Disneyland Vacation

Last week we took a lovely family vacation to sunny California. It was my parents Anniversary so we planned a trip to Disneyland with my whole entire family. We started off leaving the cold weather behind on Saturday morning heading for Las Vegas. Our kids are very good travelers so when we go to Disneyland we have a tradition that we only stop twice. Once in Nephi, UT for gas, exercise, potty and food then we head to Vegas, cruise the strip and stay the night. The next morning we get up and drive the last four hours to Disneyland. Jairo loves to drive so it works out well, he drives the whole time while I am making sure the kids don’t make a mess in my van, I mean while make sure the kids are taken care of and having fun.
We arrived in Disneyland Sunday afternoon, checked into our Hotel and headed for the park. We went on some rides, watched the parade, then went on some more rides.





The first day or two Ryan did not want to get close to the characters, but by the end of the trip he loved them. We spent two days at Disneyland and California Adventure. On the second day all of the kids wore Red, White or Black which was so cute.



I made little Minnie Mouse hair bows for all the girls so they could match. (When my girls were little they would wear princess dresses but now they think they are too big so I have to settle for Mickey Mouse colors day.) We got a picture of my whole family in front of “Pirates of the Caribbean” which was monumental because we have not had a family picture in almost a decade, too bad some of us are closing our eyes, anyhow it is still a family picture.

On Tuesday we went to the beach. It was so much fun. It was Sunny and Hot but the water was a little to cold for me. The kids didn’t mind at all. They played in the water, built sandcastles, played ball and at treats. Jairo wrote a message in the sand to document our family vacation.

After we left the beach we went back to the Hotel for a swim then went to Downtown Disney for the evening to eat and shop.

Wednesday and Thursday we went to Disneyland and California Adventure again. We had so much fun. The kids loved being there with Grandma, Grandpa, and all of their cousins. Allie was either buddies with Grandma Debbie or Uncle Jeff the whole time. She is so sweet.

On the last day we had the kids make a list of all the things they wanted to do before we left so we had to break away from the group in order to accomplish this. We went to the Princess Fantasy Fair to meet the princesses (again), went on all of their favorite rides (again) and ate another churro and frozen lemonade. We were sad to leave but look forward to the next big family trip.
Katelyn’s Favorites: Splash Mountain, California Screamin and the Beach. She also said she love being with the family
Allie’s Favorites: Tower of Terror, Big Thunder Mountain, Riding rides with everybody and Grizzly Rapids.
Ryan’s Favorites: “The Pirate Boat Ride” (he rode it 6 times), The Buzz Lightyear Ride, Toystory Mania, playing with Luke, Ty Kaden and Jackson, the swimming pool and Toon Town.
Jairo’s Favorites: Billy Hill and the Hillbillies (dinner theater), the beach, Soaring, Pirates and Indiana Jones.
My Favorites: Being with my whole family and seeing them have so much fun, Soaring over California, not cooking or doing laundry for a week, and my all time favorite ride “Pirates of the Caribbean” especially going on it with my whole entire family.
On the way home the girls wanted to stay somewhere fun so we stayed at the “Paris Hotel” in Las Vegas.



Ryan loved it because it looked like a little city inside so he was acting like he was fighting crime as Spiderman. He was running down the fake cobblestone street shooting his “webs” at random strangers”. The girls love the water show at the Bellagio so we walked across the street and watch it a couple of times through then came back to the Paris for some “Fresh French Crepes.” The next morning we got up and drove home to freezing cold weather, unpacking, and lots of dirty laundry.
This was the best family trip we have ever had. The kids were just at the right ages to really enjoy themselves. It was a miracle that all 21 of us were able to make it. Thanks Mom and Dad for the Park hopper tickets and for making sure that we are always taken care of. You have kept us all best friends since we were little kids and I am thankful to have such a great family. I hope you had a great 33rd Anniversary with us. Disneyland, 21 people, 7 days, 85 to 90 degree weather the whole time, no drama, JUST FUN! This really is the happiest place on earth!

Best Birthday Ever!

Yesterday I had ANOTHER Birthday. This was the first year that I was actually thinking of skipping this day of getting older but soon realized that even if you skip your birthday you still grow one year older (and wiser too). The occasion started on Sunday when I arrived at my mother’s house for dinner with the welcome of a sweet smelling cake that my sisters had baked for me. They are always so thoughtful. Next, my brother Bryan gave me the gift of cutting a piece from the very middle of my cake as is a trademark of his since we were little kids. But don’t worry; when his kind wife explained that they had not yet sang “Happy Birthday” he quickly plopped the piece of cake back in its rightful spot until after the song. Afterwards, I opened my gifts from my family that were, as always, exactly what I wanted. Thanks Guys, you always do too much!
On the morning of my actual Birthday I got up and watched the news, after a while Katie and Allie came in and sang me “Happy Birthday” and then Allie made me my favorite breakfast. At 11:00 my always thoughtful friends took me out to lunch to “Garcia’s” then to the mall where Jairo and the kids picked me up and took me to the movie “Bedtime Stories” (every year since Kate was 18 months we have went to the movie on my birthday) then to dinner at my favorite restaurant, Texas Roadhouse. Later some of my friends and family stopped by and called to wish me a happy birthday. I retired early to bed and got a good nights rest since I need it now that I am old(er). Jairo and my kids we so sweet all day and kept the house clean, just the way I like it. I am so grateful to have such a wonderful family and great friends. Thanks for making this the BEST BIRTHDAY EVER!

Christmas

This was such a great Christmas. With all of the snow we got it felt like a country Christmas. One of my favorite parts of Christmas is Sacrament Meeting the Sunday before Christmas. I love listening to all of the wonderful talks and reminders of our Saviors humble birth. I love all of the beautiful Christmas music and the fact that everyone seems to be wearing Christmas colors to Church. The Primary kids are so excited to act out the Nativity and the teachers don’t seem to mind the extra excitement the kids have on this Special Sunday. I am grateful to have such a wonderful family to spend the holidays with. I love each and everyone of them so very much. I spent Christmas Eve baking everyone’s favorite treats for the family Christmas Party’s. We had a great time Christmas Eve at Jairo’s parent’s house where the kids got spoiled. Then my two year old niece Maya came home with us to sleep over. The kids woke up at about 8:00am ready to check out their delights from Santa. I thought they might be getting coal, but somehow they slid under the radar on the naughty list. We had a great morning opening gifts and eating a yummy Christmas breakfast. The girls were having so much fun with their new Barbies and American girl doll pets they decided to take pictures of them, it was so funny. I had to confiscate the camera before they decided to photograph all of there new Polly Pockets and other toys. Afterwards Jairo took Maya back the Elizondo’s and we went over to my parents house for a great day of visiting, playing games, exchanging gifts, a delicious prime rib dinner and the boys even had some fun in the snow with Bryan’s Jeep and Dad’s FJ Cruiser. My parents got the whole family a trip to Disneyland. We all go to Disney almost every year, but this will be the first time we all get to go together. We are so excited! I am so grateful for all of the time I had to spend with my family and look forward to a happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

I wanted to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas! This is my favorite time of year. My favorite scripture from Matthew 25: 40 keeps running through my head “Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me”. It is so fun to see the way people’s hearts are softened this time of year. Everyone is running around with their eyes open enough to see the miracles they can complete for those who are in need. It is so great that such a humble story of The Birth of Christ could change the hearts of man for one month of the year. I took my girls for our annual outing to “A Christmas Carol” on Saturday and they had such a great time. This year they seemed to get it even more. They thought that the man who played Scrooge was the best scrooge they had ever seen. He did such a great job. They came home wanting to find more people to help for Christmas. Wouldn’t it be great to see the magic of Christmas through the eyes of a child again?
The kids are also excited to be out of school for 2 weeks. They have a full week of fun all planned out. Today we are going bowling for my Nephew’s birthday. Tuesday the kids are going to the annual neighborhood Christmas Party for kids. They go over to the Richards house to bake cookies and make treats. Afterwards she takes them caroling on her big old fashioned sleigh. The kids decide who had the best decorated house, then they give that neighbor a prize. The kids look forward to the sleigh ride every year.
Wednesday we will go to Jairo’s Parents for their family Christmas Party. We get together, eat, visit, and play games then at 10:00pm we open presents. We use to have to wait until midnight but now that we have children, Grandpa lets us open presents while the kids are awake enough to enjoy them.
Christmas Morning we get up and enjoy Christmas with our own little family. We first open stockings and the gifts from Santa, then we share the gifts we got for each other. Afterwards we eat Strawberry Crepes for breakfast then go to my parents for the rest of the day. At mom and dad’s we eat a delicious meal, exchange gifts, play games, watch movies, nap, then eat again. This year we decided that for Christmas with my family we would go to Disneyland. We are planning to leave after the crowds die down on January 10th and stay for a week. We are Disney addicts and like to go every year but this will be the first year that we are all able to go together. We are looking forward to getting away and warmer weather.
Well I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season. This is long entry because our blog is the closest thing we will get to family journal. I am so grateful for my precious family and great friends to share this special time of year. If you have a minute please share your favorite family Christmas tradition with us. Merry Christmas!

Batboy

So Ryan loves being a Super Hero! He is always flying around saving the day. The other day we were watching Batman and he told me that he would be right back and by golly he was right back, in his underwear. It is nice to know that it is important to him to change his underwear to complete his costume. Me being neurotic about having things match all the time did not just get passed on to my daughters. Anyhow, we all feel safe with "Batboy Underpants" around.

Last week Allie had her First Grade Christmas Program. She did such a great job. We had a lot of fun watching all of the kids sing. Allie was so excited for the song when she got to use the guitar she made in class. Kids this age are so funny.
The following night I took Katelyn and her friend Ashley to the Nutcracker. I wanted to take Allie but she wanted to go to a basketball game with her friend. The ballet was great! I can't wait to go again next year with both of my girls.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I love Thanksgiving. A whole holiday dedicated to being thankful. We have much to be thankful for and are so blessed. We started our day off with my kids favorite breakfast, then went to my moms for a wonderful Thanksgiving Dinner at 2:00, ran over to Jairo’s cousins house for dessert and football at 3:30, then went back to moms for treats, games, visiting and of course our annual “Black Friday” planning meeting. Some of our dear friends were in town so they stopped by. What a wonderful day! We are thankful to be able to gather with family, eat a yummy feast and appreciate all our many blessings!