Just. Can't. Get. Enough.

 Cinderella story: She's done.

She's going. 

Going. 

Gone, with the slipper on the stair.  This was not planned.

 But then she came back for more... 

Afton and her Babby- she loves it and we love her!  She is learning 10 new words every day, she'll pretty much say anything, actually.  She loves to play "Duck, duck, goose" as long as she is the goose every other time.  She's got a good tantrum going on and you better make sure that when she wakes up in the morning that you FEED her IMMEDIATELY.  Seriously.  My boys did the same thing at this age.  She sleeps through the night and wakes up with low blood sugar and if food isn't in her mouth in a minute or less, she is one big disaster. 

 Afton decided nursery is not her thing and since I have to be in Primary, I'm having a hard time talking her into it.   Any tips?

 Now that she is talking so much, I've had to start interpreting and translating for her. Sometimes I get it right, sometimes I don't. :)  Yesterday, I finally realized that when I ask what bedtime song she wants me to sing and she replies something that sounds like 'purple' she means "I love to see the Temple". When she says "Popcorn" It's "Popcorn popping", of course.  And when she says "Me" she means "I am a Child of God."  "Lead me, guide me, walk beside me. Help me find the way. Teach me all that I must do..." That's a lot of "me's"!  I love watching her little brain think and being able to have conversations with her!

Madison's Tie Dye Cake

Once upon a time, Madison (my niece) turned 12.  I volunteered to make her a cake and she picked a 'spunky' cake- which translates to tie dye, of course. So, using Pinterest, we found a fabulous cake and followed the recipe. Here is it:

Normal cake mix, divided into 6 colors blobbed one at a time into the middle of the cake pan.

I used a knife to drag through the colors, 1 to tie dye it, 2 to spread the batter out a little. 

This is how it looked after being baked. Cool. 

I cut the top off to even it out and this is the color on the inside. Even cooler. 

I stacked the cakes up with strawberry jam in between, did a crumb layer and froze them for a two hours.

Using a can of frosting, I mixed in a good amount of powdered sugar to stiffen it up a bit and then frosted the cake in white.  Once that was done, I used frosting gel to make circles on top.  I kind of wish I hadn't made them quite so round and just did random shapes and blobs. It might have looked a little more tie dyeish that way... 

Then, using a clean paint brush spread the gel out to the edges wiping the brush in between. 

 I feel like the sides, which wouldn't allow for perfect circles ended up more like tie dye.

 Finishing touches included white frosting edges and lime green candy balls

Tada! 

The Missing Pie Mystery

Hyrum's class put on a play this year called "The Missing Pie Mystery" written by Ms. Ottley herself.  It was a Nursery rhyme mash-up in which the Little Red Hen makes a pie and it gets stolen.  She and her bird friends then run around accusing all of the villain characters from other stories like the Big Bad Wolf, the troll under the bridge, the wolf from Little Red Riding Hood, Goldilocks, etc.  Finally, they discover that Foxy Loxy was the culprit and she had to make a new pie.  It was very well done and the kids had fun.  Hyrum was a narrator who also played the kazoo.  (He was SO excited for it- the first thing he said that morning was "Today's the day for the play!") 

 Hyrum in his narrator outfit playing the kazoo.

 The whole cast!

Then they had a song/poetry program:

Hyrum singing a silly song. :)

And playing the recorder.  It was very artsy.  Good job Hyrum!

A Little Trip to Disneyland!

One day, we took a little trip to Disneyland... Actually it was a big trip- a 10 hour drive, 2 days at the beach and 4 days at Disneyland and a 10 hour drive home. Whew!

First day- crashing at the Hotel.

Hanging at Newport beach eating hamburgers and corndogs

Playing in the waves!  I love this picture because you can see Afton, Weston, Hyrum and Zach far in the distance...

Weston and Afton warming up and digging in the sand.

Hyrum with the cadaverous sting ray Weston found on the beach.

 We didn't last very long in the cool water so we took a walk down the pier.

This is Weston with the hobo sleeping on the pier.  

The kids.

Love this.

The beautiful ocean.

The crazy kids

Proof that we went to Newport beach.  

Once Zach was done getting his fill of the waves, we went back to the hotel, took some baths, ate some Costco pizza (BJs was too far for our hungry tummies) and watched a little TV- a hotel specialty since we have no television channels at our house!

Getting ready for bed in their new Disney jammies.

Time to sleep well : Disneyland tomorrow!

She's just cute in her Minnie p.j.s :)

 So, Tuesday morning, we got up, ate HoJo breakfast of pancakes, scrambled eggs and noodles (the hotel was run by some Koreans and was a hot spot for Asian tourists and conferences) then jumped on the hotel shuttle bus for Disneyland!

We grabbed some fast passes for Star Tours and the first ride of the day: Buzz Lightyear Astro blasters!  The boys are wearing their matching Mickey shirts, of course.  (Zach is making fun of me for taking pictures. Really?)

 Weston driving on Autotopia- Zach said he drives like a ping pong ball bounces... Who wants to go for a spin?

 Afton and I in our Disney best- my Mickey shirt, her Minnie dress- waiting in line for the Submarine.  Lines were awesomely short compared to other times I've been and we never waited more than 20 minutes for a ride.  We worked the fast passes, stroller passes and single rider passes so that the boys got to go on most rides twice in a row. Nice!

 In the submarine

 Weston pulling out the sword! Look at those muscles!

 Afton with her daddy. She kept making funny faces at me so I had to snap a picture.

 Even though the boys complained, I LOVED Small World!  It was beautiful!  Afton liked this one, too.  Must be a girl thing. :)

Waiting for the Jungle cruise, other of my favorites.  The guide we had the first time was super cool. She didn't say a single word that didn't somehow fit into a joke or a pun of some sort. She made the ride even better than usual!

Weston climbing Tarzan's rope- Yell, Weston!

At the end of the day, we had ridden every ride in Tomorrowland, every ride in Fantasyland, plus all the big rides in the other 'lands' including Pirates and Haunted Mansion.  We found out that Hyrum hated Space mountain (The best!) and Splash mountain and Weston hated Indiana Jones but they both liked Thunder Mountain, Star Tours, Pirates and Haunted Mansion.  Afton loved the Rockets by the Astro blasters and learned new words like "Rocket! Ride, more, me." and "Boat!"  But, she strongly disliked every storybook ride, Pirates, Haunted Mansion and even cried at Winnie the Pooh.  She just liked the fast, outdoorsy kind of rides, I guess!  Our feet were tired and our tummies were hungry so we took the early shuttle back to get some dinner and hit the sack.

Wednesday morning, we got up, swam in the pool, ate some more pancakes, eggs and rice, this time, and then waited for what seemed like FOREVER before the shuttle was ready.  We were on the road by 9:00 am.  Maybe it seemed long because the only cartoons on was Sponge Bob. Bah!

Our Asian-y hotel had tons of statues throughout the gardens and the hallways.  Weston got bored waiting for the shuttle and decided to ride a lion to Disneyland instead.

Here's Afton in her Snow White shirt- thanks, Target, for having this on clearance.

We were waiting for Daddy and Weston on Splash mountain when suddenly Tigger came bounding through the park.  Afton was excited to see him but oh, so cautious when we got to close.  He covered his eyes and reached out a paw so she could touch him... but she didn't.

It was the same with Pooh Bear.  See how her hand is tucked up tight to her chest?  We just waved good bye. :)

Meanwhile, Daddy and Weston got a little soaked on Splash Mountain!  Weston was so brave to go on everything that came his way!

For lunch, we took a jaunt to the Disney District to eat at the Rainforest Cafe.  Sadly, I left my camera in the stroller outside and didn't get any good pictures of the cool ambiance but we did get a chocolate volcano.  The food wasn't really worth the price but the chocolate volcano certainly was!

There is a little Lego store in Disney District and this was outside of it- um, can they build this for me in my house?  I love it!  Even the pillars and the window are legos!

The boys like this one- the flames and smoke are all Legos too- how would it be to have the job as a "Lego Sculptor"?  I'd do it!

After lunch, we took a deep breath and decided to check out California Adventure. I didn't know what to expect because I've only ever been to Disneyland so I think I decided I just wouldn't like it as much.  But, it was pretty awesome.  It will be even better when they open up Cars Land and the Buena Vista Studios, I think.

Here is the much anticipated "Tower of Terror." Seriously all that Daddy and Weston talked about for DAYS before coming.  They loved it.  Hyrum and I didn't try it.  I'm just not the dropping type.

I loved this- the whole background is a painting on the wall.

Here you can see where the real sky ends and the fake sky begins.  But the buildings and the palm trees just keep going...  Mind blowing.

 So, while Daddy and Weston were on the Tower, Hyrum, Afton and I had to find things to entertain us.  Like Sorcerer's Workshop.  You might think, "that sounds boring when there are awesome rides to be on," but when you are hot and a little worn out, the nice cool dark rooms of this building were the best place to be.

There is the Beast's Library in which you find out which Disney character you are. (Afton was Nala, Hyrum was Lumiere, I was Mulan, of course). 

Hyrum took this perfectly proportioned picture of Afton and I  on the Beast's throne.

The Library- all the books are paintings.   Before this room is a cartoon workshop where you can draw your own comic strips and watch them come alive.  After this room is Ursula's grotto.  Using touch screens and big screens, she steals your voice and puts it in a movie with your favorite characters.  Loved it.  This building also housed Turtle Talk with Crush.  Again, you might think "Give me a roller coaster already" but this was an awesome use of technology.  Crush, the turtle from Nemo, is on a screen but talks and interacts with the audience giving them 'turtle names' like "Tubular Ted" and asking questions, answering questions, etc.  We did this twice.

Out on the pier, Phineas and Ferb were having a little dance party. So, we said hi and then took turns rafting down the Grizzly Bear rapids.  It was fast, we were WET.  Poor Weston got completely soaked from head to toe.  He didn't ride that one again.

Daddy and Weston took a ride on the Giant Ferris wheel but Hyrum did not. So, he got to go with Afton and I on The Little Mermaid ride. Hyrum said "Will I be the only boy in line?" I loved it!  It just plays the music all the way through and I just sang along. Am I a dork? Yes I am.  This was the only fairytale ride Afton actually liked, surprisingly.  Well, we did lots of other things until we were once again exhausted and took the shuttle back to the hotel for another good night's rest. (Seriously, this is the best and most sleep I ever get- when you are all in one hotel room, the kids go to bed at nine and so do you.  That translates into a good 9 or 10 hours of sleep!)

The next morning, Thursday,  we headed strait to California Adventure because we heard the only way to get on Toy Story Mania without having to wait at least 45 minutes was to be the first ones in line.  So, we waited at the gate, then we waited at the rope on the pier and finally at 10 am they let us in.  We had no idea what we were in for as the crowds rushed past all the big rides to grab a spot in line for Toy Story Mania. But luckily, we have long legs and fast kids so we only waited a good 5 minutes for our turn.  It took longer just to wind through all the ropes than to actually get on the ride!  So, it was fun, but I don't think I would have waited longer than 15 minutes to do it again.  I'd much rather spend my time on:

California Screamin'

So, I didn't get any good pictures of it, but you can look it up yourself and read the description.  It is one awesome roller coaster.   All other roller coasters in the park became a bore after California Screamin'.  And it got better every time I went on it!  The best part was there was no need for fast passes and with a single rider pass (Hyrum didn't want to ride and Weston was a 1/4 inch too short) we were in the car blasting into space withing 5 minutes.  Also, there was a beautiful carousel right next to it, also with no wait, which kept the kids entertained while Zach and I switched off. 

Afton liked to ride anything that was PURPLE.

Weston like the Whales

Hyrum just made faces and picked the tallest animal he could find.

Oh, and Afton wanted one more shot- with her tongue sticking out. :)

We also discovered Bug's Life Land while Zach and Weston took more rides on Tower and the Ferris wheel.  It just makes you feel like a teeny tiny ant!  Actually, it was cooler there because of all the shade from the giant clovers and bamboo so it was a great place to wait.  Plus, it had Afton's favorite "Ladybug Boogie" ride.  Kind of like a mini tea cup ride, you sit inside lady bugs and spin around.  She just laughed and laughed the whole time!

We were walking back through Disneyland later that day and passed this Goofy picture on the sidewalk.  One of the Disney workers had just painted it using his cleaning rag and a bucket of water. That's why HE gets to work at Disneyland.  You have to be cool like that.

We actually stayed until the 8:15 shuttle that night and got to watch the Disney parade with Mickey, Minnie and all the characters.  I enjoyed all the music and dancing but I loved turning around to see this:

Just Daddy and Afton playing with the bubbles off one of the floats.  Love it.  That's the reason for vacations, right?

I had to take a picture of Donald just for Afton because for weeks leading up to the trip, every time we said "Disneyland" Afton said "Duck."  Not Minnie, not Princess, just "Duck."  So, she got to see the Duck.

Everyday was a search for the perfect toy.  Grandma Largey gave each kid $15 to take on the trip with them and the money was just burning a hole in their pockets.  So, finally on the 3rd day I figured we'd seen it all and let them pick out their favorites.  Afton got a bubble gun which is a pretty awesome toy and kept her entertained for hours...

Weston got a Princely Sword and Shield (the only place I saw these for sale was the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique,  FYI)

And Hyrum got a light saber of course!

After 3 days in the parks we were completely exhausted which work out well because Friday we switched hotels (thanks to Seth for getting us 2 free nights at a Sheraton for Zach's birthday!).  We also ate at Bucca di Beppos which was very tasty BUT Afton was a wreck- too hungry, too tired, too much lack of schedule and normality. SO, instead of going to the beach for the afternoon like planned, Zach went to the beach alone and I took the kids into the new hotel room, closed the very effective blackout curtains and we ALL took naps. Much needed naps.  Then we swam in the hotel pool- which was a little silly seeing the beach was 25 minutes away- but at least we were all much happier!  Meanwhile, Zach was frolicking in the waves, walking down the pier and seeing DOLPHINS. I was jealous for a minute but I got over it.

That night we went to BJs pizza (FINALLY) and devoured a delicious deep dish delicacy (say that 5 times fast!) and a pazookie, of course!  P.s. Hyrum is not actually grumpy in this picture. He is just a man of many faces...

'Kay, our last day of vacation time, Saturday:  We woke up early, got ready, ate some more pancakes, eggs and rice and drove our own car to Disneyland parking (as nice as the Sheraton was, we had to PAY for parking, they asked Zach why he didn't have his uniform on while bringing our luggage in- and they were serious- and they had NO shuttle to Disneyland.  SO glad we were staying there for free!).  Then we rushed in to beat the Saturday crowds on our Magic Morning entrance.  It was worth it.  We did all the big rides in Tomorrowland, which are the best, and the Submarine ride before millions of people came squishing into the park.  Daddy and Hyrum took a ride on Indiana Jones, which was the only ride Weston DIDN'T like so Afton, Weston and I went to the Tiki Room (Hooray!  That's a great one!) and rode Casey Junior.

We were in the Wild animal cage and I was lucky I didn't get eaten up by these crazies!

Then, Weston and Daddy went on Splash mountain (which Hyrum didn't like) so Afton, Hyrum and I took a raft over to what USED to be Tom Sawyer's island but is now "The Pirate's Lair."  We went through all the nooks and crannies, found the treasure, climbed the tree house, smacked Afton in the head with a wheel and went across a lovely bouncing bridge.   After that, we all hit Thunder Mountain one more time before walking out of the park and over to McDonalds and Tony Roma's for lunch.  I forgot to mention that when Afton got tired, she would say "Mom, night." And then crawl up into her stroller, put a blanket over her head and go to sleep.  This made my life much easier, though the naps were not QUITE long enough... Better than nothing!

Then we took one more jaunt over to California Adventure to do our favorites one more time and do a couple things we missed before. Like, the Muppet Movie, 3D.

Again, you might say "It's not a roller coaster, it's not worth my time" but, when you have 4 days to play, you have plenty of time to do these kind of things.  I think I would recommend 3 days as the perfect amount just because we were so tired afterward, but 4 was definitely enough to get it all in!

Oh, so the Muppet show was some AMAZING 3D, like I've never seen before. Not only that, but there were effect like when the water sprayed 3D on the screen, real water actually spray the audience. When there were bubbles on the screen, popping out 3D, there were real bubbles floating around the room.  Pretty cool.

One thing we didn't do was stand in line to get pictures with all the character, excepting Tigger and Pooh because we happened to be in the right place at the right time.  We thought we could snap a shot with Chip and Dale because they were just walking around BUT turns out there was a long line of people waiting to see them. So, Weston just took a creeper picture instead. :)

Here's one shot of Hyrum on the bumper cars (which he won't actually admit that he LOVED driving) as we waited for these guys 

on one more screaming Tower of Terror.  Up to this point, fast passes were just kind of for convenience but not always necessary.  But, Saturday afternoon was CRAZY busy and the fast passes were being given out 3 hours in advance. So, they did their ride, they loved it, and then we went home.

Zach was a little upset we didn't stay longer (it was about 6:30pm) because we never did get to see the fireworks, Fantasmic or World of Color. But, the poor little kids were so tired and hungry and the churros (the world's most expensive churros, to quote Modern Family!) just weren't doing it for them.  I figure we'll go again someday when everyone is older and it'll be a whole new experience for us, right?

Sunday morning we got up, once again at 2:30 am and started the drive home.  Luckily, we knew Zach's mom would have dinner for us when we got home, Plus treats for Mother's Day.  

Oh, and when I got home, these beautiful flowers and chocolates were waiting for me on the table- that sneaky Zach had his mom doing dirty deeds while we were gone!  He also made a delicious pazookie (even better than BJs, I must say) for us to snack on.  It made me feel loved!

Happy Mother's day to me!  I love spending time with my sweet family!

As for Disneyland, it was everything we hoped and dreamed-and maybe I'll give the Tower a try next time... we'll see.

:)