Eli's Got Talent

Last night was our elementary school's talent show and I'm SO super proud of Eli for performing in it. He told me that he was really nervous and wasn't sure if he still wanted to do it, as we were driving there. So we had a good talk about being nervous but still going through with things, and about how he had made a commitment to do it. I don't think it helped his nerves all that much, ha.

He was the third-to-last performer of the night, and I'm not sure if watching a lot of the other kids go first was better or worse for him!

At dinner afterward, he told me that as he was walking up he was thinking to himself, "I'm too scared to do it, I'm just going to quit tae kwon do forever!" Thankfully, he didn't follow through on that. He did a wonderful job on his forms and everyone was so supportive of him. Here's the video for you to enjoy!

Sorry if it’s a little shaky, and I couldn’t help myself but to yell for him at the end. :) He came straight back to us in the audience after he was done and just had the biggest grin on his face! I know he was proud of himself, just like I was. I think he learned a great self-esteem building lesson, that even when things seem really hard, you can still push through and complete them, and then the feeling afterward is amazing!

He’s already talking about what he’ll do for next year’s show. ;)

Random thoughts

As I’m sitting here working on a new project for Scrap Girls, I had the thought strike me that I needed to do a blog post. Okay, little thought, I’ll take you up on that.

What’s been on my mind lately? Lots of things, as per usual! But here are the top things.

I’m excited for tomorrow night to come because it will be Eli’s premiere debut in his school talent show! I’m really looking forward to seeing him perform his taekwondo forms that he’s been learning. When the tryout forms came out a while ago, he brought it home determined to try out, doing a magic show. My first thought was, “There’s no way we’re doing the talent show!” which, once I thought it over and realized how much it meant to him, turned into, “Okay, we can do the talent show, but we’ve got to figure something else out besides a magic show, since you’ve never done a magic show before and the deadline is in 4 days! It took a little convincing, but he finally gave in and admitted that it may be hard to gather all the needed supplies, then teach himself how to do a complete magic show in 4 days (which, if you know Eli at all, was a huge victory for me, because normally he’d just be full speed ahead no matter the obstacle).

So anyway, long-story-short, we figured out that he could dress in his taekwondo uniform and do the forms (kind of like routines) that he’s been learning and being tested on in his taekwondo class. So tomorrow night will be the big night and I’m excited to see how he does. He got a little nervous before the tryouts, but sailed through them without a second glance once he was up on the stage. I’m hoping it will be the same way tomorrow night.

Recently I was called to be in the Primary presidency in our ward. (For those of you not as familiar, that just means I was asked to volunteer in a leadership position for the children’s group in our local church.) So far I have really enjoyed being a part of the presidency and have loved getting to know the kids better. This Sunday will mark the first week that I’ll be teaching Sharing Time, and I’m looking forward to it as well as getting a little nervous about it. I used to be the music leader for Primary a few years ago in our other ward, so I’m not completely new at it, but having to conduct and everything can be a little daunting. I’m sure it will turn out just fine, it’s just always that anxious energy before it happens that makes me think about it a lot. Wish me luck!

Last week was my 30th birthday. and I’m still kind of processing that. Don’t get me wrong, I love having birthdays, I’m just not so sure about leaving my 20’s behind. I mean, like I’ve told a lot of people lately, that really was the decade that I feel like I was a ‘real’ adult and my life kind of started. That’s when I got married, when I had both of my wonderful kids, and it still felt young enough that I could be proud that I was ‘in my 20’s’. Not so much anymore. 30 just seems old to me. I know, there are lots of people who laugh at that statement, but to me it feels true. I’m sure that my 30’s will be awesome and a lot better than I’m setting them up for, ha! It’s just hard to say goodbye to a whole decade like that. Alright, enough whining. :)

Let’s see, anything else? Well yes, lots of other things, but I don’t really want to bore you to death with this post! So I’ll just leave with some adorable photos of my two little guys. Because come on, who can resist these cutie patootie faces??

Ha! We had a fun Spring Break and spent one of the days at the beach. Of course, we had to bury the boys. They enjoyed it. :)

Oh yeah, and I have to add this video. Just trust me, you’ll thank me.

Disneyland with the fam

Okay, yes, I realize that I post about Disneyland a lot. I’m sorry, I just can’t help it, I LOVE DISNEYLAND! I love that we have passes and I love that I can go whenever I want to brighten my day, to entertain the kids, and to make family memories. This post will be no exception, but I promise, I will try to diversify in the upcoming posts. ;)

SO, I just found out about this thing where they do special Magic Morning hours just for season pass holders, on certain days of the week through April 14th. I’m bummed I just found out about it this past week, but still glad I had time to use it at least once! Yesterday we got up at the crack of dawn to make sure we were down at the park by 7:00am so that we could get in early and finally, finally, FINALLY ride Radiator Springs Racers.

You see, since the new Cars Land opened last June, that ride has consistently had lines of more than 2 hours most days that we have been there. Even the line for the Fast Passes is always incredibly long and usually runs out by 10 or 11am, sometimes earlier. So, being the anti-crowd kind of person that I am, I just didn’t have the patience to sit in either line, especially with two kiddos, since I usually go to the park just with them.

Fast forward to yesterday morning, where because we were able to get in an hour earlier than normal opening, we got to OPEN Cars Land, following Mater and Lightning McQueen down Route 66 to Radiator Springs Racers. I was so super excited that I was just smiling like an idiot the whole time. Of course, both kids were starting to get scared and whiny because they’ve never been on the ride either and Eli, especially, hates trying new rides because he doesn’t know what to expect. Thankfully, though, we convinced them both to try it at least once, and if they didn’t like it, they wouldn’t have to go again. Heck yes, I’ll be going again, in case you were wondering.

I loved the ride, it was just what I thought it was going to be and more! And we had so much fun riding through the beautiful scenery that they’ve built there, I really had the best time. The kids, predictably, will not be going again, but I can’t say I’m surprised.

We went and took pictures around Cars Land, with Stanley first and then with Lightning McQueen, who looked so lonely without anyone hanging out with him! :)

After we were done with Cars Land, we headed on over to Midway Mania, which we got to walk on and ride twice in a row! That’s unheard of with that ride, which is so popular it usually has at least a 30 minute wait time, consistently. We could have gone even more, but the kids didn’t want to. Seriously, whose children are these?? Midway Mania is one of my favorite rides at the park, I love the competitive aspect of it and the fun Toy Story theme. And I’ve been known to cream Nathan with high scores in the arcade-style shooting. Not that I’m bragging or anything…

After Midway Mania we went on Mickey’s Ferris Wheel – Eli and I going on the non-swinging gondola, while Nathan and West went on the swinging one. That turned out to be a bad decision for Nathan, since it ended up making him feel queasy! Poor guy. He decided to rest a little with the kids while I headed over to California Screamin’ by myself. Another of my favorite rides, can you tell? I love roller coasters!

Once that adrenaline rush was checked off my list, I meandered over to the boys and we tackled some of the small rides, like the Silly Symphony Swings and the Jumpin’ Jellyfish. West and I love those rides, although Eli won’t join us on them.

Finally it was off to Redwood Creek Challenge Trail to dutifully go through and check off the various badges that they have to earn, and a final ride on Soarin’ Over California before we headed home. All in all, it was a really wonderful, fun trip and we were even home by lunchtime! What a great way to spend a Saturday together as a family. And I’m always up for that!

Easy mark

That’s me, an easy mark. West knows this and takes advantage of it as much as he can. He knows it doesn’t take much to convince me to jump in the car and head to Disneyland while Eli is in school. I figure I’m getting quality time with him while using our beloved passes, so why not? As long as we’re not doing anything else, we may as well! :)

Such was the case on Friday and we headed out.

(Now, as a public service announcement, the camera on my iPhone has a crack across it, so the photos all look like they’re taken through a hazy bubble or something. Sorry about that, just imagine they’re nice and crisp. Next time I’ll lug my big baby with me instead and I’ll have better pictures to show for it! ;)  )

We rode Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree – a staple for us on any Disney trip.

West looking for letters while waiting in line

We hit up one of our favorites – the Jellyfish flyers!

We checked out the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail, which is one of West’s favorites.

Finding animal tracks

Then, of course, we had to split a churro. It was calling to us. ;)

It threatened to rain on us, but we thankfully stayed dry while we were there. It sure made for short lines on the rides, though! Yay for rain at Disneyland in March! ;)

After we got home, we picked up Eli from school and he had his report card with him. All of his grades were FANTASTIC so we decided to celebrate. And what better way than to meet up with Nathan at Disneyland?!

Yes, that is me. The woman who drove to and from Disneyland twice in one day just because she could. And I’m not ashamed. ::GRIN::

West met Mickey! Eli didn’t want his picture taken with him, ha.

We went on Toy Story (and I CREAMED Nathan’s score, just so you know)

I took one for the team and rode the carousel with West and Eli while Nathan cheered us on from the sidelines, ha.

And the last ride we went on, Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree (yes, again), we waited in line for about 15 minutes with no sign of rain, not even a sprinkle. Then, just as it was our turn to get on the ride, the skies opened up and it started POURING. Luckily the boys and I had hoodies that we could put on, but poor Nathan only had a jacket so he got the worst of it. He even tried putting up an umbrella on the ride, but the CM’s wouldn’t let him. Poor guy. After that, we knew it was time to head home, tired but happy.

We had such a fun time! I love having passes and getting to go whenever we want. This is definitely something I love about living in California. And since we won’t live here forever (GASP! Say it isn’t so!), I really do cherish the time we get to spend here. I know we’re just so super lucky and I’m grateful for that.

And I tell you what – if anyone reading this comes out to Disneyland and wants a free guide to hang out for an hour or two, just let me know. I’m easily persuadable! :D

Beautiful day

Today was such a nice day that I wasn't surprised when West asked to go outside. I followed him out eagerly, and he asked me to watch him jump on the trampoline. So I grabbed my camera and got some photos of him jumping and kicking and having a fun time. Here are some of them:

Even Big Turtle got in on the action, since it was such a nice day out.

I even had a silly little monkey to photograph, and was grateful that he let me!

I even got a shot of my current favorite pair of shoes. They make me smile because they add a fun pop of color to my normally basic wardrobe. :)

Catching up!

Hi everyone! Or, at least whomever is still reading this blog, ha, I know it’s not that many. I have finally carved out some time to do a little catch-up post. I suppose I’ll start from most recent and work my way back. We’ll see.
This week was fun, we just got back from a trip to Utah, and instead of going right back into the routine and tackling the pile of laundry staring me down, on Monday I took West to Disneyland. We got passes again this year for Christmas, and I feel like we haven’t used them as much as I’d like. Of course, it’s hard with a child in school and everything, but I wanted to just go. So we did! Here are some fun pictures from the day.

Waiting in line:

We saw Lightning McQueen making his way to sign autographs:

While we ate at Flo’s Café:

After that we headed to Redwood Creek Challenge Trail. This one is always a favorite with both my boys. We started with the tire swing. He’s such a little guy and it’s fun to watch him zip down the line…

…and then slam into the tire at the end and go swinging! So fun.

Next we headed to the little ‘graduation ceremony’ they do for all the Wilderness Explorers. I love the thought they put into the details of this little show and the leader is always so energetic and fun.

After helping out with the show (West was being VERY interactive and answered each and every question emphatically. It was pretty hilarious, and he was cracking everyone up.), West got to get his sticker badge and take a photo with Russell. He had lots of fun!

Then it was off to the slides…

…and then rock climbing!

And a final JUMP! to the finish line!

That was pretty much our fun day! After rock climbing, we had to start heading home so that we could be there when Eli got out of school. I thought I was leaving plenty of time, but of course it turned out to be the first time we’ve ever been late to pick up Eli from school. He was confused as to why we weren’t there, but luckily a mom from our street spotted him and sat with him until we got there. Which was, literally, about 4 minutes after they let out, but he was already starting to walk home on his own. I’m glad for the mom for stopping with him so that he didn’t head all the way home! Needless to say, we had a good talk about what to do if Mom isn’t there after school.
In any case, I predict a lot more Disney dates with West this year. Hopefully will better time management so we don’t miss E!