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Gracie is definitely our little adventurous one who doesn't mind alone time. A few mornings ago I was sitting at my desk working (it's right near our patio door that goes outside) and realized I didn't know where Gracie was. I called her but she typically doesn't answer (definitely little Ms. Independent). I checked upstairs, not there. I wasn't worried because I knew everything was locked up & she couldn't get out but I knew she could get into mischief (she's good at that). It only took a minute to find her. I have a love/hate relationship with the sandbox. The girls love it but the sand sure does get everywhere. Of course once Emma realized Gracie was outside playing she had to join in on the fun.
We have a new dryer! YAY!!!! Coray doesn't understand my excitement. See, we bought this place with the washer, dryer & refrigerator included. And now that we know we're staying for awhile there are going to be a few changes. Anyway, the dryer was awful. It burned clothes! So for all of you, take note....NEVER, NEVER buy a dryer with a stainless steel drum. Trust me, you will regret it. When it burned the first blanket, a few weeks after we moved in, I thought I'd done something. It was a super soft, super nice micro-plush blanket that I loved. Gone, had to throw it away. I was so disappointed in myself thinking I'd done something. I couldn't figure it out. Then it was one of Gracie's fleece PJ's. All of a sudden a light went off in my head....was it the dryer?! I'd NEVER had a dryer burn clothes before but somehow it made sense. I looked inside & noticed the steel drum. I'd never had one before, I'd never heard of that before. I did a little online research (ok, so I asked some of the other Mom's on the Baby Board I frequent...some of them had horror stories of dryers burning clothes). I started putting fleece clothes to dry on the "low" setting...still too hot...another blanket & couple more items of fleece (clothes) burned. By burned I mean the fleece gets matted & "hard". The micro-plush blankets were weird, they'd get like "pilly" all over & literally start shedding (like a dog or something)...to where there's no way you could use them. And yes, we had/have quite a few micro-plush blankets & throws...they are pretty cheap at WalMart. Well, this past Monday was the straw that broke my back. It burned the girls lavender throw I used on their bed. It had gotten to the point where all I did was put any fleece/micro-plush on the low setting to tumble for less than 20 minutes & then I'd hang it to dry. That's all I ever did & still...it burned it. Not bad enough to throw it out or shed but it's matted & crispy in a couple spots....just not the cozy throw it used to be. It was shortly after Coray had gotten home from work & I noticed it. I think out of sheer frustration I must've screamed outloud (not too loudly though) & commented that "I hate that #$(%&@ dryer"! He agreed we should get a new one. I'm glad he did because I think I would've just done it anyway (thank goodness we got a super nice tax return). So, I looked on the Sears website, found a Kenmore that was basic but good & went with the girls to our local store on Tuesday to buy it....they delivered it this morning & it's all hooked up & ready to go! YAY!!!!!!! I love Sears. You can't beat their deals or their Customer Service. I actually bought it from the same lady who we bought our water softener from last summer. She even remembered Coray, though he wasn't with us, and told me to tell him "hi"....I think he has a fan. ;-) Plus....it comes with a "get your delivery $$ back" rebate, 1 year interest free financing & even 10% cash back for using a Sears card. Even better! And best of all is that it has a PORCELAIN drum!! WOO HOO! Yeah, it's the little things. Ok, the dryer is not so little but peace of mind? Yeah. Soft, fluffy, NON-burned clothes...oh yeah!. Nope, Coray just doesn't understand my excitement...but I'm ok with that.
What can I say, we had a great time. We had dinner with Jen & Mark on Sunday night, it was great to see them. We stayed in a hotel near the park and there was a shuttle that took only about 10 minutes to get there. 
Coray's Uncle Joe signed us in on Monday and we spent all day at Disneyland. Uncle Joe is a drummer in the Disneyland band & we went to see one of their shows. 
It incorporates Chip & Dale, Goofy & Cruella D'Ville. Well, Uncle Joe must have said something to someone because Cruella pulled Coray out of the audience & had him dressed in a hat & cape dancing with her. It was pretty funny! He was a good sport about it. 
Uncle Joe actually told me later that they almost pulled me out for one part of the show but I think I'd stepped away for a minute! WHEW! Emma & Gracie both loved the Tea Cups and Gadget's Go Coaster a lot. 
Coray's best friend Chris and his wife Vicky joined us around noon with their little Lenore. It was lots of fun hanging out with them and finally getting to meet Lenore (whose about 14 months now!). The girls both liked the new Nemo Submarine ride & Emma LOVED driving the car at Autopia, I think Gracie got a kick out of that too. Coray & Chris stayed until the Park closed...well after Vicky & I had to leave with the girls to get them all to bed. Tuesday we met up with my friends Rob & Jim, who signed us in along with Jen, who basically got to spend the whole day with us (Yay!). Rob used to work with me at Disneyland & is now a police officer for the city of Orange. He can still sign people into the Park though because his wife, Kappy, is a big time manager there. Rob, Jen & I all used to work with Jim also, who is still there & is also a manager now. It's good to have connections still, the price of tickets is insane! So Coray, Jen & the girls & I had breakfast at Ariel's Grotto in Disney's California Adventure. It's a character breakfast with several of the princesses attending to do a meet and greet with the guests. Emma was in heaven & Gracie has the "princess head tilt" down to a tee. 
The food was pretty good too! After breakfast we headed out to hit some rides in DCA, we met up with Rob again for a bit and then we met up with my friend Cindy & her two kids (Hailey & Christian)....they are annual passholders, must be nice! Emma & Hailey are six months apart & had a blast going on rides together (Emma especially liked the rides at A Bugs Land in DCA....nice & slow paced for kids).
The only small glitch in our day was Gracie hit her head pretty hard on a pipe near the Soarin' over California ride and got a small gash in her scalp. It was bleeding a little heavier than I liked & there was a nice guy at the turnstile who called a nurse for us. She came and checked her out, gave us some gauze and Polysporin. It wasn't bad enough for stitches but it did "ooze" for quite awhile. She has a nice little scab there now & I think it'll heal up just fine. She was most upset about me holding her & trying to stop the bleeding than she was about the cut itself. After that we headed back to Disneyland & made sure we went on Gadget's Go Coaster & the Tea Cups again. Jen & I also met up with my friend Michelle & her daughter Caitlyn just outside the Parks in Downtown Disney to visit for a bit. While we were doing that Coray was riding the big roller coaster in DCA (that was the only thing I didn't get to do) & that Twilight Zone Tower of Terror ride (you won't catch me going on that one, that's for sure!). But he liked it. The weather was perfect, it wasn't crowded at all, it was so much fun & we definitely want to go back after summer is over. Hopefully all our friends can come again too! It was a great way to spend time with them.
Wednesday we went out to Whittier & stayed with Coray's Dad. We took the girls to a park next to the house. There is a little petting zoo type place there & they had fun feeding the sheep. Emma thought it was hilarious when the sheep was eating the grain out of her hand. 
We had dinner that night at Uncle Joe & Aunt Verna's house. Coray's Dad and Great Grandpa Neilson also came. The drive is only about 4 1/2 hours so it's not bad at all. I'd have to say it was a great trip. I think Disneyland will be a favorite vacation spot of ours for years to come! Gracie has announced several times since we got back that "next week we're going to Diseylamb". We'll have to start planning our next trip again for sure!
We're heading out in a little bit for our southern California trip. Emma is ecstatic about going to Disneyland & getting to stay in a hotel. She's practically pushing us out the door. If you ask Gracie where we're going she'll say "Diseylamb", although I'm SURE she doesn't remember being there before & has no idea what it is. It's really cute to watch her catch Emma's enthusiasm though. I'm sure we'll have lots of pictures to share when we get back so check next weekend!
This is what Gracie has been telling me every night just after ordering me to "yay down" while patting the bed next to her. Shortly followed by "Mom, cose a eyes." It's so dang cute to listen to her vocabulary increase every day. It's funny cause normally she calls me Mommy except when she's trying to exert her authority & give me an order! In preschool Emma learned a song that has taught her the months (to the tune of Ten Little Indians). It has little "macarena" type hand gestures that go with it & she's teaching it to Gracie. I love watching them. Today after preschool the girls were out back playing & I hear Emma start singing "Who let the dogs out." So funny. I asked her where she heard that & she said they sang it in preschool. As long as she doesn't come home rapping some Slim Shady, I'm ok with it. Besides, they've been learning about animals lately & I'm SURE an actual puppy or dog was somehow tied in to the song.
Well we sure are getting our share of bumps in the road lately. It looks as if we'll be staying here in Nevada for at least another year....I need to work on liking it here a bit more. We found out yesterday we won't be going to Idaho State University so we're back to the drawing board and Coray is considering his options again. It's a bit nerve-wracking, a bit depressing and a bit frustrating but I'm really glad it happened just before General Conference weekend. It's so humbling & uplifting to listen to President Monson, the other General Authorities and speakers. It makes these little bumps in the road bearable. It makes you realize what is really important in this life. We're all healthy, we have enough to meet our needs, we have two beautiful little girls, we have a wonderful extended family, great friends and we are a forever family. One day we'll look back at this & it just won't seem like it was such a big deal after all. For now, we'll work at figuring out the next step AND we are really looking forward to our little family trip to southern California in just over a week. When life gives you lemons make lemonade....or at least take your family to Disneyland!
Not that she steers very well but I set her driving in a circle & she was having a blast for quite awhile. Then Emma & Christopher took a turn....he's a dang good driver! 
Emma does well on the scooter too but mostly she likes to run around & play. I'm glad they have some friends in the neighborhood. We're even thinking of having a block party!
Coray's Uncle Joe signed us in on Monday and we spent all day at Disneyland. Uncle Joe is a drummer in the Disneyland band & we went to see one of their shows. 
It incorporates Chip & Dale, Goofy & Cruella D'Ville. Well, Uncle Joe must have said something to someone because Cruella pulled Coray out of the audience & had him dressed in a hat & cape dancing with her. It was pretty funny! He was a good sport about it. 
Uncle Joe actually told me later that they almost pulled me out for one part of the show but I think I'd stepped away for a minute! WHEW! Emma & Gracie both loved the Tea Cups and Gadget's Go Coaster a lot. 
Coray's best friend Chris and his wife Vicky joined us around noon with their little Lenore. It was lots of fun hanging out with them and finally getting to meet Lenore (whose about 14 months now!). The girls both liked the new Nemo Submarine ride & Emma LOVED driving the car at Autopia, I think Gracie got a kick out of that too. Coray & Chris stayed until the Park closed...well after Vicky & I had to leave with the girls to get them all to bed. Tuesday we met up with my friends Rob & Jim, who signed us in along with Jen, who basically got to spend the whole day with us (Yay!). Rob used to work with me at Disneyland & is now a police officer for the city of Orange. He can still sign people into the Park though because his wife, Kappy, is a big time manager there. Rob, Jen & I all used to work with Jim also, who is still there & is also a manager now. It's good to have connections still, the price of tickets is insane! So Coray, Jen & the girls & I had breakfast at Ariel's Grotto in Disney's California Adventure. It's a character breakfast with several of the princesses attending to do a meet and greet with the guests. Emma was in heaven & Gracie has the "princess head tilt" down to a tee. 
The food was pretty good too! After breakfast we headed out to hit some rides in DCA, we met up with Rob again for a bit and then we met up with my friend Cindy & her two kids (Hailey & Christian)....they are annual passholders, must be nice! Emma & Hailey are six months apart & had a blast going on rides together (Emma especially liked the rides at A Bugs Land in DCA....nice & slow paced for kids).
The only small glitch in our day was Gracie hit her head pretty hard on a pipe near the Soarin' over California ride and got a small gash in her scalp. It was bleeding a little heavier than I liked & there was a nice guy at the turnstile who called a nurse for us. She came and checked her out, gave us some gauze and Polysporin. It wasn't bad enough for stitches but it did "ooze" for quite awhile. She has a nice little scab there now & I think it'll heal up just fine. She was most upset about me holding her & trying to stop the bleeding than she was about the cut itself. After that we headed back to Disneyland & made sure we went on Gadget's Go Coaster & the Tea Cups again. Jen & I also met up with my friend Michelle & her daughter Caitlyn just outside the Parks in Downtown Disney to visit for a bit. While we were doing that Coray was riding the big roller coaster in DCA (that was the only thing I didn't get to do) & that Twilight Zone Tower of Terror ride (you won't catch me going on that one, that's for sure!). But he liked it. The weather was perfect, it wasn't crowded at all, it was so much fun & we definitely want to go back after summer is over. Hopefully all our friends can come again too! It was a great way to spend time with them. 
We had dinner that night at Uncle Joe & Aunt Verna's house. Coray's Dad and Great Grandpa Neilson also came. The drive is only about 4 1/2 hours so it's not bad at all. I'd have to say it was a great trip. I think Disneyland will be a favorite vacation spot of ours for years to come! Gracie has announced several times since we got back that "next week we're going to Diseylamb". We'll have to start planning our next trip again for sure!
