Mickey Mouse T-Shirt Day

Rachel waiting to go on Grizzly River Run.
The first time I went on this ride I got drenched! So the next time I brought my raincoat, and I am glad I did. I did not think this would be a great day for a wet t-shirt contest. My shirt was a nice light pink. I also saved my hair.

Andrew and Brian are flexing their mighty muscles!

Rachel got to ride in her very own Autopia car. She did really well. Her foot got really tired pushing down on the peddle.

This is Scott and I waiting to go on a ride.

Family picture after the soaking wet ride. My hair still looks good!

We had so much fun at Disneyland and we loved all the sun!!!

More California Pics - Red Day

We bought tickets to see Fantasmic in Prim Seating! It was awesome! We got front row and tons of food. They brought my kids unlimited hot chocolate, and everyone got a cheese, fruit and dessert tray. We got to watch the fireworks from our seats first, then we got to see Fantasmic. The kids loved it!

Today was really hot! Can you tell? We went to bugs life area in California Adventure and played there for a bit.

We went to lunch at the Blue Bayou. That is the resturant inside the Pirates of the Caribean. The Monte Cristo Sandwich is the best thing on that menu. We love doing this at least once every time we go to Disneyland.

Having fun on the Alice in Wonderland ride. I don't think Eric was thrilled about the ride, or the color of the caterpillar he had to ride in. Scott and I are just ahead of them. That is how we got this picture.

Spring Break Day Five, Disney's California Adventure Park, CA

Blue Day in Sunny California

Redwood creek challenge, Andrew and Rachel

I think the real challenge is to find your kids!

This is probably the last time Eric will be okay taking a picture with a character.

We were in line for the Toy Story ride for like 2 hours. It was a challenge for all of us.

It was a super cute ride and worth the wait. Scott got the most points out of the family on this ride, he skunked us!

Here is our little Jessie. (Rachel

This is on the big Mickey Mouse Ferris Wheel with sliding and swinging carriages. As you can see by the smiles on the faces of the children, it was a thrill.

Lastly, a photo op with Lighting McQueen and Mater from Cars. It was a great day that ended with the water feature/show "World of Color" which was spectacular. If anyone is headed to Disneyland soon, you can find a "hidden Mickey" under what should be Mater's hood. Eric spotted this one, it was a good catch.

Spring Break Day Four, Disneyland, CA

As you can see we are in Disneyland! I love that place. It was pretty crouded, and Scott and I are not used to such a crowded Disneyland, but we had such a fun time anyway. The temperature was in the 80s everyday! This was fun coming from rainy Washington. This is our Orange day. This was right after the Buzz Lightyear ride. I, Wendy, got the highest score out of my whole family. I was a proud woman, see the big smile! Scott's Editorial note: For the record, Wendy did best me this day, but on return run through this ride, I almost doubled her score from this day. That afternoon we ate at The Big Thundermountain Ranch BBQ. It was great food, all you can eat ribs, chicken and sausage. Eric loved the cornbread, and we all went on Space Mountain after that.

This is a cute little picture place across from Splash Mountain (which was closed!)

This picture was on Tarzan's Treehouse.

Scott took this picture while we were spinning. Crazy fun! By the end of the day we were sunburned, hot and swollen, and happy!

Spring Break Day Three, Lego Land, Carlsbad, CA

So, on Monday we went to Lego Land. This was fun. My kids really liked it. Unfortunately we only made it to half of the park. It is only open from 10-5, so time just flew. We were not able to see all the pretty city scapes, but we did ride some fun rides. Eric couldn't do some things because he was to old, but I still think he loved it. Andrew is there in red, and Rachel is behind him in a pink shirt. On this ride, they just let the kids go where ever they want to go. Kinda fun. Eric couldn't ride this one:(

This is Andrew on his own little motor boat. Rachel was ahead of everyone and got all turned around and caused a major boat jam. I, Wendy, was an excellent boat driver and passed everybody except Eric. Now I just need to work on driving our real boat well...

This was a spinning ride and it was really fun. (Notice Wendy is not on the fun spinning ride, that is what made it so fun...)

Eric and Brian are kick'n it with a bionicle.

This was when we arrived at legoland. It was a really fun day. At the end of the day we drove two streets over and spent the evening with my grandma. She lives right next to Legoland! That's pretty cool if you ask me. We took her out to eat and then she took us home and made us all rootbeer floats. Rachel showed her a paper she is writing about her in school, and we gave her some dark chocolates from Ghiradelli (she loves dark chocolate). It was the perfect day!

Spring Break Day One...USS Midway, San Diego, CA

Our family just spent a fabulous week in Southern CA. It was sunny, and hot most of the days. This is day one. We went to visit an aircraft carrier in San Diego called the USS Midway. It was fun. We took a family tour, and the kids went on a sort of tour scavenger hunt to earn some wings. Eric absolutely loved it! This is our green day. We tried to color coordiate so we could keep better track of our kids. It was also helpful, as it identified us as a group. It also makes for good family pics! This is us with some cardboard men. Each color represents a different job on the ship.

This is a picture of my family after being cooped up on a ship for a little over 3 hours.

Scott found the "OR" on the ship. This is where he would've worked. The guy behind him is not real, nor is the patient.

My kids are in the brig! I decided that every household should have a brig.

This was a really fun trip. Lots of laughs, climbing on bunks, ringing alarms and bells, ducking through tiny doorways, getting in fighter jets, and just being together, made the day unforgettable.

We have great kiddos!

Rachel got an award at her school for "Thinking interdependently". I know you are all thinking...What the heck does that mean? Well that is what Scott and I were thinking anyway. I guess it means..."Rachel is a cooperative student who knows a group can achieve more than an individual. She has creative ideas, yet is willing to listen carefully, support others and is able to change." I summed it up to... Rachel is a team player! Good going Rachel!!

Andrew got an award for citizenship. His award says, "Andrew shows kindness to his classmates on a daily basis. He is a great helper in our classroom and is always one of the first students voluntering to help anyone in need." What mom doesn't love to hear that! I agree 100%! Andrew has such a kind heart. We all love a bit of Andrew love.

Good job Kids!

Boom!!!

My chicken pot pie blew up! So, I made this really great chick-pot-pie in my pyrex 9 by 13 casserole dish. I always skip the crust and just have a puff pastry on top. The puff pastry was cooking a little fast, so I pulled it out of the oven, and just to ensure I had the veggies cooked in the middle, I turned the burner on my glass cook top on low just to keep it warm/hot without the top continually cooking. Well after some time, I thought that it would be fine, and I slid it off to a cool side of the oven and that's when it happened! Boom!!! Glass shattered everywhere! It was so loud that Scott jumped out of his seat! Well let me tell you that my physics classes came back to me and I saw the error of my ways. Needless to say, we all had cereal that night.

Eric's 14th Birthday!

Eric turned 14! What the blazes is going on! Anyway, Eric loved his gifts, he got some Robotic bugs, a Lego Tie Fighter (Star Wars), a DS game, some books and spending $$, and he got his favorite breakfast cake mix from his Aunt Becky. What a lucky guy!

I think Eric blew all his candles out. ( I think he kinda spit the last one out...yuck!)

This was his cake. It was a tall orter, but Scott, the cake decorator man, pulled it off! Love those tie fighters!

For Eric's party, he asked his cousin Zak if he could come from Portland and he did! (Thanks Becky!!) The Gibbons spent a fun night with us decorating crazy pizzas. BTW, Chips burn in the oven, this was not a well thought out plan. Everyone had a blast. Happy Birthday Eric!

Bono, Our Bearded Dragon

This is Bono, our pet bearded Dragon. Well, technically it is Andrew's; but who is kidding who? The kids like to take Bono out for some "play" time and this day, I guess, Bono got to drive around on a truck. He stayed on there for quite some time. I think he was scared to death. But hey, what else are you going to do with a pet lizard?

Rachel's 11th Birthday

Rachel had her two best friends over for a small birthday party. They went to a pet store, then made a huge banana split that they ended up smashing to bits and sucking up with a straw.
Rachel is about to blow out all eleven candles! She looks so old to me! Where did my little princess go? She told me today that I know nothing about what kids her age wear... I had to laugh...

This is Rachel's Raspberry, Brownie bottom, Chocolate truffle Cheesecake. She loves cheesecake. This one was a little rich for her taste. Scott and Eric LOVED it.

This is right before she got her lovely presents, clothes, a camera, and a Harry Potter Lego set.

Has anyone noticed that I am wearing the same shirt in all my blog pictures? I must like that shirt!

Recital

So, these are pictures Eric, Rachel and Andrew after they played in the Winter recital. They all did an amazing job. Sorry we failed to write something, I think Scott started blogging this and didn't have time to finish.

Silent Sunday

Silent Sunday

Stephanie's Baby Shower

January 28th Lisa, Megan, and I threw Stephanie a baby shower, and it was so absolutely fun!

Megan made a most fabulous cake! It was a vanilla cake with a raspberry cream cheese filling and a fudge icing. Worth every calorie.

Lisa, Megan and I had lots of fun, and wish Stephanie the best in her laboring endevors. We sure do love ya!