Birthday

*14*

Ryan, Today was your birthday. Here is a list of things you got today.

You got to speak in Sacrament Meeting.

You had 6 Grandparents here. Nana & Hoho. Papa & Mimi. Grandma & Grandpa.

You were ordained into the Teacher's Quorum at Church.

You got a ukulele! (You have been asking)

You got to have a bit of rain today. ( I think all of the strumming and humming

summoned the Tropical Heavens.)

You saw two of your cousins today, Loren and Carter.

You had an ice cream cake.

You got to enjoy Papa's homemade tortilla chips, yummy.

I think you got taller.

You are one GREAT kid, and we love you!!

Happy Birthday Mr. Pants.

Knott's

To celebrate Ryan's birthday, we went to Knott's Berry Farm. This was the first time for the kids. Alan and I hadn't been in 17 years. The kids loved it! The log ride was a favorite. Justin loved seeing Snoopy. The Wild West Stunt show (aka, valvestoonshow), brought back memories of our newlywed days. Chicken Dinner restaurant, yummy. The kids loved seeing the "Old West" and learning about Mr. Knott, boysenberries, mining, panning for gold, and all the stuff that goes with an Old Town. It felt somewhat like a ghost town, not many people out this day. Ryan, Lindsay, and Alan went on Montezuma's revenge multiple times, without any vomit. I was impressed. Not nearly Disneyland in cleanliness, but worth the trip. Lindsay had several quotes of the day, (1) "Let's not let other 11 years of my life go by without coming back, ok?" (2) When hearing the chickens in the bushes, " I feel sorry for the chickens that come around this place, because when they do, it's like hell for them." Best fried chicken around:) Thanks for giving us a reason to celebrate Ryan, we love you! Happy b-day!

Holiday

Repetitive. Redundant. More of the same. We love to go to Coronado. I feel like I have done at least two or three posts of it in the past, but oh well, it was what we did for our day off, and it went something like this. Nana had never been, and she was here visiting, so we wanted to take her. The weather was perfect. People were flying kites, sunbathing on the grass, picnicking, chasing birds, it was that kind of a day.

We had lunch and played before heading down to the landing. Why is it that food tastes so much better when it is eaten outdoors? Turkey sandwiches, kettle cooked potato chips, and cherry 7 up, yummy.

The water was really low this time. If you look closely (below), you can see all of the white birds at the base of the water. The green mossy rocks were covered with little crabs. Who needs a bucket, when you can corral them with rocks?

Tonight before bed, the girls put on their matching nightgowns and dressed their babies alike. "Take a picture mom, so we can remember." Music to my ears. They look so old in this picture. I know in five years from now, I will think the opposite. On each doll's shoulder is a clip on bird. That was Lindsay's touch. Alie is such a little mother. She still carries around Justin, (yep, he lets her). She might as well while she can, although she might have a crooked back later in life. A friend told me that in the car, Alie named 50 babies that she knew. 50. Crazy.

A long time ago (5 years), in a far away galaxy. Lindsay (6), Alie (4).

I wish time would slow down a bit.

The New Year!

We celebrated the New Year in Big Bear. Lots of snow. Colder than usual, (yes, we are wimpy). Sledding tracks through the shrubs. Snowball fights, angels, and all that jazz. The kids wanted to stay longer. Justin informed me that when he grows up, he wants to live in Big Bear. Lindsay too. I think they just like the change of scenery:) They all agreed that cabins are much better than houses. I like the stuff that goes along with them. Family. Games. Food. Cozy Sleeping arrangements.

Christmas

Christmas at Mimi and Papa's house! We had our traditional pancake breakfast and Nativity. We exchanged our presents and spent the day singing and dancing with the Beck's new Karaoke machine. We captured some sweet dance moves on video (grown-ups included).