Day 1 of Disneyland!!! (Picture documentary) If you don't like pictures do not pass go!



The first day we went to Disneyland, we decided to go to California Adventure. It wasn't there last time I went so it would be new to all of us! California Adventure doesn't open till about an hour after the regular Disneyland, so we went over to shop at Disney first! Can't waste an hour!!!



Love the Castle!!! Can I live there?





Ears are a must!!!

Elorna and I going on the King Arthur carousel!

First stop on our tour of California Adventure Park, Monster's Inc. ride, of course!

 Our first Character in counter. My mom didn't even know who this was!

Bugs Life! We spent a lot of time here!

Bumper bugs!

Nana and me on some little kid ride in Bug's life.

Finally 2:00 came around, time for lunch with the princess clan at Ariel's Grotto! You can imagine how much fun this was!

We went back to the hotel for a rest, and a little school work, then back for the light show!

Action shot of them with Sebastian!

A cage ride before the lights!

 What a way to end the day!!! And that's the cage ride in the back! Super cool!

Our California Trip- The days before Disneyland!

When I was a kid, I don't remember really wanting to go to Disneyland. They didn't have all the cool princess stuff yet, and really, I wasn't a fan of that big eared mouse! When I was a junior in high school, I got to go and I was very excited about it, but the best part of that trip was beating my old boyfriend at swimming and going to Universal. However, going when you're a teenager and going with your two little girls are very different experiences all together!
We started off at the airport, the girls were wonderful, why wouldn't they be, Nana and Papa would be waiting for them in Sacramento!

Seven hours later (Don't even get me started on Alaska Airlines) we got to Sacramento!!! We spent the night in Sacramento instead of Concord like planned (Again, don't get me started on Alaska!) The hotel was beautiful but the car we rented was stellar!!! I love heated seats! We drove all the way from Sacramento to Solvang in one day!



Over 6 hours!!!

On the way we stopped at the Apple Farm, of course!



Finally we got to the hotel in Solvang, think the girls were happy to be out of the car?

What do you have for breakfast in Solvang??? Eble Skeevers of course!

Can't you almost taste them? They were so good! Even though Kaitlyn said she didn't want any, then ate most of mine! Little stinker!

Then a little shopping before we had to get back into the car and head down to LA!



Does this shoe make my kids look small?



Another 3 hours of driving and Disneyland, here we are!!!

This was our home away from home for 5 days! Cold Stone right next door, and Disneyland right across the road. Can it get any better?

Kaitlyn, Auntie Cyndee, & Elorna

We got to see Auntie Cyndee for the first time in 7 1/2 years. Now Elorna can't hold it over Kaitlyn's head that Auntie Cyndee has seen her and not Kaitlyn!

That night I thought the girls would be too excited to go to sleep. Thank goodness for long drives, they passed out before very long at all!

A week of catch up!

Last Tuesday Elorna, Sammy, Chris and I went to a Mommy Daughter date night at the church. It was great! The girls learned to dance...Chris and I did not!

Me & Chris



Sammy



Elorna

Sammy & Elorna learning to dance!

Elorna and Mommy!

This weekend I celebrated my birthday (Which year is not important).  I spent it with my sweet little girls and loving husband. We ate, unwrapped gifts and truly had a blast!
So here I am, climbing up on my soap box. I don't understand how so many people place so much value on their jobs, cars, houses, etc. Why don't more people understand that the most valuable thing in their lives are their families? Sometimes they make you want to scream and pull your hair out, but life without them just wouldn't be nearly as rich.

Elorna drew this for me at dinner!

I also decided that the girls are going to be my models for my tartan throws and wraps! Don't they look adorable!

And that's my Week of catch up!

Has it really been so long?

I just received a post notification for my friends post, and realized, I haven't posted anything in over a month! I completely forgot about the blog, yes, again! So much has happened in a month. Last post was about Elorna getting her ears pierced. They are doing wonderfully. She has little gold hoops in now and they are looking good!

My mom came to visit for Elorna's birthday and the Light the Night walk, which we do every year! We had so much fun, like always! Cannon Beach is one of our favorite places to stop!



Elorna, my big 8 year old!



Light the Night this year was spectacular! The girls both walked it, over a mile, and it was perfect weather! They walked in honor of Natalie, from the East Bay, and in loving memory of Rich Cronin, Mr. LFO!
   
The girls just had so much fun, and it was a good lesson for them to learn. They often have asked why I go and donate platelets. It's a hard thing to talk about, but now they understand that sometimes people's bodies don't always act how they should.



   

Natalie Nakatani



Rich Cronin

Halloween came so fast, I didn't even notice it was here, and then it was gone!!! The girls had so much fun, looked GREAT, and got a ton of candy! Wish it wasn't just sitting around my house!



Sammy, Kaitlyn, Kiahlee, & Elorna