Disneyland!!

We are just recovering from our quick Disneyland trip hangover! We left Sunday morning about 5:30, and got home Tuesday night about 11:30. Of course we had a blast, but it was a little draining for such a whirlwind trip. We went to the beach on Sunday, then went to the park all day Monday (the park was only open from 10-8), and half day on Tuesday before driving home. We met my parents and my youngest brother Jason, and nephew, Taylor there. Then my oldest brother, Wes, from Utah met us all there after finishing a conference nearby. My mom thought it was really funny that we were the only 2 girls with 9 boys on this trip. Unfortunately, this is something I'm getting used to. But, it was really fun spending time with family we don't see as much.



We stayed at a really nice hotel that used to be an apartment complex. We had a king bed upstairs in the loft with a 2nd room downstairs with bunk beds for the boys, 2 full bathrooms, 3 tvs, and a full kitchen with fridge and stove etc so we were able to cook and eat in the hotel. They had a big free breakfast buffet in the morning which also really saves time and money at the park.
(Thanks Mom!!)



Because we are such Disney freaks, we have obviously been to Disneyland many times, but there were still several firsts this trip! Mckay just hit the 40 inches mark, which means he was able to go on most of the big Mountain roller coasters (Splash Mountain, Thunder Mountain, Space Mountain, etc), and WANTED to go! He loved them all! He was scared while on the rides and would squeeze my hand or arm, but afterward he would say "It was a little scary, but let's do it again!" He was actually really upset and was crying when he wasn't tall enough to go on California Screamin'! I would never have guessed he would be a dare-devil!




Also, this was the first trip Tyler and Ryan dared to go on Screamin', and several other roller coasters! Our two older boys have been tall enough for most the rides for a while, and we have dragged them on a few, but this time they actually wanted to try them all, and found out they really liked them! So it was a lot of fun for us, trading off with the little boys and the big boys! Ryan also got picked for the Jedi Training Academy, where they teach the kids how to fight Darth Vader and Darth Maul. This was a big highlight for my boys! They also got to make their own 2-sided light-sabers. Brayden had a great time being carried around all day in the baby bjorn and smiling and flirting with people!



Anyway, it was a great quick trip and we are always glad to go. It was nice to spend a little time with my family. I love being there because my kids are always on their best behavior, we are all doing something we love, and it's great time spent together. It's always hard to leave 'cause we never know when we can go back again. As we were driving home, Mckay says "Can we go to Disneyland again?" and we answered "No, we have to go home." so he responds "LATER, we go to Disneyland, OK?"

Brayden's First Tooth!

Saturday night, Brayden was fussing during Ryan's movie night, and he kept pulling on my hands to chew on my fingers. I started feeling along his gums and felt the tiniest poke along the bottom. Sure enough, his first tooth had broken through! It must not hurt too bad 'cause he would still let me look at it and touch it. But, I think the other one next to it will be coming through any day because he's getting more protective of it and he keeps running his tongue over it. On one hand it's about time, he's almost 8 months and has been drooling since he was 2 months, although my kids usually teeth late. On the other hand. I want my baby to stay little as long as possible. Now I just have to keep him from biting me while nursing! OUCH!

Happy Birthday Ryan!

Today is Ryan's 7th Birthday! With all the expense and headache big friend parties bring, Kenny and I decided long ago, we would save friend parties for big birthdays (5/6-when they start school and meet new friends, 8- baptism, 12-priesthood, etc), so we celebrated this year as a family.

Because Kenny had school tonight, we celebrated over the weekend. On Saturday, we gave Ryan his choice of activities to do as a family (ie movies, drive-in, bowling, mini-golf, etc.). He first chose the drive-in, but there were no good kid movies playing until 9:45 (2nd showing), so then we looked at Harkins and the mall, again nothing playing we wanted to see. So, we decided to have a Family Movie Night at home. We went and got pizza and ice cream and popcorn and soda and rented Meet The Robinson's. We also let him open 1 gift, he picked his Star Wars Transformer of Obi-Wan. It was a fun night!

On Sunday, we had Sunday dinner at my parents, so we brought a small cake (none of us are real cake-eaters, so it usually goes to waste) and cupcakes with ice cream to sing happy birthday. Ryan really enjoys the singing, especially our classic Voss version of the Happy Birthday Song with the off-key "Dumbo ending." (Forgot the camera, so no pics!)

This morning I ran to the store before Kenny left for work to pick up some cookies for Ryan's class (I had forgot earlier, and they only allow store bought treats at school) so I bought some doughnuts for a special surprise for breakfast. He also got to open his other gift of Star Wars Legos (are you noticing a theme?). Later, after homework and dinner, I took the boys to the park to run around and play before baths and bedtime. I think he had a fun bithday weekend!!


Ryan's birthday also ends our Crazy Week each year with Kenny's birthday (and Tax Day), our anniversary and his birthday in 7 days! We used to go to Disneyland for the week as a way to celebrate them all, but since Kenny became an accountant, this tradition has been postponed. This year, since we have our annual Disneyland passes until June, my parents wanted to plan a quick trip with us (also because we were unable to make it during the Christmas trip with the rest of the family) so they offered to help us with the hotel expenses. Since we already have our tickets, all that's left is food and gas. So we stashed some cash over tax season, and we are off to the Happiest Place on Earth for a few days next week! Hurray! We Can't Wait!

Our 10th Anniversary!

Ten years used to seem like a long time, but boy does time fly!
A while ago I remember reading this Hubby Tag on other blogs and thought it would be a fun post for our anniversary.

1. Where did you meet?
In college at EAC. He knew some of my roommates and came over to hang out.

2. Where was your first date?
We actually drove from Thatcher to Globe to go to Jack-in-the Box (1.5 hours each way) to get a Sourdough Jack and a chicken sandwich we were craving. Sort of a dare - I'll go if you go!

3. First Kiss?
He kissed me goodnight after hanging out at my house. (He says I kissed him! HA!)

4. How long did you date??
We started dating in October, and got married in April, so 6 months.

5. When and where did you get married?
We got married in Mesa, April 18th, 1998.

6. How was the reception?
Small and simple, but perfect! Everyone always says it was just right!

7. How was the honeymoon??
Good, just one night in Tempe. We both had to go back to work on Monday. :(

Then

And Now

It's hard to go very far when you have a nursing baby, but we got a sitter for the 3 older boys and my mom watched the baby while we went shopping and out to dinner. It was great to get away just the two of us again!
Love you babe, Happy Anniversary!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY / TAX DAY KENNY!!

How ironic is it that Kenny's Birthday is on April 15th - Tax Day?! Everyone in his office thought it was a great day to celebrate! We should have known he would someday become an accountant! (Funny thing is when we first met in college, I was majoring in accounting, and he didn't know what he wanted to do. Also 1 year ago today was Kenny's graduation for his Bachelors Degree - only a few more months for his Masters! Now I think they should give honorary degrees to spouses of working students/parents!) Anyway, April 15th is finally here! We usually go out to dinner with some good friends to celebrate, but they got sick and bailed on us. So, we had a quiet night at home and Kenny took a much needed nap! Kenny's sister Megan also had us over for dinner Sunday night and she made him a cake (notice the candles say he's 92) and they got him a new shirt, so those are the pics for this year. We hope to get a little more time with him at home, but we still have to compete with his school and church responsibilities. Someday we hope to get our Daddy back!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY KENNY!

Happy Easter!

So the Easter Bunny found us again this year! I realized Saturday night that I didn't have enough matching baskets (I hadn't bought one for Brayden yet) so I decided to go with the buckets, since they store easier and they are a little less girly than pastel baskets. We're not huge sugar people so we usually add some other things to the baskets. Kenny got some cologne, I got some new nail polish, Tyler and Ryan got some new video games to share, Mckay got a DVD, and Brayden got some new Binkys.

When you have all boys, you have to find an alternative to fancy Easter dresses, for me it's suits and ties. I don't understand why it's OK to buy several expensive dresses for little girls for church, but little boys wear the same khaki pants every week. I think it's important to teach them at a young age what is appropriate for church and what "Sunday Best" means. (Sorry, that's my little soap-box issue.) My boys love dressing up in their suits and act differently when wearing them. By now I have several in each size to pass down, but I love it when they all match (including Kenny, if I can)! Besides, Kenny's brother is getting married in May so they can serve double duty!


After church, I made the boys line up on the couch for pictures. It only gets harder each year to get all of them looking the same way and smiling, but Brayden grinned the entire time!



Later we went to my parents for dinner and the Easter egg hunt. First we did one for all the kids then they hid all the eggs for the parents to find, which was perfect as it was getting darker and they were harder to find. Then we divided the eggs up for all the kids to take home! It was a fun day!

Black Tie Dinner

My parents were invited to a black-tie dinner in Scottsdale this weekend, by the bank my Mom works for. I wanted to take pictures of them before they left looking so Fancy! You only get all dressed up so often! I know they had a fun night!

Toothless Hillbilly Ryan

Ryan lost 2 more teeth last week! The poor kid only has one giant adult tooth on the top up front and 2 middle teeth on the bottom front, with big holes on either side. I can't figure out how he eats! He is starting to look like a crazy Toothless Hillbilly!

I tried to get a good picture, but sadly he has taken after me and is less than photogenic. It's like that Friends episode where Chandler can't take a decent engagement picture! Oh, well!

Big BYU Baby

My mother-in-law was in Provo the weekend Brayden was born so she bought him this shirt and I just realized he was big enough to wear it. I thought all our BYU fans might appreciate these pics! Also, Brayden's now able to sit on his own for a few minutes, before he gets excited and topples over (or one of his brothers grab him)! We're still working on rolling over though.

Beware of the Plague!

We have been sick for almost a month now! One person starts feeling better just as another one starts coughing again!
Tyler first said he wasn't feeling well the Monday before Valentines's Day and wanted to stay home from school, but me being a mean mom, gave him some ibuprofen, and triaminic and sent him to school (I told him if he didn't feel better by lunch, he could come home. When he asked his teacher after lunch if he could go home, she told him no 'cause he was running around fine at PE! Glad Mrs Geisler thinks like I do!).

Anyway, by that night he had a fever and a sore throat and fell asleep early on the couch. I sent his teacher an email the next morning telling her he was sick and she told me 2 other kids in their class had strep and one of them sat behind Tyler - Great! So I took him to the Dr, just sure it was strep, but no, she called it the paraflu virus, basically a really bad cold with laryngitis, and just to rest and drink fluids, etc and he could return to school once the fever was gone. I Hate taking the kids to the dr when they say just rest and drink fruids, what a waste if a time and a co-pay! Oh, and by the way, try not to let the baby get it, 'cause it could be really bad RSV for him! Ya, Thanks!

Well sure enough, we all got sick on our Disneyland trip. The rest of it goes away pretty quick, but we just can't shake the cough, which is wonderful at night! This is Brayden's first cold, so he doesn't know what to think! I've spent countless nights with him in the recliner so he could be upright and both of us could get some kind of sleep! I finally took him to the Dr yesterday, and he has his first ear infection and thrush (which is lovely for me too). To top it all off, they no longer recommend giving children under 2 cold medicine, so they no longer sell it for infants! So we both just get to be miserable until it goes away!

Disneyland!

We are crazy Disneyland Freaks and we bought annual passes last summer while we were there, thinking even if we go just one other time within the next year, we break even, and I definitely wanted to go again soon since I was pregnant last time and couldn't ride anything! President's Day was a 3 day weekend, which is like gold during tax season, so we decided to run to the happiest place on earth! We drove late Friday night after Kenny got home from work and came home late Monday night. We met my brother and sister-in-law, Dave and Felicia, there with their two cute boys, Jake and Matt. Felicia and I were definitely outnumbered with our 8 boys!

My brother helped us get a sweet deal on a newly remodeled hotel room at the Anaheim Hilton next to the convention center, complete with a flat panel TV, 2 queen beds and down bedding!

We hit the park first thing Saturday morning and ran hard most the day. Dave and Kenny stayed at the park with the two older boys while Felicia and I took the younger boys back to the hotel to rest. Later that night the Dads put the kids to bed while Me and Felicia returned to the park for a girls night until close! We conquered all the Disneyland Mountains and roller-coasters and even took a pic with our Voss family brick!


Sunday we went to the LA temple to check out the visitor's center, which of course was closed for remodeling once we got there! And we left our camera in the hotel! We also went to Huntington Beach, which was too cold and windy to swim in, but we let the boys play in the sand.

Monday, we were up early to pack up and check out of our hotel before heading to the park. This was Brayden's first Disney trip so we had to get him his ears! Now he is official! We had a great short trip and hope we can go again soon!!

Brayden's first Cereal

All my other boys LOVED when we started them on the baby rice cereal! Brayden did NOT! I usually wait intil 6 monts to start them on solids, especialy after Mckay had milk allergies, so they are excited to eat! Brayden is in no hurry, so I guess we will wait a little longer and try again!

Ryan's 100

The kids had their 100th day of school this week and I found this paper in Ryan's folder he brought home from school. The spelling and answers cracked me up and I had to share! Classic Ryan!



Answer the questions below.
IF I HAD A HUNDRED...
1. If I had 100 dollars, I would... by a manchin. (buy a mansion)
2. If I had 100 pencils, I would... breng them t class. (bring them to class)
3. If I had 100 mosquito bites, I would... Stae in bed. (stay in bed)
4. If I had 100 friends, I would... Plae with them. (play with them)
5. If I had 100 legs, I would... sta in bed. (stay in bed)
6. If I had 100 eyes, I would... spie on pypl. (spy on people)
7. If I had 100 __spie gir__, I would... spi on pypl. (spy gear, spy on people)
8. If I had 100 __bruthrs__, I would... jumq with them. (brothers, jump with them)
9. If I had 100 __toy guns__, I would... play with then. (toy guns, play with them)
10. If I had 100 __Lunchis__, I would... yt them. (lunches, eat them)

So apparently, Mansions are much cheaper than I realized; Ryan's class needs more pencils; it's not even worth getting out of bed if you have mosquito bites or too many legs to walk; Ryan can never have too many friends or toy guns to play with; He wants to spy on people (note to self); 4 boys isn't anywhere close to enough for Ryan, and I assume he means jumping on the trampoline, but if he had 100 brothers, I would jump off a cliff; and I need to send more food in Ryan's lunches.

Point Taken!