The Graves

Our Memorial Day tradition of visiting the graves was a little different this year. We got to go a few days beforehand to help clean the headstones with mineral oil (which by the way, makes a huge difference in how pretty they look) and clip the grass right around them too. It's normally something Grandpa Parry does. Now, however, he isn't able to leave Grandma alone that long, so we went and helped out.

Thankfully, they were both able to make it out to the cemetery on Memorial Day. It was a beautiful day and it was nice to see Grandma and Grandpa out and about.

Ensign Peak

We have a new tradition for Memorial Day that we've done twice now and have loved each time--hiking Ensign Peak. Josh's dad came with us this year, as well as Brady and Jordan.

We got there early enough to beat the hiking crowd and to have a little fun before hand. Brady showed the girls how to pose in some karate moves, inspired by The Karate Kid, even though the girls have no idea who that is. We also ate donuts and milk, the perfect thing to eat when you know you're going hiking. It may not have given us the energy we needed but we knew we were likely to burn it all off. My favorite, a guilt-free, yummy breakfast.

Kali and Sadie did awesome on the hike, other than each taking a turn falling down and getting scratched up. Ashlyn, on the other hand, had to be carried the entire way. Thank goodness Brady was there. If I would have had to carry her the entire way, the hike would have taken twice as long.

Preschool Graduation

Sadie is officially a preschool graduate!

She and three of her cousins will be moving on to kindergarten and she's so ready for it. She aced her end of the year test. My mom was so impressed with how well she did that she called me up to tell me. She said Sadie was the only one that knew her address and phone number. And not only did she know her phone number, she asked which one my mom wanted to know, Mom's or Dad's. Then she proceeded to recite them both.

She was so excited for the graduation performance that she was hyper. She got to play Baby Bear in Goldilocks and the Three Bears and Little Miss Muffet in Little Miss Muffet.

Dance Pictures

I seriously have the most amazing sister-in-law. She is such an amazing photographer (Raspberry Branch Photography). I asked her to quickly take pictures of my girls in their dance costumes and this is what I got. I had a hard time narrowing it down to my favorites.

This one is Kali's favorite dance move from one of her dances.

And Ashlyn isn't in dance, but loves wearing leotards and tutus. So my sister-in-law snapped of few of her too and they turned out priceless.

Solar Eclipse

Utahns had a rare chance to see a solar eclipse today. And although we couldn't see the full eclipse from where we live, we were able to see a partial eclipse. It's a pretty cool thing since the last time one was visible was 18 years ago. Unfortunately, I forgot to buy the special glasses that allow you to view it without going blind and since it fell on a Sunday, I wasn't able to run to the store. I thought I'd try using my camera to take a picture of it in hopes I could see it. But my first picture turned out like this.

I decided to give it one more try and this is what I got.

It's like it somehow reflected off the camera's lens and I actually got to see what it looked like. How cool!!! The skies are so mysterious and exciting to me.

Dance Recital

Kali and Sadie had their dance recital tonight and I couldn't have been more proud. I knew that they had been working hard all year, but I couldn't believe their progress. They both danced with so much enthusiasm and had a lot of fun. The theme for the night was Tiptoe Through Time and both of them had two dances.

Kali - Hero

Sadie - Moon Shadow

Kali - I Saw the Sign

Sadie - Teddy Bear

Wheeler Farm

Today Sadie got to go on a field trip to Wheeler Farm for preschool. This year was kind of fun because we went on a guided tour and this little lamb puppet was the tour guide's helper. The kids loved it.

I found the cow milking station pretty funny. The kids thought it was great to be able to put their heads in the stalls like they were going to be milked.

But like every year, the tractor ride is the favorite.

And the fact that the majority of the kids in the class are cousins and that Grandma is the teacher. Check out how many of the cousins were able to go.

Helpers

My girls have become such good helpers lately. Sometimes it makes our projects take a little longer than planned, but I look forward to the day when I can simply turn the tasks over to them. Isn't that what they say, you have kids so that they can do the chores!

Smiles

Emmalyn has been smiling a lot lately, but unfortunately, not for everyone. She's a real mommy's girl. I attempted to catch it on camera and this is the best I could do.

Bedtime

In order to go to sleep Ashlyn has to have her sippy, her bears (Mr. Bear and Grumpy Bear) and now her new Cinderella doll. She props them above her head on her headboard and then she makes us spread out her yellow blanket.

C*A*L*I*F*O*R*N*I*A

DAY 1

Disneyland

Our girls have been wanting to go to Disneyland for some time now. Little did they know that we have too and finally saved up enough to make it possible. We surprised them the beginning of April with the news and made them countdown chains for the big day. Let's just say Disneyland didn't disappoint at all. We had so much fun.

We started out our first day in Fantasy Land riding rides like the Tea Cups and Peter Pan. Our next stop was the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boo Boutique where, thanks to Grandpa and Grandma, the girls were dressed up as princesses, had their nails painted, makeup done, and hair styled.

Not only did we love Ashlyn's extensions and the overall experience in the boutique, but the girls ended up with an experience of a lifetime when they stepped out.

Cinderella just happened to be outside the door.

And instead of posing for pictures, she took the girls hands and led them across the entire park.

She twirled with them.

And even helped them make wishes at the wishing well.

It was an unforgettable experience!

After more rides and fun, we were able to finish off the day with a showing of Aladdin in the theater at California Adventure. We were all exhausted by the end of the day.

DAY 2

Disneyland

On day two, we attempted to visit the remaining attractions of Disneyland.

The girls chose face painting rather than a souvenir.

And we introduced them to the fast rides. Josh's stomach didn't hold up well, but I went on several rides with them.

We finished up the evening watching World of Color at California Adventure. What a beautiful spectacle!!!

And then just before we left the park, I realized that I couldn't find our tickets. I was quite distressed. We looked everywhere that I thought I could have possibly placed them with no luck. We even checked the ground where I thought they could have fallen out. I was in tears, but Josh remained calmed and said a personal prayer (my father-in-law also did at the same time while in a different location) and within minutes, the tickets had been found. They were in one of our backpacks in a place that I hadn't ever put them before.  Although it seems like such a silly thing, I'm grateful they thought of such a simple solution and that Heavenly Father cared enough to help us find them.

DAY 3

The Aquarium of the Pacific & The Beach

We heard about the Aquarium of the Pacific from my sister and headed to Long Beach to check it out. Not only did they have sea lions, otters, sharks, and every kind of fish imaginable, the girls got to touch baby sharks, stingrays, and jellyfish. 

Then they got to go into this fenced-off area and feed Lorikeets nectar out of little cups. They were allowed to let the birds climb on them, but they weren't allowed to pet them. That didn't stop Kali from trying and she got nipped.

After that, we headed to Huntington Beach. And while the cooler temperatures made Disneyland quite enjoyable, it made the beach freezing cold.

But the girls weren't about to miss out on going in the water. So they suited up and headed in. I could hardly stand to put my feet in the water it was so cold. Kali and Sadie spent quite a long time in the water with Josh trying to ride the waves and really seemed to enjoy themselves until they got out and realized how cold they were. 

Ashlyn didn't spend too much time in the water, but she did get her legs wet a few times. She enjoyed playing in the sand and cuddling up with Grandma and Grandpa in towels while eating sandy food.

DAY 4

Disneyland

Our last day at Disneyland got off to a great start. We got to eat breakfast with the princesses. The first princess they got to see was none other than Ariel, Sadie's favorite. She even got to tell her so.

Next in line was Belle.

Then Snow White.

Then Cinderella, Ashlyn's favorite.

And last but not least, Sleeping Beauty, Kali's favorite. She was kind of fun because she spent a lot of time at our table talking with the girls and even dancing with Ashlyn.

Then it was off to Mickey's Toontown. But in order to get there we took the train which had to be Ashlyn's favorite part of the whole experience (that and the bus that shuttled us to and from our hotel).

In Toontown, Ashlyn gave Mickey Mouse the longest hug ever.

Then we got to watch Mickey's Sounsational Parade which was so much fun. They had all the classic Disney characters and music.

The girls got to wave to them all and Sadie couldn't help but dance to the music.

Ashy loved it too.

And Emma slept through it all like a good little baby.

Our trip was amazing and we have memories to last us a lifetime.