Catching Up and Moving On

Well, much has gone on since my last post and yet I have no pictures to show for it...sorry Mom. I promise to dust my camera off and start snapping away again soon.

We drove home from San Diego around Christmas time, just in time for the big blizzard! Chains were required all the way from Salem, OR to Seattle, WA so we made it all the way to Tumwater, WA until the 1st chain fell off, then just North of Olympia when the 2nd fell off. We were so close to home and didn't want to stop so we just kept going, only 30 mph, but we were determined to make it and we did. The boys did great thanks to a quick stop at a Costco in CA to buy a portable DVD player. That was one of the best items we have ever purchased, worth every penny.

We had a very nice Christmas with Johnny's family. We spent Christmas Day at his sister Julie's house and had fun kicking back, playing Rock Band, eating Julie's awesome stuffed mushrooms, drinking coffee and just talking while the kids played.

Our Happy New Year was spent in the Tri-Cities with more of Johnny's family. We spent New Year's Eve with Johnny's grandpa at his nursing home. All the residents were wearing party hats as they sat around talking and listening to old records. Brody asked when the party was going to start and Daddy said, "It's in full-swing, boy." Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and it was nice to visit with Grandpa and meet all his new friends.

From the time we returned home from the Tri-Cities we immediately began looking for a place to move out closer to Johnny's work. We found a place in Bremerton, just 2.5 mi. from work and are very happy with it. It's small and pretty old but clean and simple and that's just right for us. Most importantly it's within our budget and that is a huge blessing as we work to pay off student loans!

We are all moved in now, although not all unpacked and are happy that the chaos of moving is over...for now, anyway.

A Magical Thanksgiving

We were blessed to have family visit us in San Diego during the Thanksgiving holiday. We enjoyed visiting attractions and sightseeing but the most memorable of all was our trip to Disneyland. We decided to go on Thanksgiving day and it turned out to be a perfect time to go. The castle was decorated so beautifully. It looked even better at night with all the lights but unfortunately it was very hard to get a picture that did it justice. The day we were there was the first day they opened a new attraction called the "Sleeping Beauty Castle Walkthrough", a walking tour of the inside of the castle. We ran out of time to see it but maybe next time.



While Cooper was meeting Winnie the Pooh and Eeyore, Brody was trying to meet the Big Bad Wolfe but he got too scared and decided not to so I don't have any pictures of that. Cooper also met Clarabell from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Cooper's favorite ride was the Casey Jr. train and Brody's favorite was It's a Small World. I'm not sure what Luke's favorite ride was but it might have been the Winnie the Pooh ride.



I think us Moms and Dads had more fun watching the boys try to pull the sword out of the stone. The boys didn't really seem to understand why it wouldn't come out...of course, they have never seen the movie.



Michele and Luke with pretzel Mickey...cute!

More of the Magic...

Here are Daniel, Michele and Luke on the Storybook Canal Boat ride, getting ready to be swallowed up by the whale from Pinnochio. Daniel is Johnny's cousin and he and Michele will be having their 2nd child in March, a baby boy. Luke will be 2 in January.



This picture was taken from the Fantasmic show at the end of the day. You can see Pluto, Clarabell, Goofy, Woody & Buzz Lightyear at the top of the ferry boat. We had a really good view close to the water. It wasn't hard to conclude that this show and the fireworks were our favorite part of the day...we all agreed! I didn't get any good pics of the show b/c it was so dark but a few turned out of the fireworks.



We were also sitting in a section where fake snow started falling after the fireworks...top left-hand side of collage. It was all very magical!



I always love taking a picture of the boys when they are wiped out from a long day of activities, like today. We all got a kick out of Johnny pinning these huge buttons above their heads that said, "1st Visit to Disneyland". It was actually their 2nd visit but we didn't get the buttons on their 1st visit. What a momentous day!

Hiking at Mission Hills

The boys and I spent the day, Saturday, hiking in one of the nation's largest urban natural parks, Mission Hills Regional Park. It was no Pacific NW but it definitely had a beauty of its own.

We started at the Oak Grove Trail, one of the many trails at Mission Hills. It was only 1 mi. and I thought it would be pretty easy for the boys. They made it without too many complaints. :-)

The boys taking a break to hug each other so Mommy can take their picture.

Every time they saw a rock they had to climb on it.

Taking a break in the shade.

Watch out for that cactus, boys!

Cooper taking a much needed water break. We were completely out of water by the end of the day.

Taking a lunch break along the trail.

Nothing like the good ol' PBJ. Brody took this picture.

We took another trail that led us to this dam, the Old Mission Dam.

This man-made dam was built 150 years ago.

It's hard to tell from this picture, but there are actually rock climbers up there. This is the Kwaay Paay mountain. They were really fun to watch. Brody said he wants to be a rock climber when he grows up and I told him he was off to a good start.

We saw a few birds along the way but I could only identify one, the Hermit Thrush bird.



What a day! Our only regret is that Daddy had to work.

LegoLand

We went to Legoland this week. The kids loved it and so did Mommy & Daddy. There were TONS of rides for them, including boats, helicoptors, trains, plains & automobiles. :-) There was so much to do and we were only able to see half of the park so we hope to go again soon and see the rest.

This is MiniLand, the heart of LegoLand. They had replicas of New York, D.C., Las Vegas & New Orleans to name a few. It was so fun venturing from city to city and admiring all of the intricate details. A lot of things actually moved such as the cars, buses & even some people. It was very cool!

More of LegoLand

Mt. Rushmore was one of my favorites. It was amazing and actually quite humorous...see the Q-tip in George Washington's ear?

Cooper loved the elephant. It actually moved and spit water out of its trunk.

Poor Cooper was crying b/c he a hard time driving the car.

Brody loved it though, this was probably his favorite thing at LegoLand.


Cooper finally found his favorite thing...Thomas!

Mom Visits San Diego

We were so thankful my Mom could visit us here for a week in San Diego. We were able to go to the beach, Sea World, Balboa Park & Cabrillo Nat'l Monument to name a few. The boys had a lot of fun with their Meme. We were sad to see her leave but we will cherish the memories that were made forever.


We also went to Moo Time Creamery in Coronado.