Pinewood Derbies

Emma and Ben are good at letting me know that I’m way behind on blogging. They have suggested that all I need to do is post every day until I’m caught up. So I’m going to give it a try, but I feel pretty confident about how well it’s going to work. :)

This year was our first time as parents to experience a Pinewood Derby. And we actually had two of them! Emma’s Girls Activity Days group decided to have one for the girls this year. The boys and girls were about two weeks apart, and Emma’s was first.

It was fun to see the difference in preparation and decoration between the girls and the boys. It made me laugh a little. The girls painted their own cars at one of their activities. Emma’s is the night time one. I think she had a great time.

Of course Ben chose a Lego theme for his car. I think that may be Lloyd and Jay in the seats.

And since we (I mean Adam) helped make two cars, I think he learned a lot about how to put them together. So next year Ben (and possibly Emma) can be even faster.

October Birthdays

Both Emma and Sydney have birthdays in October! As always, time goes by so fast and I can’t believe how quickly my kids are growing up! This year Sydney is 2! She loves typical 2-year-old-girl things: Elmo, any characters we saw at Disneyland (including Nemo), any of the characters she see’s on TV, and babies.

Sydney loves to play, read, sing and keep up with the big kids. She can also be very opinionated and a bit loud. We love so much having her in our family!

Emma turned 11 this year! She is such a sweet, wonderful girl! It amazes me how quickly she is growing up. At this time in her life she loves volleyball, art, reading, her friends, her little sister (and brothers too, of course), and so many other things.

Emma is such a fun, smart girl! She always tries to be kind, polite, and fair. And Adam and I are only a little excited (or maybe a ton) that she is so close to being able to babysit! Happy Birthday!

CA Part 4: The Finale!

I could break this last post into two parts, but I thought it best to just get it done. So I’m packing in a whole bunch of pictures in one.

After Disneyland and CA Adventure, we spent the next day going to the beach, driving down to Carlsbad, and doing other random things like eating at the Hibachi Steak House (yes the one in Anaheim Hills). And if you’ve ever been there, I apologize for making you drool thinking about it right now. Just like I am.

The kids had so much fun! They made sandcastles and played in the water – you know, the normal beach stuff.

The next day we went straight to LEGOLAND. The kids had a great time there. A lot of the rides were too big for Spencer, or too scary for the bigger kids. But there were so many amazing Lego sculptures/figures/buildings/etc!

I know it’s hard to see through the fence on this one, but I had to include it. I think both Spencer and my faces are excellent. That was a big, fast drop!

I’m pretty sure they would all love to go back again.

The next day we went to the San Diego Zoo. I remember always loving the zoo. Unfortunately I think everyone was a little too warn out, it was a little too crowded (we went on Saturday), and a little too hot. Even the animals seemed kind of slow. But we plugged along and had a good time.

That day after we left the zoo, we drove to Jody and Darrell’s house and stayed a couple of nights with them. It was so good to see everyone! I think it’s been a few years since we’ve been together. There is something so great about being with one of my sisters! Someone who can finish my sentences, or knows exactly what I mean, even when what I say comes out all wrong. The kids had so much fun playing together too! And since this picture they’ve added a new baby girl to their family! We miss you all!

So that’s the end of our amazing, long, fun, exhausting, exciting, great trip. The kids have been asking when we can do it again. :) We’ve let them know that if they’re willing to pay for it, we’re all in. Although Adam and I have been considering going back by ourselves some time – you know, actually ride some rollercoasters. (But don’t tell the kids.) :)

CA Part 3: California Adventure!

Overall I don’t think the kids had as much fun here as they did at Disneyland. Too many of the rides were too big and/or too fast for what they like.

We spent plenty of time in Bugs Land, and a little bit of time at the carnival rides. The kids all loved the Farris Wheel (I totally chickened out. But I did get 30 minutes of shopping/alone time while I waited.) :)

Lunch was in Downtown Disney at the Rain Forest Café. The kids LOVE that place.

Of course we had to go to the LEGO store. I think they would have been happy to spend a whole day there. And really, who could blame them – it is awesome! We wish we had a LEGO store closer to us. That pick-a-brick wall cannot be beat! Any CA friends want to fill up a few containers for us and ship them to ID? We’d buy you a large container for your trouble!

Then we were off to Cars Land! Well I think technically we went there on the 3rd day of our trip. I can’t remember exactly when we did what. Unfortunately it was a little too crowded to really be able to enjoy it. But from what we could tell, it was really cute and well done (of course).

First thing in the morning (1/2 before the park opened) we got in line for a fast pass for CA Racers (is that even the name of it?). We waited for 45 minutes for a fast pass! But it was totally worth it – I think we waited about 5 minutes in line, and the ride was great!

Even with the extra crowds (because of Cars Land), and the crazy heat and humidity, we all had a great time. The kids only have happy memories when we talk about our trip. I still have more to post. Hopefully I can get it done in one (since I’m so slow at it), but I’m guessing it will be two. :)

CA part 2: Disneyland!

We got park hopper tickets for the family for 3 days. We were torn between 2 or 3 days, and we decided on the 3 so we could take it slowly when/if we needed to. I think it turned out to be a good choice for us.

It was fun to be back at Disneyland. We’ve been in Boise for 7 years and this was our first family trip back. So we unashamedly played the part of tourists (wearing a backpack, carrying around our big camera and taking pictures everywhere). :)

Our plan for souvenirs was to get each of them a hat, and then anything else they wanted would be purchased with the money they had earned and saved before we left. So when Ben picked this hat, I wasn’t really excited. I didn’t imagine that he would actually wear it. I thought he would regret it and want to get a different one later. There are SO many cute hats there! But he was positive that this was the one he wanted. And it turns out he was right. He has worn that hat 10 times more than I thought he would – and he looks so cute!

Spencer was absolutely determined to pull that sword out!

We had so much fun! And we thoroughly wore everyone out. Thankfully Sydney was a trooper the whole vacation. Tomorrow onto California Adventure!