Happiest Place on Earth

My Aunt now works for Disneyland. This past Friday she signed the girls and I in for "free". Yeah. We love it. We got there at about 8:30 am (way early for me!). By lunch we had already ridden 10 rides. After that the lines got a little longer, but not horrible. We stay til 11pm. I was exhausted. Lil Sis fell asleep in line for Autopia, she requested that we go one last time. She slept through the entire ride! She loved driving the car. My neck not so much! Lil Sis also went on her first roller coaster, Matterhorn. Her favorite ride was the ferris wheel.
Big Sis' loved Space Mountain, it was her favorite ride. She screamed the entire ride, a happy scream I am told. After our last ride, my Cousin K, wanted to stay and watch Steve Rushton perform. I guess he is a pretty big deal or will be among 15/16 year olds. His singing style seemed a bit like the Jonas Brothers, not really my thing but he did give a really fun entertaining performance. And a British accent will make any girl swoon!
This picture says it all, Big Sis loved hanging out with my teenage cousin.

Aunt D spoiled the girls. I can't remember how many times they have asked me for those lollipops and I have said no.

Beach Bums

The past week we have taken many family trips to the beach. Big Sis went surfing for the first time with dad. Lil Sis was busy taking pictures with my camera, so I didn't get a shot of them riding the wave. I did however get may shots of the sky, ocean, sand, and some random dude's beer belly!

She is finally venturing closer to the breaking water.

Big Sis kept finding heart shaped rocks.

Just keepin' it real. Wow, did I really look that bad or that white? My hair needs some help.

Mammoth

This past weekend we went camping in the Mammoth Lakes area. It was so beautiful. We hiked to Rainbow Falls one day. The girls made it the whole way there about 1 1/2 miles, but needed help for the trek back. We found an awesome spot to camp with "free" hot showers. The showers are heated from a natural hot spring. I felt spoiled. The girls did not want to shower. I can't believe how dirty they got. Our whites are brown, yuck. Hopefully my washing machine can work its magic. My parents, brothers, sister-in-law, and nephew also came along. Baby M was such a trooper. I don't know if I could have handled camping with a 7 month old, but my brother and his wife somehow managed very well.

Lil Sis loved to play in the bushes and tall grass. She was in heaven exploring the camp site. She got so dirty from playing. One morning she was having a fit and started crying and there were black streaks running down her cheeks.

Big Sis got to sleep in her very own tent with Onkel A. She loved every minute of it. The very next morning she informed me that they didn't sleep at all, they stayed up talking all night! One night she must have slid down into the bottom of her sleeping bag, couldn't find her way out and woke up in a fright. Onkel A rescued her and helped her calm down. She really is growing up way too fast. It seems at times that she isn't content being a little girl anymore.

Who needs toys

DH is always telling me that we have too many toys and that girls don't need toys. I think he feels super triumphant when he sees them entertaining themselves for hours on end with cardboard boxes. So here's to DH, you were right, kids really don't need toys!

These are their new homes for as long as they'll hold up or until I get sick of the sight of them in my living room.

Summer Fun

If you've never done it, try it. Although it was a super hard work out peddling four kids on our own. We had a fun time last week at the beach with my friend and her two kids. We love Doheny. I got a wicked sun burn. I tried to apply my own spray sunscreen, bad move. Now have I the ugliest blotchy skin on my back. I need a cabana boy!

They're fishes!

The past two weeks Big Sis has been taking swimming lessons. She already knew how to swim, we just needed to work on her technique. I signed her up with the City of Irvine at the William Woollett Aquatics Center. I was so proud of her. She did so well. Now she is trying to learn to breathe on the side. It makes such a huge difference in your swimming. One thing she struggled with was hanging on to the side of the wall while the instructor was busy with another kid in the class. I kept hearing "Abi stay at the wall". She just wanted to keep moving. The last day they were allowed to go down the slide.

She has inspired Lil Sis. Lil Sis is now asking to take lessons and she even let me take off her arm floaties this week. Guess what she swam. I knew she was capable, but just using the floaties as a security. (Sorry no photos of Lil Sis, I was in the pool with her teaching her to swim!)

Seeing the swim teams practicing, especially the Masters Team made me yearn to get in the pool again and swim some laps. I really miss that feeling of accomplishment.

Where in the world was I?

I have been at Girls Camp in Beaver, Utah this past week with the young women from church. Wow it was fun. Those girls are awesome. I can't believe how well they did camping and trying all kinds of fun high adventure activities. Let it be known that I slept in a tent, cooked on a camp stove, washed with COLD water, survived the wild rain storm and I loved it. It took a lot of preparation to get there, but I would do it again in a heart beat. (Hence the lack in posts lately)

The girls partied hard at Oma & Opa's house for a couple days. Thanks mom and dad for spoiling them. They had so many stories to tell me. Chuck-E-Cheese was a huge hit.

DH held down the fort. Amazing man that he is even cleaned the house. I love coming home to a clean house and fresh laundry. Thank you! He must have ESP.

After sacrament services at Chapel Rock.

Shooting the 22 rifle. So fun.

Trust Fall

Before Rock Climbing and Rappelling.

Horseback riding. It was so beautiful and just amazing. My horse was "Fred". He was very good to me.

Going on the flying squirrel. Scary but fun.