Disneyland!

We spent last week vacationing in sunny California! It was so wonderful, and warm, and exhausting, all at the same time! We went with Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Nate and Uncle Danny. I'm so glad they joined us, because we really needed those extra sets of hands!
The boys were so excited about this trip. In the few days leading up to it, every time we had to go somewhere, Coleman would always ask (or sometimes demand) that we go to the airport, so we could fly to "Mickey's Castle"!

We flew down on Monday, April 5, in the morning. The second we checked in to our hotel, we headed for Disneyland!
Right as we walked into the park, we realized a parade was starting, so we quickly found some great seats, and started our trip off watching all the Disney characters sing and dance. The boys faces were classic! PERFECT way to start!
It really wasn't busy Monday night, and we were able to ride all of the classic Fantasy Land rides without much wait at all! We also headed to "Toon Town".

Teegan driving Donald Duck's boat!


We then went back to the hotel and met up with Grandpa and Grandma (who had driven down).
The next morning, we got up nice and early and took advantage of our Early Bird pass! We had Breakfast in the Park with Minnie Mouse. I LOVE this! The food is so yummy, and it's lots of fun to be entertained by all the characters while you are eating! :)

The park got really crowded, I mean REALLY crowded. Apparently, it was California's spring break, too! It didn't keep us from going, going, going, though! We spent nearly 15 hours at the park, and by the end we were all so tired!


We stopped in at the "Mad Hatter" and Coleman saw the Pluto hat. He tried it on, and refused to take it off! He looked so cute with it on, we couldn't resist getting it for him! But then, of course, Teegan and Phil had to get hats too!

On Wednesday morning, we got up and headed to the beach! We were just a few minutes away, when Coleman puked EVERYWHERE! I guess he got carsick, because he acted totally fine after that. Poor Grandma's van stunk so bad! Anyway, the weather was perfect (I thought) for sitting at the beach. There was a light breeze and a cloudless blue sky. I LOVED it! Teegan went in the water once, and stayed very far away after that! It was a little chilly! Coleman loved catching the minnows, finding seashells/sand dollars, and being covered in the sand. It was very relaxing and fun for all of us!
We headed back into the park again that night, but it was still so crowded, we only went on 3 rides and then called it quits!

On Thursday morning, we headed to California Adventure. We got there right as they opened the gates, and we RAN to their newest ride, "Toy Story Mania". We went on this ride 4 or 5 times! It was lots of fun, and Phil says, by far "his favorite"! We spent the rest of the very HOT and Sunny day exploring and having fun!

I somehow missed putting this in the collage, and Coleman looked so cute, I just had to blog it! :)


On Friday morning, Grandma, Grandpa, Nate, and Danny, started their drive back home. We still had one more day, and decided to go back into the park. The funny (and sad) thing was that it wasn't nearly as busy as it had been on Tuesday and Wednesday. We took it very slow, and went on all of Coleman and Teegan's favorite rides, like Winnie the Pooh, Dumbo, and Buzz Lightyear.

That afternoon, we headed back into California Adventure and went to the Playhouse Disney Puppet Show. It has all the characters from the cartoons on the Disney Channel (which is on at our house almost every morning). Coleman LOVED this! He thought it was the best thing ever!
The last thing we did was watch the Pixar parade. The boys loved seeing it, especially Lightning McQueen and Mater. After that, we left the park and went back to the hotel to pack up for our early morning flight.

I think we all had lots of fun, and I'm sure our feet have never been so sore! Disney World, anyone?! :)

Easter 2010

Happy Easter everyone! We have been busy with egg hunts, coloring eggs, and all the other activities that come with Easter. Our neighborhood had an Easter Egg hunt last week.
Afterwards, we stayed and played at the park with friends!

That afternoon, we went to the zoo and participated in their Easter Egg hunt. There were SO many people and it was crazy. Coleman and Teegan LOVED seeing all the animals. I think Coleman's favorite were the penguins, and Teegan's favorite was probably the Tiger. He kept growling like one. It was so cute!

On Thursday we colored Easter Eggs. Within the first two seconds, Teegan grabbed one of the cups and dumped bright pink all over the table, but I guess that is what you should expect with a toddler! My table has a nice pink hue to it now. Oh well!


We had a wonderful morning checking to see what the Easter Bunny left. I think he may have gone a little over-board. In his defense, Coleman really, really needed/wanted a bike, and what better time to receive one than in the spring when you can actually take it outside and ride it!

Phil also received a "little" gift from the Easter Bunny. He has been saving up to get a nice BBQ grill, and yesterday, he was finally able to! It is one with infra-red technology or something. You would have to ask Phil. I'm just glad we have one so we can grill steaks, ribs, chicken . . . oh the possibilities for dinner have just opened up!

Oh and I also wanted to post about this dessert. I saw the recipe on the box of Nilla Wafers, and decided to try it. Am I glad I did! Wow! It is so yummy! Here is the recipe:

Lemon-Raspberry Mousse Squares

48 Nilla Wafers
3/4 Cup Boiling Water
1 Pkg. Jell-o Lemon Flavor Gelatin
1 Cup Ice cubes
1 Pkg. Cream Cheese (8 oz), softened
1/4 Cup Sugar
2 tsp. Lemon juice
1 tub Cool Whip
1/3 Cup Raspberry preserves (jam)
Fresh Berries

Stand 16 wafers around edge of plastic wrap-lined 8" square pan. In small bowl add boiling water to gelatin mix; stir 2 minutes until completely dissolved. Stir in ice until melted. Beat next 3 ingredients in large bowl with mixer until blended. Gradually beat in gelatin. Whisk in 2 Cups Cool Whip. Pour half the gelatin mixture into prepared pan; cover with 16 wafers. Microwave preserves on HIGH 15 sec. or until melted; brush onto wafers. Top with remaining gelatin mixture and wafers. Refrigerate 4 hours or until firm. Invert dessert onto plate; top with remaining Cool Whip and berries. Enjoy! So YUMMY!

Anyway, we are off to Disneyland tomorrow. Can't wait! Happy Easter everyone!

5 Years Ago . . . Yesterday

I was sitting in the bathroom at 7 am feeling very anxious and excited while my sister curled and curled and curled my hair.
5 years ago, I was standing in the Bride's room at the temple while my mom was flying around trying to locate the back of my dress (that went behind the ties). Apparently it disappeared at the Dry Cleaners. The sweet temple ladies helped to fix the problem, and no one even noticed it was missing.
5 years ago, I sat in the Celestial Room holding hands with my soon to be husband, while we quietly dreamed of our future.
5 years ago, I kneeled across an altar and smiled and cried (happy tears) as the sealer pronounced Phil and I husband and wife.
5 years ago, I smiled and smiled and smiled as the best photographer ever took picture after picture!
5 years ago, I saw the creations of my amazing Mother and enjoyed the most beautiful reception and the yummiest food.
5 years ago, yesterday, was one of the best days of my life!

I finally took the time to scan in some pictures from our big day, and thought this would be a perfect post for them!




I'm just sad that I ran out of time to post this yesterday! Phil and I celebrated by going to the temple and doing some sealings. We both LOVED it! It was a perfect way to remember our special day, and the flowers at the temple were AMAZING!

Hope everyone has a wonderful Easter weekend! Oh and General Conference too! I'm excited!

Another House, Another Holiday

So we put an offer in on a house today. I'm hoping we'll know if it has been accepted sometime next week. I am posting pictures by request of family, so here you go!

This is the main floor of the house. As you walk in there is a formal living and dining on the right. The stairs going up in the center, and an office and hallway off to the left. You walk through the hall and pass a mud room that leads to a half bath and the garage. And then into the "Great Room" with the Family room on the left, and dining nook in the center and the kitchen on the right.

Upstairs has three bedrooms, plus the Master, and the laundry room. The Master is my favorite room in the entire house because it has a sitting area with a two-sided fireplace between the bed and sitting area. It is so pretty!


And last, but not least, here are a few pics from St. Patrick's Day. It's funny how the little holidays are so much different with the little ones around!

"Spring" Break Weekend

This weekend, we drove out to Rexburg/Idaho Falls area. We got to spend some time with family and friends! On Friday night we went to dinner and swimming with Natalie, Jacob and Preston (Phil's sister and fam). Unfortunately I didn't get any pictures of us. On Saturday, Phil and I went and did a session here:
(Rexburg Temple)
Wow! It was amazing! Phil and I couldn't stop talking about how beautiful it was! We then went to lunch with these guys:
(Jeff, Kayci, Grace, and Claire) I had to steal this picture off their blog, because you guessed it, I forgot to take pictures.
I made them go eat here:
When Phil and I were doing our Undergrad, this is where I worked, and every time I visit Rexburg, I HAVE to go back. It is so yummy!

After that, we drove down to Idaho Falls and met up with these guys:
(Dusty, Anna, and Samantha)
And once again, I had to steal this picture off their blog because I forgot to take pictures of them while we were there. Anyway, we had lots of fun catching up, riding the 4-wheeler, and playing games . . . "Settler's of Catan" of course!
So here are the three snapshots I took from the entire weekend. Phil all dressed up to go ride the 4-wheeler.

Phil insisted that I go, even though I was definitely not prepared. (It was snowy and muddy, and cold)

Even though it was chilly, the boys had tons of fun playing in the snow. This is the first they had seen it since New Year's Eve!

Anyway, thanks to everyone for making it a fun weekend! LOVE YOU ALL!

8 Things

I'm tired of looking at the dumb housing posts . . . it's not going well today . . . and my sister tagged me on this, so I'm doing it!

Eight things I'm passionate about:

1-My Husband--I know it's pathetic, but I get so jealous when Phil talks about other girls, and all the girls he dated before we met (and there were A LOT of girls).
2-My Boys--Phil says I have a serious case of Mother Bear syndrome, but I can't help it.
3-My Parents--When Phil and I get in arguments about how to raise our children, I am always fighting for the way I was raised, because I think my parents are perfect!
4-My Siblings--I feel very close to them, and feel very lucky to call them my best friends.
5-Faith--If I ever get in a discussion about the church, I usually end up crying and strongly defending what I believe.
6-Freedom--I am a strong supporter of our Nations leaders (even if it isn't who I voted for) and the decisions they make. I like to think that they are doing the best job they can.
7-Baking Yummy Treats--This one is off and on. I'll bake for awhile and then I feel guilty about all the sweets I'm feeding my family and I stop. And then it starts up again!
8-Twilight--I know start laughing. I don't care. It has a happy ending and I love it!

Eight Words/Phrases I use most often:

1-"NO!" (so sad, but true)
2- "Love you"
3-"Seriously?"
4-"Leave him alone."
5-"What do you think of this house?"
6-"I'm sorry"
7-"We're in a hurry, quick get in the car, Mommy's late."
8-"Don't be mad, but I bought this . . . "

Eight things I want to do before I die:

1-Build a "Dream House"
2-Own a Boat
3-Serve a mission (I would prefer a Church History one, but Phil wants to do a Service mission . . . either one!)
4-Go on LOTS of family vacations!
5-Spend Christmas in a cabin (I think I got that one from Mom)
6-Support my boys on their missions
7-Become a better Horticulturist (to finally be able to look at a plant, and tell someone what it is)
8-Actually LIKE eating all those super healthy foods

Eight places I want to visit:

1-Tahiti
2-Italy-where Phil served his mission
3-To Israel to see my sister
4-A cruise--to somewhere warm and sunny.
5-A Church History tour--I've already done one before, but I would love to do it again with Phil.
6-Maine, Rhode Island, Delaware, Kansas, Alaska (The only states that I haven't been to)
7-Wherever my boys serve their missions
8-Disneyland/Disney World

Eight Favorite Restaurants:

1-Cheesecake Factory
2-Mill Hollow (Only Rexburgians know what I'm talking about!)
3-Chili's
4-Olive Garden
5-Los Hermanos
6-Cafe Rio
7-Any Hometown Bakery
8-Parker's Drive-In

Eight Shows that I watch:

1-Gray's Anatomy
2-Private Practice
3-The Office
4-House Hunters
5-Anything else that is on HGTV
6-Biggest Loser (some seasons)
7-American Idol (some seasons)
8-Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, My Friends Tigger and Pooh, Handy Manny . . . (not by choice!)

Eighth Picture from Eighth Album:

Coleman at 1 week. Wow, we have a lot of pictures on here, because this was forever ago!

Eight People I tag:

1-Anyone
2-Everyone
3-Someone
4- . . . You get the picture! . . .

House Update

Just wanted to let you know that we put an offer in on the house and . . . then we retracted that offer. Phil and I both had some promptings to hold off for a bit and wait. I don't really know why we need to wait. Maybe there is this really amazing house just waiting to be found! We'll see, but for now, we just get to continue with the house search. Thanks to everyone for commenting, and letting us know what you thought. We really appreciate it! Love you all!