Disneyland

We just got back from 3 fun filled days at Disneyland AKA "The Happiest Place on Earth"!  Ashlee belongs to a community service club at school called Interact.  Some of the kids in the Interact Club where able to go to Disneyland for a 3 hour Youth Experience.  Anyone who chose to go on the trip got tickets at a great discounted rate, and they could purchase tickets for additional family members as well, at the discounted rate.  The savings where huge and could not be beat.  My Mom, Terry and my niece and nephews went too (along with many families from our school, who chose to go to Disneyland as well.  There was a joke going around the school, that either everyone was going to Disneyland or Hawaii, because that is what it seemed like!) This years Christmas gift from grandma to the kids was their Disneyland tickets.  The kids have been counting down the days since Christmas for this trip.  This week we finally got to take the trip.  The weather was great.  The lines where not bad.  Some days where busier than others, but we managed to ride just about every ride.

Tuesday afternoon we had a late lunch early dinner at the Rain Forest Cafe in Downtown Disney.  My Mom, Terry, Hailee, Dylan and Landon headed for home on Wednesday.  We stayed one extra day until Thursday.

The picture below is outside the Lego Store in Downtown Disney.  Yes, all this is made from tiny Lego's.  Amazing!

 

John in Gray jacket with Mikayla and Dylan behind him.  I would not go on this roller coaster.  I do not like things that go upside down in circles.

Landon has a grow a little more before he can ride California Screamin.

Radiator Springs and Cars Land is the newest attraction to Disneyland.  Radiator Springs is a great ride, but it takes some planning ahead of time to get to ride it.  Unless you like waiting 2-3 hours in line to ride a ride  Definitely the most popular ride in the park!

 

Wednesday Mom, Terry, Hailee, Dylan and Landon went home.  Our friends the Stiles where there as well, so we spent most of the day Wednesday riding rides with them, before they left to go home.  The girls had fun.  They got to hang out with their cousins and their friends in Disneyland.

Mikayla. Allison, Alyssa, Ashlee

 

Haylee, Alyssa, Ashlee, Ashlee S., Von, Allison, Mikayla
Cars land is in the background.  It is amazing how much detail Disney puts into things.  Everything looks so real.

Allison, Mikayla, Ashlee, Alyssa, Meliesa, Elena, John, on California Screamin.

Elena, Alyssa, Mikayla, Ashlee, Allison, Haylee, Ashlee S. Getting ready to ride Star Tours.

Ashlee on Autopia.  She was my chauffeur

Wednesday evening we decided to get a seat on the curb on main street, eat some ice cream and watch the parade.  Disney puts a great amount of detail into everything they do.  We noticed while we were there, that everything is so clean and well kept.  Nothing is out of place.  Employees are friendly, they do not have multiple piercings, tattoos, and a ton of make up and jewelry on.  They have very high standards for their employees, and it is just a wonderful, clean, family friendly place.

 

 

Members from the school Interact Club that came on the trip to Disneyland.

 

Ashlee chauffeuring me on Autotopia

Mikayla, Allison, Alyssa, Ashlee, Haylee, and Ashlee S.

Thank you Ashlee for joining Interact Club, getting us great rates on Disneyland tickets and sacrificing 3 hours of your family trip to attend a Disneyland Tour so we could all experience the fun of Disneyland!  Thank you Mom for all you did to make this trip possible for all of us.  It has been 5 long years since we went to Disneyland and it was a trip we all loved.

Mikayla Honor Roll

Mikayla received Gold Honor Roll today at school.  She has all A's and 1 B.  Today was their last day of school for the next 11 days.  It was a busy day for Mikayla.  Her class just finished reading the book Chocolate Fever, so they had a Chocolate Fever Valentines Day Party.  I was able to borrow Teresa's chocolate fountain, so they had a chocolate fountain to dip strawberries and marshmallows in, chocolate ice cream with chocolate syrup, chocolate sprinkles, brownies, chocolate chip cookies, M&M's, hershey kisses and chocolate milk.  Talk about a lot of chocolate!  The party went well.  Unfortunately I did not get any pictures.  I was assisting the kids with the fountain so there would not be any cross contamination and messes.  I know her teacher took some pictures, so hopefully I will get some of hers.

Mikayla is in the middle

Young Women's New Beginnings

This year I volunteered to do the decorations for our ward's Young Women's New Beginnings Program.  This year the theme for youth in the church is "Stand Ye in Holy Places".  The girls decided they wanted the colors to be red, white and pink, with a heart theme since Valentines Day is near.  So I decided to have the theme be "Feel the Savior's Love as You Stand In Holy Places."  Here is how things turned out.

We had heart shaped brownies, heart shaped Resses Peanut Buter Cup cookies, red velvet cupcakes with cream cheese frosting, chocolate dipped strawberries, and mini cheesecakes with cherries on top.  The banner says: Feel the Savior's Love.  Ashlee made the tissue paper flowers on each side of the banner.

The heart shaped vases had each of the 8 young womens values in them.

Our little group of young women.

These vases I made.  Mason Jars with temple pictures that say Stand Ye in Holy Places.  I mod podged the pictures to the jar, tied the ribbon on them and put pink, red and white carnations in them.  There was also a little stick that said:" Feel the Savior's Love As You Stand in Holy Places".

Everything turned out well.  I am thankful for Pinterest.  I was able to find lot's of ideas and incorporate them to fit our theme!

Ashlee's 12

Our little girl turned 12 today!  How and when did this happen?  We decided to keep things low key this year.  No party.  Ashlee got to pick where she wanted to go to dinner.  She chose Red Robin followed by Cold Stone Ice Cream.  She also got a new hairstyle and some money to spend on a future family vacation.

Today Ashlee was  awarded with several awards at an awards assembly at school.  She received a Life Skills Award for being efficient.  Her teachers said that she always" goes the extra mile" and goes over and beyond what is required of her.  She received an awards certificate and an engraved key chain for her participation on the school volleyball team, and she received a certificate for having a 4.0GPA,which is hard to do at our school.   Our school has different grade cut offs than most schools.  We basically do not have minus grades.  So technically a B- at a regular school is a C+ at ours.

Ashlee's new hairstyle.  She got bangs and some layers.

Ashlee receiving the Life Skills Award for being Efficient

Volleyball Award

Gold Honor Roll 4.0 GPA

All the 6th Grade Gold Honor Roll Students

Happy New Year-A Fresh Start

Happy New Year.  A time to clean and wipe out the old and ring in the new.  A time for a fresh new start.  I must admit I am more uncertain about 2013 than I have ever been before.  I do not know if it's the state of our government, world, economy, the rising crime taking place around us, etc, or a combination of things.  I just have an uneasy feeling heading into 2013.

I think some of the un-easiness I may be feeling is being brought on by so many of the uncertainties going on in our own lives, and wondering where this year will lead us.  Here are some of the things I am feeling uncertain about:

-John's employment
-Ashlee and Mikayla's school (i.e. Is there a better option available? Is this the right place?)
-Trying to make it with me working one less job
-Rising taxes
-Health care changes going into effect
-Rising cost of living, food, etc.
-Trying to run a successful business and hoping we can make it, without being ran out of business because of taxes, and people who choose to take product, but not pay for the product.

I like the idea of taking a word and using that word throughout the year and I also like the idea of just listing some of the things you want to improve upon in the year to come.  I cannot think of one word that encompasses everything I wish to accomplish this year, so I am going to list some things I hope to improve upon, all the while looking at 2013 as a time for a fresh new start, and dealing with things one day at a time. 

-Family
-Faith
-Health and fitness -eating healthier (less sweets, more healthy choices) and finding the time and motivation to excercise!

"We would do well to slow down a little, focus on the significant & truly see the things that matter most." Dieter F. Uchtdorf