Spring Break- Disneyland

 We stayed for the first time at the Disneyland Hotel. It was a beautiful hotel and our room and the pools were great! We spent our days together as a family, but when the nights came we divided and conquered: Max and the mom went back to the hotel, and Dad and the older kids stayed out late!

Above our beds were twinkly lights and music that turned on for a firework show whenever we wanted. 

The pool had two waterslides that kids rode many times!

My favorite moment was meeting Kylo Ren. He was a scary dude. His voice was spot-on, and he did not break character at all. Max was horrified by him!

 Had to get the pic of our spirit animals. I was a bear; strong and loving (How fitting! Although Dave was sure it was wrong). Kate was an eagle: intelligent and brave (yep). And Cole was a moose (dependable and honest). If I didn't know any better, I'd say this test was 100% accurate. Seriously. It's just so TRUE for all of us! Just wish Dave and Max would have tested themselves. I'm guessing Dave might have been a salmon for his strong-willedness, but that's just my guess;) OH, and Max; likely the skunk because of his curious and adventurous nature.

The crowds also were not so bad. I think the rainy skies deterred the locals so that was a definite bonus when it came to Disneyland.

We also got a little church in on our trip. Miss Kate bore her testimony there which is just a sweet icing on my cake.

Fun times, and a nice escape, but it was nice to get back home where the weather was actually nicer. Funny how that works sometimes, huh?

Spring Break- Balboa Park and Carlsbad Beach

Balboa Park. Awesome. Hundreds of acres filled with museums, parks, and play. We bought a day pass for each of us, which got us into 5 museums within the day. Best part of the trip for me!

Here we pose with the botanical garden and nursery. Shortly after this pic, the Thai people snapping our picture wanted to take a pic with our children to show the folks back at home. We obliged, but kinda funny. 

 Here we are at the Natural History Museum filled with dinos and natural wonders:

And, this, the biggest letdown of the day (not for the kids, mind you), but for me: The Marie Hitchcock Puppet Theater...

I talked Dave into this one for a good long time, before he finally agreed. But good grief! THEE WORST thing ever witnessed by mankind took place in this theater! Two dumb-dumbs, who have no business being on stage, and who are likely homeless threw on a show that I'm sure they never once practiced or even had a script or plot-line for. No. It was that bad. Shameful really. The kids liked it, however, and still quote and giggle about a few tidbits from the show. So we'll still call it a SUCKCESS!

The Model Railroad Museum...AWESOME!

Small, little basement museum, but filled with model trains and a ton of old dudes running the show. Seriously cool. Could have spent hours there.

Reuben H Fleet Science Center:

Kind of a hands-on kiddie, science museum. Wasn't my fave, but they had a cool walkthrough maze-type thing made completely out of packaging tape which was really fun.

The Museum of Man. Maybe my fave. Saw better mummies and things here than at the King Tut exhibit we paid big bucks for in L.A. years ago! Loved this place!

Air and Space Museum:

Fun, little museum. Worth a stop. Kate got some cute earrings, and we got this cute pic of Max...

 Carlsbad Inn Beach Resort:

We stayed here two of the nights. We chose this hotel because it was situated right on a beach. They had a nice pool, fire pits, and a fun grassy play area. After all of our museuming, we got back to our hotel, let the kids swim in the pool, and then ate dinner from a nearby pizzeria right on the beach. A picturesque little place for sure.

Spring Break- Legoland

We couldn't wait to escape to the sunshiny skies of California! As luck would have it, SOCAL greeted us with rain for most of our Spring Break! 

Our first day at Legoland was particularly soggy. We tried to make the most of it, but that darn Legoland pretty much closes up shop in the rain! All of the rides were shut down until probably the last two hours of the day there. Seriously, that ticked me off. They offered all guests free return vouchers for sometime within the month. So generous of them since many of their guests live out of state. Oh, well, the kids got to pick souvies, eat treats, and see and build lots of lego sculptures so it wasn't a complete bust. But that's also just me pretending to be a good sport. It was LAME!

This Kid

 It's a darn good thing he's cute! He is FOR SURE our busiest, most curious, as well as able-bodied trouble maker we've ever had! Scrubs our toilets, helps himself to the pantry, climbs chairs, tables, and furniture, records shows on our DVR, and a million things more X 10 each day!!!!! Good grief boy!!!!

Girls Conference, Boys Conference, and General Conference

Kate and I always love getting out for Women's Conference together. This year she wore her favorite baptism dress and chose to eat at Panda Express beforehand. Man, was she covered in soy sauce by the end! Funny girl! The night was great as usual and the stains came out of the hallowed dress so all was well! 

Meanwhile...the next weekend was Priesthood Conference. Cole, being the youngest boy cousin (next to Max) always looks forward to going out with the men for a night of food and religion, and time with his boy cousins, of course. Dave has always been good to bring him along in spite of him being under age. This year the guys had sushi and watched conference at Grandpa Reese's. Cole was slightly sick this year, so they made a slightly early exit to put Mr. Cole to bed.

And General Conference! I never thought my kids would love these days (as I too was once a kid and wasn't super enthused by this event), but my kid do love it! These conference bags are magical: a little work, but absolutely worth it!

 I had to mark the clock on the wall so Cole would know when the next session was starting (this was so he wouldn't keep asking every 2 minutes when it would start again;)



They had many projects and activities that kept them busy. In the end, the instant snow, their paper mache creations, and the homemade bird feeders were this year's winner activities.

I love General Conference weekend! What an inspired event and how fun it is to spend all weekend "crafting" with these kids!

La Caille

It was date night. We were headed to dinner...just not sure where. One of the first restaurants to pull up on Open Table? La Caille. Why not?

I went there on a field trip as a pimpled teenager with a group of 8 girls and 2 boys. While some things never change (like my skin), how fun to go there a couple decades later, with JUST MY HUSBAND!!!

We went in thinking it would be all show, but the food was awesome! Anytime you get a 6-course meal it's got to be good, or at least should be!! We had fun sampling each others' plates, and enjoying the building. Dave (above) walks down the winding staircase that felt like something out of the Beauty and the Beast castle.

We walked the grounds afterward and it was romantical. David Blackhurst, you know how to have a good time! It wasn't France, but it might as well have been: great food, atmosphere, company, and memories! Thank you, Love!