March 25, 2009

...happiest place on earth...

we're back & are still in recovery mode from literally going non-stop for the four days we were at disneyland! we really had so much fun. the kids did great...emerson had her fussy spells on the 3rd & 4th days...but that is to be expected when you're out of your normal routine right?? she wouldn't sit in the stroller...so chad & i definitely got our fair share of exercise in...which really isn't a bad thing, so i couldn't complain too much! all in all, i definitely think that the reality of disneyland exceeded zac's expectations...and he loved it! lots of good memories, that's for sure...

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"Autopia" was a big hit with the kids...the second time we rode it, chad let emerson be in control of the steering wheel...she loved it, but i think chad had a headache by the time it was over...she would just go back and forth as fast as she could, hitting the median thing probably a thousand times...so funny. :)

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what would we do without our very own tour guide??! for some reason, zac LOVES maps...i think that he feels super smart or extra grown-up when he's looking at them or something...it's so funny to me! even before we left for california, he started asking me if disneyland had a map to look at...as soon as he found the maps at the park, he snatched one up & literally did not put it down. he was actually pretty good at reading it too, when we were planning to go on the teacups, zac pulled out his map and said, "mom, the teacups are through the castle and to the right. see??" and sure enough, he was right!

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the best $5 we could have ever spent! emerson saw this minnie phone in the store the first night we were there...and from that point on, carried it everywhere. it was a lifesaver!

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we had breakfast with the characters...which was fun...daisy, minnie, lilo, & stitch were there...emerson liked the characters as long as they stayed a good five feet away...once they got closer, she didn't want anything to do with them...that's to be expected with any two year old i think!

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nothing like falling asleep on daddy's shoulder. it was so nice to have our hotel so close...chad was able to just take her back for a nap when she got too tired...and that made a huge difference...everyone was happier!

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this pineapple icecream outside of the tiki room was delicious!! the perfect treat while we waited.

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so one day zac wanted a treat, and i did too. he decided on the icecream sandwich & then i debated about whether or not i should get myself one. but then i remembered that it was zac i was with...the child who has the smallest appetite of anyone i have ever met & who rarely finishes a meal. so i decided to buy only one & then i patiently waited for him to be through...i think he took three bites & was done. so my lucky self got to enjoy the rest!

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so for the last two months, zac has been entertained by youtube videos of the disneyland parade...i was starting to get a little worried that he would have no surprises and it wouldn't be quite as fun since he'd already seen everything...but i was wrong. both kids loved the parade. how could they not?! one of the disney workers recommended that we make reservations at the wine trateria...and i'm so glad we did...because we had perfect seats for watching the parade while we ate. definitely something to remember!

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i LOVE emmy's expression here...i think it basically sums up her experience of the whole vacation...so much to experience for the first time! :)

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and i love zac's happy face here on the roller coaster...he was having a great time! :)

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here we are at the character dinner at goofy's kitchen...which was sooo fun! if you have to ever choose between the breakfast and the dinner...definitely do the dinner! you get a lot more one-on-one time with the characters, and the food was super good. :)

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so yes, we had lots of fun! and it was the happiest place on earth while we were there...but until next time, we'll try to make 'real life' just as happy! :)

March 18, 2009

...california bound...

we've decided to take these crazies to disneyland...and we're going tomorrow! zac cannot wait...he's been talking about going since october...and has saved every penny, nickel, dime, & quarter that he finds or earns. he now has somewhere around $45 saved up...so we're heading over to the bank today to get some bills in place of the coins. zac doesn't really understand why...if he could have it his way, he'd be carrying his piggy bank around the entire park...mmmm, i don't think so. i think he has now seen every youtube video about disneyland that there is to see...looked at every picture of every ride and seen every character that we could possibly meet when we get there. he's so funny! i can't wait...

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March 6, 2009

...it's a jeep thing...

the kids were finally able to take the jeep outside for a ride this week. emerson loved tagging along & zac was a very focused driver! he has decided that next christmas, he's going to ask santa for a fire truck...with a siren & horn...cool. not so sure about that one... :)

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February 27, 2009

...a shout out to fellow t-birds...

okay all you timpview classmates...our class blog (www.timpview99.blogspot.com) has been redone & updated! please feel free to help us get the word out about the reunion by putting this button on your blog. there's a code & instructions on the blog for you. thanks for your help! :)

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February 25, 2009

...bowling & bobsleds part 2...

so on our way up to park city we stopped by to watch some athletes doing the ski-jumping thing....you know where they go down a huge, steep hill & then fly in the air? by the time we got there, they weren't jumping anymore, so we ended up going on the tour they have. it was really cool to see things up close...like the bobsled, louge, and skeleton tracks, as well as the big jumps. it's crazy to think that the olympics were right here. they told us that salt lake will probably get the olympics again in 20 years or so...at least they hope.

the kids thought the bobsleds were pretty cool...they had fun climbing around in 'em for a bit...

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and then she started getting tired...and that's when the fun began...

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i took this picture standing at the top of the 120-foot jump/hill that the athletes ski down and then literally fly in the air hoping to not kill themselves. from the picture, you can't really tell just how steep & long it really is. but the landing that you see at the bottom is 1-1/2 football fields in length...crazy.

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yes, this would be a classic lyndsie face while skiing....but not anymore!! i'm proud to say that i have completed my first official ski lessons this last month & had such a great time...something i never thought i would say! chad has always snowboarded...so we decided to take ski lessons together since i'm not all that crazy about the idea of snowboarding. anyway...i'm excited to keep learning...it'll be a fun thing to do together as long as i don't kill myself. :)

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chad getting ready to show off his muscles...that thing is deceiving! it was so much heavier than i thought it would be. it's 40 pounds, but i think that because of the way that the weight is distributed, it makes it feel even heavier...weird.

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and i was confused by these medals, because i thought they were the "actual" medals...so i didn't understand why they wouldn't let the athletes keep them for themselves. so chad helped me realize that these are real medals...but they don't belong to anyone...they're made for display purposes only...for people like us to enjoy. kinda cool....i like how they're not perfectly shaped...adds some character! :)

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