Disney Perfection

September 20-22, 2013
DISNEYLAND 2013

We returned to Disneyland - our favorite family vacation spot - for two days of Disney bliss!  September and May, in my opinion, are the best times to visit the magical kingdom - the weather is neither too hot nor too cold, and the line wait times aren't too bad either.  Our kids look forward to this trip at least once a year.  As always, the anticipation was a killer!  We drove straight from Las Vegas to Disneyland and got there when the park opened.  The kids were content to change their clothes and eat breakfast in the car.  :)  When we got there it was fun to see everything decorated for Halloween.  We let Irelynn choose what ride to go on first - the tea cups!  

DAY 1

Meeting Mini Mouse was so fun.  She spent a lot of time with us and gave Annika and Irelynn like, a zillion kisses.

Annika was loving the Casey Jr. train!  

Like a little celebrity, she was waving to all oncoming Storybook Land boaters.  The cute thing was that most of them waved back.  Annika is pretty irresistible.  ;)

Here's Brian, Branson, and Irelynn in one Autopia car.

And here's Natalya driving Annika and I in another Autopia car.  She thinks she's ready for her license.  I don't think so. 

While Brian took the big kids on Indiana Jones, the little girls and I explored the Tarzan tree house and went on the Jungle Cruise.  (By the way, Indiana Jones is now one of the top favorite rides of our big kids!)

It's tradition to try to pull the sword from the stone :)

Natalya and Branson trying to act scared before going on Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy.  They weren't.  They LOVED it. 

I got to take Branson on the Matterhorn.  We couldn't stop laughing!  I would laugh, and that would make Branson laugh, then it made me laugh harder, and on and on.  I'm not even sure why we were laughing! 

Tomorrow Land's Innoventions exhibit was featuring Iron Man!  They called it, "Iron Man Tech Presented by Stark Industries".  It was seriously cool.  We got to see the "Hall of Honor" where all the Iron Man suits and prototypes were on display.   

Branson liked this suit (red, on the right) because it had "authentic battle damage".  Here he is pretending to be injured.


DAY 2

The kids were anxious for another Disney day!  We decided to start at Disney's California Adventure.  Irelynn couldn't wait to go on the Little Mermaid ride and Branson wanted to try the Tower of Terror for the first time.    

Pretending to be zombies before the park opened.  Kids have endless energy, right?!

Annika was disappointed to find the King Arthur Carrousel was closed at Disneyland.  So we were sure to go on King Triton's carrousel instead.  

Branson not only loved the Tower of Terror, but his new all-time favorite Disney ride is California Screamin!  He went on it 3 times in a row!!  I didn't know we had such a thrill seeker on our hands. 

I wished I had a stroller to cat nap in.

Back at Disneyland...

I'm not sure why we've never taken our kids to Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer's Island.  It was surely one of the highlights of our trip!

I have fond memories of running all over Tom Sawyer's Island when I was little.  I especially loved the barrel bridge.  It was fun reliving my childhood with my own kids.

Brian and I were laughing when we found our kids pretending to lounge on their newly discovered pirate's treasure.   

Then Annika wanted in on some of that action... 

Haha!!  What a crack up! 

The best part of Tom Sawyer's Island was having room to run free.  They loved exploring the network of caves, playing hide-and-seek, and racing across the bridges.  It was a perfect break from the crowds and lines in the rest of the park.  

Annika was a little sad to leave.  But not that sad.  Once she heard we were going to the Winnie the Pooh ride next, she said, "OK!".  She always gets to do the Winnie the Pooh ride 2 or 3 times when one of us takes the big kids on Splash Mountain! 

If pictures could speak a thousand words, this one would say something about how happy and bone-weary we were on our wonderful, exhausting vacation.

DAY 3

On our way home we visited our good friends, the Vocana's.  They are such a great family!  I love their kids like my own nieces and nephews.  

They spoiled us with lunch and much needed rest.  The kids had a wonderful time playing - and Brian and I enjoyed reconnecting with Jeff and Chelsea.  

Left to right:

Kyler, Annika, Karson, Karlee, Irelynn, Branson, Natalya

Thank you, Vocana family!!  We miss you already!

Annika's First REAL Haircut

August 27, 2013

Annika is such a cutie.  She's a tiny little thing oozing with personality.  I have been wanting to cut her hair for a while - to frame her little face and pointy chin.  I was so pleased with the result!  Here's a look at her hair just minutes before my friend Chelsea cut it.

BEFORE:

In braids- Annika's favorite hairstyle 

Her braids undone- 

She's cute even with messy, unbraided hair :)

AFTER:

Love it!!  She looks so much more mature now.  I can't believe how much a hair cut can age a 2 year old!   

Slightly A-line bob

After a long time of sitting still she was anxious to run around Chelsea's backyard and play on their playground.

Now if you ask her, Annika will tell you that only Chelsea can cut her hair - not Annika.  Haha!  (See the August 1, 2013 post titled, "Annika, the Beautician" for details.)  Hopefully she will be satisfied with cutting paper, not her hair, because this look is too cute to ruin!  

A New School Year

August 26, 2013

It's the start of another school year.  It's when kids are excited to be another grade bigger, and parents are glad they're back in school again :)  

We actually had a wonderful summer break - my kids played well together and kept busy with swimming lessons, volleyball, and hanging out with the cousins.  

We were thrilled to discover that all 3 school-age kids had been accepted to Somerset Academy.  They couldn't wait to meet their teachers...   

Natalya Reeve, 4th grade

Loves swimming, volleyball, and playing the piano 

Branson Reeve, 2nd grade

Loves basketball, football, and Sports Center on ESPN

Irelynn Reeve, Kindergarten
Loves reading, gymnastics, and arts and crafts 

Annika Reeve, not in school

Loves not being left out of a photo opportunity!

 Strike a pose!

One last hug before we leave for school-

We dropped Branson off first at Mrs. Borgersen's 2nd grade class.   

Then we went upstairs to...

 ...drop Natalya off at Mrs. Lamb's 4th grade class.

Finally, we took Irelynn to Mrs. Moore's Kinder class.  (She's waving 'bye' in the picture above.) 

I'm so proud of my big kids!  They were champs on their first day of school and all had a great experience.  I loved hearing about the new friends they made and who sat next to them at lunch.  They all seemed to love their new teachers and couldn't wait go to bed to do it all over again.  

I'm glad that my kids love school.  They all LOVE to read.  They enjoy learning new things and challenging themselves.  I love that they're endlessly curious and thirst for a higher understanding.  What great kids!!  

Irelynn's Very Happy Birthday :)

August 18, 2013

HAPPY BIRTHDAY IRELYNN!!!  

Irelynn turned 5 years old just days before kindergarten began.  I can't believe how fast 5 years have flown.  Irelynn is our super chill, creative, artsy, quick-to-forgive, thoughtful, little/big sister.  We're lucky to have her in our family! 

Irelynn couldn't wait to turn 5.  She woke up completely surprised to discover a My Little Pony themed birthday...

She is so easy to please!  Here favorite gift was a box with a lock and key.   

She also loved getting tape.  Yep, tape.  A package of 30 miniature decorative tape dispensers.   

All the kids loved running through the streamers.  Again, so easy to please :)

Her birthday cake this year was strawberry shortcake shaped into a giant letter "I" for Irelynn.  

Happy 5th Birthday, big girl!!  I LOVE you and I'm SO proud to be your mom!