Disney Day 3

This day was big as you can see from all the pictures. We got pics with a few characters right when we walked in and then we took the train to Toon Town.  However, we got sidetracked when we saw the short line to see the princesses. The girls met Tiana, Jasmine (their favorite), and Ariel. Then they stayed for the Fantasy Faire where they learned to dance like a princess. After the show, you could stay and meet the main princesses: Belle, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty.  (Brielle brought her baby Belle she got for Christmas last year to show to the "real" Belle). Next, we played around in Toon Town and met Mickey in his house. We were melting in the heat so we took a nice, cool, long ride on Small World and got that song in our head for the rest of the day. On our way out of the park to grab lunch and a nap we finally got a picture with Minnie Mouse. (Nick named her the "DIVA" of Disneyland because we had tried to get in her line at least three times and were turned away due to her busy schedule). That night we came back for more rides and the Fantasmic show (which I thought was the best show after the fireworks)!   

Disneyland! Day 1 & 2

We've been spoiled by Nick's parents this year. First they gave each of their children some money from Nick's dad's inheritance and then they offered to pay for Disneyland tickets this fall and our hotel while we were there! So, we left on my birthday (a Friday morning) and came home on Wednesday night. We had such a fabulous time--I think it was even better this time because our kids were two years older and hopefully will have more memories of this trip.
On the first day, by the time we checked into our hotel it was mid-afternoon so we just walked to Anaheim Garden which is like an outdoor mall. It has restaurants, shopping, movies, and bowling. We tried to see a movie but their were no kid shows so we opted for bowling! That was a lot of fun (except for the part where Emma had a higher score than me!) We haven't done that for a long time. Then, since it was my birthday we ate at The Cheesecake Factory! It was so delicious! I tried to eat my whole dinner because I didn't know we had a microwave back at our hotel, but it was worth the stomach-ache as we walked back! That night we crashed early until we heard fireworks outside. Emma and I were still awake so we went out on the balcony and watched them. It was great! You know Disney performances are always going to be awesome.
We decided that since we had a 5-day hopper pass we didn't need to kill ourselves on this trip so on the first two days this was our schedule: Pop-tarts in our hotel room, bought some breakfast items from McDonald's and headed to Disneyland. Then, we would eat our brunch around 11:00, stay for a few more hours, get lunch outside the park, have a 2-3 nap at the hotel, eat dinner, and then head back to Disneyland for the night. It work perfect for the weekend days we were there because we left during the hottest/busiest period of the day, didn't have to buy food in the park, our kids were rested so they could stay up late without meltdowns, and we weren't in a hurry. The fireworks that first night were even better in person and it was the best night show they did. The next night was their water show which was really good too, but both of the girls got scared because it had the mean witches in it.

The Lost Tooth Club

Emma has been dying to lose her first tooth. Her cousin (who is the same age) has lost at least 5 teeth and every so often she will go through a phase where all of her teeth are loose and she shows us how loose (not) they are. Her first loose tooth started this summer which I was so grateful for--finally a tooth that is loose!! However, it felt like forever for them to fall out! Her "grown-up" tooth had started to grow up behind it and we thought it would be any day....but I think that was a month ago? This week it was on it's last gum because it had bled several times after eating/brushing. Luckily, we had our 6 month check-up with our dentist today! The assistant convinced Emma that their brush would pull it out, so she put a little numbing cream, gave it a little pull, and it was out! (Emma cried...though I don't think it was painful. I think she was more scared it was going to be). Yippee! She was excited!  She got a cute little box where she is saving her tooth until all grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins see it. The dentist also recommended they pull out the other bottom three in about a month to make room for the other "grown-up" tooth. WHAT? What happened to the old-fashioned way of letting them come out when they're good and ready? It totally gives me the shivers....(I hate teeth issues--it grosses me out to look at people with bad teeth, gives me nightmares to think of working in field where you put your hand in people's mouths all day, and every time I had to "check" the looseness of Emma's tooth, I got the willies. It's just not my thing. I have a tooth-phobia, I guess.) So, I WILL NOT ever pull one of my children's teeth. Which means it's up to Nick or the dentist. We'll see how it goes with the dentist.

First Day of School 2010



This year Brielle got to go to school first. She started on a Tuesday at her preschool and Emma started Wednesday. Brielle was a little hesitant to go in even though her cousins were there and she's known her teacher for a long time. It was so cute to watch her come out with her backpack and talk about everything they did. She gets pretty frustrated when she does a project there and then doesn't get to bring it right home to show me! Emma was pretty excited for first grade. Luckily, she met two girls from our ward that were going to first grade, too. One of them is in her class and the other one we carpool with. The first two weeks of school she had several play dates with them and I'm so happy. I worried about her starting a new school and learning where everything was and making new friends. Her teacher invited us over to the school the day before school started and took Emma on a tour so she would know where she was going on the first day. It was so great! We love her teacher. She has been so nice to Emma. The hardest part has been on me. Even though the first few days were "short days" (where they get out 2 hours early) it felt like Emma was gone FOREVER. I kept checking the clock....wondering what she was doing.....how things were going....who she was playing with at recess.....when I could go get her and hear all about it. It was the LONGEST 3 days! And then she started full days and it was even worse. But she seems to enjoy being so much older and Brielle and I keep busy while she is gone.....eating Mac n' cheese and playing Barbies! It's fun to spend time with Brielle. And when their both gone? I've got plenty of unpacking and organizing to do!

End of Summer

You know it's the end of the summer when you run around like crazy trying to do all the things you wanted to do all summer. We tried to fit it all in--more Lagoon, The Gateway, fireworks and BBQ's at Grandma and Grandpa's (plus move, start school, get family pictures, start dance, and get ready for Disneyland......more about all that later!)  Here are the things I took pictures of!

14 Days and Counting....

We officially have a closing date on our house! August 19th! I'm so excited! I'm amazed how much easier this whole process has been. From the day they dug the hole to our closing date it has been 92 days! There have been only two set-backs during this whole time--we added a window, and they added a wall (that they shouldn't have)--so really it has gone smoothly. These last two weeks will probably be the longest since the house is pretty much ready to move in and we are ready to stop living out of boxes/containers. Here are the pictures of the inside stuff.