Disneyland

Matt and I had such high hopes for Amber and Parker at Disneyland. As we arrived both Matt and I had huge smiles on our faces. I even said out loud "this really is the happiest place on earth!" Soon I was yelling curses as the crowds got larger and larger. Me + crowds = GRUMPY! Add the scorching heat and I'm a basket case. The kids had a blast which is all that matters. We got to ride a few rides, but the lines were seriously so out of control that by 11:00 PM we had only ridden eight rides. We learned from our mistakes and will know how to do things differently next time.

After traumatising the kids on "Snow White" (that is seriously so scary! There needs to be a disclosure "for kids eight and older") we took them on the merry-go-round. We're making good time! It's only 3:00 PM and we're on the second ride of the day!



This was one of the highlights. Being able to control Dumbo was pretty dang exciting for Amber. We waited about an hour to ride this one. An hour to go in circles for about one minute.
Here is Aubrey waiting so patiently for us at Dumbo.

Parker was asleep for this one. That kid can sleep anywhere! Amber had a smile on her face throughout this whole ride. I loved it!

This was my favorite part about Disneyland...nursing in public (:

I was lucky, I had someone sitting within a few feet of me staring at me the entire time. She had a smile on her face, so I don't think she was grossed out. I think she was maybe remembering the good old days. It made me a little awkward. It's funny how things change. I never would have dreamed of nursing in the middle of a crowded public place with Amber, or maybe even Parker. Once the third comes though it's like "what ever!"
Amber was asking throughout this entire ride "is that real? Are those real? Are those just pretend?" Parker thought everything was real, and was pretty excited to see elephants, hippos, snakes, etc.


We didn't realize you needed to get in a spot to see the fireworks, so we tried to head over right before they started and there was no where to sit, and they were making us walk away from it all "keep moving, keep moving" was all we heard! We moved like cattle for the entire show, and caught glimpses of the fireworks and of Tinkerbell. It was laughable at that point. We had missed every parade, the Fantasia show, the Princess' and now the fireworks. What a day! When we asked Amber what her favorite part was at Disneyland, she said "seeing the princess'." We said, "how, we didn't get to see them?" And she told us "on Anna's camera." Anna Kelly was able to meet the princess' so Amber got to see them on Dave & Ashley's camera. What a sweetie, she was totally sincere and didn't realize what she had missed out on.

Until next time!

California #2

Here we are at Newport Beach. It was a lot of fun! This was our first day there, we had driven through the night Tuesday/Wednesday, so Matt and I were so tired, but the kids were as hyper as ever. We had so much fun watching them play. The waves were tiny so the kids had fun playing in them.


Amber took a lot of swimming lessons this year, so she felt comfortable in the water. She was so brave!

Parker isn't as comfortable with the waves, so we had fun making "stuff" in the sand and searching for sea shells.
We discovered the Aubrey loves to eat sand. She was grabbing hand fulls every chance she got. She was covered in sand, head to toe. It was caked in her hair. I have still been finding some tucked in cracks and in her ears. She was a maniac and was crawling all over the place to get her hands in it.
Amber had so much fun riding the waves. It was so cute to watch her. She literally looked like a natural. She rode several waves all the way in, totally on her own. It was awesome!



We stayed with Matt's brother and his wife, Aaron & Fitriah. This is their dog Louis "Louie." The kids had so much fun playing with him. He is such a good dog and let them pull his hair, and just rough house him. He got tons of attention. When we left to come back to Utah, Amber was crying and said she was so sad to leave Louie.

Aaron & Fitriah spoiled all our kids. They got gum, candy, Popsicles, and were able to watch TV all day if they wanted! Aaron and Fitriah watched our kids all day Saturday when we went to Stacie's wedding. I was totally amazed at how well they did with them. It'd be so tough to go from no kids to three for an entire day, especially little kids like ours. They went swimming, to Chuck-E-Cheese, and played lots at their house. They even put them to bed for us. I told so many people how impressed I was with them. I called a couple times to check in, and both times Aaron said "we're having fun! Don't worry about us! If we have any problems we'll call." WOW is all I can say. They made it a great day for us on Saturday. Just knowing they were in good hands, having fun, and getting spoiled!

Aaron was gone on business the first night we got to CA., so Fitriah let Amber sleep in her bed with her. She let her watch what ever she wanted in bed, and stayed up until 10:30! I think that was one of the highlights for Amber.
I can't remember what beach this was we went to, but it's next to The Ritz Carlton, just up from Laguna Beach. It was beautiful, and so packed! The waves were nuts too, so we didn't let the kids get in.

Here's Parker running from the waves.






Parker and Aaron playing "hit" as Parker calls it.




This picture was put in only to show the size of the waves, not my bum.

There's the Ritz just above the cliff.



What a good uncle. He and Fitriah played so much with our kids, they had a blast.

Big Things Happening...

I actually mowed the lawn today. I wish so much I could have had a "before" picture, it was hideous. We seriously NEVER have time to mow the lawn. This is actually Matt's job. I have refused to mow it because I know once I start, I'll never stop mowing it. My excuse to a hideous lawn was always "I don't know how to mow it, it's Matt's job." I'd have Matt mow the lawn twice a week if time allowed it. I just love the way it looks right after.

Consider this a first! I have NEVER mowed a lawn in my life until tonight. I made it practically 30 years with never mowing a lawn! I had to call Matt to ask how to start it. I'm impressed with my job. Not bad for a rookie!

Wedding Bells

We're off to California for Matt's brother's wedding. He is marrying his long-time girlfriend Fitriah. We're so excited to go be part of it, and excited for Fitriah to be an official "Deming." This is the last wedding for both my family and Matt's. That is strange! The next wedding we'll be celebrating is for nieces/nephews! I'm getting old!!

We had to go get fancy toes before the occasion, so Matt's mom treated Amy, Lisa and me to a manicure and pedicure. It was such a fun and relaxing evening. It's something I'll remember forever and enjoy thinking about. We had fun talking, getting pampered, and watching "Dan in Real Life" on the TV there. It's funny how hyper I get when I have a night off from the kids. It's so fun to not be a mom for a couple hours. Is that terrible to admit? Sorry if that offends anyone, but motherhood is hard! I enjoy a break every now and again. Thank you Debbie for the fun evening.

Man, the Deming's have cute toes, but look how freakishly long my second toe is, and how freakishly short my little toe is. I never really noticed how strange my feet are until I see it in a photo next to other really cute feet!

Jackson for the 4th

What better place to be than Jackson Hole for the 4th of July. Matt and I want to make this our family tradition to go every 4th of July. This such a fun and special spot for us. This is where Matt and I spent a lot of time together before we were married. After we were married we moved up here and worked on the river for a summer. We loved telling Amber and Parker a bunch of crazy stories from our fun times there. It's fun to have them be at an age where they slightly understand what we're talking about.

It wouldn't be Jackson if we didn't see a little wildlife.
We attempted to hike to Hidden Falls, but we came unprepared for the rain (these rain poncho's are property of the Jenny Lake boats darn it all) so we had to turn around about half way there. This weather was very unusual for Jackson in July. It was never above 70, and it was pretty rainy. We still had a blast though.



This is our new friend we met at the park before the fireworks started. He thought Amber and Parker were hilarious would laugh at any thing they did, especially when they fell down. This was one of the many poses he struck while waiting for the fireworks. If you can't tell by the picture, that's his brown bag of boos and I believe his blanket he likes to call home. We actually felt quite bad for the guy. He obviously knew what a great show Jackson puts on for fireworks, but he was too wasted to really enjoy them, and in fact he passed out cold before the show began. As everyone was leaving, he was still there, sacked out for the night.


The fireworks were the anticipated event for the kids for our entire trip. Amber kept asking "when are we going to see the fireworks!!!!" and after we responded she'd say "that is a long time!" Jackson really does put on the best fireworks. I don't know if I've seen a better firework display in my life! They're amazing and last forever! You keep thinking you've seen the finale but they just keep going.
Parker would NOT wake up for the life of him for the fireworks. I was so sad he missed it, and so was he. He kept asking the next day "where are the fireworks?" We told him we'll have to wait for the 24th. Poor kid!
One last look at camp before we headed home. A huge thank you to Matt's parents for letting us use their tent trailer. It rained every night, so we stayed nice and dry, and plenty warm. Thank you!!! Until next year!!

Oh, and one side note, Matt and I took the kids down to lunch counter to watch all the rafts go through the rapid. On Saturday we saw a guy get tossed out of the raft and he didn't surface for at least a minute or later. His life jacket somehow poped off, so he's lucky to be alive. It made me grateful I wasn't the guide, and brought back the scary feelings you have as a guide and being responsible for your party. It was quite a scary moment. Glad all turned out ok!