dough face!

Baking bread with mom is fun. Making dough facial hair is more fun.

disneyland!

It's catch up time folks. 

In March, Sam's parents and brother Joe came to California during their spring break and took us all to Disneyland! It was amazing. The last time I went I was 8 years old and the whole time I couldn't believe how magical everything was! It was so fun to be there with the kids- who both did great and loved it way more than I thought they would- and the grandparents who had so many memories from years and years of Disneyland trips.

Here are some memorable moments:

• Dumbo- over and over and over and over again. This was definitely Anna's favorite and Levi liked it quite a bit too. Anna loved the magic feather and usually wanted to ride with Gramma.
• Carousels- over and over and over again. Kids love these things! It was nice to have the kids ride with some people while others waited in line. 
• Ariel- a close second to Dumbo. Anna liked that it "wasn't scary at all!" Which, honestly, there are quite a few creepy rides at Disneyland. That's what makes it so appealing to all ages though, I guess.
• Riding the train- something else we did many many times. Also, getting to ride on a train past cars and dinosaurs? What little boy wouldn't love that? Levi even got a postcard of the train from the conductor. He gripped it until we left.
• The evening shows- The first night we did the big show/fireworks on the lagoon by Pirates of the Caribbean. Levi sat on Papa Van's shoulders saying, "Wow! Whoa! Dragon! Wow! Fireworks! Wow!" This was pretty much the cutest thing I have ever seen.
  The second night we did World of Color at California Adventure and I was amazed. It's a huge fountain show with all the best Disney music in the background and scenes from Disney movies projected onto a screen of misty water. Levi like the fire. Anna like the princesses.
  The last night we watched the fireworks from the balcony of the hotel and Levi repeated his "Wow!" every single time one shot off.
• Time without the kids- Never ever ever go to Disneyland without grandparents who think spending time with your young children is better than riding Indiana Jones. We got to ride every single big ride we wanted to by sending someone off to get fast passes and letting Gramma and Papa ride Dumbo (again) while Sam, Joe, and I did Star Tours, California Screamin' (awesome- as good as some Cedar Point rides), Indiana Jones, Haunted Mansion, and lots more. But don't worry. We also took turns with the kids while Ruth and Van held hands and got ice cream on the boardwalk.
• The MAGIC- seriously. These people know children. The kids' heads were about to explode with how awesome everything was. I nearly died at the cuteness of the Chew-Chew Train in Bug's Land, and how thrilled they were to be riding right! past! Winnie-the-Pooh! AND! Tigger! My face hurt from smiling at my happy children so much.

THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU Van and Ruth for one of the most memorable weekends of our little family's life together. We're so glad you were there to share it with us. We love you!

And now, the pictures. I just dumped them in here, so they're not in any order at all. You'll notice that Levi is being held by Papa Van in almost every picture he's in. And when he's not being held by Papa, he's not really smiling. Deduce what you will.