiple times. The ride was amazing! I loved that our whole family (even me!) met the height requirement and we could go on it together. Disney has done an amazing job.

Here Sam and I are on Mater's Junkyard Jamboree....

riding the carousel for the 48th time....

and taking a break after Whinnie the Pooh.

Other favorite rides include:

Pirates of the Caribbean (although Sam is still not sure about the waterfall part)

Indiana Jones

Soarin' Over California

California Screamin' (Garrett's fave)

Matterhorn and Space Mountain

We  enjoyed Aladdin the Musical and Disney's World of Color. Amazing shows!

We also enjoyed dinner at the Rain Forrest Cafe and did a little gawking at the Lego Store in Downtown Disney.

We really had so much fun. I love my family, even with all our struggles. I'm so lucky to be a mom, to be their mom, and to be his wife. These people are everything to me.

But alas, the laundry is waiting, and somebody has to start doing it!