California!

Get ready for a novel, since this is my journal now and I want to get all the info. written down before I forget some details!

We got back from our awesome vacation late Saturday night. We had such a great time! We left early in the morning on Friday, the 17th. We had all had a bit of a stomach sickness going on that week, and it hit me really hard that morning. The plane ride was . . .interesting. When we had a 3-hour layover in Houston I started feeling pain in my side. When it got more intense I realized I must have a kidney stone. The 3 1/2 hour plane ride from Houston to LA was LONG. I was crying so hard, but trying not to make a scene. Ryan gave me a blessing (very discretely :)) during the ride. After landing in LA, we rented a van and started the drive up to my brother's house in Oxnard. We got lost along the way so it ended up taking us much longer than the 1 1/2 hours that it should have. I was, um, not in the best of moods during that time! But we finally arrived and I basically went right to bed after taking some good pain meds. It was a long night and the next morning we decided I'd better get to the hospital. I spent part of that day in the E.R. getting fluids pushed into me and getting more pain meds. By the time I left in the afternoon, I was starting to feel much better! I still haven't passed the stone, and my kidney is still aching, but at least I got through the rest of the trip without any more doctor visits! Oh, before I start talking about my brother's house, I have to mention a really cool experience that happened while in the Houston airport during our layover. While I was in the bathroom (yet again . . .good times) an older man and his wife came up to Ryan, who was with all the kids. They said they had been watching us during the plane ride from Kansas City and the man felt impressed to tell Ryan a few things. He told Ryan what a good father he is to our kids, and then asked him if he was a spiritual guy. Ryan answered that yes, he considers himself a spiritual guy. The man then said that God wanted Ryan to know that he should be happy and that God had a plan for him, so he should believe in God. Ryan was in shock, but answered that he did believe in God and that he appreciated the message. Then the guy went to shake Ryan's hand as he was walking away. There was something in his hand that he put in Ryan's hand. Ryan didn't look down at it until the couple had walked away. He realized that it was a $50 bill. It was all so quick and Ryan was still in a bit of shock when I got out of the bathroom. What an amazing experience! We had to think of the recent Conference talk about angels.

Anyway, my brother and his wife, Ann, have a darling home right by the ocean. They have 3 little girls: Sydney, 8, Alexa, 7 and Cameron, 3. After I got out of the hospital on Saturday, we met them at the beach (they had kept Brevan and Brynlie with them). It was pretty chilly for the beach, but the kids didn't even seem to notice. They ran around in their swimsuits, burying themselves in the sand and splashing in the waves. That night a babysitter came over to watch all 7 kids while the adults went out together. The babysitter definitely earned her money, since Logan cried almost the whole time we were gone! We went to dinner at a nice restaurant and then got dessert at a different restaurant. We were in a beautiful area with fun shops, right by the beach. I see why people spend the big bucks to live there! After we checked in with the babysitter and found out that Logan was still awake and screaming, we decided we'd better get back to the house. The next morning we went to church with their family. Ryan spent all of sacrament meeting changing Logan's diaper, because every time he put a new diaper on him, Logan would poop again. It was a record, I think. We even had to borrow a couple diapers from people in their ward because we ran out! Our kids enjoyed going to Primary and having the "Welcome" song sung to them, and Ryan and I enjoyed hearing Ann's Gospel Essentials lesson. The R.S. lesson was about Emma Smith, and I even raised my hand to make a few comments. I love that I feel so comfortable and accepted in a completely different ward on the other side of the country. We're all learning the same lesson, follow the same prophet and believe the same things. After church, Ann and Scott really showed us what great hosts they are by whipping up some amazing food and displaying {what seemed like} the whole grocery store aisle of treats. My kids were in heaven! We took a walk around their neighborhood, played games and went to a very neat park nearby. The evening was followed by another wonderful meal cooked by our hosts, with the local elders joining us. On Monday morning we finished packing up our things and said our final goodbyes. We are so grateful that we were able to spend some time with Scott's family and get to know them a little bit better. It's always fun to see people "in their element" and see how they live their everyday lives. We drove the Pacific Coast Highway through LA and into Anaheim on Monday. The coast was so beautiful and I was actually able to appreciate it since I wasn't in excruciating pain that time!

I took some pictures while on the walk around Scott and Ann's neighborhood. This is Brynlie upside down.

Ryan showing me his Olympic gymnastics skills. Hmmm, he might need to work on them just a little.

Scott has a dog named Aggie that my kids just ADORED (especially Logan)! The kids were arguing over who got to walk the dog, so we made them take turns. I wasn't at all allergic to Aggie, which is the only dog I have never reacted to. I was starting to be convinced that we should get a dog until we took Aggie on a walk and had to pick up her poo. Ya, I'll stick to my kid's nasty poo for now.

Ryan on the left and Scott on the right. Scott is only 18 months older than me.

Brynlie and Alexa had a great time together! Alexa is only 3 months older than Brynlie, even though they are a grade apart. I LOVE seeing my kids have good relationships with their relatives.

Lindsey on her Daddy's shoulders. Oh my gosh, isn't it just beautiful there?!

Playing at Pirate Park. Scott, Cameron, Brevan and Ann.

Alexa and Brynlie holding hands and skipping. Too dang cute.

The clan of the 7 cousins. From left: Sydney, Alexa, Brynlie, Brevan, Logan, Lindsey and Cameron.

We had a Family Home Evening on Sunday night and Scott taught a nice lesson on bearing testimonies. Before the lesson the kids sang many church songs for our enjoyment. Doesn't Lindsey look like she's enjoying herself? :)

After arriving at our hotel in Anaheim on Monday, we spent the rest of the day playing in the pool and relaxing.

One of my favorite pictures. I'm not sure I've ever been able to capture my Lindsey's personality so well on camera. She's a funny, opinionated little thing.

On Tuesday morning we got up and got ready early. Having a 2-hour time difference in our favor came in very handy because we were up and out the door easily by 8:00! Our hotel was right across the street from the main entrance to Disneyland. The first thing on the agenda was the Princess Fantasy Faire. The girls got to meet most of the princesses, then spend time doing princess crafts, being taught how to dance and curtsy, and playing games. I have honestly never seen them so happy! While I was with the girls (and Logan), Ryan and Brevan were hitting the roller coasters and the Jedi Warrior Training Camp, where the kids got to fight Darth Vader and Darth Maul. Seriously, this morning was worth the whole trip.

The girls with Sleeping Beauty. What a job these Disneyland Princesses have! They get dressed up everyday and have everyone tell them how beautiful they look!

Belle, from Beauty and the Beast. Logan was not a fan. Someday he'll wish he'd taken advantage of the moment and given the beautiful princess a big smooch.

Ariel from The Little Mermaid. Lindsey snuggled right up to her and didn't want to let go!

Playing some games with the princesses. Lindsey (pictured in front) was so in awe when she met Cinderella, her favorite princess by far. She turned around with the most excited look on her face and exclaimed, "Oh, Mommy! I just love her SO much!"

We spent the rest of the day enjoying the magic of the Happiest Place on Earth!

We also loved exploring Disney's California Adventure, the theme-park across the street from Disneyland. Both parks were decorated for Halloween. Brevan's favorite rides were the Tower of Terror at DCA and Splash Mountain at Disneyland. Brynlie's favorite rides were Soarin' Over California and the Toy Story ride at DCA and Dumbo at Disneyland. Lindsey loved meeting Mickey and Minnie and the Winnie Pooh ride at Disneyland. Logan wasn't a fan of any of the dark rides, but screamed with excitement on the merry-go-round. I think his least favorite ride was Pirates of the Caribbean (one of my favorites)! Ryan loved the Tower of Terror. We spent two full days exploring both of the parks and taking in the whole Disney experience.

A picture of all of us at the entrance to Disneyland on the first day. Early in the day we had won Dream Fastpasses for our whole family, so we were able to walk right into almost all the rides! But even on the day we didn't have the passes, the lines were never long and the crowds were fairly light. If any of you are thinking of planning a trip out that way, October is the perfect time! The weather was gorgeous and the experience was so much better than when we've visited in the summer.

About half-way through our first day at Disneyland, I remembered that it was Ryan's birthday! He had forgotten also, so don't be thinking I'm too bad of a wife! Luckily, he's very low-maintenance and was content to eat an $8 hot dog for lunch and watch his kids have the time of their lives on his big day. I saw this sign at Disneyland and made him stand by it while I took a picture. Happy 37th birthday to my man! Wow, he is getting very OLD! I'm so glad he'll always be 5 1/2 years older than me! :)

Minnie's house was a hit for my imaginative little girls.

Meeting the Mouse in charge.

Minnie (and most of the other characters) were dressed in their Halloween costumes. Minnie is being a witch this year!

The kids were excited to spend their allowance money on souveneirs. Brynlie picked this princess hat. Look at that little poser!

The parades are one of my favorite things about the Disneyland experience. They are absolutely amazing and I just feel like I'm in such a magical place when I watch them!

The kids were able to interact with the characters during the parades that we saw.

Logan LOVED the big floats! A lady came up to us after this parade and said, "The highlight of that whole parade was watching the look on your baby's face!" Logan was half naked here because he'd just been playing in the splash area at DCA.

On Thursday we packed up again and drove down to San Diego. This time we stayed at a gorgeous resort and had a deluxe suite. I could have stayed there forever! We had our own patio overlooking groups of palm trees. Before hitting the beach on our first day in town, the girls made Ryan try on the top to my tankini. Sadly, I'm pretty sure he fills out the top better than I do! We were all having a good laugh!

Our first day at the beach. It was so perfect. Oh boy. I'm just getting depressed as I sit here bundled up because it's literally FREEZING outside here in Missouri!

Brynlie took this picture of Ryan and I trying to soak in some of the sun. The picture's a little crooked, but not bad for one of her first tries! I'm pretty sure heaven has a beach just like this.

This hammock was hung right below our private balcony. Brevan enjoyed lying on it while he read books.

On Friday, the 24th, we took the kids to Sea World. Ryan and I enjoy Sea World as much as the kids do, I think. It was so fun to watch all the shows and interact with the sea animals.

Waiting for the Shamu show to begin. We got splashed pretty badly during this show! It was a welcome relief to all of us because this was the hottest day of the week at about 85 degrees.

Look closely to see the dolphin up that high in the air. How cool is that?!

We spent Friday night playing at the Mission Bay beach in San Diego. I had to drag the kids away from the beach. They could have run and played in those waves for weeks without getting bored. Brevan said, "This is the best beach EVER! Can we build a house right here?" I told him that if we ever have about 5 million dollars just sitting around with nothing to spend it on, then we should definitely do that! :) On Saturday morning we ate at our new favorite restaurant in San Diego, Maria's Taco Shop. Sweet little Maria made us the most delicious breakfast burritos you've ever eaten. We bought a couple souveneirs before heading to the San Diego airport and spending the rest of the day on a couple flights, with another layover in Houston. The flight from Houston to Kansas City was on an ExpressJet that was TINY! I have never flown on an airplane that small and was pretty sure my life was going to end before I made it back to Missouri! I was grateful that Ryan watched Logan during the whole plane ride so I could absorb myself in a really good book I'm re-reading called "The Peacegiver." My friend, Brenda, let me borrow it and it is truely an amazing book. I would highly recommend it. I've been learning so much about how to apply the atonement to my life, which is something I've always struggled with. Anyway, if any of you are still reading this, then I am very impressed! We are safely back home, and yearning for the warmth of the California sun. We are so grateful we were able to take a much-needed family vacation and make some fun family memories.