Daphne Does Disneyland

This trip was all about our girl. Grandma Pam treated us with this amazing first for her,

and the best part was giving her some much needed attention!

Amazing, the carousel was one of her favorites...here she is with her horse, "Brentley".

Girls and names...I don't know where she gets that from - ha!

One of many "magical" moments...

More face painting!!!

She insisted on this $7.00 purchase, even tho it had

to be kept in the hotel room and deflated before our flight home.

Our final day...Huntington Beach pitstop!

Grandma Pam took us to the home of her latter childhood to marriage, in Whittier, CA!


Rosetta was her favorite purchase with her "yard sale" cash!

Night Three - right after she begged to go back to the hotel to sleep.

For all her little friends and cousins reading I included her "star" pictures!

Our fearless rider took on ALL the Disney coasters PLUS Indiana Jones...

she said she would like Pirates of the Caribbean IF it had more "bumps". Who knew....??

In the mornings she was always a little sluggish...but at night she came ALIVE, skipping to all rides!

"Mom...hurry, get the pen ready...and don't embarass me!"

Ariel...her favorite!

Best Picture.

Grandma sat this one out!

When told that we all were getting our faces painted, she paused and said, "Okay, but they won't have any trouble painting MY face, since I have NO wrinkles". Those around us errupted in laughter. I was a bit mortified!

It really made me feel like a kid again!

She insisted on the Haunted Mansion as her first ride (once again, who knows...), hated it, but

was revived when her second was Splash Mountain.

Our first trip - 3 minutes into the gates???

I read to her, slept with her, napped with her, screamed with her, taught her appropriate behavior, did her make-up...so many special moments that otherwise are divided by 3.

Although magical, I realized that this was still a HUGE trip for a girl her age - or maybe just her...by the third day we realized a stroller was the way to go!


And, if there was any bit of jealousy or sadness in Maisie's heart at all...it was all erased with this present from mommy on my return!

Until our return - - Disneyland you are one of my favorite places in this world.

Above all - Thank you Pam for our time together!!

*Here's a shout out to Celest, a friend made on our flights...thanks for being so nice to our girl. You two are kindred spirits!! Have a good week!

Feathers In My Nest

Side Note - I stole my title from a Beth Moore book, whom is on my heart in a big way, since I saw her Live this weekend. She has a blog by the way...if you love her studies, you should check it out! God did BIG things this weekend!!

Things Re-Learned

This week I decided to take all three girls to our family's little beach cabin (above) for a night or two. Why I had such a hankerin' to get out of town and take on such a fete is probably a blog post in itself, but I have a feeling it could be summed up in the words - "an itchin' to get away!" The cabin sits right on the river...it's a reasonably close...and free! Makes sense right?

I learned a few things on this short - one night trip away - that I know I have learned before...and yet keep forgetting.

1. You can't escape parenting even in a different location (unless you've left the kids at home...) - and don't forget, it's even harder in a new local.

2. The drive there and back is the most peaceful part, as the children are secured nicely in carseats and watching a movie on the van's dvd player.

2a. Calories eaten in the car are STILL calories - dang it! (Ruby had her first corn dog on the way out of town and her first licorice sticks on the way home)

2b. Try hard not to judge on 2a's menu choices.

3. The sand and wind and cold ocean air are just not fun with toddlers.

4. I still need my mom (She got done with school at 12pm on Tuesday, drove to the coast, spent the night with us girls, got up at 5:30am the next morning to get back to her kindergarten teaching duties, drove back to the coast, took Daphne on a walk on the beach, and then helped me pack up and clean the cabin before leaving)

4a. Only a mom would do that...and say she had fun doing it!

5. Home is always wonderful to return to.

6. These are the trips I'll remember for a lifetime.

Only if you watch American IDOL

I am a big fan of IDOL. Always have. Always will (a strong bet anyway).



But last night confirmed that I think the way they execute the whole "save vote" is very awkward. I've been able to come up with a few ways that I think they could do it better, since I do like the idea of them being able to save someone that really deserves to stay.



I was so embarassed for the judges last night as they fumbled around their decision on LIVE television in front of the poor contestant. I agreed that Scott's time was definitely up on the show, but come on, give the guy a break.



They're making it look way too unprofessional!



IF you don't watch this show, I hope you stopped reading at the title, but if you DO...am I way off here or do you agree?