What we did in September besides go to Disneyland

 Sunday afternoon bike rides. Here with Peter the Anteater. Side note: I have always thought of the anteater as a not-so-stellar mascot. However, UC-Santa Cruz's mascot is the banana slug. "Go banana slugs!" Yeah, that's definitely worse. 

 First day of school. Far less emotional than last year's first day. Evelyn apparently got the strictest 3rd grade teacher (according to peers at school), but has liked her teacher and has done her homework more willingly this year than any other year. Jilly's teacher tells me the girls are really sweet together, helping each other out and waiting for each other when they're headed to the same place. It's good to hear they're buddies when away from home. I'm volunteering weekly in both classes this year, and that's been a new and fun experience.

 With only Gordon at home during the day, I've had to find stuff for him to do. He's not much of a "play alone" kid. We headed to this "farm" in Costa Mesa. Straw bales in the OC are a rare sight, and so they had to be climbed by he and his best friend.

Sunday night football. Ben hums/sings the song from the "football" scene in Disney's Robin Hood and hauls a different kid around. They love it.

 Aunt Chelle and Uncle Nate gave Ben this Mexican cookbook for his birthday. It inspired him to actually cook (this is a big feat in our kitchen). This was the first taco recipe we tried out, and it was fantastic.

 Gordon says he's allergic to church. He also asks why everyone in our apartment complex doesn't go to church. I told him not everyone does, and he's mad that he's one of the people that does go. Apparently singing time in Primary was too loud for him and his buddy on this Sunday. On Saturday he'll ask what day it is tomorrow, and I will answer, "church day." He answers with a stomp and a loud, "Aw-wwww!" or, "NO!" Sundays are fun times around here!

 Jilly's lost quite a few teeth in the last few months. Both top ones are now gone, and the other one on the bottom is about ready to fall out.

 We parted ways with the love seat we bought when we first moved here. The kids had broken the supports under the cushions, and it just couldn't begin to hold most of us anymore. Here the kids display their attachment to the couch.

Hello OC Craigslist! We managed to fit a barely used sofa and love seat in the living room. Four of the seats recline, and we can fit all of us and then some. I got the honor of taking the first nap on the couch.

Disneyland and California Adventures

The girls have been waiting for this day. For a good two years. We promised them we would get annual passes, and we finally delivered. 

It was a 98° day in Anaheim, but we went anyway. And it was very hot. But very fun too. 

This was the end of the day, when the shade was finally making its way over the park. 

 Train ride to Tomorrowland. 

 Our first ride was Autopia. The kids loved this one. Evelyn was thrilled to drive, though I had to hold the gas pedal for her. 

Then, we decided to hit Space Mountain. In hindsight, it was a bad idea to do one of Disneyland's most intense rides at the very beginning of this experience. We had kind of assumed that the kids' high enthusiasm levels would somehow cancel out any fear they might experience on the rides. 

Wrong.

This ride is fast, in total darkness (except for the "stars"), and the music is very loud. We found out the hard way that this is a triple threat for Gordon, and Disneyland has it in spades. Ben spent most of this ride trying to convince Gordon he wasn't going to get hurt or die. After this, he pitched a fit at any ride line that led through a darkened doorway. 

Disneyland fail.

Jilly was nearly in tears when we got off the ride, but we won a small victory when she later went on the ride again with Ben and Evelyn. Evelyn has nicknamed herself the daredevil of the three kids and thinks roller coasters are the only way to enjoy life right now. 

 Gordon did love 'the rockets.' It's fast and high, but not in the dark. 

 He loves Dumbo too. We enjoyed the parade and one of the staged shows, "Mickey's Magic Map." 

 The day before school started, we went again to get to areas of the park we missed the first time. Splash Mountain was one of those rides. Somehow we convinced Gordon to go with us (with his blanket), but he still spent most of the time doing shallow breathing and ready to break out in screams at any second. 

Which he did once the log started the long, dark ascent to the top of the hill. Then they speedily drop you down the other side. I DO NOT like that part. It looks like a tendon is going to pop out of my forearm, I'm holding on so tight. Jilly was tearing up at the end of this ride too. Evelyn, of course, loved it. 

 We comforted the scared children by visiting Winnie the Pooh and his friends nearby Splash Mountain. (While Evelyn whined/asked to go on Splash Mountain again). 

 Everyone likes the teacup ride. We can all barely fit, but that makes it more fun. 

 The kids tried to get the sword out of the stone, but it wasn't budging that day. 

 The kids haven't been too interested in the characters, but occasionally they'll stand in a short line to take a picture. 

We did Disneyland a few times, and then headed on over to California Adventures once Disneyland started attracting larger crowds due to Halloween. This has become our favorite of the two parks. 

 Jill and Gordon really like Bug's Land, there's nothing scary there. We did that area first on this visit. 

Then we tried out Grizzly Mountain/Rushin' River. 

 This time, they younger two were in freak-out mode for most of the ride. We will most definitely not be riding this again as a family. Jilly did not like the free motion of the boat we were in, combined with the rapids and waterfalls. 

 Gordon was mostly afraid of the short tunnels (he has developed a fear of tunnels now, even while driving), combined with the short water falls. Two boys we didn't know were in the raft with us, giving us a play-by-play of what would happen next on the ride, but no amount of talking could calm Jill and Gordon down. Evelyn, no surprise, thought it was awesome. 

So Ben decided that a true roller coaster was the next step for Evelyn. 

This is her first ride, and she is in heaven. We told her Dad and Uncle Dan can take her to Magic Mountain next year for her birthday. Which is good, because I have no interest in going and feeling like I am going to die on one of those super-crazy roller coasters. 

I'm so glad we saved the money (even though it's an atrocious amount of money) to do this. We've already had so much fun with it, and look forward to many other visits in the coming months. 

Oh What do you do in the summertime (after your vacation is over)?

 Put your kids in swimming lessons. This summer, it finally did the trick and the girls learned how to swim! Gordon needs more practice. 

 Sweep the stairs. I would go out because I heard a strange noise and Jilly would be sweeping the stairs because she wanted too. (She may regret this later because now she's the designated porch sweeper). 

 Visit the library, which is apparently boring, as evidenced by the look on Gordon's face. 

 Spend more time at the pool to expend extra energy and practice those swimming skills. We weren't there for the heat so much - we didn't have too many terrible heat spells this summer. 

 Rock out with light sabers and spiked hair to the music of Jónsi. 

  Make tiny Playdough creations.

Pretend you are a monkey and climb poles while other children try and fall off the pole. 

 Then, you move. Because it's fun. Or because your apartment complex has decided to renovate your apartment and you have to move whether you like it or not. (We moved directly below our old unit, but it was still a big pain in the neck. We like our new place better overall though). 

 Play at the playground mid-shopping trip. 

 Take one really nice picture together and pose in the way that your mother wished you had posed when you were all nicely dressed in your wedding outfits last month. 

 Have little tea parties. 

 Sleep soundly with your puppy tucked under your arm. 

 Be proud of the sunflower plant you sprouted last spring at school. 

Work in the garden when you're not working from home. 

 Eat lots of fresh tomatoes. Or give them away, or freeze them (because I couldn't get rid of them). 

 Build with Legos (I think these girly Legos are so cool!)

 Fly airplanes your sister built. 

Go for long, arduous bike rides, with a guy twice your age, that make you think you might die while ascending the hill. Then find a doughnut shop at the end that makes it all worth it. (The Donut Man really is a local treasure). 

Ah, I love summer. I live in the place of year-round spring/summer. What will we do when we move to a seasonal climate? 

The vacation continues- July

After the cousins left, found some things to do. 

Uncle Ryan helped us set up the target shooting table one night. The kids really liked this, and nobody got shot. Win-win! Evelyn actually hit her tiny targets three times! We also spent some time at the pool, and generally relaxed from a week of wedding stuff. 

 A friend of my family's hosted a fireworks show on July 3rd, so we stopped by. It got exciting at points (fireworks repeatedly flying in the wrong direction), but again, nobody got burned, so yay! Ben's trying to dole out some snappers in this picture. We ate fourth of July breakfast at my parent's church building (they were hosting it, and it was great), and then left for Idaho.

 Grandma Chickens, home of the chickens. (Or chicks, in this picture). The chicks were about a week old when we arrived, and provided hours of entertainment for the kids during our stay.

 Gordon playing with his great-grandpa's guitar. He was pretending to be Brandon Flowers from The Killers.

 Aunt Michelle has been the family foodie the last few summers we've visited, and again provided new culinary experiences for us. These are jello cherry bombs, very patriotic and quite delicious. Later in the evening, we went to a cemetery on a hilltop that overlooks the river where the fireworks are shot off. We had a great view.

 Michelle also happens to really enjoy making pasta, and we will take her up on any homemade pasta dish she wants to try out on us. I think this ended up being Shrimp Scampi. The pasta was delicious.

 Evelyn wanted a mani-pedi for her birthday, so Grandma took us out for one with Aunt Michelle. We ate at Costa Vida afterwards. Yummy! Even the girls liked it.

 Ben tried his luck at a few bike rides in the 100 degree heat. But he forgot his camelbak so he couldn't go far before running out of water. He made it up Old Freezeout (a big hill in Emmett) for a picture that overlooks the valley. He also helped Grandpa Chickens work on some home improvement projects. (Good experience for the future).

 Grandma Chickens acquired a new hobby since we visited last summer, quilting. She found fabric for the girls to construct their own pillowcases. Here they're simply attempting to follow the lines on the fabric with an unthreaded needle - they did pretty well. Each girl ended up with her own pretty pillow case.

 At the beginning of the visit, the kids were very gentle with their chicks. Toward the end, the chicks were either running in terror at the sound of them (ahem, Gordon), or would just give up and go along with whoever had them. The girls' chicks were a bit more of the latter variety. Jill has her chick "resting" in this picture.

 Some long-time friends who now live in the area came out for a swim one night. Fun times!

While out in Idaho, we got word that Ben's paternal grandmother had passed away in Utah. She was 90 years old, and had been frail for quite some time. It was a real blessing the way things worked out, as the funeral was held on a date which we could easily attend. She was a very sweet lady, and loved holding my kids when they were babies. We didn't see her often, but enough for our kids to know who she was. 

From Utah, it was a straight shot home, with a 10 pm stop in St. George for In-n-Out. That place was hopping, even that late in the evening. We made it home at 4 am, relieved to feel the ocean breeze coming from the coast!