Friday, July 31, 2009
Two months of Craziness
So the last two months have been great, but unbelievably crazy! We spent about 3 weeks on vacation, posted below, a week home, a weekend in Tampa, and then I spent 4 days at girls camp. Life is finally beginning to slow down this week and I fully plan on catching up with things that have been long neglected, including this blog so here goes. Read below to catch up on our past two months.
Vacation: Part 1
On June 18th, we headed out of San Antonio around 4:00pm hoping to make it to Las Cruces, NM. Yes, we were driving, call us crazy, but it was really quite nice. It was a long day, but we made it and Brooklyn did awesome! We spent the night in Las Cruces and then headed for Phoenix. We haven't been back since we left and we were both excited to visit some of the old stomping grounds and see our old houses.
We stopped in Casa Grande, AZ for the night and spent some time with Brad's cousin Jared, his wife Melissa and their 4 kids. We used to hang out til all hours of the night chatting, playing games, and eating junk food on many a weekend in Phoenix. We had a great time catching up, playing cards, and getting to know the kids better. Thanks again guys!
Pictures of Brooklyn playing dress up with the cousins.
The only picture we got of Jared & Melissa while we were there.
The next day we headed into Phoenix to look around. We went by the old Chase building that Brad worked at in downtown Tempe, and it was almost like a ghost town. They have sinced closed the call center he worked at and you can tell the area has taken a hit. We grabbed some pizza from Slices (an old favorite) and headed to the west side of town to see the old houses. They both looked fairly good and it was fun to show Brooklyn where we lived and the house she was born in. That evening we went to dinner with our good friends the Vehars, did a little shopping, and stayed up way to late gabbing with them. Thanks again guys for the fun time and letting us stay! No pictures from here, but they are all adorable.
We stopped in Casa Grande, AZ for the night and spent some time with Brad's cousin Jared, his wife Melissa and their 4 kids. We used to hang out til all hours of the night chatting, playing games, and eating junk food on many a weekend in Phoenix. We had a great time catching up, playing cards, and getting to know the kids better. Thanks again guys!
Pictures of Brooklyn playing dress up with the cousins.
The only picture we got of Jared & Melissa while we were there.
The next day we headed into Phoenix to look around. We went by the old Chase building that Brad worked at in downtown Tempe, and it was almost like a ghost town. They have sinced closed the call center he worked at and you can tell the area has taken a hit. We grabbed some pizza from Slices (an old favorite) and headed to the west side of town to see the old houses. They both looked fairly good and it was fun to show Brooklyn where we lived and the house she was born in. That evening we went to dinner with our good friends the Vehars, did a little shopping, and stayed up way to late gabbing with them. Thanks again guys for the fun time and letting us stay! No pictures from here, but they are all adorable.
Vacation: Part 2
On Sunday morning, the 21st (Father's Day), we got up and headed to Cali. We love Southern California! Who doesn't though, right? Anyways, we headed out to Anaheim to hit the beach and go to the happiest place on Earth. That afternoon we met my Grandma Peggy and Grandpa Malcolm (my mom and her husband) at our hotel and surprised Brooklyn. She did not know they were going to Disneyland with us and she was ecstatic.
We spent Sunday afternoon at the beach on Balboa Island. The water was surprisingly warm, but Brooklyn was not a fan of the water. She loved the beach though. She was perfectly content to build sand castles and play in the sand, and since grandma and grandpa were there Brad and I had a little time to play in the water. The waves were coming in pretty high and we had so much fun. In some of the pictures you cannot even see Brad because the waves have swallowed him up.
Brooklyn playing with the beach ball that we were informed beforehand was a must have for the beach.
This is her first feel of the water. She was definitely unsure of it, and surprised by the way it felt. The sand kept being swept away under her feet and I don't think she liked feeling so unsteady.
Under much duress we finally got her to play in the water with us for a few minutes. She was fine until a really big wave came up from behind and surprised us.
This is the after picture. After this, she was content to play in the sand.
This is a picture of Brooklyn and I watching Brad about to get toasted by a wave. It was so much fun! He disappeared in this one for awhile.
We spent Sunday afternoon at the beach on Balboa Island. The water was surprisingly warm, but Brooklyn was not a fan of the water. She loved the beach though. She was perfectly content to build sand castles and play in the sand, and since grandma and grandpa were there Brad and I had a little time to play in the water. The waves were coming in pretty high and we had so much fun. In some of the pictures you cannot even see Brad because the waves have swallowed him up.
Brooklyn playing with the beach ball that we were informed beforehand was a must have for the beach.
This is her first feel of the water. She was definitely unsure of it, and surprised by the way it felt. The sand kept being swept away under her feet and I don't think she liked feeling so unsteady.
Under much duress we finally got her to play in the water with us for a few minutes. She was fine until a really big wave came up from behind and surprised us.
This is the after picture. After this, she was content to play in the sand.
This is a picture of Brooklyn and I watching Brad about to get toasted by a wave. It was so much fun! He disappeared in this one for awhile.
Vacation: Part 3 (The Good Stuff)
On Monday, we headed out to Disneyland for a magical adventure. Disneyland really is the happiest place on Earth. I feel like a big kid when I am there. I know some adults get over it, but I still LOVE that place! When we first got there, our first stop was Sleeping Beauty's Castle. This is what Brooklyn had been waiting for. She was so excited! They now have a portion of the castle you can walk through and it tells Sleeping Beauty's story. It was quite spooky in there and Brooklyn asked if it was real, and I said of course it is. Big mistake, she was scared after that and wouldn't go back in the castle. Oh well, I thought she wanted it to be real, apparently, no she did not.
Here she is getting her first look at the castle.
Here she is getting her first look at the castle.
After the castle she took a ride on the carousel, Dumbo with grandma and grandpa, and had a spin in the tea cups, then it was time or the long awaited hour of meeting the princesses.
If you have never been, meeting the princesses is an attraction. They have 3 princesses at a time in a secluded area, you cannot see, and each child gets 30 seconds to a minute taking pictures and visiting each one. You never know who you will get until you get up there. The line has to be one of the longest in the park, but for all the girls waiting in line so worth it. While Brad was an awesome dad and did some standing in line, grandma took Brooklyn to the princess shop and adorned her with her very own Sleeping Beauty princess gown. She also bought her shoes and a little crown clip. There was no waiting to put that gown on, my little princess had to be dressed like a princess to meet her favorite people. It was all so magical for her. What a fun time! After we were all outfitted we still had a little over a half an hour wait. Thank heaven for Brad! What a guy.
On her first time through she met Ariel, Sleeping Beauty, and Cinderella. She was super excited to have them sign her princess autograph book and was incredibly proud of her signatures she was collecting. It was nice to see some of her favorites at the beginning. She was so excited and quite star struck.
After we had been through and seen Ariel, Sleeping Beauty (probably her favorite) and Cinderella, all she wanted to do was find the rest of the princesses. We asked around and found out that you can sometimes catch Jasmine in Adventureland, so off we headed. When we got there she was nowhere to be found and our little princess had dozed so we grabbed some lunch and decided to check back. After lunch we were lucky enough to find Jasmine there and we caught her just before she left. And unbelievably enough, there was no line. It was fantastic!
Now, we had only met four princesses and she was determined to meet all six. Stay tuned for the rest of the story.
If you have never been, meeting the princesses is an attraction. They have 3 princesses at a time in a secluded area, you cannot see, and each child gets 30 seconds to a minute taking pictures and visiting each one. You never know who you will get until you get up there. The line has to be one of the longest in the park, but for all the girls waiting in line so worth it. While Brad was an awesome dad and did some standing in line, grandma took Brooklyn to the princess shop and adorned her with her very own Sleeping Beauty princess gown. She also bought her shoes and a little crown clip. There was no waiting to put that gown on, my little princess had to be dressed like a princess to meet her favorite people. It was all so magical for her. What a fun time! After we were all outfitted we still had a little over a half an hour wait. Thank heaven for Brad! What a guy.
On her first time through she met Ariel, Sleeping Beauty, and Cinderella. She was super excited to have them sign her princess autograph book and was incredibly proud of her signatures she was collecting. It was nice to see some of her favorites at the beginning. She was so excited and quite star struck.
After we had been through and seen Ariel, Sleeping Beauty (probably her favorite) and Cinderella, all she wanted to do was find the rest of the princesses. We asked around and found out that you can sometimes catch Jasmine in Adventureland, so off we headed. When we got there she was nowhere to be found and our little princess had dozed so we grabbed some lunch and decided to check back. After lunch we were lucky enough to find Jasmine there and we caught her just before she left. And unbelievably enough, there was no line. It was fantastic!
Now, we had only met four princesses and she was determined to meet all six. Stay tuned for the rest of the story.Vacation: Part 4 (The good stuff cont.)
After we met Jasmine it was time to go meet some fairies, don't worry the rest of the princesses will not be forgotten, but we will get to those later. They have the cutest little pixie hollow set up and the line for the fairies, while wasn't as long as the princesses, was still a good wait. And here, you only meet two fairies at a time. Again you never know who you will get, but Brooklyn was thrilled to see any of them and we were able to meet Iridessa and Silvermist. Silvermist is one of her very favorites, so it worked out nicely.
I love the look of awe and adoration on her face here. It truly was magical for her!
After we met the fairies, we headed over to Disney California to check it out. While we were there we decided to dine with the princesses. We had set up an appointment for the next night, but decided to go while grandma and grandpa were there. While we waited for our reservation Brad entertained Brooklyn by dancing with her on the pier. One of her favorite games is to play Sleeping Beauty. She sings "Once Upon a Dream" and her Prince Phillip happens upon her in the forest and they dance and sing together. There was no more fitting a place for her to play Sleeping Beauty than at Disneyland in her Sleeping Beauty gown. Brad was such a good sport to play along.
After Brad and Brooklyn danced in the "forest" we headed in to grab our table and meet more princesses. We dined in a restaurant called Ariel's Grotto. It is a cute little sea themed restaurant and the food was fantastic. We all chose the tri-tip and it was quite delicious. But back to the princesses... Since it is Ariel's Grotto upon coming into the restaurant you get to sit and talk with none other than Ariel. This Ariel spent a large amount of time with Brooklyn and was pretty excited they both had red hair. She was super sweet and kind to her and Brooklyn ate it all up.
After meeting Ariel we headed to our table to await the arrival of the remaining four princesses we would meet during dinner. The first to arrive was Cinderella.
Even though she had met three of the princesses that she was going to meet at dinner already she insisted that they each sign her book again.
Next to arrive was a princess she was still waiting to meet, Snow White. I don't know if I have every seen a more permanent grin on her face than while we were meeting princesses at Disneyland, it was really too cute!
Next, we met Sleeping Beauty again. The dinner was neat because all the princesses spent so much time with Brooklyn.
And last, but definitely not least, and by far Brad's favorite, we met Belle. What more can I say about Brooklyn, she was obviously thrilled. She had now met all six princesses! She had not forgotten about Pocahontas, but I told her we probably wouldn't meet her before we started the day. We had accomplished our mission. Wahoo!!!
Here is a picture of all of us at dinner.
We were able to get in a few other rides throughout the day, including the Jungle Cruise, but the day was really all about the princesses.
I love the look of awe and adoration on her face here. It truly was magical for her!
After we met the fairies, we headed over to Disney California to check it out. While we were there we decided to dine with the princesses. We had set up an appointment for the next night, but decided to go while grandma and grandpa were there. While we waited for our reservation Brad entertained Brooklyn by dancing with her on the pier. One of her favorite games is to play Sleeping Beauty. She sings "Once Upon a Dream" and her Prince Phillip happens upon her in the forest and they dance and sing together. There was no more fitting a place for her to play Sleeping Beauty than at Disneyland in her Sleeping Beauty gown. Brad was such a good sport to play along.
After Brad and Brooklyn danced in the "forest" we headed in to grab our table and meet more princesses. We dined in a restaurant called Ariel's Grotto. It is a cute little sea themed restaurant and the food was fantastic. We all chose the tri-tip and it was quite delicious. But back to the princesses... Since it is Ariel's Grotto upon coming into the restaurant you get to sit and talk with none other than Ariel. This Ariel spent a large amount of time with Brooklyn and was pretty excited they both had red hair. She was super sweet and kind to her and Brooklyn ate it all up.
After meeting Ariel we headed to our table to await the arrival of the remaining four princesses we would meet during dinner. The first to arrive was Cinderella.
Even though she had met three of the princesses that she was going to meet at dinner already she insisted that they each sign her book again.Next to arrive was a princess she was still waiting to meet, Snow White. I don't know if I have every seen a more permanent grin on her face than while we were meeting princesses at Disneyland, it was really too cute!
Next, we met Sleeping Beauty again. The dinner was neat because all the princesses spent so much time with Brooklyn.
And last, but definitely not least, and by far Brad's favorite, we met Belle. What more can I say about Brooklyn, she was obviously thrilled. She had now met all six princesses! She had not forgotten about Pocahontas, but I told her we probably wouldn't meet her before we started the day. We had accomplished our mission. Wahoo!!!
Here is a picture of all of us at dinner.We were able to get in a few other rides throughout the day, including the Jungle Cruise, but the day was really all about the princesses.
Vacation: Part 5
We started out Tuesday well rested and ready to hit the park again. Brooklyn was determined to ride the big ferris wheel at Disney's California, so we started there. Our first stop was the Playhouse Disney show. She was very anxious to meet the Little Einsteins. You can't actually meet them, but they were in a show and she loved it. While we were there we rode the rides in A Bugs Life and the large Mickey Ferris Wheel. California is fun, but to me it is definitely no Disneyland. It does not hold the same kind of magic. Here are some pictures from our time there.
Next, it was back to Disneyland to spend the rest of our day. And you probably could have guessed the first place she wanted to go when we got back, was to meet the princesses again. So off we went. We waited in line for an hour and a half, part of which she slept on me for to meet the princesses again. Somehow we lucked out and were able to meet Pocahontas and Mulan on this return trip. Probably a disappointment to most other girls waiting in line, but definitely not for our girl. I don't know how we did it, but we were able to meet all eight princesses on our trip to Disneyland and this in and of itself made this trip the "best ever" in Brooklyn's eyes.
Seriously, we were still not done meeting characters. We still had to make one more visit to Pixie Hollow to try and meet Tinkerbell. We headed to Pixie Hollow and were able to meet Iridessa again and finally Tinkerbell. Our meeting of characters was complete after this visit and finally she wanted to ride some rides. Her favorite ride of the whole trip turned out to be the Storybook Canal because she saw miniature palaces and castles of all her favorite princesses.
And, a little dinner break...
Our time at Disneyland really was a dream come true for our little munchkin!
Next, it was back to Disneyland to spend the rest of our day. And you probably could have guessed the first place she wanted to go when we got back, was to meet the princesses again. So off we went. We waited in line for an hour and a half, part of which she slept on me for to meet the princesses again. Somehow we lucked out and were able to meet Pocahontas and Mulan on this return trip. Probably a disappointment to most other girls waiting in line, but definitely not for our girl. I don't know how we did it, but we were able to meet all eight princesses on our trip to Disneyland and this in and of itself made this trip the "best ever" in Brooklyn's eyes.
Seriously, we were still not done meeting characters. We still had to make one more visit to Pixie Hollow to try and meet Tinkerbell. We headed to Pixie Hollow and were able to meet Iridessa again and finally Tinkerbell. Our meeting of characters was complete after this visit and finally she wanted to ride some rides. Her favorite ride of the whole trip turned out to be the Storybook Canal because she saw miniature palaces and castles of all her favorite princesses.
And, a little dinner break...
Our time at Disneyland really was a dream come true for our little munchkin!
Vacation: Part 6
After Disneyland we headed to Newport Beach and Thursday morning to our nieces swim meet in California. Here are some pictures from the beach where we built a sand castle and made Brooklyn a mermaid tail out of sand.
Our Beach Beauty
Our Little Mermaid
The finished sand castle
We enjoyed our time at Mallory's swim meet on Thursday and our super proud of her. She just made the national swim team and we have never been able to see her swim yet so it was a great opportunity. We had a great time and Brooklyn cheered her on in a whisper.
Later Thursday afternoon we headed to Vegas and on Friday morning we headed up to Beaver, Utah for a camping trip with my dad and my brothers and sisters. We had a great time camping and enjoyed seeing all of our nieces and nephews unfortunately our camera battery died as soon as we got there so we have no pictures. We had a blast though and Brooklyn caught her first fish. She is so my girl.
On Sunday morning we packed up and headed back to Vegas. After Brad had a quick shower and repacked we headed to the airport and sent him home. Brooklyn and I spent the next week in Vegas visiting family. Her cousin Sydney gave her some swim lessons and we had a great 4th of July at Nellis Air Force base, but I will have more on that later.
It was a great vacation and awesome family time. We are super blessed and grateful we were able to spend all that time together.
Our Beach Beauty
Our Little Mermaid
The finished sand castleLater Thursday afternoon we headed to Vegas and on Friday morning we headed up to Beaver, Utah for a camping trip with my dad and my brothers and sisters. We had a great time camping and enjoyed seeing all of our nieces and nephews unfortunately our camera battery died as soon as we got there so we have no pictures. We had a blast though and Brooklyn caught her first fish. She is so my girl.
On Sunday morning we packed up and headed back to Vegas. After Brad had a quick shower and repacked we headed to the airport and sent him home. Brooklyn and I spent the next week in Vegas visiting family. Her cousin Sydney gave her some swim lessons and we had a great 4th of July at Nellis Air Force base, but I will have more on that later.
It was a great vacation and awesome family time. We are super blessed and grateful we were able to spend all that time together.
Friday, July 3, 2009
Swimming Lessons
This is for you Brad!
I will post more from our trip later, but for now this is a video of Brooklyn in her swimming lessons with her awesome cousin Sydney.
I will post more from our trip later, but for now this is a video of Brooklyn in her swimming lessons with her awesome cousin Sydney.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
More to Come...
So here is a quick update, with much more to come.
Drove to Phoenix
Visited with cousins and good friends
Drove to California
Disneyland - met all 8 princesses, and 3 fairies
The real beach
Mallory's Swim Meet
Camping in Utah
Vegas
Home next week
Drove to Phoenix
Visited with cousins and good friends
Drove to California
Disneyland - met all 8 princesses, and 3 fairies
The real beach
Mallory's Swim Meet
Camping in Utah
Vegas
Home next week
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