Brooke's Birthday!

This little cuteness is officially three years old!!

She is a spunky, giggly, independent little one.  We all adore Brooke.  She had a fun birthday and got some fun presents.  Her favorites are probably a guitar and a bunch of girly Legos.

Happy?  

Claire was thrilled.  I told Brooke I would make her a doggie cake.  She requested that it be pink.

Stuck in a stare

The Beach

In between visits to Disneyland (totaling three days), we spent time at both Newport and Huntington Beach. The water was cold, but the kids had fun anyway.  They had fun playing around in the sand, eating ice cream cones, watching surfers, and playing in the waves with Matt.  I am wimpy and wouldn't go very deep into the water.  Abby, Sydney and Paul tried boogie boarding (with Justin's help) and loved it!

They caught a bunch of crabs

Paul bravely letting the kids bury him in sand

Favorite picture of Matt

Leslie and I had fun looking around some shops in Newport and then we all had fun just visiting on the beach.  Huntington Beach had a farmer's market going on when we arrived so we strolled through and bought yummy berries, fruit, bread, salsa, and fudge.  We hadn't planned on getting in the water at Huntington since it was a little cold, but we played on the beach and the kids got pretty wet anyway.  It was fun...until it wasn't fun anymore.

We also rented two big surrey bikes.  Each one held six people, with four spots for pedaling.  I was hoping for a leisurely ride along the beach, but these surreys were hard work!  At first we had each family in one.  Matt and Abby were probably doing most of the work in our surrey, though I was really trying hard.  :)  After a while we piled all the kids onto one and raced them down the boardwalk.  They were surprisingly fast and we only had a few scares with them veering off the path.

Other highlights of the trip included:  swimming at the hotel pool (the kids couldn't get enough!), eating churros and corndogs at Disneyland, and trading pins at Disneyland.

The little girls did great with my parents and didn't even miss us.  :)  Well, they probably did a little.  It was fun to come home to them.

Disneyland!

We took the plunge and went on a family trip that was not driving to Utah or going home to Alaska (both of which are fabulous trips).  It took a lot of convincing on my part to 1) get Matt agree to go on any trip at all and 2) to convince him that Disneyland was the place.  He did not have fond memories of Disneyland - mostly it made him think of long lines and nausea.  Fortunately, our first day at Disneyland, Matt giddily said to me, "I'm having the time of my life!"  Success!

Matt and I went to CA with only the three olders, while my parents stayed home with Brooke and Claire.  It worked out wonderfully.  My brother and his wife, Justin and Leslie, and kids joined us in CA, which made the trip all the better.

We were lucky that the crowds were not that bad.  We went to both Disneyland and California Adventure.  With the help of fast passes (which give you a time to get on the ride, thus making the wait MUCH shorter) the lines really weren't that bad.  The first ride we went on was Space Mountain.  This was Jake's first ride ever, and I think it was a bit much.  He didn't have any expression on his face the entire time and when we got off, he said he didn't like it.  After a few more rides he warmed up to it all.  And thankfully, Matt's worry about motion sickness was alleviated by some drammamine.

Jake was tall enough to go on all the rides except two.  His favorite rides were:  Tower of Terror and Big Thunder Mountain.  Nate and Abby both liked the big roller coasters - Space Mountain and California Screamin.  They also liked Splash Mountain.  I think Matt's favorite was Pirate of the Caribbean.  My favorites were definitely the roller coasters, but the theme rides like Pirates were fun too.

It was such a fun trip and we want to take the little girls soon!!

Leslie and Cole on Autopia

Can you spot us?

Abby's Baptism

Abby was baptized by Matt on her birthday, May 19.  Baptisms are generally held at the first of the month, but my parents were in town for Saturday the 19th so it worked out for Abby to be baptized then.  (FYI, in our church, kiddos are baptized at age 8)  It was a special day and there was a sweet spirit at the baptism.  I'm grateful that Matt was able to baptize her.  He is a great example for our children. Grandma and Grandpa Myers each gave talks, which were both wonderful.  Grandma spoke about why we are baptized and how we are following the example of our Savior by doing so.  She talked about how after baptism, our sins are washed away, and how it is important to keep trying our best to live the commandments, even though we will all make mistakes.  During grandpa's talk, he invited Abby up to the front and blindfolded her.  He then sent grandma to the back of the room and asked Abby to find her way to grandma without running into anything.  Unfortunately, she ran into a chair.  Grandpa then asked if Abby wanted help.  She responded that she did, so I grabbed her by the hands and led her to the back of the room where grandma was waiting.  Grandpa taught that this is similar to how the Holy Ghost works - he guides us and inspires us to make right choices, which will ultimately lead us back home to our Father in Heaven.  After her baptism, Abby received the gift of the Holy Ghost.  What a great blessing this will be to her, as it has been in the lives of Matt and I.

The sun was super bright and no one could open their eyes!

Abby received gifts from thoughtful friends and neighbors, which was so very appreciated.  She felt loved on her special day!

Abby's Birthday

Abby turned 8 years old!  She had a lot to look forward to with this birthday - a party, her baptism, and a family trip.  For her party we planned on going swimming but the weather didn't cooperate.  We decided to go bowling instead.  She had three close friends as well as the sibling crew in attendance.  Fun for all!

Cute cupcakes!  Irene's mom (girl on the left) made these...the kids loved them.

HAIR

Nate does great things to his hair.  Here is one of his latest dos.