Friday, November 8, 2013

When James took the boys down to breakfast that were excited to find that this morning they had pancakes!

I went down a little later and had breakfast with Kim, Brian, Joe, and Adam. 

James didn't go with us to Disneyland today.  He stayed in the room to recuperate from yesterday.  The boys and I left a little before Brian and Kim, Joe, Adam and Alex. 

Welcome to Disneyland!

As we were walking down main street Evan wanted to know where the rides were.  I told him he would see them soon enough.  Rowan wanted to go on Star Tours so we headed for Tomorrowland.  The three of us went on Star Tours and then Astro Blaster.  Evan did not like looking at the big talking Buzz.  We didn't go on the Toy Story ride in California Adventure yesterday because he didn't like the big talking Mr. Potato Head whose eyes follow you.  

Kim and Brian had to go on Space Mountain first because that is their tradition.  We met them and the older boys in front of Astro Blaster which they all went on together.   

Evan and Alex.

Kim took this picture.

They all went on Star Tours because Evan and Rowan wanted to.  Thank goodness I didn't have to go!  After the ride the older boys left and we did some shopping in the Star Traders store.  Both boys picked out Mickey Obi's for their souvenir gift.

Next we the five of us, Kim, Brian, Evan, Rowan and myself, made our way over to the Haunted Mansion.  On the way the boys wanted to climb up to Tarzan's tree house ( it used to be Swiss Family Robinson's),

so Kim took them while Brian bought me a drink.

In front of Tarzan's tree.

Rowan on the Tarzan rope swing.

We mentioned going on the Jungle Cruise but Rowan said it was boring.

The boys loved the Haunted Mansion.  They went through twice.  It's all decorated for Halloween and is so much fun!

 In front of Jack Skellington's Haunted Mansion.

Kim loves going on the Winnie the Pooh ride and the boys and I agreed that it was great!

Are we really on the Winnie the Pooh ride?

We didn't have time to do Pirates because we were scheduled to meet the older boys back on main street for lunch.  No one even mentioned doing Indiana Jones.  That's ok with me because I don't really like it anyway.

I took Evan and Rowan to the Pizza Port while Brian and Kim buy me a corn dog at The Little Red Wagon on Main street.  Marci Coombs says they have the best corn dogs ever and I would have to agree with her!

We all eat our lunch at the Pizza Port and Adam talks Evan into going on the Matterhorn.  He tells him it was Joshua's favorite ride.  (I'm not sure about that.)  When Evan gets off his face is pale and he looks scared, but he did it!  

Brian, Evan, Adam and Rowan ride on the teacups.

I couldn't do this, especially after eating a corn dog.

 Evan, Kim, and Rowan on the teacup

picture spot.

While in Fantasyland they boys rode on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, Alice in Wonderland, and Peter Pan.  After the Peter Pan ride Evan said: "That's all there is after that long line we waited in?"  I agree Evan.

We needed a flavor break so we went to the Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor on Main street.  (Another suggestion by Marci Coombs.)  I had the 101 Dalmation sundae which is mint chocolate chip ice cream with hot duge sauce and whipped cream in a waffle cone.  It was delicious!

Well the boys wanted to go on Star Tours and the Astro Blaster again.  Thank goodness for Kim and Brian.  I did some people watching while they took the boys on the rides.  Afterwards we said goodbye and the boys and I headed to the Legos Store in downtown Disney.

 The Hulk and friends.

Evan picked out his birthday present and Rowan got a little something too.  

Back at the hotel we picked up grandpa and went to IHOP for dinner so Rowan could get some chocolate chip pancakes.  It was a fun day!

 

Thursday, November 7, 2013

When we all went down to breakfast this morning the boys were disappointed that there weren't any pancakes.  The disappointment didn't last long when they saw all the cereals they had.  They both had cold cereal and Rowan had a donut.  A great way to start the day.  James and I both had omelets.

After breakfast we head to California Adventure.  They boys and James wait for quite awhile in front of California Adventure while I buy our tickets.  Their computer is down so it takes longer than usual.  Finally we get our tickets and mass migrate into California Adventure.  James takes the boys on Soaring Over California and they love it!

In the meantime I walk all the way back to Cars Land to get fast passes only to find out that the Radiator Springs ride is closed for maintenance.  Next time I come here I am going to check online to see what rides are open before I come!

While James and Evan go on the Grizzly Rapids ride Rowan and I do a little window shopping.  I have $137.00 in Disney dollars so I told Ro and Evan I would buy each of them something, plus Trina gave me $40 so I let each one of them have $20.  Rowan saw some things he liked but we didn't buy anything.
 Evan did not like getting wet on the Grizzly Rapids ride!

James talks Evan into going on the Pacific Palisades roller coaster, it's the big one in Cali Adventure, and then afterwards Evan said he would go on Tower of Terror  Rowan and I went on the ferris wheel but he insisted that we get a basket that doesn't swing.  He also does not like roller coasters.  A kid after my own heart.  

 After the roller coaster Evan decided he did not want to go on Tower of Terror. His face was white as a sheet and had a look of fear on it.    We opted to go to lunch instead. 

We went over where the McDonald's use to be but it wasn't there any more.  Right next to where it was there was an italian restaurant.  The boys all had pizza and I have five cheese ravioli with pesto sauce and pine nuts.  It was delicious! 

My lunch.  James was jealous.

My Disney Rewards credit card go us in to a private meeting with some of the Disney characters.  The boys thought that sounded fun so we headed over to the backlot near the Monsters Inc. ride.  On the way over James and the boys went on the Mater ride in Carsland.  

We waited in line to see one Disney character, Minnie Mouse.  Next to Daisy Duck she is the boys least favorite character.  I was imagining that there would be several characters there for them to meet.  Minnie was hugging on them and I could tell Rowan was really uncomfortable.  When she asked for a kiss on the cheek, that's where the boys drew the line!  Afterwards Rowan said: "Man, I hated that!"

Later while we were on the Monsters, Inc. ride we saw Stitch go over and take Minnie's place.  The rules were one visit per day so we couldn't go back.  At the end of the Monsters, Inc. ride Roz says to Evan: "Hey, nice glasses, kid!"  They thought that was funny.

James was exhausted and his leg was really hurting, so we went back to the hotel for a break.  I told the boys I would bring them back later if they wanted to come.  They decided they wanted to go swimming so we went down.  We waited in the lobby for the lion to roar.  We asked the lady at the desk and she said he roared every half hour.  Well we waited well past the half hour and nothing, so we went on out to the pool.  

These boys are awesome swimmers.

They were racing laps across the length of the pool!

Back in our room the boys were having so much fun, we decided not to go back to Disneyland.  I went out to get us something to eat and to do a little shopping at Target.  I left the boys with James.  There was a little excitement while I was gone.  The boys went out in the hall to see if the lion was roaring and got locked out of the room.  They knocked and knocked but James didn't hear them.  Instead of crying or panicking they went down on the elevator and told the attendant at the front desk.  They luckily knew we were in room 526 so the girl called and told James.  It makes a funny story but it could have been dangerous. 

I brought back 40 chicken nuggets and some fries from McDonald's for our dinner.  A fine dining experience.  We had family prayer and the boys watched some TV and played before going to bed.

 I got a call from Adam about when they arrived at the hotel.  He, Joe, and Alex wanted to come by for a visit but I told him the boys had already gone to sleep.  We will see them tomorrow at breakfast.

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

Happy 7th Birthday Evan!

Yesterday at Evan's party in front of Air Works.

Today is also President Uchtdorf's birthday and Jerry Barney's.

James and I dropped Lexy off at Sears today to have the oil changed.  They also called us while we were having breakfast at Mimi's and said it needed an alignment so we said to go ahead and do it.  

I have a California BLT Avocado omlet and James and I shared a pumpkin muffin at Mimi's.  He had something boring like ham and eggs.  

Back at home I wanted to help Stacy clean house because around noon James is bringing Dave Wilson over to look at the house.  Well the house is filled with drywall dust because James has Lauro sanding the walls in the living room.  I was a little frustrated and stressed.  Lauro did help vacuum and clean up the mess.

While James was showing the house Evan and I went to pick up Rowan in Mesa. James also had to load a piece of equipment onto a trailer to take to Show Low when we return from California on Saturday.

We finally leave for California around 1:30.  Evan and Rowan were full of questions: "How long before we are in California?"  "How long until we get to the hotel?"  They were hungry so we stopped in Blythe at PIzza Hut.  I am not gonna lie, it was a little scary.  

 You gotta love these faces!

One nice thing about this trip is that because of daylight savings time we gain an hour!

We arrived at the Embassy Suites South Anaheim around 8:30 California time.  We checked in to room 526.  The boys love it!!  

After the excitement wore off they finally crashed into bed.

I don't think Rowan is asleep yet.

Tuesday, November 5, 2013This

After our morning drive to McDonald's to get some oatmeal, I took a picture of Lexy.  Isn't she pretty!

Lexy 

James needed to take some paperwork to Aztec Wrought Iron and asked me to go with him.  When I said yes I was thinking that Aztec was right here in Chandler on Washington St. where they used to be.  Well since the new city hall was built, Aztec moved to Mesa.  This little trip took longer than expected!

I had a date with Karen Schneider at 10:30 to go to Essence Bakery in Tempe to get some macarons.  Essence is on University and Hardy right across from Tempe Camera.  Karen and I got in time to have breakfast before ordering our macarons.  We both had the big breakfast which consisted of mushrooms, potatoes, sausage, and eggs.  It was very delicious!  The macarons were so pretty I had to have several colors.

My favorite was the caramel.

I took them by to Sheri to taste at her work.  She liked the hazelnut and so did James.  Stacy tried them too but I'm not sure which one she liked best.

James was excited and so was I, to find out that he did get the job at Horne Auto in Show Low.  He will start next week.  Let's just hope that the weather holds up.

While I was taking my nap this afternoon John Usher came by to do an estimate on some yard work.  He is the one I hired last winter to do cleanup.  We walked around the yard together and I was embarrassed about how bad it looked.  He gave me a price and said he could do it next Monday.  I told him to go ahead.

This afternoon I helped Sheri with Evan's birthday party.  First stop was Air Works.

Evan and friends.

Ruby was there too!

 Ruby and Joshua.

The older boys came to Peter Piper for pizza.

The party ended up at Peter Piper with pizza and donuts!

Evan had to have a donut with pink frosting.

Opening presents.

Reading a card.

What kid takes the time to do this?

Cool!

I think you could say a fun time was had by all who came.  Kim was there and I went and got James so he could be there too.  I am so glad we were here for this!

Monday, November 4, 2013

Happy Birthday Jared!!

At the cabin last December.

Well, it's official.  Jared and Tricia are not coming for Thanksgiving.  We are going to the valley to have dinner with Darrel and Trina, and Sheri and Ian.  

I went shopping at Sam's Club for the Young Women's dinner we are having next week.  I bought New York strip steaks, steak sauce, Olive Garden salad dressing, bacon bits, croutons and steak knives.

James and I had lunch with Adam at Jersey Mike's today.  He just happen to come by as we were ready to leave.  We always enjoy Adam's company.  He is excited about going to Disneyland this week with Kim and Brian.  We are also going with Evan and Rowan.

This afternoon I went shopping at the local Dollar Store for cheap baskets to put rolls in for the YW dinner.  Afterwards I went to Walmart to get black spray paint so I could paint them black since our color scheme is going to be black and white.  

When I got back to the house I watched You Tube videos on the TV with Stacy and Michael.  They have something called chromecast which connects the internet to the TV.  

Lauro worked in the living room in Chandler getting the walls ready to paint.

It rained here and there was snow in Vernon.  Sorry I missed it.

Facebook finds:

 Drea Boles and Karin Gonda Westerman

at Karin's wedding reception in March.

Our Chandler friends the Ellsworth's.

Adrienne, Audrey, Dane, Marisa, Grady and Mike.

Sunday, November 3, 2013

Almost up.

James bore his testimony in sacrament meeting this morning.  It was sweet!

  

I am a little disappointed in my visiting teaching efforts for October.  I talked to Rosie Lauritzen on the phone, caught Linda Diewald in the grocery store, and texted Lannie.  I can and will do better!

Today in Sunday School Brother Wilhelm shared with us that he started his fast yesterday afternoon by going to the temple.  What a great idea!  We are going to do that starting next month!

We have a new couple in our ward, James and Sharma Taylor.  I never thought I would be in the same ward as James Taylor.  We introduced ourselves to them today.  Sharma says she grew up in Snowflake but she wouldn't remember us because she is probably at least ten years younger than we are.

We broke our fast this afternoon by having goulash and stir-fry veggies, a rare combo.  

James left for the valley a little after 2 this afternoon in order to make it to Alex Braddock's Eagle Court of Honor.  I didn't leave until around 4.  I did the dishes and took a nap.  

I am so glad that James went to Alex's Court of Honor because Alex gave him the Mentor award.  He also got to visit with many of our Chandler friends while he was there.

Saturday, November 2, 2013

I love living in Vernon!

This morning at 9am we had our young women's breakfast to recognize those girls who had completed the challenge to read the Book of Mormon.  Those attending: Diana Curtis, our Young Women's president, Trenda Wilhelm, Shelly Applegate, LeeAnn Hunsaker, Kilee Hunsaker, James and myself.

Shelly, Diana Curtis, Trenda, LeeAnn, and Kilee

I love these young women and Diana too!

James made us some delicious sausage gravy and we had the gravy over biscuits.  We also had blueberry, banana nut, and almond poppyseed muffins, a nice fruit tray and some orange juice.  Everything was most delicious.

After breakfast we went around the table and had everyone talk about one of their favorite Book of Mormon characters and scriptures.  It was the spiritual part of our get together.  James participated too!

After breakfast I gave each one of the young women their gift bag and told them how proud I was of them.  LeeAnn and Kilee went home and Trenda, Shelly, Diana, and I played ping pong until all of the balls were gone.  (They went over the railing to downstairs.)  James took Shelly on a Razr ride and let her drive and then we took her home.  Diana gave Trenda a ride home.  It was a fun morning.

James cleaned most of the kitchen and I finished up.  I was so exhausted that I crashed on the couch while James went out to work on the CAT.  He still can't fix it so he will probably have to call someone.

This afternoon we started our fast that we would be able to sell our house in Chandler. 

This evening we watched "The Thanksgiving House."