Disneyland

Hannah opted for a family trip to Disneyland instead of a party with her friends this year for her birthday. So, off we went.....
We had an awesome day together!! The weather was nice and those "fast passes" really came in handy! We got right on to Space Mountain and California Soarin'. The Aladdin show was fabulous!!! Well worth the long wait in line.
Gotta love the Astro Blasters!
The children had fun putting on a free concert inside the "Innovations" exhibit.
being silly in Toon Town...
Russ took the children on the tea cups. They wanted to spin really fast. Ben wanted to be in his own cup so that he could control it himself. Big smiles were had by all!


While waiting in line for The Tower of Terror, Hannah decided that she really did not want to go on it. Emily volunteered to go out with her and wait for us. We convinced Haley and Ben to stay in line and go on the ride. After it was over Ben wanted to go again, Haley did not!
California Screamin' is the best roller coaster around! Hannah was holding on tight to me and began to cry after the first big drop, but by the time it was over she had recovered. After a few hours she was ready to try it again. This was our second time riding, and you can see that Hannah has her eyes open and there is a smile on her face. Ben's eyes are closed, but he LOVED it!

Happy Birthday Miss Hannah!

Can you tell what Hannah loves to play with these days?! Legos. Hannah was thrilled with her new books, but what got her even more excited was the little book light that G & G Judd sent!
Chicken Parmasen, pasta and broccoli was the meal of choice, with angel food cake and strawberries and whipped cream for dessert. YUMMY!
Dad made this funny hat for Hannah. She picked out the glasses at the dollar store. Gotta love it!
Hannah is so excited to be "double digits" now. Wait a minute here, does that mean my baby is 10? Hannah is such a joy to have in our family. She has a twinkle in her eye, and a spring in her step. She is so loving and kind, smart and funny. She enjoys doing art projects, and creating "stuff" out of nothing. She is a collector and saver. The proof is under her bed! Hannah goes through books like nobody's business, and she always gets her homework done right away. Hannah, YOU ROCK!!

We were big winners!

Russ and I got all dressed up to attend the Annual Cancer Society Fundraiser. It was held at the Petroleum Club. We invited my brother Brian to join us for the evening. We enjoyed a delicious dinner of salmon and steak. The real fun came with the silent auction. We put our name down for a few items, and ended up coming home with our favorites. We won a chocolate matterhorn cake from Sweet Surrender, and we also won 4 tickets to Sea World. The other prize was the centerpiece from our table. That was ours for being the highest bidder. We were so excited to get home to show the children our loot! The best part was knowing that we were helping out such a great cause.

We did it, but it wasn't easy!!!

Just to get this down in writing in case it never happens again.....

Russ and I ran 10 miles! Both of us were pretty sore at the end, BUT WE DID IT!!!

Move over Dad, there's a new BAG champ in this house!

Russ learned a fun game while he was on his mission. It's called "Bite the Bag". You have to stand on one foot, and without letting your hands touch the ground, you have to bend down and bite the bag with your teeth and pick it up. You start with a full size bag. A brown grocery bag works the best. Each time the group passes that level, you cut off an inch from the top of the bag and continue until the final person bites the bag.

Tonight we used a lunch sack, which made things a little tougher! Russ claims he was sore from running yesterday so he was unable to bite the final bag.
Haley was going strong until the end....she just couldn't quite reach the final level.
Hannah was the winner. She learned all her tricks from her dad!
Way to go Hannah........drum role please....
The passing of the bag is now complete!!!

We are on our way!!!

Russ and I ran 8 miles on Saturday!!! And the best part about it is that we survived it, and actually kind of enjoyed it! We went to the bike path and headed out away from town where there are fewer people. We ran all along the Kern River, which actually has water in it right now! The weather was perfect. It was quiet and peaceful. We think we may try to go 10 miles next week. Who knows, maybe there is a half marathon in our future?!?!?!?

Happy New Year!

We were up bright and early New Year's Day to head to Pasadena for the Rose Parade. We bought tickets so that we would have assigned seats in a grandstand, and we also had a parking spot in a lot near the parade route. Once we got there, we bundled up and walked a few blocks to find our seating area. We got some delicious donuts and hot chocolate. This bakery we went to was packed with people, but they were the most efficient workers I have ever seen. They had us in and out in five minutes! Our seats were nestled in between some hardcore Wisconsin fans all dressed in red, and a few TCU fans in purple. Seeing as how I am from Wisconsin, I cheered along with their team when their float came by. They were a very loud and enthusiastic bunch. Even though they ended up losing the football game, I was proud to be a part of their cheering squad!

These moto police were clearing the road before the parade began. Crowds in the road had to run for their lives because these cops were all business!
Who rides a bull in a parade?? This guy, I guess!!
Some of the awesome floats.....
Seeing them in person is way better than on tv!
It was a gorgeous, clear day. Look at the mountains!

We had a great time. We were glad to have Uncle Brian join us.