Birthday Partying

We had a crazy weekend,

so we celebrated

Camille's 10th Birthday

with a quiet party at home.

She's all about animals right now,

so Adam got her this adorable Beagle puppy

that looks just like a miniature Mac,

and Matt got her a section of track

for her new obsession-

Zhu Zhu pets!
Brad tried to convince me that

a real hamster would be more fun,

but these things are pretty darn cute -

(and clean, and quiet, and plastic...)

For dinner we went over to my mom's

for a shared cousin celebration-

Happy 6th Birthday, Rachel!

More animals, more Zhu Zhu pets,

and a great big flower from Aunt Linda.
It was a great weekend.
Now if I can just survive the
"friend party" on Friday night!
Wish me luck...

Happy Birthday, Camille!

I can't go to bed tonight

without wishing a

Happy 10th Birthday

to my baby...

A beautiful girl,

a loving daughter and sister,

and a kind spirit -

You make our lives joyful, little one!

We love you.

Disneyland 2010 Top Ten...

During our Spring Break, we went with my family to the happiest place on Earth... and it was! Here's our top ten list--

#10 - Fast Passes

Hooray for Aunt Linda

who scored 36 free "fast-passes"

from one of the park workers she started a conversation with.

We used them for a bunch of rides, including this one...

#9 - California Adventure

We love Disney's CA Adventure

and are always so happy to hop back and forth

between the two parks.

We also love our little C & A kids...

#8 - Billy Bob and the Hillbillies

If you haven't seen Billy Bob and the Hillbillies perform,

then you're really missing something!

We didn't love the crowds (or the food for that matter),

but we LOVED these guys...

#7 - Grizzly River Run

This year's most repeated ride was the River Run.

Hooray for rides that everyone

from 6 year-olds to 66 year-olds can agree on...

#6 - The Big Boys

This year we let these two take off on their own.

They got to the park early, stayed late,

and were always happy to see us -

when they were hungry.

And then after they'd ridden everything twice,

they were happy to spend the last day and a half with us...

#5 - Conner!!!

We hardly ever get to see Conner,

so we were thrilled to spend

the happiest time on Earth with him.

We even managed to snag him away from his dad

for some cousin time in Bug's Land

while the big guys

were getting terrorized on a tower...

#4 - A Brave Girl

Last time we went to Disneyland Camille was only 5.

After we put her on Indiana Jones

on the first morning of the first day,

she wouldn't ride ANYTHING (not even Small World)

becuase she didn't trust our definition of

"this is not a scary ride."

This year she was much braver,

and we were all much happier...

#3 - Adam "Screaming"

We all love "Screaming" (it's my favorite!),

but what we really loved was Adam's countdown

to start the ride...

#2 - Toy Story Midway Mania

Our favorite new ride.

Another good one for the whole family,

but watch out -

the competition is fierce...

And our #1 favorite thing - Family!

Even waiting in line isn't so bad

(we should know - we did a lot of it!)

when you're doing it with the people you love!

Thanks Mom and Dad

for giving us all these great moments...

Spring Break 2010

We spent Spring Break this year

in sunny Southern California,

where we...

... dreamed of living

in one of these lovely homes

on beautiful Three Arch Bay

in Laguana Beach

... grabbed our boards

... and played in the surf

...climbed 0n the dunes

... searched for hermit crabs

... played in the sand

...and collected all kinds of beautiful shells.

Camille, of course,
didn't need to put on her swimsuit
because she ABSOLUTELY
wasn't going to get wet.

Well, that was the plan anyways!

It was a picture perfect day
and a fantastic way
to start off a great week.

Happy Easter

Easter was a bit non-traditional this year,

but still a very lovely day.

The kids each got a very lovely basket,

but instead of getting dressed in our Easter best,

we settled down in our jammmies to watch

a wonderful morning session of conference.

After that we had the best brunch ever

with the Walter family's famous

Macadamia Nut Pancackes with Coconut Syrup

served with a delicious egg casserole
and an abundance of fresh fruit.

Perfect.

After that we headed to my parents' house

for our traditional Easter dinner

and a very non-traditional egg hunt.

It was pouring rain outside,

so we hunted indoors...

finding eggs in all kinds of strange places,

and storing them in even stranger places!

All in all, a lovely day spent with

the people who matter most to us.

Watch Out!!

Isn't it amazing

how some memories

are so vivid?

I have a lot of memories

of my little brother

learning to drive.

We all laugh about the time

when we were on our way to Utah

and he asked if he could

drive across the salt flats.

What the heck,

there wasn't anyone around.

So my dad pulled over

and let him jump behind the wheel.

Which is when he tried

to actually drive out

ONTO the salt flats.

Ooops.

And then there was the

constructive criticism

my dad loved to give.

Our favorite

is now a familiar family phrase -

"Stop parking on the sidewalk

for crying out loud!!"

I was just barely

out of the teenage years myslef

when it all happened,

but it seems like only yesterday.

But as I find myself with this

parked outside my front door...

I realize that those memories are decades old.

Can it really be that my baby is already driving?

Suddenly he's happy to go everywhere I go!

And guess what -- I'm happy to have him with me!

Oh, No! Not again...

This little cutie

spent quite a bit of time

at our house last month.

She and Camille are so alike.

The last time she was here

Camille suggested that they watch

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

Oh, yes...lets!

Camille's dream come true-

a friend who appreciates her

love of Roald Dahl!

They're bosom buddies.

Two peas in a pod.

We're going to miss you

something fierce, Aloria!

Good luck in Montana.

Playing Catch-Up... February Edition

Honestly,

I don't know

where February went.

It's a busy month for our family,

so I have to do a

"better late than never" post

just for the sake of

Family History.

We celebrated Valentine's Day

at breakfast this year

because we had a birthday dinner date

with Grandma in the evening.

Everyone got their traditional

books and candy to celebrate the love day.

Matthew is a recent convert to the world of Tom Clancy,

Adam is trying a new series,
and Camille is starting on one of my all-time favorites!

The evening was topped with a
delicious dinner to celebrate my mom's
big day...
you know, the one she wasn't celebrating!
Happy Birthday, Mom.
You're the greatest!
Our kids were furloughed from school
on the week of President's Day
(in case you haven't heard - our state is broke!!),
and so we gathered together these friends...
and spent the day at this place.

What a great idea!

The next week was my birthday,

and it was a lovely week!

I got to go out to lunch a couple of times

with some dear friends,

and then I got this beauty of a gift from my in-laws.

A book all about why I am so loved.

No one has better in-laws than I do.

Period.

And the favorite moment of my actual birthday??

Another dear friend remembered

that I loved dried mangoes,

so she brought me some.

And look what I found in the package...

Perfect!!

Matt and Adam spent my birthday weekend

snow camping.

They had a great time,

except that Adam came home with this beauty.
I guess everything can't go smoothly all the time.

Near the end of the month

we celebrated the baptism

of a very special cousin.

Aren't these two adorable???

Afterwards we stopped to visit Grandpa Sanders.

He and Camille got into a little argument

over the delay of our food,

but they soon made up,

and like any good girl would,

she picked the bugs out of his hair

to show him just how much she loved him!!

And then to top the month off,

we celebrated Adam's birthday.

He got a bag of his favorite candy

and a new party game from us,

and Matt and Camille each got him

a new t-shirt.

We spent the evening with family

where Adam collected some new

ammunnition for extended nerf wars

and a new basketball

from his cousins.

All in all, it was a great day-

and a fabulous month!

Hope your February was great as well!