Disneyland 2010

Yes, I have made a mistake that I cannot make up for. Dale and I took our oldest son , Blake, to Disneyland when he was five yrs. old. We had so much fun................that we never went back. Four more kids later. My girls come home from school crying because other kids make fun of them because they have never been to Disneyland. Most of the children have season passes and go multiple times per year. The"Happiest Place on Earth"? Says who? The magic of the kingdom doesn't quite make up for the financial drain and long lines , in my book. I guess you can call me a Disneyland scrooge. Last weekend, my sister said that she was going to go to Disneyland because they had a 2Fer deal, both parks two days for the price of one. It was enticing. Also, it's February/March and everyone says that the crowds are minimal. I jumped or should I say..........hesitantly stepped in the direction of taking my kids. Dale, I knew, was not interested in experiencing the Magic with us. One less person for me to keep track of. Kerry Davis and her two kids wanted to go too. They are Disneyland professionals. I wanted to tap into that resource. She pricelined us a hotel for $46 bucks at night at the Hilton. Woohoo! We drove over and and hit Disneyland on Monday. Unfortunately, I realized quite early in the day that I had made the mistake of not bringing my girls when they were younger. They no longer cared about the characters and the princesses running around the park. It was about the rides and food. No magic. Just lines and dumping money at every turn. SIGH............ The next day we went to California Adventures. Lots of rides and some lines to wait in. My two oldest kids loved all the rides, but Macy and Tate were more reserved and scared to go on the big rides. I made them go on everything once. At the end of the day, Macy had an upset stomach, Tate wouldn't leave without the souvenir snake and Savanna complained that she had the song "It's a Small World" stuck in her head. Ahhhhhhhh..............the memories!

Does anyone know how to download a generic picture of Disneyland to my blog from the web?

Thanks,

Christina

Ski Trip 2010

I look forward to this trip every year. Adults only, we head up to Midway, Utah and stay at our cabin that we share with partners for the weekend. It's always a good time to pull out the UGGS and coats and gloves to head up to the snow. We decided to ski at Deer Valley, since we got hooked up with bolo ties (free lift tickets). It was a beautiful day and very uncrowded. The next day, the guys went skiing again and the ladies stayed home for some R n R. We read books and watched movies and just relaxed.......something that moms never get to do. At least, not with a guilty conscience. Sunday was much of the same and we headed back home on Monday morning. One of the highlights of the trip was to visit the ice castles display at the Zermatt Resort in Midway. It was quite a sight to behold. The sprinklers feed the display over time and create these amazing ice scultpures. It reminded me of where Superman lives. We neither found his bed or the kryptonite! We went will Noel and Dianna Williams. Good times in the snow.

Happy New Year in the snow!

It was a Happy New Year up in Showlow. We invited Kyle and Ashley and Kerry and her kids up for the long holiday weekend. The highlight of the trip was definitely the snowball fight back behind the cabin. Blake and the other kids made snow caves and made great preparations to get ready for the big fight. Kyle and Dale were on opposing teams and really got into it. Lots of fun. Blake said that it was the best day of his life! Ahh the simple pleasures in life. The cabin was cozy with lots of good food and hot chocolate! We had a really great time.

Christmas 2009

I am not quite as creative at blogging, but the purpose here is to start journaling my family's activities better so that I can create scrapbooks (meaningful) for my children. I will try to improve my skills. Christmas was super busy this year. It was a sad one without my parents who are serving on a mission in Madrid , Spain. We sure miss them and the traditions that surround them. Otherwise, Dale and I have kept busy hosting the Ward Breakfast with Santa and the Mickelson extended family Christmas party. Lots of fun. Blake got a machete' at the gift exchange. It's been fun for the whole family.....NOT. I know that I am forgetting some fantastic things, but suffice it to say that Santa came to our house and the children seemed to be happy. We are thankful at this time of year to remember the Savior and we really enjoyed our Second Annual Christmas EVe viewing of the Temple Christmas lights from the air. Dale flew right around the temple twice! It was awesome! We hope everyone had a Merry Christmas!

Seriously.......I'm BAAAAAAAAAACK!

Wow! Where have I been? For whatever reason, I have been blocked from accessing my own blog for months. I am happy to report that I am back. It might have a little something to do with my new computer. Yes, I have gone Mac and do not plan to go back. I have new inspiration for doing my blog. I found out that I can transform my blog into a tangible book at the end of the year. I know what you're saying. Where has she been? Living under a rock? As with any other fashion or trend, I seem to be a late bloomer. I eventually catch on. Anyways, I haven't uploaded any pics on this new computer, but I intend to keep a more accurate journal of my entire family as the months continue into this new decade of 2010. I am excited for what this new year holds.

BLAKE'S LATEST AND GREATEST!

Blake seems to be a chip off the ol' block. As soon as there was an opportunity to work and make money , he dropped out of football. Some things are just more productive and long lasting . He decided to pack up his bucket of supplies and canvas the neighborhood to stain people's RV gates. He practically wouldn't take no for an answer and worked hard every day to stain gates and earn enough money to buy his prize: motorcycle. He wouldn't let up and worked long hot hours to earn the money. Dale made sure to check his work so that he had satisfied customers. When he had enough money, he found a motorcycle on Craig's list and BAM! Now, he has a new found sense of freedom and cruises all over the place. I even sent him to Basha's to pick up a missing ingredient for dinner. Hmmm.... I'm reaping the benefits of an early driver. Mark my words, I'm sure that I will regret it, but it seems to be ok with Dad, so there ya go!

Saguaro Lake Trip (One of many hopefully)

We went to Saguaro Lake and had a blast with friends! The three older kids did great on the wakeboard. The sunset up there was amazing!