trip to L.A.

my little bro lives in LA and we have been itching for a vacation and with refund $ in hand we headed to southern cali for a little fun in the sun with some rarely seen cousins.
we started our journey hitting an I-15 road closure for an accident and it took us 2 hours to get from south jordan through provo!!! turn back, you say? naw! 4 small children cooped up in one minivan while traveling 4 mph--road trip heaven! fortunately, it was at the beginning and everyone was too amped up about the trip to care
(especially with the leapsters (thank you sue) and the last minute replacement dvd player (thank you kurt and cheri))
We got to LA on saturday afternoon and headed off the the LA arboretum for an easter egg hunt and a stroll around their beautiful grounds. my brother says they can grow any plant there--and after all the crazy thing we saw--i believe him.

Sunday was easter and we spent the day with the southern cali crew. aunts, uncles, cousins and their families headed to hemet for easter dinner and more egg hunts. a big thanks to everyone for letting us come and enjoy spending this time with you. tal and reg--we are already planning to come back and let you take care of us again real soon! Megan's new bestest bud, MY cousin! They are 9 months apart and had so much fun together (and almost look like sisters)

i can see future maids-of-honor at each other's weddings (because we decided megan's wedding will be in tal's back yard in the spring, at sunset, when the freesia are in bloom--oh my goodness!!! thanks uncle tal, in advance;))

mal and eli inspecting their loot
Monday was beach day and we loaded up and headed to Huntington Beach for some fun in the sun--something Utah is in short supply of lately. it has been 4 years since we've been to the beach and it has been sorely missed. i forget how much i love to soak up the sun and sand. i also forgot how much i detest getting sand out of girls swimming suits, especially at beach showers that require you to hold the shower on with one hand and do your best on a suit with the other

(here's a shot of all four kids--about as far in as any of them liked to get!)
Tuesday and Wednesday were DLAND days.

It was a first for all of us and we had a wonderful time (thanks to our own personalized "mike lambert 2-day guide to disneyland--how to get the most out of your trip and not stand in too many lines--even over spring break. all you 7hills ward followers give bro. lambert a high five from the mcqueens!))

mallory's only dream was to have her face painted--why? i ask. why? but, it was her money and her choice. darn that agency.(while everyone else rode space mountain, eli was lucky enough to get some one on one with "bees buzz")

after he met buzz lightyear and realized that all the disney charachers "lived" in disneyland, all eli wanted was to find mickey and give him a hug. so after a semi long wait in line, his dland wish was granted. way worth it to see that smile!

megan and isaac just wanted to go from ride to ride--never wanting it all to end. with a child swap pass they were lucky enough to ride almost everything twice each time we waited for a ride. who was the genius who thought up that one?

Thursday was the Ghetti art museum (one lost tooth) + beach (one dead seal) + second round of in and out + dodgers game (another lost tooth). What a day! I'm tired just typing about it.

we first went to the ghetti where we totally overwhelmed the docent in the "family center" (a section of the museum for families that was smaller than my living room and only allowed like .5 people in at a time--no, dorothy, we're not in utah anymore). this art museum caters to a different genre and when this poor woman saw 8 kids and 4 adults all decked out in beach gear pushing 2 strollers packed to the gills heading toward her post she almost had a heart attack right there. just trying to get us all in and out and coordinating the adult/child ration was sending her over the edge.

the highlight was isaac losing his tooth right there in the courtyard while eating a pepper. if that didn't seal the deal for us feeling a little out of place and underdressed i don't know what would!

we then headed a few miles to the beach in malibu where we had a blast riding the surf and playing in the sand one last time

then we finished off the night hitting the doders/giants game in dodgers stadium. where isaac lost tooth #2 for the day. he had been working at it since lunch and was determined to yank that sucker out that night.

after a long day and an action packed week, this is how we all felt--pooped-but had a blast a minute!

thanks again shemmy and luisa for being wonderful hosts! we miss you guys already

friday was drive home day

saturday, get back to normal day

sunday, up and at it for church

monday, back to work and school

it's almost as if we need a vacation to recoup from our vacation!

letterboxing

to kill some time while the kiddos were off track we decided to track down some letterboxes close by. letterboxing is just geocaching without the gps. you go online and find clues to where people have hidden letterboxes.

the kids love it.

it's like national treasure and they get so excited following someone else's map to buried "treasure" (ok the treasure is a waterproof box with a stamp inside that you collect--and you get to leave your own stamp in their mini book) we found this one at a park, under a rock in west jordan

and another buried by this old firetruck.

warning: avoid going up to bingam copper mine before the visitors center is open and tell the guard you are just heading up a few miles to find something buried on their property. nope, they don't like it;)


while letterboxing though, we found this gem

a never-before visited park that quickly became every one's favorite. especially because of this:my kids are junkies for these tire swings. they could spin themselves (wait... I could spin them) to puke and they would still go back for more.

don't worry west jordan city park...we'll be back soon

what do march flowers bring?

spring hit our yard this past week and we have been enjoying the first daffodils on the block. we have one spot right under our front window that is prime for these flowers because they are at least a month ahead of all the other daffodils in the yard or neighborhood for that matter.the crocus are out too--hip hip hooray! warm weather right around the corner. i love when spring starts to peek out from its winter hiding spots.

spring also means pruning. oh boy and does our yard get quite the haircut. with the 7 fruit trees plus grapes and raspberries, we have the beginnings for quite a bonfire in the back right now. it's days like these we wish we had a truck--but for now, we'll be filling our garbage cans a little bit at a time for the next few months to get rid of last years growth.

the warm weather gets the kids out of their winter hiding spots too, (ie: the computer) and yesterday with the temp close to the 70's, the whole street was out soaking it in. rollerblades, ripsticks, scooters, bikes, croquet, soccer balls, baseball gloves, sidewalk chalk. this week we've seen it all...and it's only wednesday. yea for spring.

utes

in learning his colors, eli has mistaken the color red for the color "utes". he points out when someone is wearing a "utes" shirt. he'll tell you he likes the "utes" skittles. Strawberries are
"utes" and he likes "utes" apples better than green ones. when we play the colored bear game, he always wants to be "utes".

we start 'em early over here.

She's 5!!

So our little mal is finally old enough to start kindergarten in the fall--we'll count july as fall for all you year rounders--and couldn't be more excited. she goes around telling us that she can do things now..."because she's 5". as in, "i can get dressed by myself now, because i'm 5" or "i can set the table now, because i'm 5" or my personal favorite, "i'm good now, because i'm 5". she could do all these things before, but now that she's hit this milestone she has more incentive to do them without being asked over and over and over and over...(you see where i'm going). This year was family party year for mal and she chose to go to jumpin' jacks over chuck e cheese (with subtle prodding from matt) and she wanted a tinkerbell cake. those of you who know about my cake fiascoes in the past know i cringe when my kids want any sort of cake that isn't just plain frosted. since i try (at times) to be a devoted mom i whipped up this piece of love for mal.

(the green cupcake tinkerbell is sitting on is a "moss covered rock emerging from the blue mermaid lagoon" (i know you couldn't tell). it's the best i could do especially since my cake decorating bags and tips have been "misplaced" (by whom is still a mystery).

this year she scored with rollerblades AND a scooter--anything to keep up with her siblings who take off down the street.

(don't mind the mess:) we were making a cake all day)

Things about mallory that i don't want to forget:

She's in gymnastics and LOVES it. she has figured out how to cartwheel (megan is still trying to learn that skill which completely irks her), do arch ups and is working on her donkey kicks.

her favorite food is POPCORN! a bag a day--it's a ritual--

she loves playing with her friends and her favorite thing to do with them is play "SHOPBUY", where she SHOPS for clothes by taking them out of her closet and takes them to (insert friend name here) at the fake register to BUY them all and put them in grocery bags. so after "shopbuy", i have grocery bags full of clothes scattered all around the house.

she's way into MAKEUP. oh boy, she started early on this one.

she grew 5 inches last year!!

she wants to wear skirts or dresses every day.

she spent her first talk in this ward last sunday at home throwing up while isaac gave it for her.

if i can't find her i know she's watching a movie on the ceiling of isaac's closet with the projector.

she likes copying megs and isaac by "practicing" the piano and calls me in to sing while she plays.

eli still knows which buttons to press to drive her up the wall and does so frequently.

she's finally turned into a wonderful sleeper.

she has the cutest, softest cheeks in the world and i am constantly accosting them.

buddies

the past little bit has been all about playing with friends. we were off track for all of january and playing with friends became a daily occurrence -- now that school's back on, it's been hard to break the habit. oh well--anything to keep 'em entertained right

the "fab four". where one is, you will find them all. we've been really impressed with meg's friends and their families. it's fun to think that these girls will probably end up going to stake dances and double dates together. it's just around the corner

(forgive the picture of the office, my most hated of all rooms in the house) isaac and his brother buddies. you'll notice isaac's display of U red and his friend's counter display of BYU blue. the battle rages between these guys--but they can put their college loves aside when there is lego star wars to be played.mall needs friends daily or i hear about it!! she is way too social to be stuck at home all day with eli and i. not a neighborhood friend, but eli's newest buddy all the same. he talks constantly of superman since he and his brothers were over last week. it's almost a bromance! just recently eli has matured so that he can interact with other kids where isn't protecting his turf. he's learning that friends can play with your stuff and it's still your stuff after they go home. finally!! being the fourth, he's had to fight for everything and we're slowly moving on from that! friends are finally fun! p.s. a huge good luck and best wishes to this little guy who gets to be a big brother this week!

i love to see the temple

this past weekend we had tickets to go through draper temple open house. we've been prepping the kids for weeks and getting them all hyped up about their first time getting to see the inside. we can see this temple from our house all the way across the valley and we're getting excited for our own to open up here at the end of the summer.

everyone had their own favorites:

megs--the brides dressing room

imac--the font

mal--seeing herself in the mirrors in the sealing rooms.

eli--the cookies and mini water bottles at the end

me--that you will move through the ordinance rooms--just like in salt lake--very cool paintings in the "telestial rooms"

matt--the size (width) of the doors (i'm not sure if it was his fav. but he's mentioned it tons since)

what a priceless experience to be all together and to have the chance to point out fun things and answer questions. to see the looks on my girls faces as they walked through the brides room and to watch isaac be enthralled with the font and baptism--his just a few months away.

definitely recommend this family outing--just bring a kelty for the youngest. if he wasn't being held (the tour was 2 hours mind you) he was trying to take off. not the best place to lose a 2 year old who snuck gum in past the "NO GUM PAST THIS POINT" sign. (we realized it when we found gum in mallory's hair in the celestial room;)