Confessions

I don't buy papertowels... I don't think I've bought any in the last 8 years, at least.


I have two speeds ... Lie around the house and don't get in my way.


I'll never call you, but when you call we can talk for an hour.


In the five years we've had our dog I've never looked at her once and not had my heart melt.


I'm happiest when I'm in the middle of a project. I'm my most stressed at the end of a project.


My house may be a mess, but my dresser drawers are organized.


When I look at my husband he makes my toes tingle.


I wish I could have a giant party and invite all the women who have changed my life for the better. Many of them I haven't talked to in years, but I think about almost daily.


I love to dance and sing, but only in the comfort of my own home. My kids make fun of me, but they're just jealous that they don't have groove like mine.


I love to laugh and I'm a big tease.


When I am busy the first thing to go is food. I forget to eat and I forget to feed my family. When I am happy the first thing I think about is food and sharing it with those I love.


I name my cars. The little kids think of them as real people. We call the mechanic the car doctor.


I still mop my floors on my hands and knees. I need to mop my floors.


When I see green grass I want to roll around in it.


I'm obsessed with Comet. I have at least four cans in my house at all times. Just the smell makes me happy.


I can be very forgetful, but I care.


My greatest hero is still my father.


I can smell snow, before it comes.


I'm more comfortable in my skin than I've ever been. I like me.

It's Austin's Birthday!

The Cupcakes we took to school.

With 7 people in our family it feels like we are always celebrating something. Today it is Austin's birthday. This is our off year, so we won't be having a party, but that doesn't stop us from having a great time. Austin was feeling a little spoiled (just like the rest of us) after our California Vacation, so she didn't ask for much. She wanted Lunch with mom on Friday (I wrote down the wrong lunch time, but Caitlyn really enjoyed the pizza Ü), Cupcakes for her class, French Toast in bed, a Fish and a dinner out with mom and dad. She woke up early this morning and climbed into bed with dad and I after feeling her toss and turn for an hour I got and made her breakfast of frenchtoast, bacon, and orange juice, with a little help from Caitlyn. She ate breakfast at her new table in her room and received her first few gifts. The best gift being a Betta Fish named Percy. Then she went on an 8 mile bike ride with her dad. It was a lot of work and they both were tired, but they made it. After lunch we sang Happy Birthday and had cake and ice cream. Austin loved the 4 layer chocolate cake. Then it was time for more presents. We are all looking forward to our night out tonight. We are going to BJ's for Pizza and their famous Pizookie and then a little birthday shopping. What a fun day and what a special girl.

Hallie's Beat

After partying for two week and hours and hours in the car Hallie has had enough. She came down with the flu on Monday and is still struggling today. This is how I discovered she was sick, on Monday. She has been a real trooper, but we are both ready for her to be well.

Part 7 Wild Animal Park / Family

Wednesday March 16th

This was our final day in California. As our last adventure we decided to take a trip to the Wild Animal Park (or the renamed Safari Park). Grandpa Fred was able to take the day off of work and join us, so that was extra special. Reagan took his hand and stayed at his side the entire day. We were pretty tired, so we had a short day, but we still enjoyed the safari tour, the bird show, the elephant run, and not getting peed on by any tigers (past experience).

We left the park by 3 in order to meet Mark's Aunt Julie, Uncle Jeff and Cousin Jim at the house. We had a short visit at Dad's house and then went out to eat at the Claim Jumper, where we met David and Cecilia. We had a wonderful time catching up. It reminded us how lucky we are to be a part of this family.

Thursday March 17th - St Patrick's Day

We traveled to Phoenix, AZ had dinner with Grandma Christiansen, Kevin, Corrie and her kids. Only Mark wore green.

Friday March 18th - Headed Home

Mark wants it mentioned that he drove the whole way. I thought I'd mention that he got pulled over after we crossed into Texas, but the guy took one loook at our packed car and figured we couldn't afford a ticket. What a trip!

Beach Day part 6

Tuesday March 15th

We were on our way to the beach once again. I wanted to take the kids to Torrey Pines, because that was the beach I used to take Colin to when he was a baby. In fact it was on this beach that Colin stood on his own for the first time. He had been pulling himself up on our cooler and just let go. I couldn’t wait to introduce all the kids to this fun beach and they couldn’t wait to collect Shells. I think they brought home half of the beach, but luckily they left most of the sand at Dad’s house. Ü

Part 5 Sea World

Monday March 14th - Written by Mark

Monday was Sea World day. We got a great set of directions from Grandpa Fred and headed out. We made it to the Dolphin show which was fun mix of dolphins, birds, whales, and Cirque de Sole dancers. We had forgotten that Sea World’s unofficial motto is “We will get you wet!” We were about five rows back, so we were definitely in the Soak Zone. We dodged the dolphins well enough, but when the whales swam around the edge of the tank, they flipped enough water up to reach three rows behind us. We survived with only minor splashing.

We moved next to the Arctic adventure ride where our helicopter “crashed” into ice and snow before taking us to see polar bears, beluga whales, and a walrus.

Our next stop was the “Pets Rule” show, where dogs, cats, and pigs entertained us with many tricks. Seriously, who knew cats could be trained to run between people’s legs? We mustered our courage and rode the Journey to Atlantis, where everyone walking away from the ride looked like a bucket of water had been thrown on them. The ride was fun and got everybody wet twice, including wetting everyone’s pants / shorts / dresses. Still, we were undaunted, so we continued to see the Penguins, the Sea Lions and Otters show, and then ran hard to make it in time for the Shamu show. The Shamu show was pretty amazing, even though it was tamed down from what they used to do.

We were mostly dried out by this time, so we plucked up our courage and rode Shipwreck Rapids which had warning signs everywhere “You will get wet and possibly soaked.” Between the rapids, the water cannons that people were firing at us, and the waterfall we had to go under, I think we all got soaked. TARA was able to wring water out of her dress for the next hour! After that we saw the “Sea Stars” Tidepool (I didn’t know we weren’t supposed to call them Starfish anymore), went to a few Aquariums, walked through the Shark exhibit (very cool as they swim over your head), pet some Sting Rays, and they found some gifts from the shop to take with us as souvenirs. As drenched as we were, I think the kids still had a fun time.

Part 4 San Diego

Friday March 11th
This was our day of rest. I wasn’t feeling the best and we were all tired, so we stayed at Grandpa’s and enjoyed a day off. We caught up on laundry, Mark took the kids for a walk to see the Lemon trees just around the corner and we enjoyed pizza for dinner with Grandpa.

Saturday March 12th
After a late start we traveled to Old Town in San Diego where the Mormon Battalion Visitors Center can be found. I had heard that they had remodeled and even had a new movie, so we wanted to be sure to take the kids. It was wonderful. Colin was able to dress up like a soldier, the movie was fabulous, and we were even able to pan for gold. The most amazing part for me was to find my grandfather Albert Smith and his son on the list of soldiers in the battalion.

After the Visitors Center we walked around Old Town and the kids bought a few souvenirs and then we said goodbye to Dad, as he headed back to the house and we traveled over to show the kids the Temple. We loved walking around the temple grounds. The San Diego Temple is about the most beautiful temple ever built. After touring the temple we headed over to Islands for yummy hamburgers. We were lucky to be able to watch the San Diego State vs. BYU Basketball game while we ate, but BYU was sadly not as lucky. After returning home to Dad’s it was time for homework. Colin and Caitlyn especially hit the books, then it was time for ice cream and off to bed.

Sunday March 13th
We awoke LATE! Church started at 9 and we woke at 8:30, so we were up with a jump and running around trying to make it out the door in time. Hallie and Reagan were the only people ready to leave when Grandpa was leaving, so they went with him to save the family seats. The rest of us walked into the sacrament meeting room around 9:07, but still in time for Sacrament. Grandpa’s ward is full of kind friends. The kids seemed to enjoy their classes. Mark even ran into a friend from BYU named Lee Evans. We were all thankful for a break and for the spiritual uplifting. That afternoon we had a special visit for Mark’s brother David. David has grown up into an amazing guy. We really enjoyed our visit and were a little sad when it was time to say goodbye, but the day was getting late and Mark and I had a promise to fulfill.

We needed to visit the beach. I thought La Jolla would be perfect and it couldn’t have been better. We parked and walked along the coast, enjoying the seals, Sea Lions and surf. We stayed until the sun went down promising to return to the Ocean again before our trip was over.

Part 3 Universal Studios

Thursday March 10th

We ate breakfast at the hotel first thing and then packed the car back up for our trip to Universal Studios. We got lost. After four different sets of directions, we finally pulled into the Universal parking lot around 11 AM. We had a pleasant stroll through Universal City and then we entered the park. We loved the Hollywood themes (red carpet, famous characters, and movie sets). The tour of the TV and movie lots and that also included the new King Kong 3-D, was by far the greatest part of the park.

After the tour it was time to get Mark’s much needed churro. He was kind enough to buy one for each of the kids. We then watched a show about how Special Effects are made. Some of the Special Effects were a little scary but the kids, Mark and I really enjoyed the show. After the show we took the many escalators down to the lower level and road the Jurassic Park and Mummy Rides.

Hallie and I were even lucky enough to run into Shaggy and Daphne with the Mystery Machine. Hallie didn’t like the look of Shaggy (He was too hairy), but she was super excited about Daphne.

After three rides on Jurassic and two on The Mummy, we decided to take the escalators back up to the upper level. While waiting for Mark to help tie shoes Colin, Austin, Hallie and I discovered JAWS! Hallie thought he was cute.

Then we made our way over to Curious Georges Spray Park. Reagan and Austin both had giant buckets of water dumped on their heads. Hallie got a little wet, but soon discovered a play land full of balls. She, Colin and Caitlyn all spend the next half hour shooting balls at each other. What a great time! But it was time to start heading to San Diego and Grandpa Fred. We made it back to the car and once we made it out of L.A. traffic we were on our way. With just a small stop for sandwiches we pulled into Dad’s driveway around 8:30. We were all excited to see Grandpa and to stretch out.

California Trip Part 2

March 7th -9th

Disneyland Day 1...

Our first day in Anaheim we left the hotel around 8:30 in the morning. We had purchased tickets to the Shuttle, which would take us the few blocks to the park without us having to worry about parking. We arrived just before the park opened and after turning in our passes for tickets and receiving 1st Visit Buttons (for the kids) we were on our way. We had a list of rides that we wanted to hit first (Pirates of the Caribbean, Indiana Jones, the Jungle Tour, Thunder Mountain, The Matterhorn, The Haunted Mansion) and we hit them all.
The lines were perfect! We never waited more than 10 minutes. If we saw a line that was short we jumped in. If the line was longer we grabbed a Fast Pass or skipped it. We managed to hit a few classic rides in the afternoon (Tea Cups, Dumbo, the Merry-Go-Round, Mister Toad's Wild Ride, the Autopia cars, and Pinocchio).

We fit in the Micheal Jackson show "Captain EO" and picked up Fast Passes for Space Mountain, which had been closed earlier. Around 2:30 PM we left the park and walked across the street to McDonald's were we had a lunch/Dinner. By 3:30PM we were back in the park where we shortly there after met up with Jenny Gaskell who would play with us for the next three days. That night we re-rode Pirates, Indiana, Thunder Mountain and rode Buzz Lightyear, and Spacemountain (twice). It was a day of sprinting from one ride to the other. We didn't leave the park until closing, but we left happy. Jenny met us back at the hotel where she and I investigated until we found the laundry. She was kind enough to stay up with me while I did a couple of loads.

California Adventure Day 2 ...

We were tired, but we were up early to get to the park before 8, because we had morning passes that allowed us to get into Disneyland one hour early. We once again ate breakfast at the hotel and rode the shuttle to the parks. Once we were there, it was a sprint to The "Finding Nemo Submarine Ride" which had been quite busy the day before.

After Finding Nemo we walked over to Fly with Peter Pan.

Once we had our early morning at Disneyland it was time to head over to California Adventure.

We really didn't know what to expect there. We hadn't talked to a lot of people about it or even done much research, but the night before I sat Jenny down and asked her to make a list of must do's for us. She was a very gracious guide even though she wouldn't be joining us until the end of the day. We started out with a flight over California in "Soaring", a must for anyone who has ever dreamed of flying. It was feeling of fear and wonder all wrapped into a 5 minute ride. When it ended we were all blown away.

After our amazing flight Mark went to get us Fast Passes for California Adventures huge roller coaster called "Scream." While Mark was getting our passes I took the kids on a tour of how Sourdough Bread is made. The kids loved that we got free samples of the bread. Ü Mark then joined us for a tour of how they make Mission tortillas, which they also gave us a sample of. Then it was on to "Scream." We did a parent swap, with Caitlyn, Austin, and I riding first, while Mark Colin, Reagan and Hallie rode the Ariel Carousel. All I can say about Scream is that it earns it's name. The kids and Mark loved it. Jenny had to ride it when she came that night. It gave me a headache and couldn't walk straight the rest of the day.

When Mark and Colin finished with their ride on "Scream," we were lucky enough to run into Woody and one of the Army Soldiers from "Toy Story." After our photo shoot and autograph session with Woody we walked over to "Mickey's Fun Wheel," which is a Ferris Wheel, but the cages actually slide back and forth. (It was freaky.) When we were off of the wheel the kids and Mark wanted to ride "Scream" again, so they got back in line while Reagan, Hallie and I headed over towards Hollywood Street to get tickets for the play "Aladdin." Mark and the kids joined us just in time to enter the theatre. It was awesome to eat snacks (which we later learned we weren't supposed to do) and sit and let the entertainment come to us. The actors did a great job. Even Hallie was entertained.

After Aladdin we separated again with Mark taking Colin, Caitlyn, and Austin to the "Tower of Terror" and I took Reagan and Hallie to talk with "Crush" (from Finding Nemo). The little girls and I had a wonderful time learning to talk Turtle, but I think Colin and Austin were scared to death of the "Tower of Terror." Caitlyn said it was great. When we joined back together we went on the "Monsters Inc." ride and then the "Grizzly River Run." We were all soaked, but it was worth it. Lastly we went on "Soar" one more time. It was still amazing, though maybe not as scary. By this time it was almost 4, so we left the park to once again visit the McDonald's (though I stopped at the Quiznos next door for Mark and I). Jenny met us at McD's and we split up: Mark taking Reagan and Hallie back to the hotel for an early night and Jenny and I taking the bigger three for one more ride on "Scream" and then a walk through "Down Town Disney." Jenny was kind enough to show us around her town of Fullerton including her house and the Disney Outlet. It was then time to head back to the Hotel and we were all in bed by 9.

Disneyland Day 3 ...

Can you believe we had it in us for another day? After a good nights sleep we were ready for another full day of Disney. We awoke early but instead of a boring breakfast in our hotel room, we had Breakfast with Minne Mouse and Friends!

Oh, what can we say. THAT MINNIE MOUSE CAN THROW A PARTY AND BOY CAN DISNEY CATER! From the Mickey shaped waffles to the eggs, hash brownes, bacon and sausage we filled up. The food was amazing, but the guests Minnie invited to the party were a great mix and fun to visit with. We visited with Tigger, Chip, Dale, Captain Hook, Eyeore, a Mouse from Cinderella, and of course Minnie herself. The girls had a great time getting everyone autographs.

Colin had a great time stuffing his face.

After filling our tummies we began to think about how we wanted to spend the rest of the day. Mark and I had already decided that we would end our trip to Disneyland with the new World of Color water show that California Adventure was putting on, so I went to get us Fast Passes for the show. Mark took all 5 kids to the Tiki Room and then to ride Thunder Mountain. I grabbed the passes and some yummy Mickey shaped suckers for later. I made it back to Disney before Mark and the kids finished with Thunder Mountain, so I grabbed some Fast Passes to Indiana Jones. I met them at Thunder Mountain and we all rode the coaster again. Then it was over to Pirates and then Indiana where Mark and I did the parent swap again. (Thank goodness for Tarzan's Treehouse.)

Look we found Mickey!

The rest of the day we rode several new rides such as the StoryBook Land Canal Boats, It's a Small World (where we got stuck for a half hour. Colin loved it.), Astro Orbitor, and Roger Rabbits Car Toon Spin.

The kids made a list of all their favorite rides and we tried to hit the them all at least once more. The requests were: The Haunted Mansion, Indiana Jones, Big Thunder Mountain, Matterhorn Bobsleds, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Space Mountain.

We rode until 6 and then took a break for dinner. Where did we go? That's right, McDonalds! As soon as we finished we headed over to California Adventure to use our Fast Passes to watch the World of Color. Jenny met us there. We had an amazing view from the front row. We had to wait for an hour, but the wait was worth it. There was amazing displays of fire, water, and lights projected into the water. Check out these pictures.

We finished of the night with our Disney lollipops!

We had to run like crazy after World of Color to make the last bus leaving Disney, but we just made it. The bus took us back to our Hotel, where we piled into the van and drove straight over to Glendale, where we stayed the night. We went straight to bed with happy Disney memories in our dreams.