Easter 2011

The kids ended up participating in FOUR Easter egg hunts when all was said and done.  Lucky kids!  Anyway I really only have some pictures from the one we did as a family so here they are. Oh and by the way my spring choir concert went well, the ward Easter program went well, and we enjoyed go to the Atlanta Temple Open House (sorry no pictures) and the dedication.  The open house was memorable because Char was nuts trying to run around and climb on everything.  She even dropped her binky down to the bottom of the baptismal font.  Fun, Fun!

Vacation Part 4: Everything Else

Okay, I really need to finish up these vacation posts so I can move on to Easter, which was a month ago.  Anyway below is a picture of us at the St. George Temple.  We wanted to show the kids where Mom and Dad got married, so we took them there and to the visitors center also.

While in California we had a Easter Egg hunt with the cousins all thanks to Ben’s mom.  It was fun.  Here are some pictures of the kids below.

On our last day in California we went to the beach to get a family picture and have a picnic, it was actually kind of cold and the water was freezing but the kids did not care. Below are some pictures to remind us of our drive to and from the west.  My mom and I drove out to Utah in 3 days and Ben and I drove back in 2 and a half days.  The kids did great; I was surprised at how well they did.  Charlotte even did well not having accidents, except she was not as good at going on the potty at the stops.  She was scared of the loud toilets at public bathrooms, especially the ones that automatically flush and the loud hand dryers.  We had to bribe her with candy at every stop and then we had to retrain our kids later that you do not get candy every time Charlotte goes potty.  In general the drives were quite uneventful, which I am grateful for.  All that I can remember is that Jenna lost a jacket somewhere in Colorado, my mom lost a gas cap, and Westley the phrase “I have drink on my bum” to mean that he had a sweaty bum.  That last one is what actually prompted me to take the car pictures.

Vacation Part 3: Disneyland

During the first week of April we went to California for a few days and spent 2 days at Disneyland with Ben’s family.  I had been prepping the kids for this trip for over a year by reading them all the Disney books, watching all the Disney movies, and watching Disneyland rides on YouTube, so they were SUPER excited to go.  They saved up all the money they were given for birthdays and we had a garage sale to help pay for everything.  We definitely had a good time and I am so glad we were able to go.  The kids had such a good time that they have been talking about the trip non-stop for the last month.  They even make their own Disneyland Park maps and rides at our house.

Jenna in front of the castle, the part she wanted to see most.

The kids with most of their cousins in Toon Town. Waiting to see Minnie Mouse. When we first got to Disney all Westley wanted to do was find Mickey Mouse until he went on his first ride … then all he wanted to do is go on rides.  He was SOO fun and he even went on the kid roller coaster in Toon Town. (Jenna went to.) I do not know how Charlotte fell asleep with everything going on around her but somehow she did. The Tea Cups!  This ride was talked about for months leading up to the trip and I think West ended up going on it at least three times. I wish I had more pictures but our camera battery died so we have no pictures from the second day.  Westley favorite ride was the Buzz Lightyear blaster ride (I do not know the official name) and Jenna’s favorite ride were the rockets (or Pirates of the Caribbean if Ben is around when you ask her).

Locks of Love

Jenna and I have been growing out our hair to donate to Locks of Love and while on vacation Ben’s sister Aubrey cut our hair for us.  Here are the pictures of the big day.  Sorry I do not have any “after” pictures.  Just wait for posts that follow for a look at our new do. (By the way the short hair is GREAT on Jenna.  I don’t have to fight with her about combing all the knots out.)

 

Vacation Part 2: Time with Grandma Debbie

After my brother’s house we went to my mother’s house and had some fun with Grandma.  We went to an inflatable jump place, a dinosaur museum, and played at Grandma’s house.  Westley and Jenna had a blast at the jump place.  Charlotte was scared at first but eventually had fun when I went in with her.  We have now realized that she is scared of loud noises (more about that when I do the traveling post).

The jumpy place.  

Hanging out at Grandma’s house with Uncle Brad.

Digging in the sand at the dinosaur museum.