We made it!

With a little convincing from Jenn and in turn me convincing Dave, we decided spur of the moment to head to California for spring break. It turned out great! We stayed with Todd & Jenn and the cousins all got to play with each other. Cade was a little outnumbered by girls but nothing he wasn't used to. We took off on a Tuesday night at 8pm. We were planning on staying in Las Vegas but Dave was feelin' it so he kept a driving. We timed it perfect for hitting morning rush hour in CA. Apparently rush hour has improved since so many people have lost jobs. (Beware lots of pics coming your way)
Our first day we spent at the beach with weather in the 80's. We thought this was great coming from snow and wind. It was so great that most everyone got sunburned! Our cousins are Claire, Madison, and Anna.

Claire Bear is such the poser! These 2 girls had fun together. I only heard Valerie run from Claire once or twice saying, "she is going to pull my hair!"

After the beach we met up with Todd. He had special keys to some property they own from work. We had 3 big pools and a hot tub mostly to ourselves. We couldn't resist grillin up some dogs for dinner.

Disneyland was the favorite of the little kids while Cade and Ashley loved California Adventure. We had perfect weather and our own personal guide, Jenn & Madison. Madison was able to give us a play by play on all the rides.
Valerie's favorite ride was the tea cups. She also loves Tinkerbell and was so excited to see her flying over the castle at the night firework show. I don't know what it is about Disneyland but you sure leave there feeling magical!

Valerie was so excited to see Mickey Mouse. She kept talking about how she loved him and kept asking everybody, "where is Micky Mouse?" So of course we had to stay in line forever to see him. When we got up to see him she got scared and started pulling back in my arms.

Breaking for treats. Who doesn't love cotton candy and frozen lemonade? Even for 5 bucks a piece.


Jenn was quite the woman handling the baby crew while we all went on rides. We were all glad to see her sister Michelle come later in the day. One more pair of hands!

California Adventure

The Aladdin Show. We had to work hard to fight the crowds to make it to this one! We even ditched our strollers and started running. Thankfully no one got lost in the commotion.






Cade and Ashley loved the tower of terror ride and talked me into going on it all day long. I don't like heights so they had me pretty worked up. It was actually better than I thought. They also loved the roller coasters. Hailey loved the soarin ride. She was able to provide me with all the details on that ride. Mikayla was such a good sport and would go anywhere.

Eating dinner at Bad to the Bone. It was very tasty. Cade enjoyed his own rack of ribs. He is starting to eat more which we can feel in the pocketbook.


Our kids love Clair Bear. They must have taken 40 pics of just her. Anything from eating crackers to sleeping.

The drive home was not as exciting as the drive down. We did break it up and sleep in Las Vegas on the way home. We returned home through a snowstorm and ended up where we started. Snow on the ground and wind all around!

Cade's red eyes explain it all. Lots of play and little sleep! Actually this was one of the most relaxing, non stressing vacations we have had. Maybe because it wasn't planned? We can't forget the great hosts we had either! Thanks Todd and Jenn and family. We had a blast.

Please take me to the mall!

My friend found this letter Ashley had written. I don't know if it was for a school assignment or if her and her friend were just having fun. Either way, I loved it.

Dear nice, pretty, beautiful, kind, loving mother,

Please take me to the mall. I won't ask for new clothes anymore. It will make me really happy. I'll say I love you every morning and night. Grandma lives by the mall so we can sleep there. Will you please take me to the mall?

Yours truly, Ashley

So yes, I did take her and Mikayla for an afternoon out at the mall. We shopped, talked, and ate pretzels. The girls had a great time trying on clothes and posing.

Chalk up another year for DAVE!

Happy Birthday to the greatest husband and father eva!

Dave is not one for pictures, parties, or goodies (unless it is chocolate) so we had a quiet little family get together with homemade peanut butter cups. Hailey wanted Dave to have a piniata but made it clear that none of Dad's friends could take a wack at it - only her Dad. He is really not one for presents either but we did surprise him with season 1 of Battlestar Galactica. (He doesn't watch much TV but he loves this show).

Dave, I think you are amazing. I love that you are patient and even tempered which helps to mellow out my highs and lows. I love that you like to pamper me each Sunday by cooking dinner and doing dishes. I love that you always make time for the family. I love to watch you interact with the kids as you are their hero. I love that you are so witty. You have great one liners that make everyone laugh or stop and think. I love that you are a man of faith. I love that you know what is important in life and help me to keep on the right track. I love you. Hope you had a good day.

Sunshine Shirley turns 7

Since Mikayla was a little girl Dave has called her "Sunshine." She is such a sweetie and makes everyone around her happy. For her 7th birthday Dave got her a necklace with a sun on it. She wears it non-stop (although not in this picture). I thought it was so sweet that Dave did this all on his own. What a good idea. I was relieved it wasn't a surprise animal. Last time he did a surprise gift on his own we ended up with a bunny. Not that I don't love the bunny I just didn't want to start potty training a dog.

Things I love about Mikayla:
Her smile.
Her compassion for other people.
When she makes me love notes and pictures.
Watching her be so kind to her sisters.
Letting Valerie crawl in bed with her during the night.
Listening to her sing to her ipod when she thinks no one is watching her.
Her desire to do good.

Although Mikayla did not have a sleepover party, I couldn't resist making this cake. I thought it turned out adorable. Thanks Tasha for the idea and pointers! I actually got the cake out of the pan without it falling into pieces!



Mikayla has been dying to get her ears pierced again! She watches Ashley match her earrings to her outfit every morning and couldn't wait to do it for herself. Mel took her to the salon and shot her. She was brave and beaming again from ear to ear. Hopefully we will have better luck this time without them getting infected.


Mikayla had some crazy fun girls over after school for games, crafts, and a piniata. It snowed terribly bad that day (February 26th) so we ended up doing to piniata in the garage. I am happy to report no one got injured and everyone had plenty of sugar. We topped off the party by loading up the sugar filled girls and eating pizza at Al's pizza. Happy Birthday Mikalya! We love you.