The kids got home about 1:00am this morning. I went out and waited for them by the corner of our driveway. Shelby was the only one awake when they got home. She ran out and gave me a big hug. Lizi and Trey got out after Liz parked the van in the garage and came and gave me hugs and then we went in to see Shelby and Lizi's new room. Trey was pretty tired and hopped into his bed and went to sleep. Lizi and Shelby loved their room. In the morning, about 7:45, I heard the back door close so I got out of bed to find Lizi on the back porch petting Daisy. Shelby was also out there with the animals. I went to check on Judi and Trey and found them playing quietly in their room with Trey's cars. It was so cute! The kids all wanted cereal for breakfast and after breakfast we went to check out the Disney room. Then Judi, Trey, and I did car races, Shelby went outside and played with the animals and Lizi put her legos together in her room. Trey then asked me if we could play catch (baseball) outside so we went out and played. Shelby joined us while Lizi and Judi played with legos in Lizi's room. After playing baseball, we played football too. We then went in and played Disney Monopoly in the Disney room. We took a break to eat chili and ham and cheese sandwiches, and then Shelby, Trey, and I went to Copper Rock to play some golf. We played holes 13, 15, and 17. While we were gone, Lizi and Judi played in the sandbox and with the animals. When we came home, Trey and I played basketball, Shelby played with the animals and drew a really cool picture on the back porch with sidewalk chalk, and Lizi and Judi played with the marble game. Shelby, Trey, and I then finished our Monopoly game and Lizi and Judi played with their legos. We then had some macaroni and cheese while watching a football game on tv and the kids took showers. We then played foosball - Judi, Trey, and Shelby, while Lizi played with her legos, then I played 1 on 1 with Trey and then Shelby. I couldn't believe how much better they've gotten! We then got ready for bed by saying our prayers, reading our scriptures, saying articles of faith and scriptures we have memorized, singing songs in Judi and Trey's room and playing the Ukulele in Shelby and Lizi's room.
Sunday, December 23rd
We woke up had some pancakes and went to church. It was only an hour so we came home and Trey and I played catch and played basketball. Liz and Shelby came out and we all played some games of knock out. Lizi and Judi played legos and in the sand box pretty much all day. We came in and had chicken alfredo for lunch and watched a little football. The Vikings beat the Lions 27-9. Shelby played with the Disney Princesses in Trey's room. Trey and I then went out and burned some tree branches that were in the pit. Shelby, Trey, Liz and I played Canasta and then Trey and Liz played Stratego. We then had some grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup. I wasn't feeling very good so we all went to bed a little early after watching a little Studio C and doing our bedtime routine.
Quote of the day - Trey: "Daddy, why is this eggnog sizzly?" (After drinking eggnog that was 14 days expired).
Monday, December 24th
I woke up and went to work for just an hour. When I got home, everyone was awake and watching a show. We ate breakfast and then watched a little bit more TV. Then Judi, Trey, and I did car races while Shelby cleaned her room and Lizi played outside. Then Shelby came and did car races with Trey and I and Judi played legos with Lizi. Trey and Shelby then had a foosball match. We then had some lunch and Shelby, Trey, and I went to Copper Rock to play golf and Judi and Lizi watched a movie and played outside in the sandbox. They then helped Liz set up for ginger bread houses which we decorated with candy when we got home from golfing. We then all played a little more foosball (Shelby beat me for the first time) and then watched Home Alone and Small One before going to bed. Shelby came in my room and we chatted for about an hour which was so fun. I showed her all these blog posts that I've made through the years.
Tuesday, December 25th
What a fun Christmas Day! Liz had to work today so she got up and left about 5:30am. All the kids started out sleeping in the living room by the Christmas Tree, but only Jenna, Lizi, and Judi stayed till morning - Trey and Shelby ended up back in their beds. Shelby was up first and wondered into my room and we chatted for a bit before I heard Jenna talking. So I went to see who she was talking to, thinking it was Lizi or Judi. But they were both sound asleep and I realized she was talking to Alley on the phone. I went into Trey's room to check on him and found him reading in his bed. Judi and Lizi finally woke up around 8:15 and they and Jenna took all the presents out from under the tree and organized them into piles according to who they belonged to. We turned on the TV and watched a couple of shows and Lizi put all the presents back under the tree and organized them so nicely! Jenna then started cooking breakfast for us but ended up feeling pretty sick so I finished it while she went to lay down. We ate bacon and eggs for breakfast. The kids then had showers and we watched Home Alone 2. I was trying to put up the Green Beard clues as inconspicuously as I could throughout the morning since I didn't want to put them out to early for fear that they'd be discovered. I started cooking our cornish game hens for Christmas dinner when I got a call from Liz saying that she was on her way home early. She got the bikes from the neighbors house, where we were storing them, on her way home and I put the finishing touches on the Green Beard trip to Disneyland. Liz came in and surprised the kids who were so excited to see her so they could open presents. We did Green Beard first and the kids were all so surprised when the final clue led them to not only their stockings but also a note telling them to pack their bags because we are going to Disneyland. It was fun to watch their expressions. We then opened presents and they all loved their presents. Shelby especially loved her pillow and camera. Trey loved his bike, star wars legos, and Hot Wheels cars, and Lizi loved her tablet and karaoke machine. They also all loved their calendars. After opening presents, we ate dinner and the kids played with their toys. Trey and I played a foosball game. We all got packed up for Disneyland, did our bedtime routine, and went to bed.
Wednesday, December 26th
We slept in a little and then ate breakfast and packed our car. Trey started putting together some of his legos before we left as well. We left about 10:00am and arrived at the Portofino Inn, where we were staying, about 4:15pm. We got checked in to our really cool room and then spent about 3 hours walking around downtown Disney, trading pins and taking pictures. Shelby took lots of pictures with her new camera. We went to bed a little early so we wouldn't be too tired the next couple of days.
Thursday, December 27th
We woke up around 6:00am and ate a muffin and got ready to go to Disneyland. We got to the line to get in about 7:40am, just before they started letting people in. The kids loved seeing the big Christmas Tree and the decorations strung across Main Street. We went to Peter Pan first, which has become a tradition of sorts since the line is so long later on in the day. We then went to Small World so the kids could see the changes they make for Christmas. Normally we head back to our hotel for lunch but with the Portofino Inn being farther away than we normally stay and with only 2 days, we decided to stay at the park all day. So we ate at the Galactic Grill - one of Trey's favorites - and the food was really good. The lines in the afternoon were insane! Pirates had about a 40 minute wait when we went on it and it got much longer than that later on in the day. We went on Autopia a couple of times because the line was manageable and because it's a favorite of all the kids.Trey lost a tooth while he was on Star Tours (in line!) He, Liz, and Jenna went on Star Tours with the rider switch pass and after wiggling it a little, Trey pulled it out! We walked to Small World again at night time so we could see it all lit up. It was so pretty! It started "snowing" with bubbles as we walked back to our next destination which everyone thought was really cool. We ate dinner at the Bengal Barbecue and sat down to eat it at the newly opened Tropical Hideaway. The Tropical Hideaway has such an amazing ambiance to it and it was really cool to eat our skewers there. Trey and Shelby liked the beef skewer the best and Lizi liked the chicken one best. Trey and Lizi decided that they wanted to go back to the hotel at that point so Liz took everyone back except Shelby. So Shelby and I went on a few rides in Fantasyland. We also watched the fireworks and the projection on Small World, which was really cool.
Quote of the Day - Trey: "Is Splash Mountain's water heated?"
Friday, December 28th
We woke up a little bit later but got our things packed up and loaded in the car and we checked out of our hotel. We then headed to Disneyland where we were greeted by the longest security lines I've ever waited in. They stretched back more than half way towards Harbor Blvd. And this was at 7:45 in the morning!! I saw long lines last summer when I went back in the middle of the day to the hotel, but never close to this long in the morning! Once through security which didn't take as long as I had feared, we went to CA Adventure. The kids all wanted to go on some of the bigger rides so I took Judi on Ariel and Luigi. The kids went on Incredicoaster and Pal-a-round. We then used fast passes on Soarin' which was fun, as always. We headed back to Disneyland and the crowds were crazy. We were told that Disneyland had reached capacity the previous day and that by 1:45 there were already 60,000 people in the park. Well today it was even busier! Certain walkways were extremely uncomfortable. Navigating New Orleans Square was a nightmare and kept us from trying to get on the Disneyland Railroad after visiting the Tiki Room because we didn't want to have to try to get through everyone over there. Our last ride of the day was our traditional Tiki Room which was fun. We ended up leaving at about 5:00 and drove through pretty heavy traffic to Hesperia where we ate at IHOP. While eating we also opened our pins. We then drove home and got in about 2:00am (Saturday Morning).
Saturday, December 29th
I woke up about 10:15 and found Trey, Lizi, and Judi all quietly playing in Shelby and Lizi's room. Shelby was still in bed. Lizi, Trey, and Judi all got their pin boards down off the wall and started organizing their pins and putting their new pins on while Shelby took a shower. We ate cereal and then went back to doing pins. Shelby then came and joined us. We put away some of our Disney things in our folders like our tickets and fast passes. I had Trey vacuum the "race track" so we could do car races. Shelby score kept for us. Lizi and Judi played legos in Lizi's room. We then had some yummy spaghetti for dinner. Then Shelby and Trey played foosball so Shelby could get warmed up to play me. Shelby and I then played two games and she almost beat me. We watched Ratatouille and then cleaned up the house and went to bed.
Sunday, December 30th
We woke up, ate breakfast and got ready for church. It was our last 3 hour church ever! After church we came home and Trey and I did car races while Shelby kept score. Lizi and Judi played legos. Trey and I then watched the Vikings game - they lost to the Bears to miss the playoffs - while Shelby read and Judi and Lizi kept playing with legos. After the game, I showed Shelby a few things in the Disney room and Trey came in to put some legos together. Trey, Shelby, and I then watched Hunger Games which they said they liked and Judi and Lizi played with Kinetic Sand and animals. After the movie, we got all the toys cleaned up, watched the 50 states song and got ready for bed.
Monday, December 31st
We had a very fun New Years' Eve. I had to work in the morning, which was very cold with the high winds. I got home and after getting cleaned up and thawed out, we started our traditional New Years' Eve Star Wars marathon. We watched Episodes 2, 5, 7, and 8. We took some breaks in between - Lizi and I updated our pinpics accounts, Trey played with his legos, and Shelby, Trey, Liz and I played a game of Settlers of Catan while Judi and Lizi set up a fort (with Trey's help) in the living room. We had such good snacks too! Fruit treys, cookies, peanuts, pizza, eggnog, and root beer. Judi and Lizi are sleeping in their fort while Shelby and Trey are both sleeping in Shelby's room.
Tuesday, January 1st
I leave every day thinking we had more fun than the previous day! We slept in a little after staying up late watching the Star Wars Marathon. When we woke up, Trey and I played legos in the Disney room. Lizi came in and watched and helped. Shelby slept a little longer than everyone else but finally got up and joined us in the Disney room. We ate some breakfast and then returned to the Disney room. I then helped Lizi update her pin pics account. Shelby went in her room and played with the princesses. Trey and I did car races with Judi and Lizi played on the piano. Shelby, Trey, Liz, and I then played Clue and Judi and Lizi built a marble tower. We then ate pulled pork sandwiches for lunch and played a few games of Banana Grams. Liz, Trey, Shelby, Jenna, and I played. Shelby came up with some very interesting words! Haha. Shelby and Trey then read their books for a little bit and Lizi and Judi played legos. Shelby, Trey, Liz, and I then watched Hunger Games 2 while Lizi and Judi went to bed.
Wednesday, January 2nd
We slept in a bit today. When I woke up, I found Trey and Lizi both playing in Lizi and Shelby's room. Trey was actually reading his book while Lizi was doing legos. Shelby was sleeping. After a few minutes, Judi came wondering in and shortly after that, Shelby woke up. We all ate breakfast and then got our warm gear ready to go sledding. We drove up to Cedar City and went sledding at a spot just off the freeway, where we normally go. There was only one other family there when we got there, but a few others arrived right after we got there. We had so much fun building ramps to jump off of. Trey found a new nearby hill with a jump to try out and caught some major air off of it. Soon we were all over there trying it out. Liz brought hot chocolate and cookies so we took short breaks to snack and get warm. We had so much fun! When we got home, Liz made some Turkey soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. Shelby, Trey, and I then watched Hunger Games 3 while Judi and Lizi played legos in Lizi's room. Shelby and I then did the dishes and Trey and Shelby got Settlers of Catan set up so we could play. Lizi and Judi played with the marble game and raced marbles. I then had all the kids gather around and I read them a book that I used to read as a child - Bambi's Fragrant Forest, a scratch and sniff book - because I was excited to show it to them. We then went to bed.
Thursday, January 3rd
Trey woke up first and started setting up his monorail track in the living room. Lizi got up shortly after and brought her legos out and they started building Disneyland. Judi came in and joined them. Shelby slept on the couch last night so when she got up, she was already out there with us. We ate cereal for breakfast and then got ready to go play pickleball. We had so much fun! It was fun to see how much better the kids got just in the little time we played there. I practiced a little individually with each of them and then Liz, Trey, Shelby, and I played a few matches. Lizi practiced on a different court and in between games, I went over and hit a few with her and she had gotten so much better! When we came home, we had lunch and then Trey and Shelby went out to ride their new bikes while Lizi and Judi played with legos. Trey and Shelby rode by themselves for the first time to check the mail. Then we watched the live action version of Beauty and the Beast. Trey and Shelby built another marble tower and Lizi and Judi played with the legos, building Disneyland. Lizi found Disney music on her tablet to play while she was working on Disneyland. We then ate dinner and Shelby, Trey, Liz, and I played a couple of games of Bananagrams and watched the last Hunger Games movie while Lizi and Judi created a Disney Christmas lego parade in Lizi's room. It was such a cute parade with a Star Wars float, Cars, float, Ariel floats, Cinderella float, a present making float, and a Santa float. We then read the Very Hungry Caterpillar and did our bedtime routine and went to bed.
Quote of the day - Trey (while saying night time prayers): "...please bless tomorrow to feel like a long day for us except for Jenna at school. Make it go fast for her."
Friday, January 4th
Trey woke up first and we started picking up his legos which were spread out in the Disney room and in the living room. Lizi got up next and started helping. Then Lizi, Trey, and I ate cereal while Judi and Shelby slept. After breakfast, Trey, Lizi, and I played Bananagrams. As we were playing, Shelby and Judi got up and joined us at the kitchen table. Trey and I then went to the Pickleball courts to play pickleball. Shelby, Lizi, and Judi stayed home and watched a show on TV. When we got home, we ate lunch and the kids started packing their stuff. We then went outside and everyone rode their new bikes. After bike riding, we all shot some baskets for a little while and then Trey, Shelby, Liz, and I played knock out. Shelby won the first game! After playing a few games, we came inside and packed a little more. Then we all played Bananagrams again - Shelby, Trey, Lizi, Judi, and I all played! It was so much fun! We then ate dinner and played Settlers of Catan. Shelby, Trey, Liz, and I played settlers while Lizi and Judi played legos in Lizi's room. After Settlers, I helped hang some pictures and plates up in Shelby and Lizi's room and Trey played with the marble tower. We then got ready for bed and I talked with Shelby and Lizi for a little while before they went to sleep. I'm sure going to miss these guys when they leave tomorrow!
Saturday, January 5th
Trey woke up first and had a shower. Shelby got up next and we went and talked in the Disney room while we waited for everyone else to get up. When Trey was done with his shower, Shelby went to have one and Lizi, Trey, and I talked in the Disney room. When Shelby got out of the shower, we ate some cereal and then played bananagrams. We then rode bikes in the pit and then came in for lunch before leaving for the airport. I sat in the back on the drive and we played UNO and Go Fish. It seemed to be especially hard on Lizi to leave this time although all the kids voiced many times that they wished they could stay here. On the drive back home, I organized Disney pictures on my computer but when I walked in the house, it hit me that the kids weren't here and it's impossible to describe the feeling of grief I felt. I found a cute note that Shelby left for me which cheered me up. We had such a fun visit! I can't wait until our next one!
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