Disneyland

The day before Thanksgiving friends & family headed to Disneyland. It was a little bit rainy but that was good, it helped keep people away so that it didn't get too crowded. Sorry there are so many pictures. It was just a really fun day filled with lots of memories!

Isn't Sleeping Beauty's Castle amazing?! Seeing all of Disneyland decorated made me excited for Christmas.

This our family in front of It's a Small World.
(This is at the end of the day...we all look a little ragged.)

This is my Aunt Sharon, Uncle Dave, & Mom on the tea cups. Uncle Dave is notorious for spinning the tea cups incredibly fast. They where laughing like high school kids...it was hilarious, especially when they tried to get off the ride.

My Aunt Sharon & Uncle Dave on the Carousal at California Adventure. How Sweet!

My Mom and Ellie on the New Toy Story Ride. Lots of Fun!

I'm so sad this picture turned out blurry. It would have been great.

"R" is for Rachel!

Most of the gang...Tyson, Chelsea, David, Bill, Rachel, Cynthia, & Ashley

Cynthia, Rachel, David, Ashley, and Jared on Splash Mountain. We all plugged our nose for the picture right before you take the plunge.

I hope this isn't a preview of how Ellie's driving skills.

Jared at the shooting gallery.

Cinnamon Rolls...

My mom makes the BEST cinnamon rolls! Rachel & Ellie decided to help. These are SOOOO good! I think Ellie is wearing most of it. I'm just bummed I didn't get a picture of the finished product.

Wild Animal Park

A Day of Fun with Grandma Denos...

Puppy Heaven

Ellie just loves my parents dogs. It's a love hate relationship with them. Ellie loves to snuggle & play with them but she also loves to squeeze them, pull their ears, and push them off the couch. The dogs love her, they come up and lay on her, give her kisses but they also like to jump on her, knock her over & steal her food right out of her hands.
One of the dogs favorite treats is ice cubs. Whenever they hear someone getting ice from the fridge they run over in hopes someone will give them one. Grandma told Ellie she could give the dogs some ice and this is what happened...

There was probably 30 or more ice cubes all over the floor. The dogs were so excited they didn't even know what to do. They ran all over the floor trying to pick up as many as they could. It's a good thing I caught her...who knows how many she would have tried to give them.

Potty Training Can Be Dangerous

Ellie has been my hardest child by far to potty train. Last Friday my husband so graciously let me go out with some of my friends. Before I left I emphasized that Ellie had "big girl pants" on and that she needed to be reminded to use the potty...

A couple of hours go by. I return home to find Rachel in bed with a wet paper towel on her arm. I asked, "what happened to you?" She gave me one of those embarrassed, you really don't want to know look. Rachel said, "I slipped in Ellie's pee! " Ellie had an accident on the tile floor Rachel slipped in it! Gross! Who knew potty training was so hazardous.

Jared's last game of the season

Jared had so much fun playing ball this fall. He improved a lot from his first game to the last. I really enjoyed going to his games, seeing his excitement, getting a chuckle as the boys learned how to actually play baseball, and watching Jared be a part of a team.

This is Jared receiving his trophy from Coach Trier
Jared waiting patiently on first.

The whole team.

Jared & teammates in the dugout.

Jared & his teammate

Waiting for coach to talk to the team.

Having fun in the dugout.

One of his coaches telling Jared what position to play. Jared normally played 3rd base.

Happy Halloween

Halloween was pretty much a blurr. It was a very busy week. The kids had a lot of fun and got tons of candy. Ellie was tinkerbell. She talked about being tinkerbell for weeks. Jared was a Ninja...he just wanted a costume with a sword and I told him he couldn't be a pirate, AGAIN! He was very excited to get a ninja sword. Rachel was Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. I made her costume. Once again, I don't know what I was thinking since I can barely sew. I bought a pattern but the pattern was so confusing. I didn't know any of the terms. So I just went for it. I guess it could have been worse. Rachel liked it, that is what counts.

YES ON PROP 8

Yes On Prop 8
LDS Newsroom
"This is much bigger than just a question of whether or not society should be more tolerant of the homosexual lifestyle. Over past years we have seen unrelenting pressure from advocates of that lifestyle to accept as normal what is not normal, and to characterize those who disagree as narrow-minded, bigoted and unreasonable. Such advocates are quick to demand freedom of speech and thought for themselves, but equally quick to criticize those with a different view and, if possible, to silence them by applying labels like “homophobic.” In at least one country where homosexual activists have won major concessions, we have even seen a church pastor threatened with prison for preaching from the pulpit that homosexual behavior is sinful. Given these trends, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints must take a stand on doctrine and principle. This is more than a social issue — ultimately it may be a test of our most basic religious freedoms to teach what we know our Father in Heaven wants us to teach."-Dallin H. Oaks

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHELSEA!

Happy Birthday Chelsea. I can't believe that nineteen years ago today I was blessed with a sister. You are such a blessing in my life. I can still remember how excited I was to hear I had a baby sister after THREE brothers. Since we were little we have shared a special bond & friendship. I love the beautiful person that you have become. You and I are opposite in so many ways but I think that is why we compliment each other so well. You are funny, talented, creative, and beautiful. You are a little bit crazy, spontaneous and opinionated. You have a smile and a laugh that is contagious. You have a voice of an angel. You have a testimony that you can easily share. You are a wonderful sister and friend. I hope you have a happy birthday! I love you!

Chelsea's blessing day. What a happy family!

Chelsea hates Halloween because it always interferes with her birthday!

Look at those long gorgeous blonde locks of hair! (yes, I was always a little jealous)

Chelsea has always loved the beach!

Chelsea's baptism day!

The beautiful young woman you are today!
Happy Birthday!

One for the record books!

Last week we took the family to Disneyland. We are so lucky to have season passes. No matter how many times we go we always seem to have a great time. But this visit was one for the record books. Our little Ellie was tall enough to go on some of the big rides like the Matterhorn. It was the first time that our whole family was able to go on one of the "big kids" rides. Nobody had to sit out. It was so much fun. Ellie was obviously a little shocked at the whole experience but she didn't cry or scream. We asked her if she had fun on the ride, she shook her head yes and then she shook her head no. I guess she isn't too sure what to think.
I would have posted a picture that I took of Ellie on the ride but I lost our camera in the Tiki Room at Disneyland. Bill and my brother David had never been to the Tiki room, I had to make sure they experienced it at least once. But I can't believe I left the camera behind! So sad! I hope we get it back.
Jared was so tired when we were heading back to the car he literally fell asleep while he was walking. My brother who was walking behind us saw Jared try to reach out for something to grab, so my brother grabbed him, and Jared collapsed in his arms. Jared was out cold!

Missing Shoes...

Missing shoes has become my latest pet peeve. It seems like every time we need to go somewhere, one of my kids has a missing shoe. We waste so much time looking for shoes. One day I found Rachel's shoes in her backpack because she had forgotten she took off her shoes in the car on the way home from school. One of Ellie's shoes fell off in the driveway. Jared couldn't find one of his shoes this morning. I still don't know where it is. Aaaaahhhhhhhhhh!!!

Nature Hike.

Last night for family home evening we decided to take a little hike. We only went .5 mile but it was fun to have a little outing. Sometimes it is SO nice to turn off the TV, get away from the busy schedules, stores, & roads and just enjoy the simple things in life.

Running through the sprinklers in the middle of October.

I so wish it would cool down. A couple of days we have been teased with cooler weather but then it's back up in the 90's. At least my kids are still having fun enjoying the warm weather.

More Pumpking Patch...

We went to the pumpkin patch with Bill's parents. The kids had a lot of fun picking out their pumpkins.

Proposition 8 in plain English!