Announcement Outtakes

We took 150 pictures of the kids (in two five minute photo sessions, we've learned anything longer won't get any new, usable results) trying to get our last photo just right. I deleted most of them, but I had to keep a few because I thought it was so funny. We ended up with two that I liked out of the 150.

Julia has a habit of just staring off after a minute when we are trying to take pictures.

What is this?

This one captures the sign mid-fall

And this one captures Micah mid-fall

Can Can?

And then here are Micah and Julia in their own pictures in case none of them together turned out.

Announcing...

Grandma Wheat Comes to Town

Last week while we were in Utah Robert's Mom came to Salt Lake to see us before we left. We took the kids to temple square so they could see the temple where Robert and I were married. Julia enjoyed seeing the temple and then seeing the little model they have in the South visitors center that shows you the interior of the temple. She is also becoming quite good at posing. Micah just liked to walk and crawl around.

Then we went to the church history museum where they got to play in the children's exhibit. Oops, I only took pictures of Micah here, but Julia had a lot of fun there too.

He loved this garden, he loves to fit shapes back into their respective holes.

Then we headed over to City Creek for dinner at Kneaders and to walk around a bit. Julia learned about wishes and fountains that day and wanted to make a wish at every fountain we saw. Of course Grandma obliged and had change for her whenever she wanted. Here she is tossing her coin into the fountain. We told her she couldn't tell anyone her wishes or they wouldn't come true, and she didn't...until later. 

She told me one of her wishes later by pretending that she was talking to herself. She thought that would get her out of the no wish coming true. But then she got worried that maybe that wouldn't work and by telling me her wish it wouldn't come true. So that night in the middle of the night she woke up and said, "Oh no, I don't think my wish is going to come true. Maybe if I eat all my breakfast it will come true." The next morning I woke her up to go eat breakfast and she remembered her midnight rambling! "Oh yes, I will eat all my breakfast so my wish will come true."

One last thing, do you see the glass partition on the other side of the table? Julia didn't either. She wanted to walk on the other side of the tables as we were leaving the food court (we went there to get ice cream) and ran smack into the glass. I don't think she even realized what had happened afterwards when she came running to me, just that it hurt!

Discovery Gateway

Last week my Dad just got back from three weeks in Cameroon, so he took the week off work to hang out with us. We went to the Discovery Gateway with him. We mostly stayed in the downstairs play area because Julia was having so much fun, but later in the evening just before we were going to leave we ventured upstairs and then she didn't want to leave because she was having too much fun looking at everything upstairs.

Micah had fun exploring as well.

Safe Kids Fair

Robert has been working on two engagements at work with deadlines in mid-March, so he had started to get pretty busy as the deadlines approached. So I decided the kids and I would caravan up to Utah with my cousins when they went back. I was thinking of visiting my family sometime in the spring anyway when Robert was busy and this way I would have some help getting there. My cousin Jenny drove in the car with us most of the way and we added another kid, Kirsten, to our car so she and Julia could keep each other entertained.

The Saturday after we got to Utah my Mom took us to the Safe Kids Fair in Sandy.

This car was actually a little creepy. It would move and talk to you.

Julia got to sit in many different emergency vehicles- Police car

Police..Rover?

School Bus

Ambulance

Firetruck

Not anything related to safety, but fun nonetheless, the bounce house. Micah got a kick out of watching Julia bounce around. Julia's and my favorite part of the fair was watching the police dog demonstration and watching those smart police dogs take down the bad guy.

Disneyland Part 2

The week after we went the first time we went back to Disneyland one last time before our visitors headed home (and we decided to join them and travel to Utah too, but more on that later.)

We started the day back at California Adventure to get in some rides that we had missed the first time. We thought about doing the main Cars ride, but even getting there at opening the line was 1 1/2 hr long and some people in our group had already ridden it anyways. So the kids rode the Mater ride and we headed over to the Ferris Wheel because Julia had really wanted to ride it.

We decided to get onto a swinging car and since we packed everyone into one car it was really a swinging ride! As we first started to move there was no swinging and the kids were just enjoying the relaxing view. The suddenly we got to an angle when the car could start swinging and woosh we went. The kids freaked out! It was pretty hilarious. Julia was actually scared during the first swing because it surprised her, then she thought it was fun. But the other kids were pretty scared the whole time we swung, even Micah wrapped his little arms around my neck and wouldn't let go.

One last ride on the Merry Go Round.

Waiting in line for Dumbo

Meeting Princess Jasmine. This was the only princess Julia saw because we just ran into her and didn't have to wait in line. At first Julia stood back a little and was like, "Is this really a princess?" Then I guess she decided the princess was legit and started to talking her ear off about what she liked about Disneyland.

Waiting for the Tiki Room. Micah loved it.

I love that Micah is staring at the characters in all our pictures. What is THAT?

Minnie's House

Micah looks awestruck.

Park Day

One day while Steve and his family were in town my cousin Jenny and I gave Steve and Amber the day off by watching their kids while they went to Knotts Berry Farm. We had a picnic at the park with the kids and then spent the afternoon wearing down the kids by having them race each other and then playing at the playground.

Once upon a time I wanted to have five kids, but that desire has since waned since I now actually have kids and know how much stress they are. As we were walking home I counted the kids and realized, hey five kids, like I used to want. No thanks!

We also had banana splits the night before.

Disneyland Part 1

Last week we met my cousin Steven and his family at Disney's California Adventure for the day. I decided to get the cheap annual passes for Julia and I, so if anyone is reading this who wants to go to Disneyland during the week during the off season let us know and we'd probably join you!

We started the day off on a sad note after we stood in line for The Little Mermaid ride, only to make it to the front of the line and find out they were temporarily shutting down the ride, and then realizing it was because there was a little baby not breathing and they were doing CPR on him by the entrance to the ride. It was soo sad to glimpse as we passed by and we have no idea what happened, before or afterward. Luckily our kids didn't notice, but there were other older kids who realized what was going on and started crying.

So after that we tried not to think about it too much and headed over to Bug's Land.

Then over to Car's Land for lunch at Flo's Cafe where they serve the kids meals in souvenir Lightning McQueen cars (reflected in the price of course). Julia actually ate all her food! She is so picky and I feel like she hardly eats.

We met Mater. Besides the main cars ride everything else wasn't too busy, but it was the busiest area of the park.

Micah and I waited while everyone else went on Luigi's Tires. Micah was happy to crawl around while we waited for them.

Then we ended the day over at Pacific Pier.