School Christmas Parties...

Ok... this morning school was delayed for two hours due to the fog. When school is delayed, Eden does NOT have school at all. Oliver's party was scheduled for the morning and so EVERYTHING was thrown off because of the weather. (Yesterday was WAY worse and they did NOT cancel school... go figure!) Anyways... Eden's teacher called and said that they were still going to do it and just cram as much in as they could!

I got the kids all dressed and packed up and left around 10:40 am. Everyone was encouraged to wear their pajamas, even Oliver's class.

They all looked so cute! I didn't end up helping with Oliver's class, but got to stay with Eden's for most of the time. They watched a bit of "The Polar Express" and then had pizza and goodies for lunch.

Then, Santa (Mrs. Boehmer's husband) came for a visit and gave each of the children a book and a candycane. They even got to sit on his lap and tell them what they wanted. A ton of the kids wanted computers and laptops and stuff! I was dying laughing! Eden wanted a talking horse that she could feed carrots to! Even Jaren got to sit on Santa's lap. (Mrs. Boehmer has a pic of that... check back and I'll post it later!) I always LOVED the school parties!!!

Here they are singing "Must Be Santa" to Santa Claus!

Eden sitting on Santa's lap for the very first time!

A New Do

I've been in need of a haircut and color for a LONG time now and after realizing that it had been several months (April) since I'd gotten it done, I thought I would make an appointment with my stylist! She's a member of my church and does an EXCELLENT job with everyone! She's a miracle worker! Anyways... I was sick of the ponytail and my 6 inch roots, so I just got it done... here's the proof...

I was going to take a reeeeeeeally sad looking photo as the "before" and a jazzy two thumbs up photo as the "after", but I just didn't have time to get it done... maybe next time!

Jaren's First Tooth!

Jaren has been teething for several weeks now. He's been fussier, sticking out his tongue, getting red cheeks, fever, etc. I've been giving him Tylenol and putting Orajel on his gums to ease his pain a bit. He screams for like 2 seconds right when I put the Orajel on his gums and then realizes... "Oh... this feels better!"

Tuesday, December 18, 2007 marks the day that his first tooth emerges. I was putting on some Orajel and I felt a sharp little nub! I bet he'll look so cute with one little nubbie sticking out on his bottom row! I feel so bad when I've done all I can possibly think of and he's still suffering.

When Eden was teething, we never knew it! She was fantastic. I think that Oliver was more like Jaren. He was a little Krabby Patty.

"Twist and Shout!"

On Monday, Oliver and Eden were horsing around in their room and all of the sudden, Eden comes running out of her room crying. I'm thinking, "Grrrrreat... WHAT NOW?!" She's trying to tell me what happening through her tears and hand gestures. I let her ramble for awhile and then she finally calmed down. I asked her what happened and she said that Oliver elbowed her in the face and now her tooth was loose. I took a look and it was REALLY loose! It was sticking straight out like it was pointing at me!! It was like her tooth was doing the "hula", we could twist it 'round and 'round!

Yesterday, I tried to persuade Eden to let me pull it out before she went to school because she was complaining that it was hurting her. She promised me that I could pull it out when Papa got home!

She was freaking out when it came time to pull it out, but she finally submitted. I pulled and tugged for a while and FINALLY I pulled it out and it barely bled. She didn't even cry when I pulled it out... she freaked out for nothing! She was so excited and smiled all night long! She even did some fancy poses for me when I got out my camera!

Cry on... Cry off... the CRIER!

Today was hilarious! We put up our Christmas decorations and our tree today. Usually I have the tree plugged into the "Clapper" since I can't maneuver around the furniture and the tree to plug it in and unplug it. It's a hassle. Anyways... I LOVE having my tree on all day long while I'm doing chores and wrapping gifts and stuff. It gets me into the Christmas Spirit. It hasn't been on for several days... we finally had to unplug it from the "Clapper"...

Evidentally, when babies sporadically yelp, fuss and cry, it looks like a disco in here! On... off... on... off... and so on and so on. I got up one morning and the tree was on. I thought to myself, "I know Ed wouldn't have left the tree on all night long." Then, Jaren started to cry and I saw the light show with my own four eyes!!!

Eden's 5th Birthday!

REWIND TO BEFORE WE LEFT FOR CALIFORNIA...

November 27th, 2007 - Eden's 5th Birthday

We celebrated Eden's birthday on the 27th of November. I ran to the store and bought some cookies for her to pass out to her class that day and also got her favorite meal from Las Margaritas, a chicken burrito with beans and rice!

Ed and I met up at her school and surprised her on her special day! We sat at her table with her and the other kids and ate lunch with her. Then we passed out her cookies and she had a special "cake" with a candle on it. All of her teachers and classmates sang, "Happy Birthday" to Eden and she blew out the candle and made a wish. Then she had to go over to her teacher for her birthday "spankings" (The class and Mrs. Boehmer just clapped their hands... once for each year!) And then a "pinch to grow an inch".

After her "spankings", Eden got to choose a beanie baby bear from the birthday gift box. I could tell that she felt so special.

I just love her teacher!!! She's so easy to talk to and very helpful in answering my questions! One of my conferences with her lasted for about an hour and a half just because we both have the gift of gab!!! The kids just played nicely at the centers in the back of the room. I'll definitely miss her next year. At least Eden will be able to go and visit with her since she'll be at Edison again!

That night we got McDonald's and ate it at home with Grandma Young and Grandma and Grandpa Palmer. She got a new backpack and some new pajamas for her birthday! One of her favorite things was opening her card from Great Grandma and Grandpa Young. She got twenty, one dollar bills. She thought she was rich!!! Then we had cake and ice cream to celebrate! Hope you had a WONDERFUL 5th birthday!

A new Disney Princess backpack for school!

New pajamas! YEA!!!

"She's in the money... she's in the money..."

A cake fit for a Princess!

"You'll pay for this later, Eden!" thinks Jaren.

VIDEO COMING SOON!

Flashback Friday - Meeting Mandisa...

Today is my good friend, Mandy's birthday and so I thought I would do my Flashback Friday about the day we met! I went with the sister missionaries, Sister Escalante and Sister Keliiheleua to visit with Mandy, who had just moved to Waterloo with her husband, Mike. I'm always nervous to meet new people, especially when I'm serving with the sisters. Sometimes we aren't welcomed as we would hope to be.

We walked into her dining room and they introduced me to Mandy and all of my fears just went flying out of the window! She was so easy to talk to and just so funny! As we sat at the table, she told us about herself and told us some stories and I was just dying laughing. I could tell we shared the same sense of humor already! I knew that we were going to be good friends after the first time we met! She had a friend visiting her and so they were off to get their hair done, so we had to cut the meeting short!

I'm so glad that I didn't let my fears get in the way, otherwise I would have missed out on a very special relationship with Mandy and her husband Mike and now three years later... their little manchild, Isaac!

It's hard to find couples that just connect. I feel like I'm blessed with several couple friends where the wives connect AND the husbands connect as well. Our interests, our sense of humor, everything just meshes together. We all love to scrap, chat, dine out and the guys love watching movies, comedy and BBQing. We all understand each other's sense of humor which is quite rare. Sometimes I feel misunderstood... and odd. It's nice to know that we all feel odd together!

Well, Mandisa, my equally odd friend... I hope you had a wonderful birthday with your family! Here's to many more laughs and weird stories about anything and everything! I don't think ANYTHING is off limits with us! :) I love you and I'm so glad that our paths have crossed! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

The Long Journey Home

Monday, December 3 - The Long Journey Home

Well, we got to the LAX at about 11:30 and I had to go to the restroom in the worst way!!! I got out and said, "I'll be right back" and ran into the airport. When I came back out, I was sad to hear that they had already left and I didn't even get to say thank you or good-bye! So... Jared and Emily... here is my "THANK YOU... and GOOD-BYE!!!" And of course *HUGS*... We had such a WONDERFUL time out there with you guys! I know that the kids had so much fun with their cousins! They are STILL talking about it!

Our plane left at about 1 o'clock, we traveled for an hour and a half and this time I got to sit by a window so I got some pictures of LA from above! We landed in Salt Lake and had an hour layover and then traveled 2 1/2 more hours into Minneapolis/St. Paul. It was 17 degrees when we got there and man... it was COLD! Ed drove for about 3-4 more hours back to Iowa and got home at 1:30 in the morning. I just let the kids sleep in the next day... I didn't want to send crabby kids to school for the teachers to deal with! Ed could not sleep in... he had training to get up for because he just got a promotion at work! Yea! It was nice to be in our own beds again, but I think I could have wrapped up Jared and Emily's bed and brought it home... AHHHH... it was like sleeping on a cloud! Thanks again guys! We had a BLAST!!!

The Temple and Beach

Sunday, December 2 - The San Diego Temple and Carlsbad State Beach

This morning we went to see the San Diego Temple. It was absolutely gorgeous! You could see it from the highway that we were on and it looked like a castle! Here are some pictures...

After that, we went to Carlsbad State Beach, where the kids saw the ocean for the very first time! Even though it was a tad chilly out, nothing could stop the kids from running along the beach and chasing the waves. The water was really cold, but they just LOVED it!!! We packed a picnic lunch to eat at the beach and the seagulls were hovering right over us, waiting for a little treat I guess... (kind of like my mom's dog, Willie, ogling me when I'm eating something at her house)! Jared and Emily even brought a kite along and it was the perfect day to fly a kite! Oliver was singing, "Let's go fly a kite...". It was a pretty windy day. I was in my sweatshirt the whole time we were there!

Eden and Aubrey

Oliver running from the waves.

Splash!!!

Eden, Aubrey and Oliver waiting for the waves...

Eden screaming, "OCEAN!!!"

Ed and me

Jared and Ed untangling the three tiered kite, which ended up being a single kite!

Oliver (I LOVED this picture of him!)

Jared running with the tiny kite attached to his hat!

Oliver playing in the sand

Oliver and Eden jumping down the little sand dune.

Our family picture by the ocean, minus our little Jare Bear of course.

We had such a fun day! After we got back to Jared and Emily's house, we had a FANTASTIC turkey dinner with ALL the fixins'. It was a second Thanksgiving and it was GREAT!!!

Here is a video of Ollie and Aubrey playing in the ocean. (Eden was pooped by this time and laying with Ed on the beach wrapped in her towel!)

An Evening of Laughter

Saturday, December 1 - San Diego Nights

The kids at the hotel we stayed at when we went to Disneyland.

Natalie, Eden, Oliver and Aubrey. I love all of their different hats!

After Emily, the kids and I all got some hot chocolate from Starbucks for the ride back home to Menifee, we rested for awhile. Then we got ready for the fun night that lay ahead of us.

First, we went to a restaurant that is one of Jared's favorites, DeMille's. There we had some food... Italian in nature. We got calamari and spinach dip for the appetizers. Ed had never eaten calamari before so I had to get a picture of him trying it for the first time. He didn't like it. I ordered my usual, fettucine alfredo with chicken and it was delicious! Ed ordered a meatball on the side and it was HUGE! We were going to try some cantelloni for dessert, but we were all STUFFED!

Emily and her new fried friend! She and Jared love calamari... EW.

Ed trying calamari for the first time. I asked him if he liked it. After a moment... he said, "No".

Emily and Jared

Look at the size of that ginormous meatball!!!

Next, we went to see one of our favorite comedians, Brian Regan. (Jared knew we liked him, and surprised us with tickets! We were sooooo excited!) We sat pretty far up, so we missed out on his crazy facial expressions and little jigs... but hey... we could hear him at least! We were afraid that we would hear the same ol' stuff, be we were pleasantly surprised! It was mostly new stuff. We were just dying laughing! We really like him because (A) he doesn't swear... only damn and hell... and (B) he's hilarious, at least we all think so!

After Brian Regan's show, we walked down to Ghirahdelli's and there was a pretty long line. Some of the workers gave us some new chocolate flavors to try while we were waiting to order. I got Eggnog... yeah... not an eggnog fan, but it was pretty decent. When we got inside I ordered a plain vanilla malt (I was still really full from dinner)... and let me tell you... it was AWESOME! The best malt I've ever had the pleasure of sipping on!

Our First Time at DISNEYLAND!!!

Friday, November 30, 2007 - Disneyland in the rain...

We got to Disneyland at around 11 am due to some nasty traffic. We headed toward the tram to take us to the park. I have to admit, there were a lot more people there than I thought there would be, because of the rain. I would HATE to see how crowded it would be on a nice day!!!YIKES!

We just decided that we would go around the park in a circle which made our first stop... TOMORROWLAND. We went on what would later be Oliver's favorite ride of the day! "Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters" was a ride that had us aiming at lit targets in the world of Buzz Lightyear. There was a joystick on the dash of our little car which made us move in all directions. Oliver just loved it! It was pretty cool!

Next, we went on the "Star Wars Star Tours" which is a simulated ride that made me feel a little woozy! I was glad when that one was over.

"Space Mountain", a rollercoaster that takes you on a fast trip in the dark, was the next one up. I was iffy about going on that one. I was planning on waiting with my kids while everyone else went on it. I later changed my mind after my kids agreed to it! I couldn't believe that they actually wanted to go on it! Eden didn't like it, but Ollie said that he did... although it didn't look like it while he was on it!

After that we went to the Pizza Port for lunch and spent about fifty bucks for all four of us to eat! It was surprisingly tasty!

After that, we went on the "Matterhorn Bobsleds" and the kids didn't enjoy the glowing red eyes of the abominable snowmen that lurked in the corners.

Then we heard that Ariel, The Little Mermaid, was out meeting and taking pictures with the kids. We rushed over to FANTASYLAND since she is Eden's absolute FAVORITE Disney princess. As Eden was meeting her, she told Ariel that she was her favorite. It was so stinkin' cute! She was just beaming!

Off to "It's a Small World". It was decorated in Christmas lights for the holidays and they even sang different Christmas songs inside.

We ventured over to "Autopia", which was an outside ride. The rain had stopped so we thought we'd try it out! I rode with Ollie and stepped on the gas while he steered... or... didn't steer. He had let go and we went back and forth, back and forth off of the track that kept us on the road. I had a headache after that one that's for sure!

Eden was in heaven at the next place we went, the "Disney Princess Fantasy Faire". Here she got to meet Belle, Mulan and Jasmine. She also got some souveniers at the Royal shop.

Mom had told me to make sure that I should go on "Mr. Toad's Wild Ride" before we left. One word... WEIRD! You end up in judgement and then in hell with the devil. Hmmm... I don't think she quite remembered all of that! After that we went on "Snow White's Scary Adventures" and then to MICKEY'S TOONTOWN. I wish we could have gone there earlier in the day while it was lighter. My pictures didn't quite turn out how I would have liked. Also, Mickey and Minnie were getting ready for the parade when we went so we didn't get to see them there.

We then went to ADVENTURELAND and hit "The Enchanted Tiki Room". My mom said that I had to see that one as well. The kids were in a trance the whole time! It was pretty cute.

The parade was scheduled to start in about 30 minutes so we traveled to main street to find a good spot. YEEEAAAAAAAAHHH... we waited for two floats... the first and the last. Santa and Mrs. Claus drove by and waved to the kids and then a double decker bus crammed full of Disney characters drove by. We did get to see Mickey and Minnie on the top tier and got a photo of that at least. It was disappointing, but what can you do!? I'm sure they didn't want to electrocute all of the good paying guests!

We left to check in at the hotel a few miles from the park and have some sandwiches and such for dinner. Then off we were again, until the park closed at midnight! There was no stopping us!

Right as we got back, the fireworks started above Sleeping Beauty's Castle. It was misting and sprinkling a lot at this time! We thought we would head to some rides while everyone and their uncle were at the castle area. Yeah... it was so crowded and it was roped off... we didn't there as we had hoped. But hey... the lines were nothin' all day long... no complaining here! So, we went on "The Jungle Ride", and then headed to the "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "The Haunted Mansion" (Ed and my favorite rides!). "The Haunted Mansion" was decorated for the holidays in "The Nightmare Before Christmas" movie theme by Tim Burton. It was pretty awesome! Also, at the very end of the ride, there was a ghost named "Oogie"... which happens to be a nickname of my grandpa!!! Too funny!!!

Next, we went on "Peter Pan's Flight", "Pinocchio's Daring Journey", the "King Arthur Carrousel" and finally we got on the "Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage" which was a new ride and had the longest line of the day. After we came off of the submarine, the park had closed. We made our way toward the shuttle area and after a long wait and some misunderstandings we finally made it back to the hotel! We changed out of our wet clothes and crashed! A wet and wild day, that's for sure! It was great!!! I can't wait to come back!

Shopping and Scrapping: Two of my favorite past times!

Thursday, November 29th - Shopping and Scrapping

Today was our first full day at Jared and Emily's home in Menifee. I loved seeing the palm trees everywhere and enjoyed the sunny weather! It was a tad chilly, though not anywhere as cold as back home in Iowa!!! We usually wore our sweatshirts everyday, but hey... it was better than being all bulky in our winter gear!

This morning Ed accompanied Jared to his work in San Diego while Emily and I took Natalie and the kids to her gymnastics class. Aubrey was still in school, so we traveled to Temecula, a city about 30 minutes away from their house to do a little shopping. We stopped by Ensign Books, an LDS bookstore and I got some stuff for the kids for Christmas. After that, we went to the GINORMOUS Joann's Fabrics and I was in awe of how large it was! I couldn't believe the amount of flannel fabric alone!!! Also, the scrapbooking section was wonderful. It was great fun!

We drove around and Emily showed me where a new church building was being built. We then picked up Aubrey at school and went to eat a late lunch at Carl's Jr., which is alot like Hardee's here in town. The kids were very excited to see each other and immediately played together when we arrived at their house!

Emily and I got a chance to talk and get to know each other a little bit more. We also talked about scrapbooking and crafts. She's got a ton of cute stuff she made or had made for her.

Her friend made this for her... TOO CUTE!

www.awishfulthought.com

Later that night, Emily took me to my very first Christmas Card Exchange! I got to meet several of her friends from church which was very nice. They were all very nice and funny! They had treats set out as well as a cute little snowman urn for hot cocoa! Mmmm... it was delish! Everyone chatted for a bit and later we moved out into the living room and passed around our cards! They were all so cute! We each made 18 of the same style card and then passed them out and so we went home with 18 different styles! I'll have to have one in our ward! It was a lot of fun!

We got home and chatted for a bit and headed to bed for a good night's rest before we were off to DISNEYLAND in the morning!!!

California, HERE WE COME!!!

Wednesday, November 28th -

This morning we packed and got ready for our trip to sunny California. The first thing that went wrong was after my morning shower. I had gotten out of the shower and was drying off when I my glasses decided to fly off of my face... and since I can't see without my glasses, I cautiously took a step back and stepped right on my glasses, GO FIGURE!!! Since I didn't put all of my weight on my glasses, they didn't snap right in half, but were spared... although the sides were a little cockeyed! I put them on and they were sitting diagonally across my face. I gently twisted them back into place and prayed that they wouldn't fall apart. (I did pack my coke bottle glasses... just in case!) Next, Ed went to get the oil changed in our van, and come to find out, our water pump went out. So, $160 later... we were on our way to Minneapolis!

It took about 3 and a half hours to travel to Minneapolis to the airport. Our plane didn't leave until 9 pm, so we had about 4 hours to wait. While we were in line to go through airport security, Ed's computer bag strap got caught on one of the roped poles and he didn't realize it. He knocked down three poles and was still walking. I was like, "ED!!! STOP!!!". He turned around and we were both just busting a gut laughing! After we got our boarding passes, the kids got some "wings" from one of the workers at the desk. Eden decided to use it as a mustache. Ollie followed suite.

We walked around the airport and checked out some of the stores and restaurants that lined the halls. We finally settled on eating at Chili's. The time flew by as the kids sat and colored, I did my Sudoku and crossword puzzles and Ed was on his laptop.

We boarded the plane and the stewardess asked the kids where they were going. Later, she said their names on the intercom and said we were going to Disneyland and that it was their first flight. They got some wings and a certificate that said it was their first time flying! They did a lot better than I thought they would... they actually slept most of the time. I on the other hand... didn't get a wink.

After our four hour flight, we arrived in L.A. and met up with Jared and Emily! On the way home we stopped for something to eat at Del Taco and I got a Macho Meal. The only fast food place I know of that serves fries with Mexican food! HOLY BUCKET O' FRIES!!! We got to their home, chatted for a bit and then collapsed in bed!