YO HO LET'S GO!!!

We had a fun day at Disneyland with Melissa and the boys on October 10th. It was a school day, and when they woke up Melissa asked them if they wanted to go to Disneyland instead of school.  What a great Mom!  It has finally cooled off enough to go and enjoy Disneyland without melting.  To add to the fun, Craig had an eye problem - he just couldn't see going to work : )

We took a picture as soon as we got there. Wonder of wonders, no one is blinking (something I share with Melissa) and all 3 of the boys are smiling at the same time!

We stayed at Disneyland since California Adventure is still crowded from the opening of the new Cars Land.  The lines weren't very long and it was a great day.  All the autumn flowers and decorations were beautiful.


Dylan is the 4th from the right.  Luke is the 4th from the left.

We went to the Jedi Training Academy and both the boys got picked.  I never get tired of watching this, and it was fun to see Luke and Dylan get to participate.  The Star Wars characters are amazing and they stay in character the entire time.  They are so good with the "younglings".

Dylan got to fight Darth Vader.

 

Luke got to fight Darth Maul. Darth Maul is so creepy and so are the stormtroopers.

I had read on the blog Babes in Disneyland  that Pirates League was open at Disneyland during October.  Its kind of like the boys version of the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique except instead of a princess makeover, they paint on eyebrows and a beard and dress them like a pirate with a sword, sash, and a medallion necklace.  The boys love getting their faces painted so I thought they would like this.  Plus they love the show, Jake and the Neverland Pirates.  We weren't sure if it was open on the day we were there, and then when we went through New Orleans Square on the way to lunch at our favorite Hungry Bear, pirate wenches were passing out fliers, so we put that on our list after lunch.

It was tucked away in the back behind the shops, by the stairs.  It was set up in true Disney fashion.  Our timing was perfect and there was no one in line.  The boys got to pick if they wanted to be Jake , or a first mate. I was surprised they all wanted to be Jake. 

 

 

It was hilarious watching the process. The Pirate "wenches" were amazing. They were so good with the boys and they all stayed in character the entire time, speaking in a cockney accent. They were so funny.

 

 

As each boy was done, they were read the pirate oath and then it was announced, "We have a new pirate" and all the pirate wenches shouted ,"AHOY!". It was truly magical.

It was a priceless afternoon.  My favorite part was as soon as they were done, Dylan and Austin ran up the stairs and started dueling with their new swords like old pros.

The boys really wanted to ride the tea cups.  I don't think I've been on them since their Mom was little.  None of us were really thrilled about it, but I took one for the team and went with Luke and Dylan while Melissa went with Austin.  Craig offered to take pictures.  It was so much fun and we laughed the entire time.  But I'm pretty sure I won't go again soon- I felt awful when the ride stopped.

We love the Enchanted Tiki Room and getting a Pineapple Whip.  Why did it take us this long to discover that the back row has nice padded seats?

Luke stayed in character all day, and was very serious about having his hand on his sword, or putting it up on his shoulder.  It was another wonderful day at the happiest place on earth.  So glad we have our season passes.

Primary

11 of our 18 CTR 5's

I thought the day of our Primary Program would be a good time to get a picture of our entire class.  Unfortunately, since four left early, this is a smaller than normal group.  I went ahead and took this picture anyway, since there were a few kids there who missed the last picture.  Craig and I have had fun teaching this big primary class.  They are such sweet chldren and they keep us us on our toes!  It is definitely a different way to serve, but we feel like at least we are making a difference in these precious children's lives.  

Front row: Luke*, Brendan, Jackson and Hunter(with his new hair cut)

Back row: Rachel, Mara, Brielle, Kayana, Rachel, Meredith and Mia
Not pictured: Caleb, Olivia, Bailey, Leah, Piero, Ezekiel, Kenzie

*Melissa's oldest son and our first grandson  : )

HAPPY NEWS

Josh and Krista are expecting their first baby on March 7!  YAY!!!  WE ARE SO EXCITED!!! This will be our tenth grandchild.  Skye is our youngest and she will be 2 in January.  Blake, Reese and Austin all turned 3 this year, so it's been awhile since we've had a new baby in the family.

 This will be a tall child - Josh is 6'4" and Krista is 5'11".  Krista has a sister who is 6'3" and brothers that are 6'6".  Plus, she has siblings with beautiful curly red hair, so this could be our little redhead!  Either way, he or she will be beautiful, tall and have a dimple in his/her chin.  I can't wait to see that little face!  Krista will have an ultrasound on October 24 and they hope to find out if it's a boy or girl at that time. 

Krista is feeling good,  she just tires easily but thankfully she doesn't have any morning sickness.  She and Josh are both so excited to be parents.  They will be wonderful!  We are truly blessed and so grateful for our precious children and grandchildren.  They are the heart of our heart and the loves of our life!

I Left My Heart in Monterey

 

We spent labor day weekend in Monterey with Josh and Krista, where Josh is stationed at the Presidio of Monterey at Fort Ord, Defense Language Institute.  He is learning Persian Farsi to become a cryptological linguist in military intelligence for the Army. This is the language spoken in Iran.  His schooling is very intense, but he seems to be keeping up his g.p.a.  He cannot miss any class time, so he is grateful for the breaks on the weekends and the occasional holiday.  

 

Josh and Krista were separated for 5 months while he was in basic training and for the beginning of his language training.  They are so happy to be together!  We had not seen them for almost a year - it was last October when we all rendezvoused in Idaho for a long weekend.  It was a treat to spend time with them and be in the beautiful Monterey area for the first time.

 Craig and I drove up the 101 and it was the first time we've ever made that beautiful drive. Saturday morning we were tourists and started off at Fisherman's Wharf.  There are seals everywhere and it was fun to watch them and the sea otters  play.

Then we went on the famous 17 MILE DRIVE  through Pebble Beach and took a few pictures.  We were in heaven with the cool 65 degree weather after our hot and humid August.  It was glorious! The coastline was very rocky and craggy, so different from the sandy beaches in southern Calif.  It was overcast most of the time, so our views weren't as pretty as it would have been in clear weather, but it was still breathtaking. 

The housing areas of Pebble Beach reminded me a little of Santa Rosa.  Very hilly and so pretty.  This fence had holes cut in it to accommodate this old tree.   It looked so cool to see this tree just growing out of the fence.


This is the Lone Cypress that is the logo for Pebble Beach.
  It's over 250 years old. 
 

On Saturday afternoon we went out to lunch at Islands and went to see the new Bourne movie.  (It was okay.  I am liking action movies less and less in my old age!)Saturday night we played SEQUENCE boys against the girls and of course, the girls were triumphant per usual. 

 

It was so much fun being with Josh and Krista for the weekend after such a long time.  They have a cute apartment and they are so glad to have their things after waiting for over a month for the movers to arrive. They have a good circle of friends and they are a great support to each other.  The husbands all came to Monterey about the same time as Josh, but they are studying different languages and are in different branches of the military.  One couple is also in their ward.  They love being in a family ward after their first two years in young married student wards.  They are in the Seaside Ward.

 

We drove home via the Coast Highway. This was also a first for us.   Even though there was patchy fog, and it was mostly overcast, the scenery was beautiful.  I especially loved the Big Sur area with the redwood trees and mountain roads, and then through the trees you can see the beautiful ocean.  We can't wait to go back!

 

Trip to Ruthie's

My BFF Ruth Melvin, and I try to rendezvous every summer for a long weekend.  Last summer she came to California and this year it was my turn to travel to Las Vegas.  Her husband, Dwight, works for Harrah's and one of the chefs at their fancy, exclusive restaurant invited him to bring his family for a free meal.  This is a perk that Dwight does not take advantage of very often, so it was really a special evening.

It always makes me smile to see Toby Keith in front of his restaurant " I Love This Bar and Grill" in Harrah's.  Too bad the flash showed or it would almost look like the real thing. Bless his heart. 

 

Ruth and Dwight, the happy couple.  Love them to pieces.

 

Ruth takes such good care of her darling Mom, June.  She just turned 88.

 

Jake is Ruth's youngest son.  He's just a year older than Josh. 
He's still single girls!

 

After a delicious meal, we were just about ready to leave and they brought out this glorious dessert tray for us.  All of it!  I had my first creme brulee and hopefully not my last!  Everything tasted even better than it looked.  The straws are made of chocolate.  This picture does not do it justice. 

 Ruth is the most generous person I know.  She picks out the funniest cards and the best gifts.  We both love to read, so she gave me a few new books for my stack.  I still haven't converted to an e-reader.  I love a hardcover. 

 That night after we got everyone settled at home we went and played tourist at the Belaggio and watched the beautiful water shows.  We saw four different shows, all set to different music. The water shoots higher than the hotel in the background. It is so powerful and so beautiful all at the same time. 

 We went to two movies while I was there.  We thought we were going to see THE BEST EXOTIC MARIGOLD HOTEL, but somehow we ended up in  MOONRISE KINGDOM.  It turned out to be a sweet, quirky, funny movie and we were so glad to discover it.  Any movie with Bill Murray is a win win for me.  We both loved it.  Then we went to see The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel the next day and we LOVED it too.  I will purchase both. 

The morning  I left, Ruth had her kids all come over for a big breakfast so we could see each other.  I love and adore her kids - they are more like family than just friends.  We are Auntie Ruth and Auntie Lissa to each others grandkids. 

I love Ruth. And I love her family. We always have fun, whether we're at Women's Conference at BYU, in a lovely Barstow or Mesquite Hotel or just hanging out.  On the way to and from I listened to the latest book by Richard Castle, so it was a fast, easy drive. 

Dave & Tam's Homecoming

Craig's oldest brother, Dave and his wife Tam returned from their 18 month mission to Fukuoka, Japan, where they served in the mission office and taught English classes.  We made a quick trip to St. George to hear them speak in their ward.

 

We had such a lovely visit with Dave & Tam, and we also got to spend  time with their son Jeff, and his daughter, Kayla from Lake Oswego, Oregon. We haven't seen Jeff for about 10 years. Kayla is just a month younger than our oldest granddaughter, Paige, so she stole our heart!  Even though Jeff mocked me for my flip phone - we still had such a fun visit.  Tam and Dave's talks were wonderful.  We both commented that we could listen to them speak all day.  They loved their mission and the associations with the young elders, sisters,  and the mission president and his wife.  The Japanese people were wonderful and you can tell they adored them and left part of their hearts in Japan.  We had such great meals and Jeff introduced us to the comedian Brian Regan, and we laughed til we cried and our stomach's hurt from laughing so much!

We spent Friday and Saturday in Parowan with my parents. Shame on us for not taking any pictures there!  Mom and Dad are doing great and love living in such a pretty town, where Dad continues to serve as Mayor.   They both seem to forget that they were not born and raised there - and they are certain it is the most beautiful place on earth.  Or maybe a very close second to their beloved Hawaii.