Knott's Berry Farm

This post was written on June 12, but I just now got around to adding pictures and publishing it:

Last Monday I was asked if Jason and I would be able to help chaperon a group of graduating seniors from our Stake to Knott's Berry Farm for a day. I shrugged it off because I figured we were just to busy, but then mentioned it to Jason who said, "why not?" I felt a little bit of trepidation thinking about girls camp and the fireworks season coming upon us the very next week, but got excited when I realized it would be our first time spending a night and an ENTIRE day together without kids. And, it would be our first time ever going to an amusement park together... seriously, how had we not done this sooner?
We dropped the kids off with grandma on Friday night. As soon as we walked out her door, Jason announced that he felt FREE!! I had mixed feelings, as it was the first time either of the kids has EVER spent the night away from both of us. Saturday morning at 4:00 (when we woke up) came quickly. We all loaded a bus and headed to Cali. The bus ride was loads of fun! Three of my laurels went on this trip - Emily, Shawna, and Alyssa. They all sat near Jason and me in the front of the bus. Let me tell you - the back of the bus may be where the cool people usually sit (and where all the fun goes down), but we had a blast in the front! We played Scatergories, Madlibs,and MASH.
After 5 full hours of driving, we finally arrived and were a little shocked to be chilly! We headed towards the Silver Bullet, because that is the ride that everyone instinctively flocked too... I guess those who have been to Knott's Berry Farm in recent years knew this was one of the "best" rides in the park, and everyone else just kind of followed along. (By the way, when did Knott's turn into a crazy ride place? Last time I was there, I only remember seeing a short video of some kind, walking through a street that looked like it came out of a Western, and buying some delicious syrup. Of course, that was over 20 years ago when I was just a little kid... but I digress!) Let me just tell you that I am pretty much terrified of heights. But I didn't want to be the lame scardie-cat that stayed behind. The other two couples who were chaperoning with us kept talking about how excited they were for this rollercoaster... meanwhile, while everyone is laughing and joking in line, I am just giving myself a mental pep talk. The funny thing is that you can only see a small portion of the ride from line. So what I was mentally preparing myself for turned out to be much more insidious than I had imagined or perceived! Okay, maybe insidious isn't really the right word...
We finally get on the ride, and though I am privately scared silly - heart pounding out of my chest and all - I have built up enough courage to go. I'm getting that stomach-churning anxiety again just writing about how I felt! But I am an adult, and I should face my fears, right? Well, turns out that sometimes it is better just to cop out, because half way through the Silver Bullet experience, I realized that I was going to be very ill. Not only was the ride full of loops (which I can handle), it twists around and around the ENTIRE time! And I swear that was the longest rollercoaster ride I have ever been on in my entire life! It was almost a full minute! (I know, because I looked it up on the internet when we got home the next day.)
So, when we exited the 60 second nightmare, I immediately began looking for a place to throw up. I guess I wasn't thinking clearly because the first spot I picked was from way up high and probably would have hit someone. After puking a couple of times, Jason started asking me if I was ready to keep going. Um, no. They ended up having to summon a nice man from the first aid station to collect me with a wheelchair! And then I spent the rest of the day laying on a pretend bed in the musty smelling first aid clinic. Just what I had always hoped and dreamed of! Fortunately, I was feeling much better by the time we had to leave. And the bus ride home was pretty fun... so I basically had an awesome 10 hours of bus riding to and from Knott's, and a terrible time at the actual theme park.
The moral of the story? If you are terrified of heights, you tend to get nauseated easily, and you have had almost no sleep the night before, avoid twisty rollercoasters! Even if it means getting a little heckled by your friends.
Here are some pictures from the good parts of our adventure:
On the bus:
Arriving at the park:
Shawna and Emily... L O V E these two girls ridiculously much!

Awww, aren't we cute?
Sometimes we're just a couple of wieners, I guess.
I took this picture for Weston. He LOVES old cars!
Jason tried to win some prizes for the kids... he ended up winning a couple of inflatable baseball bats, which they enjoyed immensely for about two days until they broke them both. Shocking, I know.I wish I had one of those things to pound every time I got angry... what a great release that would be!

Knott

My favorite little boy

Weston is so stinkin' funny! Every day he says at least 10 hillarious things that I just know I will remember... but then I forget! My favorite thing that he has said so far this morning is: "I love my armpits!" So unpredictable. I realize that Weston isn't the only cute little 4 year old that says amusing things, but he also asks a lot of deep questions, like "Why does Jesus love bad people?" I must admit that I wasn't sure at first how to answer that, but after considering it for a few moments I told him that Jesus is perfect, and that is why he loves everyone. I love simple answers, and I think he actually understood it.

Weston is extremely interested in the concept of good and bad people. I keep telling him that people aren't really good or bad, they just make good or bad choices. And people can always begin to make good choices. So now every day when he prays, he says (exactly): "Snake you (thank you)that everybody become good guys." He knows he is supposed to thank Heavenly Father, and he also knows that he can ask for blessings... so in this one line he kind of combines the two, which I think is pretty great. I love that he wants everyone to be good. I also love that he gives thanks for the blessing before it is even given. I know he doesn't understand the deeper implications of that, but I still love it.

And then he continually wants to know how things are built. On several occasions he has asked me, "how is whole city built?" When I answer that it is a long, complicated process, he eagerly implores me to "tell [him] all about it!" Just about every day he asks me how something is built. Last night he asked how our house was built. I told him you start with a foundation, but I think that's as far as I got. Maybe he should have a little chat with Uncle Mike about how things are made!

So, this morning Weston starts bagging up ALL of his toys in plastic bags and dragging them out to the family room. When I ask what he is doing, he informs me that he is storing these toys for the Summer. I question him to verify that he really does want them to go away for awhile and then suggest we store them in the garage. Well, that does not fit his plans at all! Apparently he is planning on storing them right here in the family room, crowded all around the TV! I suggested that they didn't look good cluttering up the room, to which he retorted that to HIM, they looked very nice!! Very nice, indeed.Still rather baffled by this little dude, and realizing that he is occupied so I should sneak out and use the computer while I have a moment, he comes running in with one important question, "where are all my Summer toys?" It then occurs to me that he is expecting a bunch of different toys to replace his regular toys for the Summer months! What a siiiiiiiiiiiiilly kid!
What can I say? My days are never boring!

p.s. As he jumped out of the car today, Weston told me that he's not afraid of anything anymore... except for really terrible monsters.

Things my children say...

Weston, it turns out, is a little boy with a LOT to say! He is constantly asking questions, mostly that begin with "why." Sophie naturally copies whatever Weston says, and therefore asks "why" about a thousand times a day (or so it seems). This morning while eating breakfast, Weston announced that he was going to the bathroom, eliciting the ever constant question from Sophie: "Why!!?" Apparently Weston is getting really fed up with Sophie's questions, because he bluntly responded that he was no longer going to answer her. I shot him a look like, "are you for real!?" He just said, "mom, she says why too much!"

I had to supress the laughter! I wanted to say something to him about getting a taste of his own medicine, but I thought better of it. Anytime I say a phrase that he doesn't understand, he asks a million questions about it until he fully comprehends the meaning... which can take a while when you're only four! It's actually a pretty great quality. Anytime I say something that he doesn't understand, Weston enthusiastically says "tell me all about it!"

So, as we were sitting at the table, Weston said that if he could get me any present in the whole world for my birthday tomorrow it would be "another stove." Really!? I was hoping he'd say something like an airplane, but I guess he was just trying to be thoughtful... although I don't think I've ever complained about our stove! What a funny kid. With a little more prodding he told me he'd also like to get me some pretty clothes. Then he specifically suggested a shirt that "maybe had some flowers on it." What a sweetheart! I love hearing his ideas.

Then as we were getting ready to leave for the gym (and after asking why I wear my "pajamas" to workout), he told me that I have a cute bubble butt!

What!?

He is such a funny boy. I guess he doesn't really know what a bubble butt is yet, or that it's not super cool to tell your mom that her butt is cute at all. I wonder where he even heard that term? Who knows.

Sophie has a lot to say, too. She runs around repeating pretty much anything. This little video is from yesterday...

Five glorious years!

Last Thursday, May 12th, was our 5th wedding anniversary. I have been bummed lately thinking about the fact that I would probably never find our wedding pictures. You see, the photographer who did our professional pictures used old-fashioned film... and I'm pretty sure that film got destroyed by the heat while sitting in a box that was never supposed to be in the garage. Being in the Young Women organization of our ward, many opportunities have presented themselves to bring my wedding pictures to show the girls. Every time, I feel sad! I want to show "my" girls the pictures of my Temple wedding... especially since there is almost no other decision that influences your life more profoundly than how you marry!

So, on our anniversary morning as Jason drove off for work, an idea popped in my head... what if the photos my dear friend Julie took at our wedding reception were on my old laptop from college? Pictures from the reception are better than no pictures at all! A glimmer of hope sparked in me and I ran to open the old computer, praying that it would turn on. Fortunately it had been stored with its power cord. My glee quickly turned to panic when I realized that my computer had been password protected, and I had NO IDEA what the password was. I never even remembered having a password and figured that was something that had come about in the months that Jason attempted to rescue my ailing computer long ago. A quick call to the man of the hour revealed that no one on planet earth knew the password.

Dang it!

I tried every variation of every password I remember having ever in my life...

nothing. UGH! I could feel the anticipation mounting as I glared at that password protected screen, searching the recesses of my mind to no avail!

For some reason, all other responsibilities fled my mind and all I could think of was getting in that dang computer. It seemed to me the most important task in the world.

And then at last... some 45 minutes later, a word popped into my head: cleo. I had practically forgotten all about Cleo, my cat. That was the password! The second my desktop appeared, there it was! The file entitled WEDDING PICS lay right before my eyes! As I clicked it open, a glorious realization hit. Not only had Julie taken pictures at our reception, but because she wanted to learn some picture taking skills from a professional, she had followed our photographer around the Temple taking pictures of everything earlier in the day as well! THANK YOU JULIE!!!!!!! (It should be noted that Julie was friends with the professional photographer, Karen, who happily agreed to let Julie follow her around and learn from her)

So although the lighting isn't always perfect, I am just thrilled to have wedding pictures in my very own possession! This discovery pretty much made my day... and I just wanted to share. Unfortunately, blogger was down the ENTIRE day on Thursday. Better late than never, though. These are just a few pictures of me and my handsome groom just 5 years ago. Weird how those 5 years seem kind of like a lifetime all on their own!

The Reception... as you can see, I was more than a little embarrassed by the whole garter belt thing!So glad I married the right guy at the right time in the right place!

Trip to Salt Lake, Part One

The last Thursday in April, we took off for Utah. The kids were SOOOOO excited!! All morning Sophie kept saying "me ready, go Utah NOW!" Weston also sounded like a broken record. When we pulled into St. George for a pottie break he asked if we were there yet. The kids were anxious, because they knew they would get to see some very special people who they love! The first people we got to see were the Olsens, our dear friends who we miss so much. They were gracious enough to let us stay with them while in the great state of Utah
(Jason would vehemently disagree on the use of the word great in that sentence... he has a SERIOUS mental allergy to the state).
The first evening we were there, Emma (age 5), was reading with her mom when Sophie just jumped on in! Emma is such a sweetheart - like her mom, Stephanie (one of my most favorite people on the planet) And Sophie felt right at home...

The kids had an absolute BLAST playing together. Weston had such a great time playing with Emma and Hope that he told me they were his new best friends!Here is Austin (almost 2) and Hope (4):and Weston, who is Spiderman wherever he goes (thanks to Austin for letting him "borrow" that mask all weekend)! Sophie and HopeIt was wonderful to see the Olsen kids... they are a joy to be around. Friday morning as we were getting ready for the day, Weston kept beckoning Hope to come play with him. Hope declined his invitation several times because she needed to "help" me do my hair! Cute. Weston did get plenty of attention from Emma and Hope though. I think he may have escaped with more than a few kisses from them (on his cheeks of course)! So Friday we arranged to meet Mike, Carrie, and Lily at Cabela's near Thanksgiving Point. If you do not know what Cabela's is, you are not alone. I had no idea! Turns out it is almost exactly like the Bass Pro Shop. It provided a huge indoor place to visit and some fun things for the kidlets to see too. We would have preferred to have gone somewhere out-doors, but it snowed on and off all day and was downright blustery... at the end of April!

It was wonderful to see my brother. I was just thrilled that we were able to get together. Sophie and Lily are only 3 months apart in age, so it was really fun to see them interact. We hadn't seen Mike and Carrie for 8 months (since September). I did my best to get some great pictures, but I was working with some antsy kids. :) Here's Lily, posing beautifully for the camera:I had to get at least one picture with me in it - to prove that I was actually there! Sophie looks kind of angry in this shot...maybe because she was about to forever lose MY favorite hairbow! Observing the fish was one of the kids favorite things (they also liked feeding them).Sophie and Lily both had a little obsession with the stroller! They took turns pushing each other...And sometimes they both pushed it together (thank you Carrie for guiding the stroller pushing activities)!Weston finally got in for a free ride at the end! After exploring the whole store (including the fish tanks, animal displays, gun museum, and various other attractions), we finally went to their furniture section and sat down on a nice couch set to visit until the kids went bonkers...which didn't take too terribly long.We also ate while we were there. While the company was superb, I probably wouln't recommend the food. :)I look forward to these little girls getting to know each other better as they grow up! I'm so happy Weston and Sophie got to see their (one and only) cousin. I really wish we lived closer to Mike and Carrie, but I sure am happy we were able to get together last weekend!!

Easter Morning

Weston told me that Easter Sunday was a good day... which is really saying something for a boy that doesn't like Sundays (something I am confident he will grow out of in time)! So this is how it began...Searching for and finding their baskets...In their Easter baskets, the kids each got a book or two, some sidewalk chalk, a new box of crayons, gum and tic tacs (which Sophie managed to consume entirely at church that day). Weston also got a couple of cool spider man cups while Sophie discovered some little rubber duckies for the tub.Time to get dressed for church...Weston LOVES this pink shirt, which is hillarious because he despises having to wear nice shirts for church. The second we walk in the door, he is usually ripping his nice clothes off. Now that he has this pink shirt, he wants to wear it every day!Little princess!I love it when she grins so big that she squints her eyes.