Thursday, July 11, 2013

Disneyland 2013

As I mentioned in my earlier post we went to Disneyland the middle of May and had an absolute blast. Thank heavens for my parents who came strictly to watch Carter and Jimmer and just hung out at the hotel the whole week.  We were so grateful to have them there, so we could spend some good quality time with Ava at Disneyland.  I was most worried about traveling with two small children, but they did surprisingly well on the plane ride there and back.  Ava was a big helper which made for an enjoyable time.  

This was at the airport in Edmonton after checking in.  Jimmer was being lazy!!


Kids were all so good and everyone on the plane was super accommodating.  



This precious little boy is too cute.  He had fun at the hotel with Grandma and Grandpa. 

A little bit of down time with the IPad. 


Heading to Disneyland for Ava's first time.  She's all ready with her Minnie Mouse shades and autograph book.  




The first and only time I went to Disneyland was when I was Ava's age, so I think that this may have been just as exciting for me to see her react to all the Princesses.  


Our first ride inside the park...the train ride. 











This was our second day at the park.  Jimmer and daddy hanging out while Ava was getting made over at the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique.  He was less than impressed with most of it except the carousel and just doing his own thing.  








This was one of the funnest experiences for Ava and from start to finish they truly make you feel like a Princess. Once the transformation was complete Ava got her own photo shoot followed by a chance to meet some of the Princesses without having to stand in line. Her Fairy Godmother took her through the park announcing to everyone to make way for the newest Princess, Princess Ava.  All of the staff and random people in the park made her feel so special the entire day. It was well worth every penny paid. 












We ate lunch at Ariel's Grotto and once again Disney did not disappoint.  Everything was so delicious and Ava was made to feel so special along with meeting the Princesses.  She was so happy to get all of their autographs.  







This is right after Jimmer woke up from his nap and Belle referred to him as her Beast.  



This is right before going on Radiator Springs Racers.  We all agreed that this was one of the most enjoyable rides in all of Disneyland.  



Third day at the park...Splash Mountain was number one on the list.  I wasn't sure who was more scared, Ava or myself.  


While Ava and I were on Splash Mountain Shane took Jimmer on the Winnie the Pooh ride and introduced him to the characters.  He was terrified, so when I had the chance to take him I left him in the stroller and he warmed up a little bit.  He was still quite hesitant, but did OK.   






Getting ready to fly Dumbo.


It doesn't look like he enjoyed flying Dumbo, but this was one of his favorites. 





This was our last day at the park and one of the best days.  We wanted to cram as much as we could into this day, but had a hard time because there were a lot of ride closures first thing in the morning.  We still managed to have a great day and make it a memorable one.  Our favorite this day was when we went back in the afternoon to California Adventure.  Soaring Over California, Big Bear Rapids, Indiana Jones and the Swings on the Pier were among the best of the day.








We missed this little boy while we were at the park...love those squishy cheeks!


Before leaving our fabulous hotel.  The Marriott was about 1.5 miles away from Disneyland and right across from Target.  The had the best continental breakfast and even served dinner in the evenings.  We would stay there again for sure and would recommend it to anyone.  


Had a run in with Mike Holmes at LAX.  After a stressful time checking through security it was a welcome surprise and he was very nice to stop and take a picture.  He said that he was shooting a commercial with Allstate Insurance and heading home with his wife.  


Saturday, July 6, 2013

May and June Highlights

I have been ridiculously busy these last few months and therefore have nothing to show for it on this blog.  May we had some really fun times followed by the stressful month of June.  Shane interviewed for a job near Stony Plain, Alberta as a Warehouse Supervisor.  As it would be a lateral transfer we had to weigh out all our options and make sure that the move would be worth it.  The interviewing process went really well and we were quite confident that he would be offered the job.  When the offer came we were both excited and knew that this was the right move for our family at this time.  They wanted him to start the middle of May, but because we had planned our trip to Disneyland at the same time he didn't start until the beginning of June.  There was so much to do before leaving on our trip that it was hard to get really excited about this vacation that had been planned for months.  We were able to get the house looking immaculate and listed, but now it was the waiting game.  Waiting for the right person to come along and buy our house.  It was on the market for about 3 weeks before an offer came in and we were very blessed that it all happened so fast.  We wanted to be together as a family without having the stresses of being apart.  We came on a Friday and found a house that day that we could buy in Spruce Grove.  Everything was falling into place although there were a lot of little bumps along the way.  We took possession of our new home on June 20th and the sale of our home in Hinton was on June 28th.  The month of June was one of the worst ever as we were without Shane and trying to get the house all packed up with the two boys was not easy.  We are so grateful to my sister and her family for letting Shane crash at their house when he started his new job.  There were so many pieces that all came together to get us to where we are now and we are so happy to be in our new home and in this new city that we already love!







This is Jimmer's favorite spot...watching cartoons!


Pulling his sisters hair. 


Going to town on his teething toy.





When I wash the kitchen floor, Jimmer has to play choo choo.


Snuggling in bed with Roarburt. 


This is what our house looked like when we were getting the carpets cleaned. 




Playing choo choo again. 


It was career day at school and she wanted to be a chef. 





Love everything about this little boy.  



This little monkey exudes attitude, but he can be sweet sometimes. 




They love to play together or Jimmer just likes to take over and play with Carter's toys. 




Fun with cousins. He's lucky enough to have two cousins that are close in age and they usually play well together.