Birthday Shenanigans (sp?)

4 year old Aaron's birthday cake. He LOVES his trains these days! (And has for quite some time) This is the one he chose. I wish I could boast this kind of talent, but alas, this is from our local bakery.  

 We celebrated very simply, as a family, by going to the local petting zoo. Here is the Prince and Cinderella!

"Laney-Lane" 

 "Ronsky"

 Tall as a cow now!!

Daddy makes a pretty convincing spider. Poor little miss muffet!

Aaron got to have his first ride on a horse! He made me proud with his lack of fear. This was big for him, as he is usually afraid. It shows me how much he is growing up!

Turning Four!

Aaron turned 4 yrs old on September 17th. Shortly thereafter we went to JCPenney's, where I always get a great deal on photos. This year he was so cooperative and good- I was so proud of him! In years past it was like pulling teeth to get a good picture with him just not crying. Hooray! And me being the cheap-o that I am, I did not buy the CD for an extra $50. Because I can just scan them in, of course! The result is a bit grainy, but you get the general handsome idea.

I can't believe how big my boy is getting! 

Reno in July

After three blissful days in Disneyland, we drove the 10 hours back to Reno. The drive was tolerable, really. There were some really picturesque places in that desert we drove through. There was the most beautiful rainstorm at one point in the middle of the desert. And Jim is just a sucker for those small towns. Independance, California really captured his attention with its quaintness.

 We got out to stretch next to this lake- Mono Lake, I think. We caught a gorgeous sunset.

We stopped in Bishop, CA at a small roadside bakery. My parents always stop there when they drive down to So Cal, as it's been there for generations- run by a Dutch family.They have the best European goodies I have been able to find in the states! Delish! The even had Italian Gelato. Mmmmmm!

The next day was Elena's 5th birthday and we were lucky to find a grocery store who would make a cake "same-day". She had requested tinkerbell fairies and we all thought they did a great job with it! She loved it and it sure was delicious!

After cake- PRESENTS!

We also took an overnight trip that weekend to San Jose to visit the graves of Jim's grandparents and to visit some of his family there.

We enjoyed a nice dinner with Uncle Fred & Aunt Lenore...

And cousin Mark with his two kids.

Back in Reno, the cousins all had a blast together!

We played in the fountain out at Legends...



 We had a picnic at a park in the shadow of the Reno Temple...

and had a picnic on the beach at Lake Tahoe!

The water was chilly, but the sand was warm! 

All of us in front of the Reno temple. (Although a bro & sis are missing)

We had such a great trip and it was so hard to come home. Post-vacation depression lasted several weeks afterward. And to this day the kids still re-live Disneyland by often requesting to watch the YouTube clips of the rides. Favorites are Splash Mountain and the Little Mermaid ride.

Our Trip to Disneyland

Leaving on a jet plane!

We scored some tickets to LAX for a flight that left in the middle of the day! (and not at 5 a.m.) A direct flight, no less! The kids did really well for the 5+ hours we were stuck there- thanks to portable DVD players and some other fun things we brought along to do.

Here's the excited Elena at take-off.

Everything went smoothly with the rental (thank goodness) and we eventually arrived at the hotel in Mission Viejo after several hours of work traffic on the I-5. We beat my family there- my sister and her family and my brother and parents who drove separately from Reno, NV. (About a 10 hour drive) Funny, it took us less time to get there from across the country. Technology these days...

All the cousins were ecstatic to be reunited and after some initial shyness, the playing ensued with reckless abandon.

From left to right: Jackson (4), Elena (4), Aaron (3), and Adyn (1)- Although all of them- except Aaron- have had a birthday since then and are a year older.

Here's just a snippet of the fun that first night. Thank the stars we were on the first floor!

The next morning was Disneyland!

And here we are riding the bus/tram to the park!

 

~Aaron likes to pretend he's angry~

Elena and Jackson in line for a ride. The weather was gorgeous- NO HUMIDITY!! But it was rather hot. We got a lot of use out of a spray bottle/fan we had brought along from home.

About to soar with DUMBO!

Some Disney ambiance for you...

MICKEY MOUSE!

Waiting to see the Princesses...

PRINCESS TIANA!

BELLE!

HANDY MANNY! (not a princess)

PRINCESS JASMINE!

PETER PAN and CAPTAIN HOOK! (also, not princesses)

Mater and Lightning McQueen! (not even close)

We were there over the 4th of July weekend. It was NOT as crowded as we thought it would be!

PIXIE HOLLOW!

Don't look too closely, please...

Elena and Grandma Bergam

California Adventure

Bug's Life Land had some cute rides...

I love the looks of innocent wonder and joy!

Pixar Parade

Yay! The Teacups!

Waiting for the World of Color show- pretty awesome!

Goodnight Disneyland!

 

A magical time was had by all and there were no major incidents. (Other than when Elena wet her pants in line for a ride and they had to shut it down. But hey, they let us have $30 store credit to get her a new pair of shorts! I did not know Disney did that. The next day I brought two backup pair!)

Dress up Time

Well, it's been ages since I've posted. Most humble apologies!

The kids were cracking me up the other day. They kept popping into my room as I was folding laundry with different outfits on. They insisted, and I agreed, that I needed to take pictures of them.

Little goofballs.