[Family Vacation Part One]

This year we really needed a break from grades, work and the lack of sun! So we headed to sunny California for the beach, family fun and of course Disneyland!

{16} Happy Anniversary

~My kind of quickie~

It all started with a dozen roses. My husband and his brother decided to surprise their wives with a weekend getaway.

(Sorry about the picture.. that's my man... and the only place he knows to put his hand)

We left early Saturday morning and we came home late Sunday night.

This is the view out the airplane window, I actually had my eyes open through a flight. Usually I think about the death trap I'm in and the crash landing, the turbulence, the jets becoming ever so quiet.. get the picture, I hate to fly. This time it was pretty good.

Our destination... DISNEYLAND, with out the kids!
We drove straight to the Hotel we were staying in... Disney's Grand California Hotel!!

Check in and then off we went to be kids.

We ate dinner ate the Blue Bayou, you know the Restaurant inside Pirates.. the one I always wish I could eat at when I'm on the ride. By the way the food was spectacular!

That morning we drove to Beverly Hills and did a little sight seeing, then went to Universal Studios... first time!

LOVED IT!!!!!

Then my camera died......

It was a perfect quickie!!!!

And we couldn't have gone with out the help of my fabulous brother RY RY, you are the best!

{washer = treasure}

Do you have one of those kids that just seem to lose everything? You know that kid that has something one minute, walks in the other room and comes back empty handed... which the item they had is never seen on the face of this earth again?

I DO!!

For example Austin receives rewards at school, in turn he exchanges them for little prizes, his favorite so far is a little green haired troll doll, but he lost it. He earns money for certain little jobs, I tell him to go put it in your bank so you know where it is when you want to buy something, but it's never there... it's lost!

There has been a certain DS game missing for some time. A game Austin just had to have, he would die if he didn't get it, the world could end if he didn't get it, and so Santa brought it to him in 2007.
It has been missing for 7 months +! We have searched in and out, high and low, around and underneath... nothing!
I have a front end loader washer, this morning as I was trying to be domestic, I noticed a little troll doll stuck in between the rubber part of the door holding the infamous DS game...

WHAT THE HECK!!!!!!

It has been in my washer for over 7 months along with that little green haired troll doll. Wet, worn and YES it still works!!!

I can't wait to give them to Austin!

11 going onto 25!

Austin went on a field trip today to see The Nutcracker. He was so excited to go he laid out his Sunday clothes the night before. I couldn't wait to ask him what he thought....

Mom..."Aust (that's what we call him), what did you think of the Nutcracker?"

Aust..."Me and Vincent think Clara is hot!"

Clara was the girl in the Nutcracker, come to find out more....

Her real name is Brooke, she is 12 yrs old and she didn't speak, but she was hot!

That is not what I expected!

*first snow*

Jake couldn't wait to get home from church to build this....

My dad.. the hero!

Gotta understand this was Ron's third atempt to catch this moth, the third was a dinger!

You game?

( Pictures taken earlier this summer)

(Yes that is grass in Austin's mouth)

Last night I spent some good old fashion fun, that's what we call it at my house, cutting my boys over due, over grown, beastly hair.
This morning I looked at my very handsome boys and asked...
"Who are you and what did you do with my boys?"
No response....
"Where did all that hair go?"
"You both look so handsome!" "I can't believe how much hair you had..." " Your friends won't know who you are, maybe they will think you are a twin"
Do you get my point? I was trying to see who would awnser me first by bugging them so much one of them would have to awnser...
Jake, very distracted by the game he was playing, yes I am a mama who let's my kiddos play video games in the morning, Said....
"That's cause it's falling out." followed by a low little giggle from Austin who was focusing on his game, then they both continued playing their game. It made me laugh! Jake won!

It was time...

I knew it was way over due for a hair cut when my boys ask me to do it... that doesn't happen very often.. so with out further ad00...

Before & After

.Tay had a mohawk for a day, but when church came mom made him buzz it off.... We should have left it if I knew their would be no heart attacks from his YM leaders, Bishopbric, older men in the ward, Grandpa's and Uncle Mike... hehehe! Maybe next time!

Can you see by the before and after pictures just how happy they really are about their do's?

Happy Father's Day!

These are by far the most amazing Dad's I know!

I love you all very much and am truely inspired by your faith , devotion and unconditional love for your family! Happy Father's Day... go ahead kick back and relax you all deserve it!

Graduation...tear...

My baby has graduated from the crib and into a toddler bed. She is very excited to be in a big girl bed, mom is not so. It means she has graduated to the next step in life... TODDLER! She now has freedom to get in bed and out of bed and in again and then out one more time, no wait .......in again, I think......? and we're good....... oh.... what was that (THUMP)? And out again, and back to bed again..... YES,

I think were good !!

Finally she fell asleep!

This is where she was the next morning... poor thing! Notice the green purse and a set of keys on the floor? They weren't there before... where was she going?

Em is actually doing great... a few falls out of bed in the night but she's just like her dad... she sleeps through everything!

Parker came and played with Em the following day, remember there is a 1 year age difference... Em is older! These two were having way to much fun on her new bed.

Lynds... I think he likes the bed!

Treasures, movie and a waterslide.... Wednesday

A person is a person no matter how small....

Movie day! I think it was a great idea since it is cold and windy outside! But before the movie started we had about a 1/2 hour to kill, we didn't want go home... I took the boys over to DI to see if they could find a treasure......

A Driver like Tiger, Roller blades for speed and a bank ATM to save $$

We then went to Horton hears a who!

We loved it! My favorite part was at the end when the scary bird,

with a great accent by the way, said...

"I'm a little emotional....here comes the waterslide!"

Yes, I did get emotional and I had my own water park on my face, I couldn't wipe my tears because Em was a sleep on my lap and my left arm was a sleep from holding her. Plus right before she fell asleep she dumped the tub of popcorn on her lap, thus, my lap.... I could have had an eye injury if I did wipe my tears..... salt and butter!

Good movie.... a must buy at the Griffin home!

Where the wind blows..... Tuesday

So Tuesday we spent the morning looking for a kite. One stop was at Macey's in Orem. Grandma was there, and we were hungry, so we decided she should take her lunch break with us.
We then found our way to the perfect field to fly our kites. Austin was the first to jump out.....RIP! His kite tore a way from the string! "Funny, it doesn't seem to be that windy.... cheap kite!!" Then Taylor jumps out and the wind catches his kite.......SNAP!!! His kite stick breaks in half! Jake didn't dare get out of the car in fear that the wind would carry him away. I jumped out thinking..... let mom show you how.... wrong! The wind was so strong, needless to say our kite flying day was over in 1 min and 36 seconds. We got home, Taylor and Austin love jumping on the tramp in the wind with their blankets I guess it's the sense of flying for them... I don't know. I wasn't even out of the car yet..... but there they were on the tramp and laughing like no other.... Then it happened..... out of the corner of my eye I saw a blanket fly off the tramp... A sheer wind came through and blew Austin right off the tramp! I called out to see if he was ok.... all I got was..."mom, did you see that, the wind blew me off.... that was so cool!!" Followed by alot of laughing and screaming!

Spring Break.....Monday

My Plan is to totally wear my kids out. So we packed up a lunch and went in search for a fun park. We arrived at the Neilson Cove Park in Orem. It was in the high 70's, Austin said it was boiling. This picture was taken after all the swinging, running, sliding....

MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!