Disneyland, Day 1

We were able to get a somewhat decent night's sleep. Since we got to bed late, the kids slept till Joseph woke everyone up a little before 6 (California time). The early morning worked out well because we were able to choose one day to get into the park at 8 am-- an hour earlier than 'normal' park hours. We got to the gates about 7:40, and the gates opened at 7:50. The lines weren't too long to get into the park, and we didn't wait too long. A good start to the day!

We went to Fanasyland to start out with. We were able to fly in the air with Dumbo, go on Alice's adventure in Wonderland, spin on the Teacups, fly in a Pirate ship with Peter Pan, and float through "It's a Small World" all before 10:30 in the morning. It was great! Then we saw a sign for a visit with a princess, and stood in line for way too long before deciding that the kids were not going to have enough fun seeing a princess to justify waiting in line for an hour or more. So we got out and went on a couple more rides before heading back to the hotel for lunch and rest time.

While Joseph napped, Jack took Rebecca back to the park for some special time together. Rebecca rode her first roller coaster, the Matterhorn Bobsleds. She thought it was fun, but the seat belt was too tight, and she didn't like that it hurt her tummy. They were also able to go through the home of the future, ride the cars, and do the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters. While Jack and Rebecca waited for us to join them, Goofy came out and walked hand-in-hand with Rebecca for a few minutes. She thought it was pretty neat.

After we were all back together again, we went to California Adventure to watch the Pixar Parade. The costumes were amazing and the dancing was great. I was impressed by it. Then off to dinner at Red Rocket's Pizza Port. Then we watched the Honey I Shrunk the Audience performance and finished off the night by riding the Finding Nemo Submarine. The kids were all totally beat by the time we left the park.

I had a fun time as well. I was amazed at the puppets, props, and all the equipment they have to make everything move in sync and seem real. It has also been fun to see the kids' excitement at everything. They have all really enjoyed the trip so far, and have been very well behaved!

California

We made it! Here we are in California. We all survived the trip, and I think everyone enjoyed at least part of our first day of family vacation.

The girls were excited with everything having to do with flying on an airplane. Well, Rebecca complained several times about having to wait. And then Miriam said she was all done waiting (but didn't like Dad's suggestion to start walking). When we got on the shuttle bus to go from the parking lot to the airport, the girls loved all the bouncing. It was like the first amusement park ride of the trip! Once we got to the airport, Miriam was like the energizer bunny-- bouncing all over the place. She was so excited to look out the window at the airplane, look at all the people, and stare at the poor woman from the last flight being taken away on a stretcher.

Rebecca was the calm, cool older sister. She has informed Miriam several times in the last week that she has been on an airplane before, and Miriam hasn't. (Of course, the last time Rebecca flew she was under two, so I'm sure she has a lot of memories of the experience!) Joseph was just tired because it was halfway through nap time before the flight took off!

Once we got on the plane, Rebecca was amazed at how many people got on the plane after us, and how long it took to get going. She liked flying, except how it "tickled her tummy". Miriam was so engrossed in watching 3 Diego episodes she didn't seem to notice flying. Joseph finally went to sleep in Dad's arms.

I have had a little bit of an upset stomach the past couple days, and that combined with flying made me consider locating the bag in the seat pocket in front of me. I was glad when we finally got off the plane!

We made it to our cute hotel and admired all the palm trees (I think) around. The girls insisted on going swimming after dinner, even though the sun was going down. The pool was heated, but that doesn't make up for the chilly evening air. After warm baths in our room, everyone was able to calm down and go to sleep. Day one of our vacation was a success! New experiences and lots of fun.

Happy Birthday, Miriam!

Miriam turned 5 years old today. She was so excited for her birthday party. She started asking if the friends were almost here at about 8 am. So we had to distract her until 9:30 when the party started! (Good thing it wasn't an afternoon party!)

Miriam's friends Katelyn, Anna, Noah, and Shaya came to the party. We did a Dora the Explorer theme. To start out, we decorated backpacks to carry like Dora. Then everyone got a map to tell us how to get to Dora and the fiesta. First, we went through the library. We had to find the missing books and read a story. Then everyone got a bookmark to put in their backpack. Next, we had to go over the narrow bridge. The bridge led right to the tiny farm. But all the farm animals were stuck in balloons! So everyone had to pop a balloon to free the animals. Then we had to find the beach balls under the parachute. Finally, we made it to the pin-the-bracelet-on-Dora poster and the Dora pinata. We finished off with everyone decorating their own cupcake and opening presents. Everyone seemed to have a fun time.

After lunch we had Miriam open her presents from the family. She liked all the toys she got throughout the day so much that she didn't want to go outside with Dad to ride her new bike! It was okay, though, because Jack was able to work with Rebecca (and her bike) and Rebecca is riding without help now!!! Then Miriam decided to go outside and had lots of fun riding her new Dora bike. She discovered that when she wants to stop, she just has to run into a snow drift.

Miriam is such a sweet girl. She is a joy in my life. She makes me laugh. I am so grateful to have her!

Snow Day

Since the wind stopped blowing and the sun came out, it was actually nice enough for the kids to go out and play in the snow for a little while this morning. They also 'helped' Jack shovel the driveway again.

I am not a fan of winter sports. I don't understand the draw of something like skiing where you deliberately go out in the cold weather and stay out there all day. My idea of a nice winter day is sitting inside with a good book and a cup of hot chocolate! However, I managed to be the one to get hit in the face with a snowball. We immediately had a discussion on how this was not a good idea.

We stayed out until Rebecca lost her snow boot inside the mountain snow pile. Miriam had been out long enough, too, but Joseph didn't want to come in. Jack finished shoveling and dragged in our reluctant boy.

The Perfect Storm

This week is crazy. Between preparing for vacation, planning a birthday party, teaching Young Women's on Sunday and doing the midweek activity, visiting teaching, parent-teacher conferences... it has been a little stressful for me! I went beyond just making a list of what needed to be done-- I made a list on each day of the calendar so I wouldn't forget something and get caught Friday with 20 things left to do!

The weatherman has been forecasting snow for today for about a week now. Yesterday morning I watched the weather and it said 5-8 inches of snow. A good snowstorm, but nothing to cancel plans. Then last night Jack saw that the forecast had been altered to 8-16 inches with blizzard conditions. Well, that changes things! We got a call from the school district at 6 this morning informing us school was cancelled, and then another this evening saying it was cancelled tomorrow as well. What a blessing!

This snowstorm couldn't be more perfect for me. I didn't have to go to Parent-Teacher Conferences this afternoon. Visiting Teaching tomorrow is cancelled. I don't have to stress about getting to the store-- it's not going to happen! (I just need the stuff to make cream filling for the cupcakes for Miriam's birthday, and, as Jack said, the kids don't care!) I was able to get the house cleaned, some birthday preparations done and some responsibilities for church done today. Rebecca even told me she was glad she was staying home tomorrow so she could help get ready for Miriam's party.

And, to top it all off, the perfect storm should move on through tomorrow, leaving the weather Saturday in the upper 40's for the birthday party!

I'd like to thank Jack for his hard work in removing the snow from my blessing of a snowstorm from the driveway. I think he was out there shoveling for an hour and a half!

The girls braved the snow for about 5 minutes-- that's all mom would allow. They had fun even though it was snowing and the wind was really blowing!

Multifunctional Devices

If you watch Food Network, you are probably familiar with Alton Brown. Alton is a hilarious food scientist who tells you scientifically about the best methods of food preparation. One of his big hang-ups is not wanting any kitchen tools that only have one use. Well, I think Miriam has been taking lessons from him! Here are some of her inventive uses of items that perhaps you thought only had one function.

• Child Safety Scissors: First off, the only thing that is safe from them is small fingers and toes. Everything else is fair game. But normally you would consider them a good tool for cutting shapes from paper. Well, Miriam discovered that they are also good for cutting shapes out of the tablecloth. At least it was the $5 vinyl kind from Wal-Mart!
• Peanut Butter: One normally thinks of peanut butter as a food item consumed as a sandwich, on waffles or pancakes, or even as a dip for apples or bananas. Perhaps it also works as a way to remove gum from hair. Well, Miriam thought it would also work well as hand and foot lotion. With all the oil in it, I'm sure it would moisturize the skin nicely, but to remove everything else, a bath was necessary. Luckily, it washed off the chair fairly easily.
• Toothbrush and Liquid Hand Soap: The toothbrush's function is self-explanatory-- to brush your teeth. Liquid hand soap is useful for removing dirt and germs from your hands. Well, Miriam discovered that when you put the soap on the toothbrush like you would toothpaste and then scrub a dirty toy, the toy will come clean. However, the next time you brush your teeth, the experience is less than pleasant.
• Adjustable Waistband: Since my children are so skinny, I search the stores for the pants that are sold in slim sizes with the adjustable elastic waistband in them to make them fit. Just moments ago, Miriam came to me with the elastic waistband wrapped around her face, asking if she could use it as a belt. Hmm. Wasn't it already a belt, just on the inside??

As you can see, Miriam is a very inventive little girl. She can definitely think outside the box. I hope all the stress it causes me now will be worth it when she supports me in my old age with some invention she has come up with!

PB & J

How many peanut butter and jelly sandwiches could you eat before you were completely and utterly sick of them? I think Rebecca is trying to set a record. If you look at her eating habits, you would think PB&J's were their own food group! Rebecca takes her lunch with her every day to school. When she first started Kindergarten, I tried to make her have variety in her lunch throughout the week, but not too long into the school year, I decided that it wasn't worth the battle. If she wants to eat peanut butter sandwiches every day for lunch, so be it. She is the one eating it! This school year, we started a Saturday afternoon ritual of making enough sandwiches for the entire week and putting them in the freezer. (Did you know if you put PB on both pieces of bread, it keeps the sandwich from getting soggy?) Well, we are just about two months from the end of first grade, and Rebecca has just started becoming interested in taking leftovers from dinner for lunch. I asked her if she was getting sick of peanut butter and jelly, and she said yes.

So there are 169 days in this school year. 169 x 2 = 338 Peanut Butter and Jelly Sandwiches! (I figure the last two months have been more than made up for between all the weekends, school breaks, and summer time...) That is a lot of bread, peanut butter and jelly. Hopefully she has enjoyed the food jag, and will eventually gain a better sense of dietary variety!