Disneyland, Day 1

OH MY GOODNESS!!!  The day arrived...we are headed to DISNEYLAND!  The kids (& apparently myself) are so excited!  I attempted to make mickey pancakes for breakfast.  My batter was a little thin, but I managed to get 3 decent ones.  My favorite thing about this picture (besides my adorable children) is the toys Caleb has at the table.  He's always done that since he could carry something.  The girls never did.  It's just cute to me.

Eeeeeek!!!  We're driving there!  We're waiting in line to pay to park....

6F!?!?!?  And there are 6 Freeze's!!??  Right by the escalators??!!  PERFECT DAY!

 We are pretty early.  Early enough that only 1 security gate is open.  We finally get to the front on the line and Casey turns around and says to me, "I forgot that I have my knife in my pocket."  Shoot.  So - it got taken away.  We decided we could stop at Cabela's in Lehi on the way home and he could get a new knife for his souvenir. 

And we're on the tram...headed to the front gates!!

 Then - BAM.  Disaster struck.  I had previously purchased tickets online and had a voucher to turn in to get our tickets.  Instruction #1 on that voucher said, "Bring your driver's license".  I didn't.  I forgot.  I cried to the ticket lady, "Just please take my husband's ID.  Everything is the same except for our picture & first name.  PRETTY PLEASE!!!"  She would NOT do it.  So I called the DMV, cried to them to email me a copy and they refused.  So - back to the tram to head back to the parking lot.  To head back to the room.  To get my license.  Hopefully lesson learned!  I'm beyond grateful that our town home was only a 10 minute drive away.

 Finally - back at Disneyland.  Someone at work had mentioned to me that if you go to the Town hall right when you enter Disneyland you can get a disability pass.  We didn't want to wear Mona out and thought it would be a good idea to get a wheelchair just in case.  If she didn't use it, then the kids could at least sit down once in a while.  Well - it was POINTLESS to wait in the town hall line.  DON'T DO IT.  They didn't give us any type of pass - just told us where to go rent a wheelchair.  The wait in that line was at least an hour.

While we were waiting to hear about this so called 'disability pass' we browsed all the merchandise in the Emporium store and Donald happened to come by!  Caleb LOVES Donald Duck.  And this chance encounter made him love him a bazillion times more.  Look at all 3 of their smiles!  Sincere joy!

 The day FINALLY started and it was fabulous. 

The 3 kids absolutely HATED the Indiana Jones ride.  They cried and cried and cried.  The did barely pass for the height requirement.  I think that I wanted them to be a little bit older than they really are.  

They loved the Jungle Cruise.  They loved cotton candy.

 And here are my cuties waiting to go into the Haunted Mansion.

 We got our wait time for Peter Pan and I was able to take the kids on the carousal while we waited.

 All of the kids loved the Dumbo ride.  They actually got to control the Elephant and make it go up or down.  I love that all of us adults took selfies with our riding partners.

  Seriously....so much fun!!  (side note, Luke was looking at this picture below and said, "Mom, Dad, Taylor, Caleb, Rylee and Lexi (the little girl in the background on the guys shoulders)...but where's Luke?" 

Just in CASEY we forget who this guy is.  (see what I did there?)

 We ended the night on one of the best rides.  The teacups!!  Pansies in one cup, the crazies in the other.  I'll let you decide which cup is which.

Casey & I surprised the kids with their new head gear.  They LOVED them.

CaLiFoRniA

Happy trails to us!!  We loaded up Blue Steel and headed out on the road by 4 AM.  Not much more was going to fit in that van!

Just south of Las Vegas, in the middle of nowhere, were 3 GIANT towers that reflected onto thousands of solar panels!  It was an amazing thing to see.

 We almost made it all the way to Anaheim without any car sickness.  Rylee tossed her cookies about 5 minutes away from our destination.  She kept saying she didn't feel good, but she is a little dramatic at times, so we just kept on truckin.  We learned our lesson....she really wasn't feeling good!

I didn't account for the time change in our travels.  We reached our destination at 4 pm UTAH time, but it was only 3 pm California time.  The housekeepers were still cleaning when we arrived, so we had an hour to kill before we could get into our room - but it was worth the wait!  Master bedroorm, Mona's bedroom, full size bunk-beds for the kids, kitchen, 3 potties, 2 showers, pool & hot tub - this was so much better than an QQ hotel room.

The art work in our room was so cute!!

I love flowers.  They were some pretty awesome ones around the town home area.

Bunny ears everywhere...what a silly new stage.  

The room even had toys, games & dress up clothes!  Rylee was the first kiddo awake the next day and put on the Snow White costume.  And lucky for her I had packed that DVD, so we plugged it in.  Mona was the Glitter Queen!  She left a little sparkle wherever she went.  

Queen Mona & her Royal subjects.

The following day was Sunday and we decided to head to the ocean!  The kids were so nervous.

 We started walking towards the ocean and as soon as we got to the top of a sandy ridge, they saw the waves hitting the sand and couldn't stop themselves.  They RAN to dip their toes into the water.

They all had so much fun.  The ocean is magical in my opinion.

 Casey was the most daring this day.  It was pretty cloudy and cold!  Us ladies kept the pictures and movies going documenting the day.

 Sand, water, sunshine and good company is sometimes all that you really need. 

Goofballs!

Brad

May we all take a moment to remember to enjoy the little things. Someday we will realize they were the big things. My beautiful sister lost the love of her in August. When I'm with her and her boys I'm at a loss for words. I'm so happy that she had the opportunity to experience such a fantastic love. My heart breaks for her as she enters this new chapter of her life. She's one of the strongest people that I've ever known and watching her process this grief has been difficult. I can't imagine her sorrow or the sadness my nephews are feeling. 

January 14, 1971 - August 19, 2017

Brad Levon Williams, 46, of Brigham City, UT, passed away Saturday, Aug. 19, 2017, due to injuries he sustained in a motorcycle accident.

Brad was born in Logan, UT, on Jan. 14, 1971, to Gene Williams and Darlene Layne. Brad grew up in Hawkins Basin, ID. He moved to Logan his senior year and graduated from Sky View High School. After graduation he served an LDS mission in Argentina. He was recently a manager at Production Technologies. He currently lived with the love of his life, Angela Anderson, in Brigham City.  

Brad enjoyed hunting, camping, riding dirt bikes, boating and spending time with his family. Brad could be found always having a good time and making sure those around him did as well. He was the life of the party. He will always be remembered as a man who was honest, loyal, selfless and had a positive impact on all that he came in contact with. He worked hard, played hard, loved hard and will be forever missed by all who knew him.

He was preceded in death by his father, Gene Williams.

He is survived by his son, Chayden Williams; life partner, Angela Anderson and her sons, Griffen and Blake Jensen; mother, Darlene Layne; siblings, Bob and Christie Williams, Mike Williams, Christine and Michael Bills, Brian Williams, Dale and Chelsea Williams, RonDel and Heather Krauter; and many nieces and nephews.

Family and friends are invited to attend a memorial service at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Saturday, Aug. 26, 2017, at 11 a.m. at 825 N. 200 West, Logan, UT. Friends may visit with the family after the service.

August

Tea party time!  The back patio is not as shady as the tiny front porch.

I insisted that my family sit with me and watch the 1965 Rodgers and Hammerstein Cinderlla.  I sang along to each song....but

Casey & Lexi fell sound asleep on the couch and Caleb, Taylor, Rylee & Luke ended up playing downstairs.  Bunch of uncultured swine!  I can't wait until I make them watch Oklahoma.

Early morning selfie.  Lexi always wants to take pictures or check out all the snapchat filters.

I took the kids in for their yearly dental checkup.  Taylor & Rylee ended up getting sealants on their back teeth.  Luke needed shades because the light was so bright.  The dentist informed me that Luke's tonsils are gigantic - so I imagine they will need to come out sometime in the near future.

2 big screen tv's, and 3 kindles - but they huddle around 1 tiny screen.  Isn't Lexi's makeup fantastic?

My little Luke.  He is my little pocket pup.  Helps with laundry, cooking, cleaning...occasionally I need him out of my way and a big bowl of grapes does the trick every time.

Taylor & Rylee LOVE helping me cook too.  Here is Taylor helping me make the filling for breakfast burritos.  I stresses me out....look how close her little arms are to the pan!!  Burny burn!

Ashley had some errands to run, so she brought Eva & Jackson over to play.  The girls love Eva so much!  And Jackson is always just happy and hilarious.  We needed more chill days like this - next summer for sure.

Luke was worn out - ha!

These two.  I love when they are each other's buddy.  They hauled so much stuff outside one day and ended up eating lunch outside and everything this day.  Cuties.

The most awesome thing happened - they 3 big kids are all riding their bikes without training wheels!!

Lexi loves to be in charge.  Must be a woman thing.  Or a Hunsaker thing - who knows.  She gave Luke a makeover one morning - I don't think he was enjoying it, but what a good little sport to play along!

I told the girls that if they had learned to ride their bikes without training wheels before school started then I would get them something at WalMart.  They picked this candy making kit.  It was really work for me, but they were so happy with their end result.  It was adorable.  Don't tell them, but I put the molds on the top rack of the dishwasher and they melted.  Oopsie.

First day of school!

CALEB'S 4th GRADE FAVORITES

Teacher:  Miss Jensen
TV Show:  Sponge Bob

Movie:  Spider-Man 3

Song:  Believer, by Imagine Dragons

Color:  Blue, Red, Black & White

Food:  Mom's breakfast burritos

Activity:  Staying up late

When he grows up:  A night security guard AND an orca trainer

TAYLOR'S 1st GRADE FAVORITES

Teacher:  Mrs. Baker
TV Show:  Johnny Test

Movie:  Rise of the Guardians

Song:  Cut the Cord, by Shinedown

Color:  NOT pink.  Orange

Food:  Grammy's white mac & cheese

Activity:  Camping & swimming

When she grows up:  A mom

RYLEE'S 1st GRADE FAVORITES

Teacher:  Mrs. Robinette
TV Show:  Johnny Test

Movie:  The Last Unicorn

Song:  Cake by the ocean, by DNCE

Color:  Purple & black

Food:  Mom's poppyseed chicken

Activity:  Playing with family

When she grows up:  "I want to learn how to do science"

 I'm helping my neighbor out this year and getting Allie to school in the mornings.  I hope that Allie & Caleb will be friends forever!  They've been great buddies since they were 4.  First day of pre-school and first day of 4th grade. 

 My little twinsies.  They were put into different classes for 1st grade.  It broke my heart.  I want them to ALWAYS be together and do everything with each other.  I know they are different people with different personalities and need to grow on their own...but they really are the best of friends.  I guess they'll still live together, so the bond won't be completely lost.