(My pictures are not downloading tonight, I'll try again tomorrow)
I've really fallen behind on my blog entries! I have so many pictures too!
So, last weekend I took the kids over to the Cradic's house for a visit. They served a mission in New Zealand and got back in January and this was the first time we've visited since they've been back. They were gone for two years, so Violet wasn't even a though in our head yet, and the boys were just little guys themselves. It's amazing how much things change in just a couple of years! We had a very pleasant visit, the boys ate a whole loaf of banana bread and went in and out of the house, their yard is the perfect yard for playing in, very flat and very green and grassy. Violet was a delight as usual, and the boys were reasonably good. Karl had to stay home and study for a test that he took today, actually.
After our visit, we headed into to El Cajon to go to little Julia Browning's baptism. The boys were really well behaved there, and Karl was able to join us. I can't believe how big everyone's kids are getting! She looked beautiful as usual, and the attendance was really good, I think it was a stake baptism.
After the baptism, Karl took the boys home, and I took Violet over to my mom's house where Holly and Yessica met us. We headed over to the Santee Stake Center for a little baked potato dinner before the general Relief Society Meeting. It was really nice to be together as sisters (and Mother). Dorothy and Dottie were there too, and spent a little time with Violet, who was beautiful and perfect as usual. I feel a little bad and slightly embarrassed about the moment I suffered through when the camera man panned on the choir director (you ladies that were there know what I'm talking about) I couldn't help it, I actually got a little hysterical, I don't really know what came over me. I guess I just hadn't had a real good laugh like that in a really long time, it felt really good, and really bad at the same time. Especially because they started the opening prayer and I was still shaking the bench, and it most certainly didn't help that all the other ladies in the room had started giggling, and my sisters and mother were still laughing silently too! Ugh! Anyway, the meeting went really well and we all enjoyed the messages. Afterward we all headed over to Mimi's Cafe for dessert. We got a giant S'more, pecan pie, and triple chocolate brownie, everything was divine! I'm really going to miss things like this when we move, it's the most heartbreaking part of going so far away.
Then, yesterday, my mom, Holly, and I took Sam and Violet to Disneyland. Our little family tradition is to wait until the kids are four so that they are tall enough to go on all the rides, and old enough to appreciate it, of course Violet was our first exception to the rule, it's becoming quite the pattern in her life. Sam's been four since June, and since we're moving there was a sense of urgency to take him all of a sudden, so we planned it and went! It was a blast! He's such a good sport and is so imaginative on his own that it was almost more fun just watching him and listening to his reactions than the fact that we were at Disneyland! We went on everything we wanted, including Space and Splash Mountain. He really wanted to go on Space Mountain, but it was a little too much for him, when we stopped his eyes were full of tears (none actually rolled out, but his eyes were pretty full), and when we asked him if he liked it he kind of whispered, "nooo, my tummy just hurts." It was cute and sad, but after just a minute or so he was back to normal and happy again. He REALLY liked Pirates of the Caribbean. His eyes were huge the whole time and he couldn't sit in his seat for most of it, he had to stand up to see better, it was the cutest! When we went by the old man on the porch (with the banjo playing) at the beginning of pirates Sam said, " I just want to talk to him!" and he wanted us to go back so he could. Violet loved the Winnie the Pooh ride, it was so cute, she is so observant! She enjoyed the day just as much as the rest of us, she went on every ride she was allowed on, and people watched when she wasn't allowed on them. She even got to eat a cookie! Of course everyone that saw her had to comment on her beauty and perfect doll-like qualities! In the picture of Sam next to the little door, he genuinely knocked on the door and tried to open it. When he couldn't open it he declared that it was locked and wanted to wait until Mr. Rabbit got home. He continued to ask us to go back and check to see if he was home throughout the day. Overall, it was a really great day. Disneyland closed at eight, but it was fine, were were tired and ready to go by that time, so we got candy and left. It was a blast!
It seems as though all our loose ends are tying off. We've visited with those we needed to visit with, we've gone place we need to go, and soon there will be nothing left to do but go! And by the way, Karl passed his test that he was studying for, which is a really good thing for our family. All is well, and we are happy.
