California Dream Vacation: Disneyland

Nixon is sad he didn't get to wear stripes :(

The second day of our trip was Disneyland day!  The day Kash had been dreaming about for months was finally here and the day I was the most nervous about for many reasons.  I was worried about a whole day of walking in the heat with no naps.  I was worried about Kash being disappointed.  I was worried about not getting to ride on the Radiator Springs ride.  I was worried about everyone getting so stressed out that we wouldn't be able to enjoy "the happiest place on earth".

I read every blogger's opinion about doing Disney with young kids (one still nursing), I polled my expert friend who goes to Disneyland like 10 times a year, I read websites, printed maps and had a game plan of what and where we were going to go first.  I don't even think I planned out where I was going to college as much as I planned out this one day! It may seem overboard but I'm glad I felt as prepared as I could be.

We decided to only do Disneyland for one day.  My mom tried talking me into doing more than one day but with the kids being so young I just didn't think it was worth the money.  If they were older and could really appreciate all that was happening I would definitely purchase the 3 day park hopper pass and stay somewhere near the park.  But we (I hope others felt this way) wanted to experience other things on our trip as well.  Anyway, you can't do Disney in a day but we did it the best we could and I think in the end everyone had a great time.

STREET PERFORMERS & CHARACTERS

As soon as we walked into the park we were greeted by the Newsies.  We think Kash's auditions went well, although we are still waiting to hear back from the casting director.  Both Nixon and Kash loved the music and dancing that would spontaneously occur on Main  Street, and who's kidding so did I!  Kash also loved seeing the characters in movies and TV shows that he loves.  My mom even bought him a little autograph book to get their signatures.  Sadly he feel asleep when we ended up seeing the most characters. 

IMG 3220 from Erica Turnbow on Vimeo.


CARS LAND

The first thing on the agenda was to run to the fast pass line for the Radiator Springs ride. I ran to the line while the rest of the fam fixed our stroller tire :(  The line was ridiculous!  But it moved very fast and I think I only waited 10 minutes (if that) to get our fast passes.  I was a little disappointed when the pass said our ride time would be at 1pm...the time Kash would normally take a nap and the time we predicted his mood changing drastically.  And as predicted Kash was a little crabby when it came time to ride the RS ride, but once he was in the car he LOVED it!  He cried after we were done because he wanted to go on it again, so Grandma Shell worked some magic and took him back for a second round.

We were taking a lunch break near Cars Land when I saw THE Lightening McQueen drive on the back street.  I grabbed Kash as fast as I could and tried to catch Lightening, but he happens to be the fastest car in the world so we missed him.  But this got everyone excited to finally head into Radiator Springs.  

THE PARADE

And there was actually only one really bad moment.  Yes, it occured as I was trying to capture yet ANOTHER family picture at Disneyland.  Kash was tired, Nixon was hungry and the adults were all of the above.  At this point we split up, Nix and I went to nurse and the rest of the fam hit up Toon Town. And can I just say how much I loved the mother's rooms at Disney!!!  These things were fully equipped with ANYTHING you would need to take care of your babies.  They were quiet and peaceful and just the break Nixon and I needed.

We didn't necessarily have plans to watch the parade but Nixon and I took a break on the sidewalk as we waited to meet up with everyone and it just happened to be a prime seat for the parade.  So we sat and had dinner on the curb and I was so glad we didn't miss the parade!

The boys were in awe of the parade!  Kash was dancing and clapping, singing a long as he waved to all his favorite characters.  And Nixon was in awe of all the giant floats, costumes and action!  This was a really fun part of the day and actually a much needed rest.  Plus my parade loving heart was in 7th heaven watching it through my boys' eyes. 

                    DISNEYLAND VS. ADVENTURELAND

This was the everyone's first time to Adventureland.  I wasn't sure what it would be like other than I knew that Cars was there so we had to go.  It was really cool and had a ton of rides just for Kash's age.  Plus they featured all of the Pixar movies that Kash was familiar with.  But there was something about crossing the street and entering Disneyland.  Memories flooded back from trips of old and I felt like a little kid again.  There were a lot more characters there and all the old rides we all remembered.  When planning I thought maybe we should just do Adventureland, but I'm so glad we did both. 

We let Kash take a nap in the stroller in hopes to revive his spirits, and for the most part this did help.  Once his sleepiness wore off he was sooo happy, running around, laughing and so excited for the next ride and character.  And once it got dark it was awesome to watch everything light up.  Disneyland at night is pretty cool.

 There is probably a lot more I could write about, but it's taken me all summer just to get that much put together so I better leave it at that.

Overall I think everyone had a great time.  It was so awesome to watch through Kash's eyes as he saw characters from his favorite movies and shows come alive on the streets of Disneyland. Some might even say magical.  I'm not when we will be able to make it back, so I'm grateful we went at a time that Disney really is Kash's life and he was beyond excited to meet Goofy, Lightening, Donald, etc.

Thanks again for everything Mom, you made many dreams come true on this trip!!!

Leavin' the park in style...with a churro of course!

California Dream Vacation: The Beach

I've been putting this post off for some time now.  One, because it was one of the hardest vacations to leave.  I seriously have never felt so sad to be back home after a vacation as I was after this one.  So I was in no rush to look through all of the pictures and relive our dream vacay.  Two, there's so much to be told about our trip I didn't know where to start. I'm going to break it up into multiple posts, I know lame, but really it's the best I can do as far as having time to blog and go through all the vids and pics.

___________________________________________________________________

The idea of this vacation all started last summer when we went to visit my mom in Wisconsin. Kash saw a commercial for the new Cars ride at Disneyland and said, "I want to do that!!!".  Well, Grandma Shelley didn't blink an eye and responded with, "OK let's do it!".  I just kind of laughed and didn't really think anything of it.  Well neither Kash nor my mom forgot about it.  Kash talked about going to see Lightening McQueen and going to Disneyland all the time...and Grandma Shelley already started the planning!

Don't get me wrong I was never opposed to the idea, HELLO-Disneyland with my whole family is only my dream vacation, I just figured it would never really happen because of all the expenses.  But my mom found a way to make it all work and before I knew it we were on plane to California.  Best. Grandma. Ever. 

The first thing we did once we got settled in was go to the beach.  My mom found an awesome house within walking distance of the ocean.  It was so nice to have an actual house with a kitchen and lots of space for the kids.  Kash even got his own room with toys and an xbox (mind you he doesn't know how to actually play an xbox but he was excited none the less).

Kash was very excited to see the ocean!!  We had talked about it for months and he had seen it on TV so this was definitely one of the things he was most excited to see!  And he loved it, well he loved the beach, he wasn't too fond of the ocean.  He was scared of the waves and very nervous about Blaine going in too deep.  Plus it was pretty freezing.  But every time we weren't at the beach Kash was asking when we were going back. Nixon loved the beach as well.  He surprisingly kept the sand out of his mouth, for the most part, he just liked to pick it up and let it run through his fingers.

It was so nice to relax on the beach and not have a care in the world. It was definitely a favorite from our trip.  Even now, months later, Kash asks to go back to Grandma Shelley's beach house (which is not actually my mom's she just rented it).

balboa island 0003 from Erica Turnbow on Vimeo.

easter 2013

Oh man do they make them any cuter?

We had a great Easter this year filled with cookie decorating at Grandma Turnbow's house, dying Easter eggs, Easter baskets and of course the annual Easter egg hunt at Grandma & Grandpa's house.

Kash loved every minute of it and was very excited for Easter this year.  The weeks leading up to it he watch our home videos from Easter last year and he was ready to go on the egg hunt with ALL of his cousins.  Sadly the Frandsen girls couldn't make it this year and he was really disappointed.

For family home evening we focused on the resurrection all month.  I was amazed at how much Kash learned from the simple lessons we planned.  As we were driving past a Catholic church that has three large crosses in front Kash said, "look mom that's where Jesus died!  And now he lives."

And as for Nixon's first Easter, he loved it!! He loved rolling around and eating all of the plastic eggs and thoroughly enjoyed being outside for the Easter egg hunt--he loves being outside!

Kash loves going to Grandma's house and now it's an added bonus when Kitt is there!  And per usual plenty of sugar was consumed in the making of these cookies. 

Dying eggs this year was extra entertaining with Kieden.  This kid LOVES!!! eggs.  Well I guess he loves to crack them.  It was so fun to watch him splash the eggs in all of the mugs, use his hands to scoop them out of the dye and of course a lot of cracking went on!

Kash came into our room Easter morning and Blaine told him he thought the Easter Bunny had come.  Kash said, "Nah, not today Dad" and jumped into our bed. haha.  When we finally convinced him to check and see he was very excited and surprised to find eggs hiding everywhere and a basket full of treats.  Nix enjoyed watching Kash run around and playing with all the empty eggs Kash was leaving behind. 

And finally the moment Kash had been waiting for, the Easter Egg Hunt.  I think it lived up to his expectations :)  Grandma and Grandpa had about a million extra eggs lying around the yard which of course Kieden loved! 

easter egg hunt 2013 from Erica Turnbow on Vimeo.

So as you could see we had a great Easter!  Every year after Easter I always find myself saying it's my 2nd favorite holiday.

christmas 2012

(ahhh i think after this post I'm finally caught up...or as caught up as I'm willing to be)

Sunday Christmas outfits.  Nixon actually had a blowout in his real Christmas outfit but luckily I had a pretty similar outfit I could change him into. 

Christmas this year was awesome.  I think I said it last year, but to watch the magic of Christmas through a child's eyes is truly amazing.  Kash totally got the concept and was very excited to say the least.  Every morning he would come down the stairs asking if Santa had come.  Every toy he saw in the store he would add to his Christmas list.  He loved helping decorate the tree, singing Christmas songs (Jingle Bells is still one of his favorite songs 4 months later) and was beyond excited about seeing Christmas lights throughout the neighborhoods. He was disappointed everytime we would pull into our driveway and didn't see lights on our house :(

Nixon's 1st Christmas was great as well!  Although he was just a few months old he was spoiled by his grandparents and had a good time.

I tried really hard to keep the spirit of Christ in Christmas as well.  It was helpful having my sister-in-law, Rachel, invite me to play Mary for her primary's sharing time.  As I held little Nix all wrapped up in swaddling cloth and retold the story of Christ's birth the Spirit was so strong and I truly felt a love of my Savior and the reason for the Christmas season.  I hope my children felt that as well as we celebrated throughout the month.

It was a great Christmas!

  

I know our family thinks I'm lame for taking so many pictures and videos but I already look back on these and treasure them so much and this next video is no exception, it actually makes me cry for many reasons.  I love how Kash doesn't know the song until the chorus and then totally gets into it. I love Marilyn playing the piano in the background and little Kieden sitting by her side.  I love that you can see the manger scene in the background.  It so reminds me of Christmases with my Muttie and all she did to make them special.  I know my kids' Christmases won't always be this way and I'm so glad I was able to document this moment in time. 

DSC 3903 from Erica Turnbow on Vimeo.

Nixon really, really loved Christmas. 

this wasn't actually on Christmas, but it was a morning ritual of Kash playing with his Mater ornament and then attempting to put it back on the tree. 

Kash thought the annual Christmas fire was pretty cool.

I love their matching smiles

.

And if this post wasn't long enough here's our Christmas card from 2012!  Merry Christmas in March! Phew.

thanksgiving

Ugh, I'm still playing catch up...

We had an awesome Thanksgiving this year!!!  Blaine and I both left his parents house feeling full and happy. Joy and her family were in town which always adds to the good times and holiday fun.  Kash loves having Jocelyn and Joelle at grandma's house to play with.  He's always sooo sad to find out they are no longer at grandma's house when he goes over to play.  I love that he has cousins close in age and that he gets to see often!

Nixon had a great first Thanksgiving.  People held him, he slept, flashed some smiles, drank some milk and slept some more.  Sounds perfect to me.

oh man, I guess if I have to live with all boys at least they are handsome!

helping Grandpa with his famous rolls

hahahaha this picture kills me every time!  Grandpa dug a fort for the kids to play in...

some turkeys making some turkeys

sleepy bow tie baby

family skate night

One night while Blaine was busy I bundled up the boys and thought Kash would get a kick out of watching people ice skate at our outdoor mall's ice rink.  I don't know what on Earth made me think Kash would be content just watching people skate and not have any desire to try this for himself, I'll blame it on sleep deprivation.  Yeah my perfect outing blew up in my face when Kash was screaming at the ice rink begging to go skating.  Idiot mom.

A little hot chocolate and a promise that we would come back with dad finally got the tears to stop.  Phew.

So the next week we all went as a family to ice skate, and wasn't it a sight.  It took Kash and I about 5 minutes to even get on the ice, the worker man had to come help us.  But once we got on the ice we did okay.  The same nice worker man also said we could bring Nixon's stroller onto the ice.  This actually turned out to be awesome and allowed me to zoom around the rink giving people the false impression I was a semi decent skater.  And I was glad I didn't attempt to skate without Blaine there because it turned out to be quite the leg workout to push Kash around and keep him from falling. It was definitely a two man job to keep that kid upright. 

It was a fun night and I'm glad we live somewhere that has so many fun activities for us to constantly do.  Kash was a little disappointed that he wasn't a better skater, aren't we all, but he still had fun. 

ice skating 2012 from Erica Turnbow on Vimeo.

action shot

See, Nix was there! 

a name & a blessing//no.2

Nixon Layne Turnbow blessed on October 28, 2012.

Nixon Layne...where did we get that name????  Well it didn't come easy that's for sure.  Because for the first 20 weeks of my pregnancy I was so sure I was having a girl I honestly didn't put much thought into boy names.  But once we found out we were having a boy I was determined to pick out a name asap.  I like deciding on a name as soon as we both can because I hate referring to my baby bump as "baby" or "it".  I had read the name Nixon on a list of baby names and my friend Juli had also suggested it.  And Blaine and I actually agreed we both liked it, wow never thought that would happen.  So there it was our second boy would be named Nixon.  We predicted older generations would hate the name due to the political association that goes with the it, and we were right.  But per usual we didn't care and still decided to go with the name.  Now all we needed was a middle name.  I like middle names to have meaning, but all of the family names weren't flowing with Nixon and we were stumped up until the last few weeks.  Finally I threw out the idea of Layne--a combination of Wayne (Blaine's dad) and Blaine.  And after some convincing (I don't know why there was any discussion really...I thought we agreed he could name one of our kids Kash and I would name everything else in our lives) Blaine was on board with Layne.  And that's how we came up with Nixon Layne.

Nixon's blessing was perfect.  Blaine did a great job and so did Nix.  He didn't even make a peep when his dad raised him to the sky after the blessing like his name was Simba.

One of my favorite things in the world are baby blessings.  I don't even have to know the baby and I will be moved to tears and overwhelmed by the spirit that is in the room.  So you can imaging how I feel about my own children getting blessed.  It's like a dream come true for me to see my husband stand in front of the congregation as a worthy priesthood holder and bless one of our sweet babies, it was such a special day.  I also love that it's just as important to all of our family and they travel and rearrange their schedules to come and celebrate the newest member of the family.

so blessed to have our entire family attend his blessing! 

family of four

the spread...this wouldn't have happened without my mom!  I'm so grateful for all she did!!!

It was a great day and we are so lucky to have little Nix in our lives!!!

I tried to snap some shots after the party but really this baby was too tired to be bothered.

He wore Kash's blessing outfit but these booties were my favorite new edition to the ensemble. 

beautiful blanket made by Grandma Turnbow