So, this morning, I asked if she was going to make good choices today. I've asked this same thing on many other mornings. Her response is always "I'll try". In hindsight, I guess that's the best response since we are all trying to do our best.
Tuesday, December 30, 2014
I'll try..
Sometimes Addi has a rough night with listening. Last night she threw a fit about eating something different for dinner. She was given a choice to either eat her dinner or go to bed. She didn't want to try it because of how it looked. I gave her a choice, which we have done in the past, to either eat her dinner or go to bed. This is the second time (or more), that she has chosen to go to bed rather than eat her dinner.
Tuesday, December 23, 2014
Good boys
It snowed yesterday! Zach, age 8, shoveled the driveway on his own without being asked. I did ask Nate, age 10, to shovel the neighbor's sidewalk. He did that eagerly. When he came in, he said it took him extra long to do it because he did a second neighbor's house as well. I'm a lucky mom!
Sniffles
My sweet little Addi. She's five and she currently has a little cold. Our conversation last night:
A: Mom, it's been a bad day today.
M: You've had a bad day, why?
A: Because of too many "bless you's today".
A: Mom, it's been a bad day today.
M: You've had a bad day, why?
A: Because of too many "bless you's today".
Monday, December 15, 2014
Princess toes
Here is a text I got from Kelli recently:
I have a cute Addie story l keep forgetting to tell
you. Last time l painted her toenails
pink and glittery, l said, "Now you
have princess toes!" She said, "Have you ever met a princess?" I
told her l had seen them at Disneyland. She said, "Did you see their
toes?" "Well, no." "Then how do you know their toes look
like this?" "I guess l don't, but that is how l imagine princess toes
look!" It was a cute conversation l
have giggled to myself about a few times since;)
Sunday, December 14, 2014
Not happy
Another Addi story tonight. We have a turtle who lives in water. She has a heat lamp that we turn off every night. The kids like to turn her light on for her in the morning. Yesterday morning Zach turned on the turtle light. Addi was in the room with him and was being a bit grumpy because Zach turned on the light and she didn't get to. I said, "We are going to be happy today. Happy, happy, happy, happy, happy, happy". Addi then proceeded to yell at the top of her lungs, "I"M NOT HAPPY"! At least she's honest.
Side note, we try our best to manage each tantrum. She was then placed in her room until she could change her attitude. But the stories are entertaining. Or at least they are after a while.
Side note, we try our best to manage each tantrum. She was then placed in her room until she could change her attitude. But the stories are entertaining. Or at least they are after a while.
my little girl
My little girl is a force to be reckoned with. She is spunky, a fighter, a big old pain in the butt sometimes, but certainly adorable. There are times where I don't know what to do with her. She is this tiny little thing with a HUGE personality. Bucket loads and bucket loads of personality.
We had a couple of blow ups today. A few mini tantrums after a major blow up this morning where she told me I am never ever nice and she will never do anything for me again. She calmed down and has been nice for a while.
She is also currently terrified of flushing the toilet. She was in the bathroom a week or so ago when the toilet started to overflow just slightly. I turned off the water, plunged it, and there was no issue. Water never went outside of the blow. However, she has been terrified to flush the toilet.
Today, she went to the bathroom on her own, which is progress since I've had to been in the room with her every time lately. Anyhow, she was in the bathroom and kept calling to me that she needed help. I went in and she was squatting on the sink, waiting for me to come in. I asked her if she needed me to flush the toilet and she said, in a little voice, "Yea". I told her she needed to flush the toilet on her own. She choose to do it with her foot.
After the toilet flushed, I sat on the toilet seat cover with her and asked her what was so scary. He talked about how she has flushed that toilet 1,000 times and it only started to over flow once. She pipped in, "But sometimes it overflows". We are still working on getting over that.
I tucked her into bed tonight. I asked her, "What am I going to do with you?" She replied, "I don't know". Then she said, "keep me forever". I told her I'll keep her and lover her forever. And I will.
We had a couple of blow ups today. A few mini tantrums after a major blow up this morning where she told me I am never ever nice and she will never do anything for me again. She calmed down and has been nice for a while.
She is also currently terrified of flushing the toilet. She was in the bathroom a week or so ago when the toilet started to overflow just slightly. I turned off the water, plunged it, and there was no issue. Water never went outside of the blow. However, she has been terrified to flush the toilet.
Today, she went to the bathroom on her own, which is progress since I've had to been in the room with her every time lately. Anyhow, she was in the bathroom and kept calling to me that she needed help. I went in and she was squatting on the sink, waiting for me to come in. I asked her if she needed me to flush the toilet and she said, in a little voice, "Yea". I told her she needed to flush the toilet on her own. She choose to do it with her foot.
After the toilet flushed, I sat on the toilet seat cover with her and asked her what was so scary. He talked about how she has flushed that toilet 1,000 times and it only started to over flow once. She pipped in, "But sometimes it overflows". We are still working on getting over that.
I tucked her into bed tonight. I asked her, "What am I going to do with you?" She replied, "I don't know". Then she said, "keep me forever". I told her I'll keep her and lover her forever. And I will.
Sunday, March 30, 2014
Glow
Zach was in his second grade play this year and did an awesome job. He was actually one of the two lead parts. He was the firefly "Flier" who gets lost and has help from a ladybug finding where his place in the world is. It is a really cute play and he did a really good job. We are super proud of him and he was an adorable firefly!
Skirts
Addison got in trouble a couple of times this week. She was supposed to clean her room and wasn't. The worst punishment I could think of for her in order to motivate her was to take away her skirts for a week. It was a huge motivation since she couldn't bear to think of not wearing skirts for an entire week. She got into a lot of trouble yesterday and so I did take away her skirts. She realized what she did was wrong and took it ok. That night, she changed out of her pants and put on a dress instead. This is SO not me, but totally her. We were getting ready to go over to a friend's house and I tried to get her to wear some jeans. She wanted to wear any pants she could find except jeans. Crazy.
Friday, March 21, 2014
Computer coding???
My kid's school offers extracurricular classes in six week increments. We have done a few classes in the past that they have enjoyed. My boys took beginning Italian, origami, ball-handling, and lego club in the past. Some of the classes have blown my mind, others are good, but not as amazing. We haven't done any classes this year yet, but they were really excited to do this session. Nate is taking a computer coding class taught by the computer teacher. They are learning how to build their own websites and make their own games. I'm sure it will still be a pretty simple version, but I think it's great to give them an idea of the mechanics behind the things they use all of the time. It amazes me that he is taking a computer coding class! By the time we got to the signups, the art classes and some of the other things we wanted were gone. Zach is doing lego club (which he hasn't done before), where they can build with legos and have different building challenges to help expand their thinking. They are both pretty excited.
Ballroom for Nate
Nate is a 4th grader and his school offers an after school ballroom dance class for kids in 4th through 6th grade. We tried it out this year and he has really enjoyed it. He had his hesitations at first, but I asked him last night if he wants to do it again next year and he was pretty enthusiastic that he wanted to do it again. He did say that dancing with a girl at the beginning freaked him out, but now he's fine with it. One of the girls he dances with looks like his sister. The other girl, Mariah, was in his kindergarten class as well as a couple of classes. She is a really cute, sweet girl. If I could have picked his dance partner, she would have been it. He has a concert coming up which we are excited to see.
Homework with Zach
My sweet Zach. He is in 2nd grade. We were working on his animal report last night and he is such a sweetheart. I'm way impressed, but in 2nd grade they do an animal report which is essentially a month long research paper that they pick an animal, do as much research as possible on it, do a project regarding that animal, and then present it to the class at the end of the month. I think it's awesome! We were working on the research last night where he was sitting on my lap while we were looking at websites. He was doing the writing and I was helping him find some information. In the process of doing this, he turns around and kisses me on the cheek, saying "Thanks for helping me with my animal report Mom. I really appreciate it". Melted my heart. He has done a TON of makeup work that he missed last week when we were on our trip and he has been so amazingly good working on it. Such a sweet kid!
Monday, March 17, 2014
Drama queen
Addi is only four, but she can be a bit of a drama queen. We just got back from our trip last night and she is pretty tired. We have two boys over who are good friends that she was playing with. She had a disagreement with them and completely lost it. Yelling, screaming, crying, and saying they can't ever come into her room. This is because Lock didn't want to play house with her. As stated, I think she's pretty tired from our trip. I took her into the bathroom while she was yelling to have her calm down. I was holding her when she said she needed a drink. I told her she needed to calm down before she could get it a drink. She continued to freak out and saying she needed I drink when we got to the point where she cried out, "I need a drink right now or I am going to die!". I asked her if she was going to die, and she confirmed that if she didn't get a drink right then, she would die! She calmed down shortly after, we were able to get her a drink, and she did not die. She is now a happy girl. Holy cow, she can be a bit of a drama queen. She is pretty adorable though. We are really working on her trying to control her emotions.
Sunday, March 16, 2014
Disneyland!
Here the my narrative I did on our trip: Hopefully I will amend and put pictures in too:
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
We are on our fun family trip this week! On Saturday, March 8, 2014. Daddy, Nate. Zach and I went skiing at Brighton Ski resort. We needed to use up our ski passes for this season and it was a beautiful day! Addi didn’t want to go skiing, which is ok because she is still learning how to ski and is only four years old. When she skis, Mom has to hold onto the leash/backpack and help her down the slope because she still hasn’t quite learned how to slow down enough to be by herself. She chose to play at grandma and grandpa’s house and run errands with them instead.
Daddy, the boys and I went skiing on Saturday. It was a beautiful day! It was sunny and not very crowded. It was still a little cold, but very manageable. We did lots of blue runs and spent a lot of time over at the Snake Creek lift and the Great Western lift. The boys and dad had a lot of fun going into the trees and trying to find as many jumps as they could. We all had a great time.
We went to the Lignell’s parent’s house for dinner that night to say goodbye to their volleyball court and the house since his mom was moving after the death of Warren’s dad. It was sad to say goodbye, but we had a great time with friends. The boys had a lot of fun playing “smear the queer” and wrestling. It seems like these boys are always wrestling!!!!
Sunday, March 9th was a busy day as well. We got up, went to church, and started packing for our trip. Grandma and Grandpa Cogswell came over for a visit on Sunday and we had a great time seeing them. It was a good visit. The kids were running around being crazy, but we all had a great time. The boys got to show their grandparents their straight A report cards. We are very proud of them! Grandma and Granada Hillhouse also came over to bring some things for us to take with us on our trip. The boys and dad also worked on their pinewood derby cars since the derby is right after we get home. Overall, it was a very busy day. We got packed and the kids were super excited to leave on our trip the next day. They had a very hard time going to sleep.
I needed to finish up a paper for work before we left. I ended up working from 10:00 p.m. Sunday night to 4:00 a.m. Sunday morning to get it done. I got to sleep for three hours until Nate woke up and laid in bed with me and told me he was excited to go on our trip.
I was able to finish up my paper for work and we spent the morning packing and cleaning up the house. I HATE coming home to a very dirty home after a trip and wanted to gt it done before we left. We got in the car and started heading out. Our sweet neighbor/friend Kelli Lignell, brought over a care package with a book on tape, fruit snacks, and a CD of activities. She is such a sweetheart and we will miss them on our trip. Kelli is taking care of our turtle, Shelly, while we are gone.
We spent the six hours driving to Las Vegas for the first part of our trip. We had to make a couple of stops for potty breaks. We stopped in Beaver for the bathroom, and then in St. George for the bathroom and gas. I drove from St. George to Las Vegas and there was a lot of construction which was a little scary going through one lane in the canyon with barriers on both sides. Overall, it was a pretty uneventful trip. I read lightening thief for Zach for a while, and then we’ve been listening to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone on the drive. We had lots of snacks and arrived in Las Vegas in about 5:00 p.m. Zach was going CRAZY because he had to go to the bathroom SO BAD. By the time we got to the parking lot for our hotel, Circus Circus, he was going to explode. It’s our little secret, but he ended up having to pee in the parking lot of Circus Circus because he couldn’t make it any longer. Thankfully no one saw. I feel a little bad, but it was an emergency. We were very happy when we saw the big purple dome of the hotel.
We checked into the hotel and the kids were super excited to see our room. We put our stuff in the hotel and watched TV for a little bit. By that time, we were all very hungry. We ended up finding a Subway in Circus Circus and the sandwiches were very tasty.
After our dinner, we walked down the road to Treasure Island to see the pirate ships. The boys and I had a lot of talks on the way. Every time we came to the red boxes with advertisements in them, we had the boys count palm trees on the other side of the road in order to avoid looking at any of the flyers. We talked about how other people have different values and that it’s not good for us to look at those kind of photographs or watch bad movies because they get stuck in our brains. Nate and I also talked for a while about gambling and about how gambling is not a good thing. The boys decided that Las Vegas is not a good place for them and they just didn’t have a good feeling there.
When we got back to the hotel, we did go inside to watch some of the circus acts. We sat down at the stage and waited for the BMX bike tricks. We watched a guy come out and do lots of cool tricks. The kids were pretty excited that we stayed and watched them.
After the BMX bike tricks, we went back to our room to chill out and watch TV. Zach and Addi were super crazy and Zach had a very hard time sitting still. When we laid down to go to sleep, Zach and Addi (who were sharing a bed), were talking and playing for a while. They finally settled down, but it took a while. Nate was an awesome big brother and slept on the floor in a sleeping bag. This is probably a good thing because we like to tell the story about when he and Zach shared a bed at a hotel room before Addi was born and Nate whacked Zach in the head with his arm when he was sound asleep. Zach woke up and cried for a long time, but Nate slept soundly through all of it. We asked him about it the next morning and had no idea about any of it. So, for this trip, it’s probably a good thing he slept on the floor so no one got whacked!
We got packed up on Tuesday, March 11th and headed out. We are currently traveling in the car. We recently stopped at a rest stop in California where we got to take a picture in front of a Route 66 sign. We also got to learn what a Joshua Tree is and take some pictures in front of them. The boys got phones (for the games and apps) for Christmas and they have been taking lots of photos with them. We were munching on string cheese, carrots, and cauliflower. Nate was excited about cauliflower and was disappointed that I didn’t have broccoli as well. However, as I just wrote this, they asked for and are munching on licorice. Glad they like to eat healthy things, but we definitely like treats sometimes too :)
We have been able to see lots of airplanes on our trips and lots of trucks. We also saw a solar panel farm in California as well. The kids are excited since we were in Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and California in two days. We talked about getting a map to mark which states we visit as a family.
We arrived at our hotel on Tuesday a little after lunch time. We checked in at the Castle Inn and then got ready to go to the beach. We were pretty excited about the hotel. It was next to Disneyland and close enough to walk to it. It is shaped like a castle and has a pool in the center of the parking lot. The lobby has a suit of armor and a stained glass window. We were staying in one of the “towers” on the fourth floor. The room was really nice and the kids were pretty excited that the hotel staff and made swans out of the towels.
We got ready for the beach and stopped at a little ceases for lunch. We made our way to Huntington Beach and were super excited when we finally found it. We parked on the street and went right onto the beach. The sand was pretty soft and the weather was nice a warm. The ocean water was still cold, but still good enough to play in. The kids were super excited and chased waves. The waves were pretty big so we only got up to about the knees, but that was more than enough. Each of the kids got a big bag and collected TONS of shells. I mean, TONS of shells. They had a lot of fun with it. The kids each got a taste of sea water as well. We talked down the beach collecting sea shells and left our stuff in the sand. When Addi and I got back to our stuff, the seagulls were getting into all of our stuff! They took one of the bags of shells and opened it and dragged it down a little ways, looking for food. Another seagull was trying to open the grocery bag I had brought with some graham crackers in it,. They were pulling the bag down the sand and had partially opened it, but not completely. They are crazy!
We grabbed out stuff and put it in the car. We then walked down the beach for a little bit to the pier. We were able to walk on top of the pier and saw musicians performing as well as a guy that was moving glass balls on his hands. The kids had a lot of fun with it. We then walked under the pier as well. We made it back to our car and stopped off at the grocery store to pick up a couple of things. We headed back to the hotel to relax and get ready for the next day.
We woke up early Wednesday morning and headed off to California Adventure. The kids were super excited and we were the first ones to the park. We were really smart and did the new ride at Cars land very first and I also picked up fast passes right away as well. We hit lots of rides that day with pretty minimal wait times. Addi didn’t really like Grizzly River Run because she didn’t like getting wet. However, the boys had a lot of fun and got SOAKING wet. Addi only got just a little wet. We did Radiator Springs Racers twice because we did it very first, and then later used our fast passes for it. I packed lots of snacks as well so we were able to have lots of snacks throughout the day. We did stop at the pier and had lunch with family with the sandwich stuff we packed that day. Addi’s favorite ride was Little Mermaid, although Nate didn’t want to go on it. However, they were good brothers and went with their sister. Addi also loved Toy Story Mania and did really well on the game. Nathan wanted to make sure do to Soaring Over California because his primary teacher said that was part of his homework to do for her since she loves the ride. The boys also got to do California Screaming with their dad as well. This was the first time Zach got to go on it because he was too small last time. We did lots of stuff and had a lot of fun that day. We did come back that night exhausted. The kids watched the Disney channel and Jeff and I got Panda Express for dinner. We had dinner in the hotel and went to bed, ready for an early day at Disneyland.
We woke up early the next morning and went into the park early for Magic Morning. We hit the Matterhorn first and I was a little nervous about Addi going o it. However, Dad and the boys kept saying “Yeti, Yeti, Yeti, Yeti, Yeti” in a sing-song voice both before and throughout the ride and that helped so she wasn’t sacred. We also did Space Mountain and she loved it. We met up with Grandma later and did Buzz lightyear were Zach versed Grandma. We hit a few rides throughout the day and had lunch near Splash Mountain. Addi wasn’t sure about doing Splash Mountain because she didn’t want to get wet, but ended up doing it twice. The first time she wasn’t too sure about it. The second time we did it with Sierra and she handled it a little better. We also did Haunted Mansion that day and it was a entertaining because we went on it with Jared’s family. Celeste were terrified to go on it, but had been bribed with a churro to go on it. She went on it, but was in tears in the process. We thought she would have to leave before the ride began, but she toughened up and went with Bre. Addi wasn’t sure about it, but decided to go because Sierra went on it. She sat with me and cuddled up next to me during it. She wasn’t sure about it, but handled it ok.
On Thursday night, we stayed in the park and had dinner at the Golden Horseshoe and watched the show. We had chicken nuggets, fries and chilli fries. We watched a fun show and the kids really enjoyed it. We also splurged and got a couple of ice cream sundaes that we split as a family. The kids had a lot of fun with it. We also did Toone Towne with Jared that night. The kids had a fun in Toone Towne playing with their cousins. Nate drove the car in Roger Rabbit’s ride and I told him he as such a crazy driver that he can’t drive again for another 10 years. We drove into dynamite, into walls, and all sorts of stuff! The kids also got to find a detonator in Toone Towne and each one of them set off the fireworks inside the firework station. Crazy kids! Jeff took off to play with Jared, Bre, and Celeste while the kids and I headed back to the hotel. The kids caught part of the parade when we came out of Toone Towne and had a lot of fun with it. They really enjoyed watching the floats. Addi saw some of the princesses and said Ariel was her favorite. We then walked back to the hotel.
(I can’t remember which day this was!) We took off and went back to the hotel to go swimming in the pool. The kids had a TON of fun with swimming at the pool. There was a nice hot tub that Jeff, the boys and I enjoyed. There was also a pool that went from three feet to five feet that the boys really enjoyed. There was also a toddler pool that was 1 ½ feet deep that was perfect for Addi. She loved it and it was great to keep an eye on her and sit in the hot tub. The kids absolutely loved it!
On Friday, our third day in the park, we headed back to California to hit a couple of things again. The boys went over to California Screaming and rode it SIX times in a row. Addi and I did the King Triton’s carousel numerous times, which she loved. The boys were pretty done with it at the end of the sixth. While they were doing that, I took Addi and Sierra on the Little Mermaid ride. It was SO much fun to watch these too go on this ride. Sierra waved to Ariel and they talked throughout the ride. They loved it and did it a second time. The second time, Addi wore her Ariel dress on the ride. When they went the second time, Addi said she was Ariel. Sierra said “look, that’s you!” while pointing at Ariel. They had a lot of fun. We then went over to the carousel and they did that ride as well.
Addi had been asking to go on the tea cups with Sierra, so we headed over to Disneyland. I rode the tea cups with Addi, Sierra, and Celeste. We then headed over to Tomorrow land and the kids sat and got ready for the Jedi Training Academy and had lunch there. Thankfully, Nate, Zach, Celeste, and Savannah all got picked for the training academy. I was a little worried that Addi and Sierra weren’t picked, but they didn’t complain. We watched the older kids learn how to fight, and then Darth Vader and Darth Maul came! The kids got to fight these two. Celeste, Savannah, and Nate all fought Darth Maul. They did an awesome job. Zach got to fight Darth Vader. He was also the ONLY kid who got to use the force with his hand to push the storm troopers away as well. That was pretty cool. The kids had a lot of fun and got a certificate stating that they are padawans.
We hit a few other things in the park that day. Nate wasn’t feeling very well, so at one point we headed back to the hotel to rest. He seemed to get better as soon as we got back. The kids made it a little faster than I did and by the time I walked in the door, three of them had already gotten their swimming suits on. We went swimming and the kids had a lot of fun. We ended up having leftover panda express for dinner, which was plenty. We went swimming and felt great. We ended up walking down to Downtown Disney that night and saw the Lego store, which was pretty cool. There was a huge dragon on the front of the store. We decided that was Maleficent and Prince Philip from Sleeping Beauty. There was also a massive Hulk built out of legos, Beauty and the Beast characters and Toy Story characters. The kids thought it was awesome. We rode the monorail back into Disneyland and then walked over to California Adventure to watch the World of Color. Everyone else except BreAnn and Celeste decided not to do World of Color. We walked over and met them. While I was trying to figure out how to get into the “Blue” area, I walked by a group of people who asked if we had tickets. They gave me their tickets to World of Color and. When I looked down, found out that they were “Preferred Dining” tickets from eating at Ariel’s Grotto.
We got Bre and Celeste out of the “Blue” area which was already pretty full, and went over to this area. It was, literally, the best spot in the house. Bre chose to go into the “get wet” area and was right in the very front, right off of the water. You could not get any closer or get a better view. The boys, Celeste, and Bre chose to stay there. Addi and Jeff didn’t want to get wet, so they chose to get a little further away. I was worried about Addi, so I stayed with them. We were still really close, but had a couple of people in front of us. While waiting, Addi fell asleep in my lap.
The show started at 9:45 p.m. and was awesome. Addi really liked the Little Mermaid part as she is her favorite princess. The boys really liked the Pirates of the Caribbean part, especially when there was a lot of fire as well. When the show ended, we went up to the front to check on the boys. They were soaking wet. Bre said her hair was dripping wet. The boys had their hoodies on, which was a very good thing because it was really wet. However, they had a ton of fun. Zach said the fire part was his favorite part. We headed home and went right to bed. Addi fell asleep on the way home. It was probably 10:45 when we walked into the hotel room. However, it was well worth it.
The next morning, we slept in, until about 8:00 a.m.. We got ready for the day and headed over to Disneyland. We did Autopia, Buzz, and a couple of other things. Zach Addi was pretty tired still, so the boys went and did Pirates of the Caribbean and some other rides while Addi and I sat down and watched the Tangled Show. They did a great job and she really enjoyed it. I had asked her a couple of times if she wanted to meet any princesses and she said she would rather ride some rides instead.
We met up with everyone and had lunch. After lunch, we went over to the Tiki Room to watch it. Jeff complained about having to do it, but I bought him a Dole Whip and he didn’t complain about that He got to sit in the shade, away from people, eating ice cream. Not to shabby. Grandma and Grandpa took Addi on the Jungle Cruise while Jeff, the boys and I went with Bre to use our fast passes to Splash Mountain. We then met up and the boys went on the Matter horn with grandpa while Addi and I walked through the castle, rode the carousel, and went through the castle as well.
We were all pretty exhausted, so we decided to head back to the hotel. We went swimming again and the kids loved it. Seriously the pool was one of their favorite parts of the trip. At one point, Addi went to the bigger pool and Nate played with her and carried her around the pool as well. Such a good big brother! Zach was begging Jeff to throw him into the pool, which he did a few times through the trip. We swam for a while and then headed back to the room for showers. We walked up the street and had dinner at IHOP where Zach had the biggest chocolate chip pancake I have ever seen! After dinner, we went back and got PJS on and climbed into bed. The kids loved watching the Disney channel during our trip. We had cereal for breakfast each morning and watched the Disney channel during breakfast each morning.
We woke up this morning and got packed and out the door. The kids were sad to leave, but I think we all had a really good time. They had fun with their cousins and enjoyed the trip. One of my favorite moments was coming home today. We stopped at an exit on the side of the road to have Zach do to the bathroom. Each of the boys went to the bathroom and both of the boys brought flowers back for me. They are such sweet boys!
We are making our trek back home. I think we all had fun, but are all very exhausted. The boys are asking when we can go back!
Jeff’s favorite part of the trip
Jeff liked the beach, and the first day in Disneyland when we went on a lot of the rides and it was the first time she had been on a lot of the rides.
Mel’s favorite part of the trip
Mom liked the entire trip (except the crowds). The beach was awesome, and it was fun to watch
Nate’s favorite part of the trip
Nate loved the whole trip. He liked the entire trip. Nate really liked the beach.
Zach’s favorite part of the trip
Zach said the favorite part of the trip was the pool. Zach also liked California Screaming. He liked the loop-da-loop for that.
Addi’s favorite part of the trip
Addi loved the beach and that she got to play with Sierra. She also loved the Ariel ride. The only thing she didn't like was the when she get wet on the rides. She liked the swimming pool. She liked everything.
Tuesday, March 11, 2014
We are on our fun family trip this week! On Saturday, March 8, 2014. Daddy, Nate. Zach and I went skiing at Brighton Ski resort. We needed to use up our ski passes for this season and it was a beautiful day! Addi didn’t want to go skiing, which is ok because she is still learning how to ski and is only four years old. When she skis, Mom has to hold onto the leash/backpack and help her down the slope because she still hasn’t quite learned how to slow down enough to be by herself. She chose to play at grandma and grandpa’s house and run errands with them instead.
Daddy, the boys and I went skiing on Saturday. It was a beautiful day! It was sunny and not very crowded. It was still a little cold, but very manageable. We did lots of blue runs and spent a lot of time over at the Snake Creek lift and the Great Western lift. The boys and dad had a lot of fun going into the trees and trying to find as many jumps as they could. We all had a great time.
We went to the Lignell’s parent’s house for dinner that night to say goodbye to their volleyball court and the house since his mom was moving after the death of Warren’s dad. It was sad to say goodbye, but we had a great time with friends. The boys had a lot of fun playing “smear the queer” and wrestling. It seems like these boys are always wrestling!!!!
Sunday, March 9th was a busy day as well. We got up, went to church, and started packing for our trip. Grandma and Grandpa Cogswell came over for a visit on Sunday and we had a great time seeing them. It was a good visit. The kids were running around being crazy, but we all had a great time. The boys got to show their grandparents their straight A report cards. We are very proud of them! Grandma and Granada Hillhouse also came over to bring some things for us to take with us on our trip. The boys and dad also worked on their pinewood derby cars since the derby is right after we get home. Overall, it was a very busy day. We got packed and the kids were super excited to leave on our trip the next day. They had a very hard time going to sleep.
I needed to finish up a paper for work before we left. I ended up working from 10:00 p.m. Sunday night to 4:00 a.m. Sunday morning to get it done. I got to sleep for three hours until Nate woke up and laid in bed with me and told me he was excited to go on our trip.
I was able to finish up my paper for work and we spent the morning packing and cleaning up the house. I HATE coming home to a very dirty home after a trip and wanted to gt it done before we left. We got in the car and started heading out. Our sweet neighbor/friend Kelli Lignell, brought over a care package with a book on tape, fruit snacks, and a CD of activities. She is such a sweetheart and we will miss them on our trip. Kelli is taking care of our turtle, Shelly, while we are gone.
We spent the six hours driving to Las Vegas for the first part of our trip. We had to make a couple of stops for potty breaks. We stopped in Beaver for the bathroom, and then in St. George for the bathroom and gas. I drove from St. George to Las Vegas and there was a lot of construction which was a little scary going through one lane in the canyon with barriers on both sides. Overall, it was a pretty uneventful trip. I read lightening thief for Zach for a while, and then we’ve been listening to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone on the drive. We had lots of snacks and arrived in Las Vegas in about 5:00 p.m. Zach was going CRAZY because he had to go to the bathroom SO BAD. By the time we got to the parking lot for our hotel, Circus Circus, he was going to explode. It’s our little secret, but he ended up having to pee in the parking lot of Circus Circus because he couldn’t make it any longer. Thankfully no one saw. I feel a little bad, but it was an emergency. We were very happy when we saw the big purple dome of the hotel.
We checked into the hotel and the kids were super excited to see our room. We put our stuff in the hotel and watched TV for a little bit. By that time, we were all very hungry. We ended up finding a Subway in Circus Circus and the sandwiches were very tasty.
After our dinner, we walked down the road to Treasure Island to see the pirate ships. The boys and I had a lot of talks on the way. Every time we came to the red boxes with advertisements in them, we had the boys count palm trees on the other side of the road in order to avoid looking at any of the flyers. We talked about how other people have different values and that it’s not good for us to look at those kind of photographs or watch bad movies because they get stuck in our brains. Nate and I also talked for a while about gambling and about how gambling is not a good thing. The boys decided that Las Vegas is not a good place for them and they just didn’t have a good feeling there.
When we got back to the hotel, we did go inside to watch some of the circus acts. We sat down at the stage and waited for the BMX bike tricks. We watched a guy come out and do lots of cool tricks. The kids were pretty excited that we stayed and watched them.
After the BMX bike tricks, we went back to our room to chill out and watch TV. Zach and Addi were super crazy and Zach had a very hard time sitting still. When we laid down to go to sleep, Zach and Addi (who were sharing a bed), were talking and playing for a while. They finally settled down, but it took a while. Nate was an awesome big brother and slept on the floor in a sleeping bag. This is probably a good thing because we like to tell the story about when he and Zach shared a bed at a hotel room before Addi was born and Nate whacked Zach in the head with his arm when he was sound asleep. Zach woke up and cried for a long time, but Nate slept soundly through all of it. We asked him about it the next morning and had no idea about any of it. So, for this trip, it’s probably a good thing he slept on the floor so no one got whacked!
We got packed up on Tuesday, March 11th and headed out. We are currently traveling in the car. We recently stopped at a rest stop in California where we got to take a picture in front of a Route 66 sign. We also got to learn what a Joshua Tree is and take some pictures in front of them. The boys got phones (for the games and apps) for Christmas and they have been taking lots of photos with them. We were munching on string cheese, carrots, and cauliflower. Nate was excited about cauliflower and was disappointed that I didn’t have broccoli as well. However, as I just wrote this, they asked for and are munching on licorice. Glad they like to eat healthy things, but we definitely like treats sometimes too :)
We have been able to see lots of airplanes on our trips and lots of trucks. We also saw a solar panel farm in California as well. The kids are excited since we were in Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and California in two days. We talked about getting a map to mark which states we visit as a family.
We arrived at our hotel on Tuesday a little after lunch time. We checked in at the Castle Inn and then got ready to go to the beach. We were pretty excited about the hotel. It was next to Disneyland and close enough to walk to it. It is shaped like a castle and has a pool in the center of the parking lot. The lobby has a suit of armor and a stained glass window. We were staying in one of the “towers” on the fourth floor. The room was really nice and the kids were pretty excited that the hotel staff and made swans out of the towels.
We got ready for the beach and stopped at a little ceases for lunch. We made our way to Huntington Beach and were super excited when we finally found it. We parked on the street and went right onto the beach. The sand was pretty soft and the weather was nice a warm. The ocean water was still cold, but still good enough to play in. The kids were super excited and chased waves. The waves were pretty big so we only got up to about the knees, but that was more than enough. Each of the kids got a big bag and collected TONS of shells. I mean, TONS of shells. They had a lot of fun with it. The kids each got a taste of sea water as well. We talked down the beach collecting sea shells and left our stuff in the sand. When Addi and I got back to our stuff, the seagulls were getting into all of our stuff! They took one of the bags of shells and opened it and dragged it down a little ways, looking for food. Another seagull was trying to open the grocery bag I had brought with some graham crackers in it,. They were pulling the bag down the sand and had partially opened it, but not completely. They are crazy!
We grabbed out stuff and put it in the car. We then walked down the beach for a little bit to the pier. We were able to walk on top of the pier and saw musicians performing as well as a guy that was moving glass balls on his hands. The kids had a lot of fun with it. We then walked under the pier as well. We made it back to our car and stopped off at the grocery store to pick up a couple of things. We headed back to the hotel to relax and get ready for the next day.
We woke up early Wednesday morning and headed off to California Adventure. The kids were super excited and we were the first ones to the park. We were really smart and did the new ride at Cars land very first and I also picked up fast passes right away as well. We hit lots of rides that day with pretty minimal wait times. Addi didn’t really like Grizzly River Run because she didn’t like getting wet. However, the boys had a lot of fun and got SOAKING wet. Addi only got just a little wet. We did Radiator Springs Racers twice because we did it very first, and then later used our fast passes for it. I packed lots of snacks as well so we were able to have lots of snacks throughout the day. We did stop at the pier and had lunch with family with the sandwich stuff we packed that day. Addi’s favorite ride was Little Mermaid, although Nate didn’t want to go on it. However, they were good brothers and went with their sister. Addi also loved Toy Story Mania and did really well on the game. Nathan wanted to make sure do to Soaring Over California because his primary teacher said that was part of his homework to do for her since she loves the ride. The boys also got to do California Screaming with their dad as well. This was the first time Zach got to go on it because he was too small last time. We did lots of stuff and had a lot of fun that day. We did come back that night exhausted. The kids watched the Disney channel and Jeff and I got Panda Express for dinner. We had dinner in the hotel and went to bed, ready for an early day at Disneyland.
We woke up early the next morning and went into the park early for Magic Morning. We hit the Matterhorn first and I was a little nervous about Addi going o it. However, Dad and the boys kept saying “Yeti, Yeti, Yeti, Yeti, Yeti” in a sing-song voice both before and throughout the ride and that helped so she wasn’t sacred. We also did Space Mountain and she loved it. We met up with Grandma later and did Buzz lightyear were Zach versed Grandma. We hit a few rides throughout the day and had lunch near Splash Mountain. Addi wasn’t sure about doing Splash Mountain because she didn’t want to get wet, but ended up doing it twice. The first time she wasn’t too sure about it. The second time we did it with Sierra and she handled it a little better. We also did Haunted Mansion that day and it was a entertaining because we went on it with Jared’s family. Celeste were terrified to go on it, but had been bribed with a churro to go on it. She went on it, but was in tears in the process. We thought she would have to leave before the ride began, but she toughened up and went with Bre. Addi wasn’t sure about it, but decided to go because Sierra went on it. She sat with me and cuddled up next to me during it. She wasn’t sure about it, but handled it ok.
On Thursday night, we stayed in the park and had dinner at the Golden Horseshoe and watched the show. We had chicken nuggets, fries and chilli fries. We watched a fun show and the kids really enjoyed it. We also splurged and got a couple of ice cream sundaes that we split as a family. The kids had a lot of fun with it. We also did Toone Towne with Jared that night. The kids had a fun in Toone Towne playing with their cousins. Nate drove the car in Roger Rabbit’s ride and I told him he as such a crazy driver that he can’t drive again for another 10 years. We drove into dynamite, into walls, and all sorts of stuff! The kids also got to find a detonator in Toone Towne and each one of them set off the fireworks inside the firework station. Crazy kids! Jeff took off to play with Jared, Bre, and Celeste while the kids and I headed back to the hotel. The kids caught part of the parade when we came out of Toone Towne and had a lot of fun with it. They really enjoyed watching the floats. Addi saw some of the princesses and said Ariel was her favorite. We then walked back to the hotel.
(I can’t remember which day this was!) We took off and went back to the hotel to go swimming in the pool. The kids had a TON of fun with swimming at the pool. There was a nice hot tub that Jeff, the boys and I enjoyed. There was also a pool that went from three feet to five feet that the boys really enjoyed. There was also a toddler pool that was 1 ½ feet deep that was perfect for Addi. She loved it and it was great to keep an eye on her and sit in the hot tub. The kids absolutely loved it!
On Friday, our third day in the park, we headed back to California to hit a couple of things again. The boys went over to California Screaming and rode it SIX times in a row. Addi and I did the King Triton’s carousel numerous times, which she loved. The boys were pretty done with it at the end of the sixth. While they were doing that, I took Addi and Sierra on the Little Mermaid ride. It was SO much fun to watch these too go on this ride. Sierra waved to Ariel and they talked throughout the ride. They loved it and did it a second time. The second time, Addi wore her Ariel dress on the ride. When they went the second time, Addi said she was Ariel. Sierra said “look, that’s you!” while pointing at Ariel. They had a lot of fun. We then went over to the carousel and they did that ride as well.
Addi had been asking to go on the tea cups with Sierra, so we headed over to Disneyland. I rode the tea cups with Addi, Sierra, and Celeste. We then headed over to Tomorrow land and the kids sat and got ready for the Jedi Training Academy and had lunch there. Thankfully, Nate, Zach, Celeste, and Savannah all got picked for the training academy. I was a little worried that Addi and Sierra weren’t picked, but they didn’t complain. We watched the older kids learn how to fight, and then Darth Vader and Darth Maul came! The kids got to fight these two. Celeste, Savannah, and Nate all fought Darth Maul. They did an awesome job. Zach got to fight Darth Vader. He was also the ONLY kid who got to use the force with his hand to push the storm troopers away as well. That was pretty cool. The kids had a lot of fun and got a certificate stating that they are padawans.
We hit a few other things in the park that day. Nate wasn’t feeling very well, so at one point we headed back to the hotel to rest. He seemed to get better as soon as we got back. The kids made it a little faster than I did and by the time I walked in the door, three of them had already gotten their swimming suits on. We went swimming and the kids had a lot of fun. We ended up having leftover panda express for dinner, which was plenty. We went swimming and felt great. We ended up walking down to Downtown Disney that night and saw the Lego store, which was pretty cool. There was a huge dragon on the front of the store. We decided that was Maleficent and Prince Philip from Sleeping Beauty. There was also a massive Hulk built out of legos, Beauty and the Beast characters and Toy Story characters. The kids thought it was awesome. We rode the monorail back into Disneyland and then walked over to California Adventure to watch the World of Color. Everyone else except BreAnn and Celeste decided not to do World of Color. We walked over and met them. While I was trying to figure out how to get into the “Blue” area, I walked by a group of people who asked if we had tickets. They gave me their tickets to World of Color and. When I looked down, found out that they were “Preferred Dining” tickets from eating at Ariel’s Grotto.
We got Bre and Celeste out of the “Blue” area which was already pretty full, and went over to this area. It was, literally, the best spot in the house. Bre chose to go into the “get wet” area and was right in the very front, right off of the water. You could not get any closer or get a better view. The boys, Celeste, and Bre chose to stay there. Addi and Jeff didn’t want to get wet, so they chose to get a little further away. I was worried about Addi, so I stayed with them. We were still really close, but had a couple of people in front of us. While waiting, Addi fell asleep in my lap.
The show started at 9:45 p.m. and was awesome. Addi really liked the Little Mermaid part as she is her favorite princess. The boys really liked the Pirates of the Caribbean part, especially when there was a lot of fire as well. When the show ended, we went up to the front to check on the boys. They were soaking wet. Bre said her hair was dripping wet. The boys had their hoodies on, which was a very good thing because it was really wet. However, they had a ton of fun. Zach said the fire part was his favorite part. We headed home and went right to bed. Addi fell asleep on the way home. It was probably 10:45 when we walked into the hotel room. However, it was well worth it.
The next morning, we slept in, until about 8:00 a.m.. We got ready for the day and headed over to Disneyland. We did Autopia, Buzz, and a couple of other things. Zach Addi was pretty tired still, so the boys went and did Pirates of the Caribbean and some other rides while Addi and I sat down and watched the Tangled Show. They did a great job and she really enjoyed it. I had asked her a couple of times if she wanted to meet any princesses and she said she would rather ride some rides instead.
We met up with everyone and had lunch. After lunch, we went over to the Tiki Room to watch it. Jeff complained about having to do it, but I bought him a Dole Whip and he didn’t complain about that He got to sit in the shade, away from people, eating ice cream. Not to shabby. Grandma and Grandpa took Addi on the Jungle Cruise while Jeff, the boys and I went with Bre to use our fast passes to Splash Mountain. We then met up and the boys went on the Matter horn with grandpa while Addi and I walked through the castle, rode the carousel, and went through the castle as well.
We were all pretty exhausted, so we decided to head back to the hotel. We went swimming again and the kids loved it. Seriously the pool was one of their favorite parts of the trip. At one point, Addi went to the bigger pool and Nate played with her and carried her around the pool as well. Such a good big brother! Zach was begging Jeff to throw him into the pool, which he did a few times through the trip. We swam for a while and then headed back to the room for showers. We walked up the street and had dinner at IHOP where Zach had the biggest chocolate chip pancake I have ever seen! After dinner, we went back and got PJS on and climbed into bed. The kids loved watching the Disney channel during our trip. We had cereal for breakfast each morning and watched the Disney channel during breakfast each morning.
We woke up this morning and got packed and out the door. The kids were sad to leave, but I think we all had a really good time. They had fun with their cousins and enjoyed the trip. One of my favorite moments was coming home today. We stopped at an exit on the side of the road to have Zach do to the bathroom. Each of the boys went to the bathroom and both of the boys brought flowers back for me. They are such sweet boys!
We are making our trek back home. I think we all had fun, but are all very exhausted. The boys are asking when we can go back!
Jeff’s favorite part of the trip
Jeff liked the beach, and the first day in Disneyland when we went on a lot of the rides and it was the first time she had been on a lot of the rides.
Mel’s favorite part of the trip
Mom liked the entire trip (except the crowds). The beach was awesome, and it was fun to watch
Nate’s favorite part of the trip
Nate loved the whole trip. He liked the entire trip. Nate really liked the beach.
Zach’s favorite part of the trip
Zach said the favorite part of the trip was the pool. Zach also liked California Screaming. He liked the loop-da-loop for that.
Addi’s favorite part of the trip
Addi loved the beach and that she got to play with Sierra. She also loved the Ariel ride. The only thing she didn't like was the when she get wet on the rides. She liked the swimming pool. She liked everything.
Desert Flowers
We recently went on a trip to Disneyland, and I've got a forever long narrative of that which I will post in a minute. On our way home, we had to stop on the side of the road for Zach to go to the bathroom. Both of the boys went ot the bathroom while I waited in the car for them. When they finished, Zach came back with flowers that he picked for me. That melted my heart! Nate also came back and gave me flowers as well. They wanted to go pick more flowers for their sister, but I told them I would share with her. I should have let them get flowers for their sister, but we were already running late. Such sweet boys! It melts my heart that they would still pick flowers for their mom at the ages of 7 and 10.
Princesses and weapons
Four year old: "Mom, do I look like I princess?". Me: "Yes honey, you do".
Five minutes later... "Mom, did you know I really am I princess. Because princesses don't put their weapons on the table and I don't.". Can you tell we recently watched Brave?
Five minutes later... "Mom, did you know I really am I princess. Because princesses don't put their weapons on the table and I don't.". Can you tell we recently watched Brave?
Wednesday, March 5, 2014
I'm sleeping
Have to write down a couple of things from Addi before I forget.
Last night we were sitting on the couch as a family doing family prayers. I asked who wanted to say their prayer first and Zach volunteered. He is really good about saying prayers and insists on doing it every night. He also insists on hugs and kisses every night as well. When he finished, Nate said his prayer. When he finished, I asked Addison if she was going to say a prayer. She had been sitting on my lap very still with her eyes closed. When I asked her, she turned to me slightly and whispered, "I'm sleeping". We did a family prayer and then she did do her prayer right after.
The other day I was helping Addi clean her room right before bedtime. I asked her where we should put her baby doll. She replied, pointing to the baby bed near by, "In her cage over there".
Last night we were sitting on the couch as a family doing family prayers. I asked who wanted to say their prayer first and Zach volunteered. He is really good about saying prayers and insists on doing it every night. He also insists on hugs and kisses every night as well. When he finished, Nate said his prayer. When he finished, I asked Addison if she was going to say a prayer. She had been sitting on my lap very still with her eyes closed. When I asked her, she turned to me slightly and whispered, "I'm sleeping". We did a family prayer and then she did do her prayer right after.
The other day I was helping Addi clean her room right before bedtime. I asked her where we should put her baby doll. She replied, pointing to the baby bed near by, "In her cage over there".
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