Disneyland

Disneyland was everything I had dreamed it would be and MORE.

We left super early before everyone else did & did a few things in the park before it got too crowded. It was pouring rain outside, but we didn't mind because the park wasn't crowded at all.  When we got in the park, we headed straight for Splash Mountain.  There was NO LINE WHATSOEVER.  Trek took Cadence & Lorien, & I took Taya & the boys to the Winnie the Pooh ride.

This was both girls' first time riding Splash Mountain & they had a blast.

After riding both rides, we met up behind Splash Mountain & found Santa there.  The kids were SO excited to visit him & tell him how happy they were to be at Disneyland.

After wandering Adventureland & exploring Tarzan's Treehouse for a while, the rest of the family joined up with us & we started our Disneyland adventure together.  

We started at the Jungle Cruise.  The kids & adults LOVE the Jungle Cruise.

After Jungle Cruise, we hit Pirates of the Caribbean & the Haunted Mansion.  I love the Haunted Mansion this time of year.  They re-do the whole thing in The Nightmare Before Christmas theme.  It makes it less scary for the kids & it's SO FUN.

Next we visited It's a Small World where my little nieces Emery & Ella were in pure heaven.  

Then we split up.  Talon & I took Taya, Craiger, Canyon, Ella, Emery, & Bridger to meet Mickey Mouse while Tuhk, Trek, Cadence, Lorien, & Bladen rode the Matterhorn.  I still can't believe Bladen was tall enough for the big kid rides this time.

I do think I got the better experience during this split up.  As much as I love riding the cool rides with the big kids, there is nothing more magical than seeing a little one meet Mickey Mouse for the first time.  The line at Mickey's house was pretty long, but it was worth it.  There's a lot for the kids to do along the way as well.

When we finally reached the room that Mickey was in, I started to cry.  Craiger & Taya were excited & happy, but words simply cannot describe what happened when Canyon saw his idol for the first time.  He looked up at Mickey & couldn't believe his eyes.  He just kept staring at him & pointing saying "Mickey Mouse! Mickey Mouse!"  And then he'd stair some more.  It was magical.  THIS is what Disneyland is all about.

After splitting up, we took some pictures in front of the beautiful Disneyland castle.  It was SO fun having MOST of the family there.

 

After pictures it was time to eat.  It was already almost 3:00 & the kids were starving.  We grabbed some delicious food at the Pizza Port & then we all rode Buzz Lightyear's ride together.  I think the adults had more fun shooting Zurg than the kids did.

After Buzz Lightyear, we split up once again.  Trek, Tuhk, & I took Cadence, Lorien, Bladen, & Craiger to Star Tours while Opa, Oma, Talon & Carolyn, Taya, Emery, & Ella went on Peter Pan. 

Star Tours is one of my very favorite rides in the park.  It was fun taking 4 of my kids for the first time.  I still can't believe Craiger was tall enough for this one.  I think the best part was totally convincing Bladen & Craiger that we really flew to outer space.  They are still talking about it.  Being a parent is SO fun.

The very last part of our Disneyland adventure was one last hoorah.  I took Cadence, Lorien, & Taya to ride Indiana Jones & Trek took the boys to the carousel.  The boys had a blast going on the carousel over & over & over again.  Indiana Jones is one of my favorite rides & it was fun taking the girls for the first time.  Cadence & Lorien LOVED it.  Taya. . . . cried & screamed the entire time.  I felt SO bad that she was scared.

Trek also took the boys to meet Darth Vader.  They didn't know whether to be excited or scared.  ha ha ha

We finished the night off shopping at the gift shops.  The boys were exhausted, but Taya was determined to buy something with her money before we left.  She ended up buying a "Boo" (from Monsters Inc) stuffed animal.  She was SO happy.

It was a fun filled day of magic, smiles, wonder, & happiness.  

BEST DAY EVER.

Christmas Surprise

We give our kids 3 gifts each year for Christmas.  We try to keep things focused on our Savior Jesus Christ who received 3 gifts from the wise men, so we stick to 3 gifts as well to remember him.  Our gifts consist of 1 want gift, 1 need gift, & 1 spiritual/church related gift.  

Well, Monday night we sat all the kids down & presented them with their "want" gift from us.  They were VERY confused at first & didn't want to open their gift until Christmas.  But they opened them when we told them they needed to open them early.

Inside each gift was a t-shirt with Mickey or Minnie Mouse on it.  They were even more confused because usually their "need" gifts were clothes . . . NOT their "want" gifts.  Uncle Talon stood up in front of their confused little faces & asked them, 

"Where do you think you would wear shirts with Mickey & Minnie on them?"

The younger kids didn't get it, but the looks on Cadence & Lorien's faces were priceless!

"WE'RE GOING TO DISNEYLAND!!!!"

There were screams, smiles, & even some tears at this announcement.  Poor Taya couldn't stop crying.  It's been years since we've been to Disneyland & my kids love it as much as we do.  They were crying tears of joy.  It was a GREAT surprise.

I've been looking forward to this surprise for several months now.  I was SO excited.

Christmas Vacation

One of the best things about being back on the West Coast is being near family again.  2015 was the Potter's year for Christmas so we were able to go home for Christmas for the first time in 4 years.  It's only a 5 hour drive for us which is easy peasy.  The kids couldn't wait to play with their cousins & I couldn't wait to be with all of Trek's brothers & sisters.

Anytime we're at Trek's parents house we're all spoiled with things to do, great food to eat, & wonderful company.  Oma had 9 little Christmas trees ready to decorate for all of her 9 grandkids.  My kids LOVE decorating their little trees.

I was excited to hold & snuggle my brand new nephew, Bridger.  I had one full day before the rest of the family arrived to hold him all day long.  It was heaven.

The rest of the family arrived later that first night, & we all went out for gelato & the gelato shop near Opa & Oma's house.  The kids LOVED it. 

Little did they know an even bigger & more exciting surprised awaited them TOMORROW.

Cadence's Christmas Band Concert

Cadence has really done well here in California.  She was surprised (though I was not) that she tested into Intermediate band skipping beginning band completely.  The repertoire was a lot more difficult than what she was used to in Virginia, but she picked it up really quickly.

After only playing with the band for 10 days, she got to play her oboe in the winter band concert & she did an amazing job.  They played a few songs, including the "Back to the Future" theme song which was a BLAST for her.

She was also pretty excited to wear an actual band uniform.  She looked great & sounded amazing.  She makes me SO proud.

Happy December

December still seems like a blur to me.  The month went by SO quickly & it seemed to be super busy with getting the kids regulated in their new schools, putting final touches on the new house, & settling ourselves.  But is was a great month & who doesn't love the Christmas season?

We got to set up our brand new Christmas tree.  We bought it the day after Christmas last year & it looks beautiful in our home.  We are SO pleased with it.

Opa works in San Francisco & this area a lot so he got to stop by & visit us one night in December.  The kids were THRILLED to see Opa.  It's always fun having family so close.

With the older 4 kids in school, it left lots of cuddle time for me & Canyon.  My favorite part of the day is cuddling with him during nap time.

And Tylee visited us twice in December.  My kids LOVE Auntie Tylee.

We attended our fair share of Christmas parties & celebrations.  The kids even got to see Santa a few times this month.

I love the picture of Craiger & Canyon on Santa's lap.  Craiger's face is full of magic & excitement while Canyon is not so sure about sitting on this scary guy's lap.  It totally fits their little personalities.  I love my kids so much.

And like every Christmas season, the month was filled with several trips to the mall.  The boys & I have discovered a little piece of heaven at our mall called The Potato Factory.  You get to pick your favorite type of fry & add your favorite flavor to it.  HEAVEN for french fry lovers.  The boys like the cheddar flavor & I live for the BBQ.  Going to the mall has never been so delicious.

Even though the month passed us by quickly, it was wonderful.  It all led up to one of the best Christmas' we've ever had.