Disney on Ice - Worlds of Enchantment

Once upon a time the only thing information that the kids had about Disneyland was that it existed somewhere in a TV world, and it was probably where Mickey and Minnie Mouse lived.  Now that they have experienced the magic, they talk about it - a lot.  As in, "Wasn't it so fun in Disneyland", and "When can we go back to Disneyland"?  I absolutely loved watching the kids enjoy Disneyland and an scheming how we can make it back....but for now, Disney on Ice seemed like a good way to enjoy the magic a little closer to home.

Last year was the first time I had been to Disney on Ice and I didn't realize that kids would arrive dressed up.  This year we know better.  As soon as we told the kids that we had tickets, they started planning which costume they wanted to wear.  Depending on the day, Ruby went through every princess dress that she had, and sometimes even planned to wear her cheerleader costume.  Luke was a little unsure because he couldn't quite figure out which costume he had that would "match" with one of the shows.  Ruby finally settled on Belle and Luke on being a pirate - they loved watching the other kids at the show to see who else was dressed the same.

The show started with Toy Story which is one of Luke's favorites.

  

Both kids got to pick out a toy from the concessions area. Ruby's Ariel was perfect since the next show was The Little Mermaid.  She helped her mermaid dance and sing throughout the entire show.

Luke loved that his toy lit up and made cool noises.  

  

Luke loved seeing Lightening McQueen drive around on the ice.

We saw the full version of Frozen last year, but the kids seemed to love the abbreviated version just as much.  Ruby just kept saying over and over how beautiful all of the princesses were. 

At the end of the show all of the traditional Disney characters came out for one last performance. Ruby was spellbound throughout the entire performance and kept asking me if she could do that (ice skate) when she was a big girl.  Of course you can little one.

The kids were on a Disney high the rest of the night and I loved every minute of it.  It was so fun to watch their faces and their reactions to everything on the ice.  They sang and danced and thought that it was all just amazing.  Sometimes I am in awe that I get to be a part of all of this magic.

  

Spring Skiing

Over the past few years skiing has taken a back seat to pregnancy, babies/toddlers, broken bones, surgeries, etc.  Last year neither Tim nor I ended up skiing at all and by this winter I was definitely missing it.  Despite having plenty of snow, we haven't been able to work out our schedules to go until last weekend.  Our sweet neighbor offered to have the kids come over and play for the afternoon and I convinced Tim that spending the afternoon was the perfect plan.  Turns out, I was right.  By the time we arrived it was sunny and warm and exactly the type of day to make us fall in love with skiing all over again.  We both started off a little rusty, and my boots squished my toes a little too tightly, but overall, the afternoon was pretty spectacular.  Tim is already scheming and making plans for how many times he thinks he can make it to the mountain next winter.

 Who wouldn't smile with views like this

Not quite the same as a "foot shot" at the beach, but still a great view.

There were some issues while we were on the lift and we ended up stopped for several minutes a few different times.  Normally I would have likely been irritated, but with such beautiful weather, we just "turned our golden faces into the sun" and spent the extra time chatting.

The back mountain, and especially this view, at Sundance is my absolute favorite.  There are no beginner runs on the back mountain so when I first started skiing it was the ultimate goal to make it to the back side.  It's still the first place we head as soon as we arrive.   On this trip the snow was great and it was not at all crowded so it was especially fun.  

February Miscellaneous

I keep trying to come up with a summary about February that doesn't sound too negative, but it's tough.  We had some definite highlights - Mexico for Tim and I and sleepovers at grandma and grandpas for the kids, but other than that we had a lot of storms, snow, and gray days.  It seems like someone was sick during the entire month and after several visits to the doctor, and what looked like a pharmacy of prescription and over the counter medications, we finally just quarantined ourselves in an attempt to not pass along the germs and avoid any new ones.  Luckily we all like each other because it has been a lot of togetherness.  It hasn't been all gloomy and there were some real bright spots to be documented and remembered.

Ruby has had a princess craft kit since her birthday (Rhonda) and we just haven't made time to break it open.  February seemed the perfect time and it was well worth the wait.

Lunch with the boys - the best tradition!

Sometimes they get time for extra activities together like bowling.

Art class at BYU museum

While we were in Mexico the kids had plenty of adventures with Grandma and Grandpa

 We are so tired of cold and snow so the kids have started having camping adventures inside.

 Juniper turned 3!

Ruby was completely in love with her Rapunzel cake. 

Cory had a birthday too,

Somehow his cake was just as fascinating to the kids.

Valentines on a weekday always feels a little anticlimactic, we didn't do a lot to celebrate together this year.  But my flowers were incredible and better than any dinner we could have had.  They were beautiful and smelled so amazing - you could smell them as soon as you walked into my office.

Girls date to see Ada in The Wizard of Oz.  Last Fall Ada tried out for and got cast in the Spanish Fork City youth production and has been practicing ever since.  Luke and Tim weren't feeling well so we decided to make it a girl's night.  We met Jesse and Rhonda for dinner first.  Ruby was in heaven and loved being a part of the girls.  The play was cute and Ada was absolutely adorable.  I love watching her perform because she always looks like she is putting her whole heart and soul into whatever she attempts.  The best part is that she always looks to be having so much fun.  She was the cutest munchkin on the stage. 

Ruby was in awe of Dorothy

Both Luke and Ruby has spent a big part of the month sick - double ear infections for both, a sinus infection for Ruby and strep throat for Luke.  We have spent a lot of time at the doctor, and there have been plenty of sleepless nights.  But, there has also been a lot more time for snuggles which makes me grateful sometimes that we are forced to slow down and just spend time at home together. 

Katelynn has babysat for us since Luke was a baby and we all love her.  She is so busy now with school, boyfriend, job, etc. that we don't get to see her as often, but when we do, it is a total treat. 

One Sunday morning Tim and Luke got up early and went on an adventure walk down by the lake. They went out by the airport and Luke was so excited when he got home to tell me all about the planes that they saw take off and land. 

Showing off his new batman watch 

As soon as the sun comes out, we all think it is summer.

Just another day in paradise with this girl

Daddy's girl