Family Vacation (part three) California Adventure

On day two at Disneyland, we decided to go to California Adventure. Once again, the characters were their FAVORITE thing...especially Addison. 

As soon as we walked through the gate, Pluto was there just waiting to see us. Daddy went and waited in line for  fast passes for Radiator Springs Racers while we talked to Pluto. We got our fast passes the minute we walked into the park and our time to go ride the ride was at 8 o'clock that night. All I can say is it was worth the wait! I wish is wasn't such a popular ride, I would of gone on it 10 more times. The wait without the fast pass was 2 hours.

We also watched the Pixar Parade. We got great seats and enjoyed every moment of it. 

We went on every ride we could squeeze in including the Tower of Terror. I was surprised at how much the girls like it. I warned Molly and Elley that it was a scary ride but that everything was pretend. during the ride Molly leaned over to me and said, "mom, this isn't even scary!" Silly girl! She definitely is our daredevil. Elley on the other hand, she was nervous the whole time but still had fun.  

This is another one of my favorite pictures. I just loved how much she wanted everything to do with the characters.

Waiting for the Tower of Terror ride. Don't the girls look tired?

We LOVED having Grandpa and Nana there with us!!!

We love Mickey!

My cute little Elley!!! Aren't her nails cute?

Family Vacation (part two) Disneyland Day #1

I just have to start with an apology for the insane amount of pictures you're about to see. Not only in this post, but in the posts to come. Disneyland was so much fun. We looked forward to it for months. I was kind of obsessed, just ask Adam. I looked up every website I could to get tips and tricks of the in and outs of Disneyland. Pinterest was my best friend as I found homemade Disney things.

#1- Autograph Books 

My girls loved getting autographs

#2- Disney shirts

A huge thank you to my friend Brittney who helped me make these

#3- Minnie Ears

These were my favorite to make

#4- Mickey hair clips

They didn't even wear these :(

This was the morning leaving from Grandpa's house.          YAY....we're finally here!!!

Dropping all of our stuff of in our hotel before we head over to Disneyland

The first character we saw was Pluto. When we walked into the front entrance there were characters everywhere. I wasn't sure how my kids were going to react to them, but they loved them.

When we got in the gate, I made the girls stop for a second and take it all in. They were ready to see and do everything. 

The first ride we went on was It's a Small World. It wasn't the girls favorite ride, but it's Grandpa's favorite.  

I had to take a picture of "stroller parking" 

Just sitting with Grandpa and Nana getting ready to see It's a Small World.

After we went on that ride, we headed over to Toon Town to meet Mickey and Minnie. Thats all the girls wanted to do so we thought we would get that out of the way.

The line to get into see Minnie wasn't that bad. Plus, we got to walk though her house before meeting her. 

The girls loved seeing her house and touching everything. It was a great distraction while we waited in line.

We finally got to Minnie's backyard where we were able to see her. She was so sweet and Addison LOVED her. I didn't think she would be all that interested but I couldn't be more wrong. She grabbed onto Minnie and wouldn't let go. 

Minnie really was sweet and let Addison take her time. This picture is one of my favorites.

Right next door was Mickey's house. As soon as we were done with Minnie we headed on over.

Way longer lines to see Mickey!

Meeting Jessie

Astro Orbitor 

That night we stopped to watch the parade. I love parades, and I LOVED this one. The Disney Soundsational Parade. The girls loved it too, especially Addison.

Our friend Pulto

Cinderella.....love her!

After the parade the girls were tired. Early morning, long drive, excitement of Disneyland. We should of called it a night, instead....we pushed them. We ended up going to Fantasyland and went on a lot of rides.

The girls had seen Autopia on the Disney website and they really wanted to go on the cars they could drive themselves.  

This was the last ride of the night!

As we walked back to the hotel we watched the fireworks. They were amazing. I wish the girls had been more into them, but by the time it was firework time, they were done for the day.

Mother's Day

I have a tender spot in my heart for Mother's Day. It hasn't always been that way. For 25 years Mother's Day was a normal day I spent celebrating my mom. Today marks 6 years where I celebrate Mother's Day as a motherless mother. I don't pretend it's not sad, or that I don't have moments during this day where I wish I could call her, send her a card, or post a picture of the most resent picture of us on Facebook. I wish I could declare how much I love spending time with her, and love to see her being a grandma to my girls.

I love this picture. It reminds me that because of the temple and the priesthood power we have here on earth, I can see my mom again, and we can be a family forever.

I sat in church today and listened to an older mother in RS declare that she hated Mother's Day and has always asked her kids not to get her anything. Mother's Day was a joke where kids pretended to be good or love their mother's on just one day of the year. My soul ached. My soul ached because my mother isn't here on earth and I would give anything to share this one special day with her by giving her gifts and showing her how much I love her with hugs, kisses and words of love. It mostly ached for this mother's children. Mother's Day isn't just for moms you know! It's a chance for our children to show us they love us in ways they don't all the other days of the year. Its a chance for us to teach our kids that motherhood is AMAZING and such a special blessing that one day each year is dedicated to them. And for me, its a chance to teach my girls that motherhood is a sacred calling that one day they will hold.

Mother's Day is special to me, a sacred day in which we honor ALL mothers both here on earth and those who have completed the work they had here to do.

Mother's Day is not just for me, but for my children.

I hope they know how much I love them and how proud I am to be their mother. I am who I am because of Elley, Molly, and Addison. I will let them spoil me ALL day long. I will love the homemade cards, the pictures, the way Elley set the table all special for me, the kisses, the hugs, the foot rubs, the snuggles, EVERYTHING!!!

To my children: I will love and cherish every Mother's Day that I am blessed to share with you.

Family Vacation (part one) Grandpa and Nana's House

About a month ago, we had the chance to go on an amazing family vacation. We got to spend 8 days in sunny California. Not only did we get to spend some time at Disneyland but we also got to spend some time at Grandpa and Nana Hudson's house. We don't very often get to visit their house because it's so expensive to fly there. My sister and brother in law we so nice letting us have a few buddy passes so that we could fly.

The girls knew we were going to Disneyland/California they just didn't know exactly what day. We left on a Wednesday night and Elley had school Thursday and Friday. She thought she was going for the rest of the week before her spring break started. We had been packing all day but I kept telling the girls I was just getting ready for when we did leave in a few days. I also told them we were going bowling at a place by the airport later that night.It was cute, they had no idea that we were actually flying out that night. When we pulled up to the airport Elley and Molly were saying things like, "bowling at the airport?" "I didn't know there was bowling at the airport!" I could tell they were really confused. Finally I told them we were leaving right then for California and still they were in a little shock and confusion. After we got inside and after a few minutes, it sunk in and they were so excited!!!

I was excited about taking our girls on the airplane and what they would think of it. A very dear friend of mine made the girls goody bags for on the airplane. These goody bags were a lifesaver!!! They had all sorts of treats in them which I kept shoving down Addison's throat. I knew she might get a little restless but she was a monster. I forgot just how little space you have when flying. Luckily, we sat by some very understanding people and the flight attendants were very accommodating. The picture below just about sums up the entire 2 flights it took to get there. I do love that girl and all her craziness!! 

Also, Elley was mildly sick a few days before we left. Low grade fever and stuffy nose. Well, during our travels it turned for the worst, turning into a full fledged ear infection. She fell asleep in my lap during the second flight but woke up screaming as we were descending and landed. I felt so bad for her, there was nothing I could do. She already had had all the ibuprofen she could take. Grandpa met us at the airport with some Tylenol and saved the day! We ended up taking her to the walk-in doctor the next day and sure enough, a big fat ear infection!

Another funny story, my dad doesn't have a car big enough to fit all of us so he borrowed a Highlander that has the option of the 3rd row. Once you get that 3rd row up though, theres really now room for luggage. And we had a lot of luggage. 2 car seats, 2 suitcases, 1 duffel bag, and 1 double stroller. It was amazing we fit everything in. The 2 girls in the back ended up sitting cross legged with suitcases under them and the stroller was across our laps.

We made it safely to Grandpa and Nana's and the next 4 days were filled with cookies, delicious food, golf cart rides, and lots of swimming.

The girls really have the best Grandparents on both sides of our families! Making cookies with Grandpa is one of our most favorite things to do. He is famous for peanut butter cookies. I'm so glad my girls that the experience to spend some time with him at his house.

Late nights and early mornings really started to catch up with these girls. All 3 of them fell asleep in the car after we made a trip to the outlet malls and we were on our way to lunch. Funny story about these cute little sweaters they are wearing. We packed for SUNNY California. That morning as we left, I asked Adam if I should grab coats for everyone. He didn't seem to think we needed them and I thought it would warm to too, I mean come on....we were in southern California. Wrong, it was cold and we were in shorts, T-shirts, and sandals. We got all sorts of looks from fellow shoppers dressed in long pants and parkas. We quickly found a Crater's and at least got them sweaters. 

Grandpa's golf cart was a huge hit. The girls loved to take ride to the desert and loved it even more when we let them drive. And by drive, I mean sit on our laps and steer. Fun memories on that golf cart!!!

Also, endless hours in Grandpa and Nana's pool. It's nice because even when it was a little cold outside and the wind was blowing, their pool is inside. And no, Addison isn't nude and yes, she is a girl....we just couldn't find her swim suit top. Lucky for her...and us, she's still little.

And here's a cute little picture of my family after church. We sure enjoyed getting to know some of the ward members.

This last picture of Addison is of her cute little messy face. She played and played and played. She loved being outside, no shoes, and lots of new places to explore.

We sure had fun at Grandpa and Nana's house! We can't wait until we can go back and visit!!! We love them and miss them soooooo much!

Big Butts and Familes

I have a few stories I need to document before I move on to the daunting task of blogging about Disneyland. Disneyland might be 3-4 blog posts long. It'll be worth it though, to get all our pictures put together and our memories documented.

First, my girls have said a few funny things this last week that made me giggle. They are getting so big and are saying the funniest things. It s fun to see their personality emerge as they get older and experience new things.

While eating dinner last week, Molly was standing up on the chair sticking her butt up on the back of the chair.

Molly: "Elley, look at my butt. It's sitting on top of the chair and it looks so big."

Elley: "That's funny Molly." (giggle, giggle)

Molly: "Elley, what if mom had a big butt?"

Elley: "She does Molly!"


This morning in the car driving Elley to school we drove past a pasture of cows. The girls were talking to each other about the cows and who was the mommy, the daddy, the sisters, and the brothers. I asked them how they knew they were families. They told me it was because there was one mommy cow, one daddy cow, one sister cow, and one brother cow.

I responded by saying that we didn't have any brothers in our family, and asked if we were still a family.

Molly: "Mom, we do have a brother, he is in Heaven."

Me: "Oh really, what's his name?"

Molly: "The Lord."

Me: "You're right Molly, he is our older brother."

Molly: "And He did something for us, He died for us."

My January Baby Turns SIX!!

What a special girl we have. That's right, Elley Joyce is one of the sweetest little girls I know, and we are so lucky to have her in our family. She is thoughtful, helpful, kind, and has the ability to make friends in any situation. And, SHE'S SIX!!! 

She loves school, which is no surprise to me. She's almost done with her skills book, which she needs to be to get a special treat on our upcoming family vacation. She'll do it, she's very motivated. Her favorite things right now are, Barbies, coloring, crafts....especially painting, reading, and "babysitting" her little sister. She loves to be in charge! She loves to talk and will talk your ear off if you'll let her. She also like to play house and primary. And, I would have to say her favorite movie right now is Matilida.

I wasn't going to do a birthday party this year, so I told her she could take a few friends out to frozen yogurt. A few turned into 6, and 6 turned into a birthday party. It was still pretty low key. The frozen yogurt place had a little room we could use for free. We had a little lunch and of course....frozen yogurt. Now that I think about it....she didn't even have a cake. Poor girl!! :) 

2 of her friends...McKenize, which is her BEST friend, and Ashley

The party crew!!!

Opening presents. She got some jewelry, Barbies, puzzles, a bath set, and a hulu hoop.

She also got a new Razor scooter from us.

This picture cracks me up! "mom, stop taking so many pictures and let me eat my yogurt!"

I'm eating now!!