Disneyland 2011

We were lucky enough again this year to be able to go to Disneyland in December. Unlike last year this trip wasn't a surprise, but it was just as fun. Our first stop was in St. George. We decided to leave a day early and spend the entire day on Sunday in St. George. I love St. George. We went to the temple grounds which were decorated with Christmas lights and a nativity. We also went up to the red hill and hiked around Dixie rock. It brought back lots of memories from my Dixie College days.

Christmas lights on a palm tree. (Trust me. That is the trunk of a palm tree.)

We went to Disneyland with my mom and dad. Sara and Kason and their girls met us there from Seattle. They got there a few days earlier so we met them outside the gates of California Adventure on Monday night. Annie and Zoe were ecstatic to see each other.

Grandpa and Olivia

Our first ride of the day on our first day at Disneyland was Dumbo. We wasted no time in getting there!

My Grandma Merrill traveled to Disneyland with my Aunt Marilyn and her family. They were there the same time as we were so we were able to spend some time with Grandma. It was the first time we had been there with her and was a very special treat!

We love to eat at the Pizza Port in Tomorrowland, but because of the price it is a once a trip experience. Annie and Zoe had "scabetti" and it seemed as though they thoroughly enjoyed it!

Mickey's Fun Wheel in California Adventure is quite possibly the most terrifying ride in existence. It is a ferris wheel where your car is not stationary, but on a track. So at times it looks as if you are going to roll right off the ferris wheel itself. It is very big and very scary with lots of rocking and swinging and screaming from me. Annie and Zoe loved it, though. In fact I have it on good authority that it is Zoe's favorite ride.

Olivia, Annie and Zoe waiting for Mickey's Fun Wheel

Annie's favorite ride has been the Matterhorn ever since her first trip to Disneyland at two years old. Now her favorite rides are both the Matterhorn and Thunder Mountain. She keeps her hands up through the entire ride.

Mickey's Fun Wheel

Annie was incredible in the car. The drive home from Disneyland isn't an easy one. She is definitely a good traveler which makes this momma very happy. It sure makes the trip fun when she is good and happy.

Nathen with his "coolness" on. :) He he.... I had to throw that in for him.

Seattle Surprise

A few days after Annie's birthday we left for Seattle along with my mom to surprise my sister, Sara and her kids with a visit! It was really hard to keep it a secret, but we think they were surprised to see us standing on their doorstep on a Friday morning. We kept busy with trips to the zoo, the Puyallup Fair, the beach and Pikes Place Market. On Saturday we were able to go so my uncle, Marlan who had horses in a show near where Sara and Kason live. This was a surprise to him as well! It was fun to see him and his beautiful horses.

Sara and Kason's church didn't start until 1:30 so we gave the girls make-overs. They each got their hair and nails done.

Update

So I have been seriously lacking in the posting this year. So here is a quick update since the last post... In August we went up to Idaho for the Merrill family reunion. We helped Grandma around her house and then had a delicious Chinese food dinner prepared by my aunt and uncle Roger and Heidi. YUM!

Annie and Maggie

And yes, that is my Grandma with her shotgun. Pretty cool Grandma, huh? :)

September brought on a new year in preschool and Annie's birthday. This year we gave her a birthday party with her friends and she of course loved it. She's already planning her

party for next year.

4th of July 2011

This year we celebrated the 4th of July on the 3rd of July with my family. We gorged ourselves on steak, potatoes, jello, key lime pie, homemade rootbeer, homemade ice cream, and s'mores! We played croquet in between our face stuffing sessions. : ) This was the first year that aerial fireworks were legal in Utah so Nathen brought some that we tried out. It was pretty exciting! On the actual July 4th, Nathen, Annie and I drove up to Heber and had lunch at the Dairy Keen. Weird name, huh? Their hamburgers are fantastic though. Afterwards we let Annie play at the park for a while then we continued our drive along the Alpine Loop. It is a gorgeous drive. We decided to go to Cascade Springs as well and guess who we ran into there? Matthew Perry! I wouldn't have ever spotted him if it weren't for some lady going around telling everyone that he was there. So we were brave and got a picture with him. Cascade springs was beautiful by-the-way. That evening we were off to Grandma Noyes' for a barbeque. She had some relay races and prizes for the kids. It was a fun filled (and very food filled) 4th of July!

Logan Fireworks

When I was growing up I loved going to the fireworks in Logan. We would sit out on our blankets for hours waiting for it to get dark and the fireworks to start. Nathen and I have gone almost every year since we've been married. We now include a walk to Aggie Ice Cream in our tradition. We also entertain ourselves with card games and food. This year Grandpa Brown bought Annie a light-up sword so she practiced her Kung-Fu skills with Nathen. She's got pretty good form, don't you think?