Disneyland Summer 2014

Our week trip to Cali included three days at Disneyland.  The first day, Rebecca and I took the girls all by ourselves, and boy was it fun!  We made the girls cute little Disney dresses and tutu’s to commemorate their first trip.  

 

Everyone all over the park was just tickled by the babies.  We even had multiple people ask, and not ask for that matter, to take pics of the girls lol. Even Cinderella couldn't resist coming and saying "HI" to the babies when all the other kids around us were trying to get her attention.  

Rebecca bought the babies the sweetest little parasols with their names on them, which are just SO cute!!  And useful too!  As awesome as the girls brand new double umbrella stroller is… it doesn’t provide much shade.  We opened up the parasols and propped them onto the stroller... it really helped shade the girls from the scorching heat.  They also proved to be a nice defense mechanism... 

 

Nap time was pretty tricky at the parks!  We had to get pretty creative to make it happen... one day we rode the train until they fell asleep, it actually worked pretty well...  

I did my best to get Disneyland Main Street pics... but apparently not everyone was loving it...

.... at least I got this iconic shot...

I did however score major mom points at a different place in the park... Serenity’s favorite part of the park was without a doubt Tarzan’s tree house.  The three days we were at the park we must have climbed that tree house over a dozen times!  She seriously LOVES Tarzan.  She watches the movie EVERY day, so this was a big moment for us!

A video of us in the treehouse

The next two day were just as awesome!  Tanner flew in and met us in LA.  It just so happened his sister Kenzie, and her family were in California for a Disney trip as well!  They got us a nice hotel room and we went to the park with them two days in a row.  It was a blast!  The cousins just adored each other, and it was awesome being able to take advantage of the baby swap passes and have some adults to tag team with and talk to!  Mackenzie and I even found time to sneak away and ride Space Mountain all by ourselves! We were pretty proud of ourselves!

 

We got to the park early the first day to see if we could meet Elsa and Ana at one of the special attractions… they opened the gates and we booked it over there, BUT when we got there, it was already a 5 hour wait!!! Crazy.  SOOO we skipped it and rode Dumbo!  I think we made the right choice... especially since there was no line!

 

 

Serenity LOVED having her Daddy there to play with at the park.  She showed him all her fav rides… the carrousel was definitely towards the top of the list! Not sure who loved it more.. Tanner or the girls:)

 

 

The TIKI room was also a big hit!! Serenity and Scarlette loved the birds and the singing. Neither of them could control their excitement during the show, it was so adorable. 

The Snow White ride on the other hand.... 

California adventure was WAY more fun than I remembered it.  There were so many fun rides I had always just skipped before.  Even though it was 106 degrees outside, and the kids were just OVER it, we had a lot of fun!  We bought a little fan that sprays water on you, and Scarlette loved it.

 

While Scarlette enjoyed the fan... Serenity discovered a new love for popcorn... and throwing things away lol...

 

...and all the boys LOVED they Toy Story Ride for it's video game-like qualities...

Richard and Spencer on the Toy Story Ride

That is… after we battled the babies for HOURS to fall asleep in the uncomfortable heat! 

Success!

Radiator Springs had some interesting things... We saw lightning mcqueen, and also the craziest sign in the park (notice the warning to pregnant women...) OH and for all those visiting California Adventure any time soon... or ever for that matter... the cars ride is AWESOME!

 

We ended our Disney vacation with awesome seats to the lights show that night! Everyone was so exhausted, but it was so beautiful, and honestly the perfect end to a truly wonderful trip! 

If there is anything better than being a mom, and being able to take your babies to Disneyland, I can’t imagine what it is.  I’m so grateful for the fun time that we had, and all the memories we were able to make together as a family! Until next time…

             Jess

Our trip of "Firsts"

As good as it was to be out of town for a month with no internet and a wacky cell phone… I have a lot of catching up to do.  My dad has always been obsessed with “firsts.” First birthdays, first time let he gave a gift card for Christmas, first time he ate an apple, seriously you name it, he has probably thought about it, and commented on it being a "first".  This past month marked a BUNCH of “firsts"for us! 

First off… My Scarlette Jo started walking on her own! Just three days after her birthday she’s walking like a pro! It’s funny to remember when Serenity started walking she couldn’t even push herself up into sitting position yet, because she was so young. BUT Joey, she is so steady and so cautious right from the get go!

Serenity went on her first trip without Mommy and Daddy! She flew across the country to Utah with my mom (Mimaw) to see Christina off on her mission.  (my dad would say it was the first time my mom has gone on a vacation with one of her grandkids… AND he would say it was the first time my mom had a daughter go on a mission... LOL ... see what I mean)

With Serenity gone maybe 3 hours, Tanner and I figured it would be a good time for me to go out to Utah too, to get away from the stressful situations back home… (What a good guy! ) So Scarlette Jo and I flew out together a few days later and met up with the family in Utah.  (our first mommy daughter trip) 

When we finally arrived the girls were so excited to see each other!

Most of the grandparents got to see both girls while we were there.  It was really nice!  Before my mom flew back to NC, we got a bunch of extended family together to help my sister with her yard.  We literally worked ALL DAY.  It was AWESOME having Granny Kim and Grandpa Damon take Reni for the day so we could focus on the work. (Serenity also had her first sleep over with her Granny Kim that night! Crazy!)

Waiting for her Granny Kim

This kind of flower is called a "Harmony Scarlet" no joke.

After my mom left, Rebecca and I took the girls to the Zoo in Utah for the first time… After being members of the NC ZOO, the Zoo in Salt Lake City is well…. Not that great ha.  BUT they had a tiger, so I guess that was cool… and an Orangutan.

Serenity and Scarlette have been so much fun to watch.  They are really starting to have the cutest relationship.  Serenity even gave her sister her first massage!

Later that week the girls and made the drive to CA to visit my grandparents, and for my good friends wedding.  The girls had fun playing with GiGi and B-Pops and also their cousins.  Rebecca met us there on mother’s day, and the girls met my uncle mike and his family for the first time. The following day we took the girls to Disneyland!  So it was their first trip to D-Land, and my first trip since having kids.  (there will be a whole other post on Disneyland soon though ha)

Cousin Fun

Serenity sharing her games with her cousin

Tanner was able to make it out to Ca for a couple days, and we met up with his sister Kenzie and her husband Richard and their two kids Spencer and Bailey.  They got us a hotel room near D-Land, and we played with them at the parks for a couple of days.  With so many changes happening in our lives right now, it was really nice to just forget about everything and enjoy the “Happiest Place on Earth!” (what "first" you say?  this was our first vacation with Kenzie’s fam!)

Tanner and I drove our fam back to Utah, stopping in St. George a night to see HIS grandparents.  Seriously some of the best people I’ve ever met. 

When we got back to Utah we spent some time with Tanner’s brothers, and also his dad and step-mom Fete.  Serenity had her first sleep over with grandma Fete, and this was the first time our whole family has been together with Tanner’s dad since Scarlette was born.

At the birthday party!

Serenity celebrated her 2^nd birthday in Utah with my brother Jonny and his wife Jenni, Rebecca and Josh, Kenzie, Richard and their kids came, and also my good friends, Ashley, Jared, Beca, Jyllian, Ann, and Jason.

To top off the fun, we had a day date with Ashley and Jason for our first trip to the aquarium and enjoyed a little panda express (tanners fav).  All in all, it was a much-needed holiday, even though it was busy, and not very restful. 

I’ll definitely have a couple more posts coming of our trip in Cali, Disneyland, the Aquarium, and a little more… I know I’ve left something out, BUT this will have to do for now. 

Our family has also making a few big changes that I’ll fill you in on soon enough.  But after much prayer, we know we are finally on the right path.

My Mother's Day locket from my mother in law!

This trip really taught me how important family is, and making family a priority is essential for us to be truly happy!

           Jess