Trains, Planes, and Automobiles

The title of my post refers to how much we have traveled throughout the years for the holidays. We have traveled by air and car and train...well that was just for the Polar Express but it was a train ride none the less. Every single year for Christmas we have done something. Whether it was Cancun, Chez's parents house, or my parents, we did something. This year we are staying put! I cannot wait to have my own Christmas with my little family. It will literally be the first year with both kids where we wake up in our own house Christmas morning and have a real Christmas. I am looking forward to this relaxing year. I love visiting family but I am also excited to start new traditions with my own. BUT, this doesnt mean we will not be having fun. In a couple weeks we will be doing the Polar Express in Arizona in the Grand Canyon. Should be fun. We will also be doing Disneyland again to enjoy all of the holiday decor and fun. We are also planning a trip to Big Bear. Since last year we went to the mountains in Washington for Christmas, Kingston thinks Christmas=snow. So he cannot wait to see snow. This means a trip to Big Bear was basically a no brainer. I am looking forward to that. We may also be having family visit. Still not sure about that. But anyone is welcome. After Christmas we will be going to Orlando for another fun trip to Disneyworld and then in February is mine and Chez's trip to Cabo. A lot of fun to look forward to and I just love the holidays. I feel so much love, happiness, and warmth during this time of the year, Happy Holidays All!

Disneyland

We went to Disneyland last week (I know, surprise surprise). We just love it there. The first day I took the kids to Thomas the Train. It was a Day Out with Thomas that doesnt happen often. We had such a great time. It was literally pouring down rain the whole morning before we were supposed to be there. I was really bummed. We ran into a nearby store when we got to town to grab a large umbrella. I figured we would just do the best we could. Then....a miracle happened. No joke, as I was pulling in to the parking lot, the rain stopped and never started back up again. We had a great time. I got teary eyed when the real Thomas pulled up and the kids were in awe. The next two days we did Disneyland. It never gets old to us. They had just started decorating for the holidays and it was beginning to look a lot like Christmas which I just LOVE at Disneyland. Another thing I love this time of year there is how calm it is. No crowds, no lines, hardly any people, and the weather is absolutely perfect. We will definitely be returning in the next few weeks so enjoy "It's a Small World" all decked out in Christmas decor. It is the most magical time of the year for Disneyland.

Food!!

So my life is really just ironic. I do things in such funny ways. I recently lost baby weight from Kenna that likes to sneak up on me. Now that I am no longer 18 or even close, my "I can eat whatever I want and look hot" stage is so over. If I eat whatever I want, my behind turns into a bowl of jelly. So I lost the weight through exercise and portion control. Portion control is the ONLY way I keep from gaining weight now. Yet at the same time, I have started taking more of an interest in baking fattening foods. I cook with healthy ingredients yet I am not afraid of cheese and olive oil which is actually not that bad. Anyway, I have been posting my foods on facebook lately for the fun of it. I get proud of myself when I make something that tastes and looks good :). I started cooking when I was like 9 years old and I have slowly worked my way up to where now you can probably bite into my food and say, yes that is yummy. Before, I probably had a lot more sympathy praises on my food. SO here are some pictures of my latest creations (and by the way, I only have small portions of each thing I make or I would be that evil bowl full of Jelly)

Seattle

Inside the Childrens Museum

The house I have probably the most memories of growing up in. I lived in 6 houses growing up

Found this picture of my handsome dad back in the day while I was visiting

Kenna LOVES Granpa "Taig" Craig

In the corn maze

Pike's Place

My mom and Kenna at the pumpkin patch

The bouncy toys at the mall
After Disneyworld and Arizona, we came back to Vegas to relax for a week and a half before the kids and I flew to Seattle. We had a great trip. Normally when I go, I dont plan anything. This time I decided to find something to do everyday. The first night my dad took me to this little hole in the wall Mexican restaurant by his house and introduced me to tamales. Wow! They are so good. The next day I met with my sister in law and her kids and we played at this place in the mall that had those huge bouncy toys. Not sure what they are called. Right before that though, I drove Kingston around to my old stomping grounds. I showed him my high school, middle school, and elementary school. He loved it. Thursday I took the kids to some childrens museum that was located inside of a mall. It was small and quaint but the kids had fun. Definitely wouldnt go back because there are famous larger childrens museums in Seattle that I would rather PAY a visit too. Childrens museums are not cheap. On Friday my sister in law and brother came over and we just hung out the whole day at the house. Saturday I went to this awesome corn maze and pumpkin patch with my sister in law, mom and the kids. Each year they have a new theme for the corn maze. Last year was Alice in Wonderland and this year was an egyptian theme. After the maze we went into the gift shop where I finally found my favorite pancake syrup....butter pecan! I was pretty happy about that. On Sunday my parents and I went to downtown Seattle and walked around the Pike's Place Market. I loved it. I like how down to earth people in Seattle are and they are so.....hippi? I love it. That evening we ate at a yummy fish restaurant on the water. I always have to have good seafood at least once whenever I am in town. Monday, my mom took the day off and we just hung out. We walked around target and had a good time. That night my dad and I went to a restaurant for pancakes. I love pancales these days and it is for no other reason other than probably the older I get, the more most carbs appeal to me! The irony of life. On Tuesday, it was the day we flew home but before that, I went to visit my sister. I didnt get to see her the entire trip which was sad. Usually when I go to Seattle, I always see my sister and her kids. I love her kids so much. It was hard to not have that time with them this time. I did get to spend a couple hours at her house though to chat. It was nice to be home. The flight back was pretty near perfect. Chez flew in from Idaho less than an hour after me so it worked out perfectly. Next adventure is Disneyland. We havent been there for so long. Also, Southwest had a killer deal going on so we booked another trip to Orlando in two months for way cheap and since we already have a great hookup on condos with our timeshare and season tickets, it will be a fairly inexpensive trip. After Disneyworld is our annual work President's Club trip. Chez earned it again this year and we are going to Cabo San Lucas in February. I am pretty excited. I love traveling with my kids but I almost love traveling alone with my husband more. We get this once a year alone trip and we savor every moment. Thank you Chris and Kc Jones for being awesome parents and grandparents and watching our kiddos every year!

Disneyworld!!

We had such a blast in Orlando. We flew in on the 8th around 5 pm. Got our rental car and drove to the resort we were staying at for the following two days. It was sooooo large and super nice. We got all settled into our room and quickly hit the pool. It was so nice. the sun was setting and the pool felt great after such a long flight. After we were done there we drove over to Walmart and got a ton of groceries to use for the next week and a half. The next morning we all slept in then headed straight to the Magic Kingdom. It was so perfect! Hardly anyone was there so the waits were basically non existent. We played there all day then headed back to swim. We told the kids there would be a surprise guest coming. They had no idea who it was. We drove over to the airport, pulled up to passenger pick up and we had Kingston scope out the place. As soon as he saw the guest he shouted, "Grandma!". The guest was my mom. We took her to the resort and we all got a good rest. The next day we sent allof our luggage and food to the resort we would be staying at the rest of the trip which was the Disney Beach and Yacht club. While waiting to check in (which was forever), we headed over to Chilis for lunch, dropped off the rental car at the airport, then took the Disney Magical Express back to the resort. We checked in and headed straight up to our villa. I loved it! Disney resorts are so awesome. They are decorated very classically and vintage. My mom got to occupy the suite and the kids, Chez, and I in the regular room which was perfect for us. Once we got the food put away in the kitchen and our clothes in drawers, we spent the rest of the afternoon at the pool which was soooooo awesome! The pool area is ginormous. There are a gazillion (like my words?) different pools but they all connected. There was a whirlpool, deep pool, large kiddy area, and an area where the slide dropped you off. The kiddy area is where we spent the majority of our time. The floor of the pool is all sand and they give the kids fun sand toys to play with. Kingston and Chez loved the slide. They went down it over and over. It came off of a pirate ship and was pretty long. After swimming we went over to the beach where they roast marshmallows for the kids every night then watch a movie on the beach. That night was the movie Tangled. Kingston had an absolute blast. He met a lot of friends and they played in the sand and watched the movie. The next few days we did Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Animal Kingdom, Hollywood studios, and two different Disney water parks. We seriously had the best time ever. We also met up with our friends a few times at different parks with their kids which was really fun. The highlight of the trip for me was lunch with the characters in the magic kingdom. The kids dressed up so cute and got to meet Pooh, Tigger, Eyore, and Piglet. BEst time ever. I am sooooo glad we bought season passes for Disneyworld. We are already planning for another trip there soon and plus these tickets also work for Disneyland. We did break the piggy bank but you really cant trade money for making magical memories with your family. I heart Disney!!I also heart my husband who has such a passion for vacationing with his family. I feel truly blessed that we are able to plan, save, and make time for these important family times.

Arizona

We flew from Orlando straight to Arizona. It was a long flight but the kids did well. The first night we got there we pretty much went right to bed. The next day was Sunday and grand,a and grandpa had some church meetings so the kids, Chez, and I just hung out at home which was good because they all had really bad colds. We did go to sacrament meeting with them but I felt kinda bad because the kids were coughing so bad that the family behind us actually left. I am never a fan of going to church when the kids are sick but it was for grandma and grandpa :). We woke up the next day and did a feeding zoo with Grandma Jones where we fed deer, donkey, ostrich, goats, and birds. We bought feather dusters as a souvenier (my kids like the most interesting toys). Later that day we went home and ate dinner with grandpa where Kingston pretended to be our waiter. It was so cute. I even gave him $20 afterwards and he gave it back. That night we decided to check into a nice Wyndham hotel (Chez gets a good discount) because the blow up mattress wasnt working too well for Chez and Kingston. The hotel was super close to the house so it worked out perfectly. We all slept very well that night which was so needed because everyone except me was so sick. The next day we went with grandma and grandpa to the zoo where we saw a lot of cool animals. We saw a cute little otter whose name was actually Makenna. When we told Kenna that she said, "no that not Kenna, I Kenna". She didnt totally understand. Kingston did so good feeding the giraffes carrots. After the zoo we went to a cave and had a tour. I was a little scared because it was pretty dark and there were some drop offs in different places but we ended up okay. I was pretty stern making sure someone held Kingstons hand at all times. The next day, the last full day, we went to the desert museum where we saw a lot of different types of cactus and animals. Kenna loved all the little animal statues. That night we went back to grandma and grandpas house to eat and play games. Kingston loved the pig game as did Kenna. You simply roll two pigs in a cup, shake them out on to the table and however they land determines how many points you got. So if they both landed on their backs, it was called a double razor back and earned you quite a few points. The next morning was a packing day. We got all of our laundry done, spent some times with Chez's parents then headed to the airport. The flight was delayed an hour but that was okay. We allentertained ourselves pretty good. Kingston pretended to be my barbor and did my hair with his pretend blow dryer and curling iron. Everyone watching thought it was pretty cute. The flight was short compared to what we were used to. It was nearly a 5 hour flight to orlando from Vegas and this flight to Vegas from Tucson was only 1.5 hours. The kids slept most of the flight. We got home around midnight where Chez discovered his Cadillac had a dead battery and I found a scorpion in the kitchen. No worries though. The battery was covered by the warranty and the scorpion was dead in a trap. Now we clean, unpack, grocery shop, and get ready for our next adventure to Seattle in two weeks.

Kingston the Actor

So Kingston has always been my animated kid. Since he was a baby he loved pretty much anyone and was never afraid to talk to anyone. He was my kid who loved nursery and for his first day of sunbeams at church, he told me to go to my class once we got to his. He is fearless with most things except the dark. He is animated all day long. Chez said a few weeks ago, I bet one day he will be an actor. Well it wasn't more than a week later we got stopped in the mall by an entertainment company. So I immediately thought, oh great how much money do they want? So I said no we don't have time. The lady then said, no please your son is so cute and he seems full of energy let me just talk to you for a minute. So we stopped and I filled out a little application for Kingston. While I was filling it out Kingston was being his normal self talking to the ladies, telling them how old he is what his name is where he goes to school(you know the things I normally tell him NOT to tell to strangers). These ladies were loving it. So she said they may be calling him for a free audition with a movie director who directed the new surfer movie with the girl who got bit by a shark. So we walked away and I figured that was the last I would hear from them. Well today I got a call. They want Kingston to audition for this director in two weeks. We booked the audition. I am pretty excited only because this is right up Kingstons ally. He loves to show people what he's got. I can only imagine how proud I will be to see him strut his stuff at the audition and yes they do want moms and dads there. And whether it goes anywhere or not, the simple experience of seeing Kingston on the audition stage having fun will be so fun.