Disneyland!

Mom and dad text the family one day that the next week they were taking us all to Disneyland and hopefully we could all make it! We were pretty dang excited. We decided not to tell any of the kids and to surprise them when we got there. It was hard keeping that a secret for a week but somehow we pulled it off. When they went to sleep Tuesday night we packed up everything, even the car, covered the luggage in the back and went about our day Wednesday morning like normal. Kenny told the kids his jeep wasn’t working so he’d take the bus and we could go pick him up later. When Beau got home from basketball camp that afternoon, I loaded them up and told them we’d go down to Kenny’s office for a bit then bring him home. When we got Kenny we told them we had an errand to run. They still weren’t on to us. Once we left the city though, they asked if we were going to Josh and Mandy’s house. We said we weren’t going that far and just kept on driving to Anaheim. When we got to the hotel they were excited but had no clue we’d be going to Disneyland or that the rest of the family was there. They thought we were probably just going to the beach the next morning. We unloaded and that’s when we ran into the Ellsworths so then the kids were extra excited that cousins were there too. We all went to dinner and then had a sleepover at the hotel which was fun for them. It took them forever to go to sleep but they never get to do this so it was fun! They still didn’t know that Grandma and Grandpa and Kim and Kelli were coming. The next morning we got up super early and met down in the lobby. When Grandma and Grandpa came down the kids were so surprised and then they said that we were going to Disneyland instead and so that was the biggest surprise! We haven’t been for 5 years so our kids don’t remember it and they were really excited to finally be going. And man, what a great week to go. Who knew?! With Star Wars Land opening up to everyone that week, we were a little worried about crowds but turns out- the park wasn’t busy! We hardly waited at all between short lines and fast passes and we got to do everything we wanted to, sometimes more than once! It was awesome. It wasn’t hot either. With Rachel and Russ with us we were in good hands too. They know all the tricks. We were right at the rope drop both days and hurried into the rides that fill up quickly and rode those a couple of times. Russ would get our fast passes for the bigger rides and knew exactly which rides to do when. It was awesome. It made for a super enjoyable few days! I really am just so grateful to my parents who made this possible!

We did California Adventure the first day. We went to Pixar Pier first where everyone loved the Toy Story ride and the little kids loved riding the carousel while the big kids rode the Incredi Coaster. I don’t think Beau knew what he was in for-going upside down, long drops, etc. and he hated it. But Kayli, surprisingly, LOVED it! She went on it a couple of times! I was so surprised she loved it so much. She had newfound courage this week and was so brave! She is not usually very adventurous or daring! I loved Radiator Racers and sitting with Trey was fun. It was his first big ride and he wasn’t too sure about it. One of our favorite things there was the Frozen Show. AMAZING. It’s an hour long and Sami sat and watched and sang the entire time. We all loved it. Then we met Anna and Elsa and that was so magical! Sami hugged them and stared at them and I loved watching her! We went to the Disney Junior dance party too which was pretty magical again. Sami got to see Minnie, Vampirina, Sofia, and Doc McStuffins and she was in awe! We rode Gaurdians of the Galaxy and Kayli and Beau both surprised me with how much they loved that! It was fun to see them asking Adam and Emma about certain rides and getting all excited to ride things. They also LOVED the water ride. The playground was a lot of fun for Trey and Kayli but I hated it because I kept losing Trey! He is pretty independent and thinks he can do anything and then he’ll come back. He was most excited to ride the Ferris Wheel. Sami loved the Little Mermaid ride (Ariel, Anna, and Elsa are her favorites!) We seriously had the best day and did so much so Kenny and Russ decided they’d go home with the kids, get pizza and put them to bed to be up early the next day while the rest of us stayed for World of Color. It was fun to stay and eat with mom, dad, and my sisters. The park was empty, we had good spots for the show and the show was awesome.

Kids loved this one!
Disney Junior Dance Party

The next day we did Disneyland! We got up early enough again to be right at the front for the rope drop. Before the park opened up we saw Mickey and Minnie and we were the first ones there for a picture. I was so excited for Sami to meet Minnie because she loves her. It was just so magical for me to watch! We walked onto the Peter Pan ride first (one of my favorites because it’s just such a classic Disneyland ride!) and then did all of Fantasyland without even waiting in lines! The little kids loved Dumbo, the Teapots, the boat ride, and the train. Kayli loved Matterhorn. We met Jasmine and Aladdin which was also really cool because our kids are obsessed with the new movie. We did the Princess Meet and Greet and again- just so magical! Especially when Sami met Ariel and gave her a hug! Space Mountain is my favorite and the big kids rode it but didn’t love it. I was proud of them for trying all of the roller coasters though! The carousel was a hit with the littles again. Trey was so excited for the Jungle Cruise and we were all so excited to WATCH Trey on the Jungle Cruise. I loved seeing him in awe! He is obsessed with animals! Toon Town was fun and Trey road the Goofy Coaster and loved it! He went three times! After that he was feeling brave. Another favorite, surprisingly, was Splash Mountain! Trey was tall enough to go and he wanted to do it! I was so nervous for him because I know how much that last drop takes my stomach away and he’s never experienced anything like that! BUT he loved it and said he wasn’t scared at all! I loved taking them on Thunder Mountain, the Haunted Mansion, Star Tours, Pirates of the Caribbean, EVERYTHING! We did it all. Lastly, we ventured down to Galaxy’s Edge, the new Star Wars Land. I don’t even like Star Wars but It. Was. Amazing. The Storm Troopers stopped us and said something about Sami walking around, it was pretty funny. Then we had so much time left before the fireworks show that Kenny, Sami, and Kim went and sat on blankets to be front row for the show which was AMAZING. The rest of us went and did more even though our feet hurt so bad. We took Trey and Beau on the train around the park and with all the animals and dinosaur scenes they were loving it. We loved the fireworks show and could see all the light up things on the castle because we were literally front row. It was incredible. It was a great end to a wonderful couple of days. Thank you mom and dad!!!

The next day we went to Huntington Beach and the weather was great, the water was great and the kids had a blast playing together. Adam got a brand new skim board for his birthday and Kayli loved learning how to skim board. Kenny and Russ built a Millenium Falcon in the sand and Beau spent the whole day writing things in the sand and then writing “don’t touch” around those. Haha. All the kids love the water and it was a very successful beach day. We finished with dinner at Ruby’s (one of my favorite things to do).

After that, everyone headed home to Vegas, but we had one more surprise up our sleeves. Our kids fell asleep before we were even out of the parking lot so it was perfect because they wouldn’t wake up until we arrived at our destination. We headed down to San Diego to see the Poulsens! Of course they were so excited when they woke up and we were there! We always have a good time when we’re with them and they are always down to go and do whatever! We attempted Casa Guadalajara (one of our favorites and where we used to go before we had any kids!) We debated taking 7 kids there with us but decided what the heck, let’s do it. We mostly survived. We went to the candy store and the Mormon Battalion. We went to Point Loma, something we’ve never done before. It was pretty cool. We also got another beach day in and Andrea and the boys met us there too. We went to La Jolla Shores and it was beautiful out and the waves were crazy. It was another successful beach day. Our kids (and me) definitely love the beach! And I always get the prettiest pictures when Mandy is with us!

And catching up on the rest of sunner…

The only pictures I have from Father’s Day… but Kenny is an awesome dad! These kids love him so much!

Some other things we’ve done this summer… Kayli went to Art Camp which she’d been looking forward to all year. Then her and Milani planned an Art Camp for a few younger friends. They planned it all out, went shopping for supplies, made cookies for the girls, and even made them goodie bags. They love doing that!

Beau went to Basketball Camp at Centennial High School with Coach Hartsock! He loved it! I spied on him for a bit one day and he was out there playing his little heart out. He gives it his all when he’s playing sports!

We went skating at Crystal Palace! Mom met me there and took Sami to Chick-Fil-A so that I could skate with the kids. It was so much fun! Trey went out there and did awesome! The kids had never done the races before but have always wanted to- just have been too nervous. They were determined to race this time-even Trey! When they announced that the races were starting, Trey went out there assuming his age group was first. He was standing out there so brave and all alone but then they said they started with age 5-7. Beau went out there to race and Trey was sad so we told him just to race with the big boys. And he did! It was the cutest thing! He didn’t win, although he wasn’t last. And he skated around and finished! Beau won the race and he killed it! Kayli even went out too which is a big deal for her. She doesn’t like attention or to be nervous or to try hard things in front of people. But she won her race too! It was pretty exciting for them. All their street hockey has paid off. They are pretty good on skates!

POP with Kim!

We finished up a soccer season… so much fun for us.

Don’t let this cute picture fool you, these two are terrors at the library…

4th of July! We did a bike parade with friends around our neighborhood and man, was it cute! Then we went out to Logandale to Kelsi’s house with Kenny’s family. They have a huge backyard and they got a blow up water slide that was super fun for the kids. We went to the town’s park for fireworks and did our own fireworks back at their house.

Sami loved the dog, Roo!
twinners

Trey boy turned 4! The Saturday before his birthday he got to go shopping with Grandma and Grandpa England for presents. And the night before at Sunday dinner with the Eliasons we sang to him, had cake and ice cream, and he opened his present from Grandma and Grandpa Eliason. He had been looking forward to his birthday for a long time. That morning we went to see Toy Story 4. We came home and big Trey brought over an animal painting craft that little Trey got right to work on. He spent the afternoon playing with his legos and new animals. He either wanted to go to the Bean Museum in Utah or a zoo or have a party… so we had a little animal party with some of his friends that night. We kept it simple since they mostly just like to play! Trey’s only request was a pinata so we definitely did that! Luckily, it cooled down that night so we could do things outside. We did a little scavenger hunt and at the end the kids got a cute blow up animal to keep. They also chose an animal mask to keep. Trey has the cutest friends and he had a blast playing and being the birthday boy. We spent the rest of the night outside with neighbors riding bikes and playing with his new rocket launcher. I’d say it was a successful birthday! He has had fun playing with all of his new toys the last few days!