Summer Roadtrip Day 9-Day 15 Tacoma, WA

We left Seal Rock, Oregon early and made the short drive to Tacoma, WA to stay with Grandpa and Granny.  They had a very full house once we got there.  Aunt Lisa, Uncle Brian, and cousin Charles had already been there for a little over a week, and Mamaw came in for a few days, and Aunt Rachel, Uncle James, and new baby cousin Christopher came over every day.  Henry enjoyed some one on one time with Grandpa and went to work with him 2 days.  Emma and cousin Charles enjoyed a trip with Granny to the Northwest Trek.  And all three of the older grand kids enjoyed an afternoon at the park with Aunt Lisa and Uncle Brian and a trip to Baskin Robbins for ice cream!  We watched three of the four kids and Aunt Lisa and Uncle Brian got to have some adult time out and we had some time with Charles and H and E.  We stayed in and we were all happy with that.  Mamaw brought some old VHS tapes of the family and we watched them, caught up on what everyone was doing, and joked around and had a really great visit.  We were able to celebrate Daddy's(Jason's) 34th birthday while we were there.  And that was the best!  We also got to see Uncle Dale and Aunt Barbara, whom we haven't seen since the kids were 18 months old.  And we also got to finally meet our new baby cousin/nephew, Christopher.  I really didn't want to go, but we had already made reservations for the return home, so we had to head out on the 15th.  I love the family I married into.  They are amazing people and I wish we all lived closer to each other, but we don't so I soak it all in and make sure that the kids enjoy their time with our Northwest and Oklahoma families when we do see them.  It was the first time in 11 years that we had all been in the same place at the same time.

Weekend with Granny and Mamaw:)

We got a surprise this weekend.  Daddy headed out Thursday afternoon to Lubbock for a family funeral.  Mamaw and Granny had flown down from Washington and had made a connecting flight via DFW.  The plan was for Daddy to head back home on Sunday.  Saturday morning , Daddy called and asked if it would be okay(like he had to ask) if Granny and Mamaw came and stayed the night.  They made it in Saturday night a little after 7pm.  The kids and I were thrilled.  We had a great weekend  filled with lots of laughs and cuddles with Granny and Mamaw.  We played games, read stories, watched a movie together, played with toys, and talked about school and our Summer trip to Washington this Summer.  It was great and as usual we wish they could have stayed longer.  The good thing is, we'll see Mamaw in a few weeks when she comes back down for a previously scheduled visit with us and other family that she has here in TX.  And we head to Washington to see Granny and Grandpa and more family in July.  Great weekend:)

Disneyland!!!

We had a blast with Granny and Grandpa at Disneyland. As you can see we did a lot.

Inside the Lego store-a moving T-Rex, a bi-plane, and the Empire State Building.
Another view.
This is the head of a snake that was "woven" into the wall behind the registers. Henry thought it was great.
Henry building at one of the many building stations inside the Lego store.
A life size giraffe.
Darth Vader.
Some of the decor on the outside of the shops in Downtown Disney.

Emma got to meet some of her favorite Disney princesses. Here she is with Jasmine from Aladdin.
Posing with Princess Aurora(Sleeping Beauty). She was so impressed with her -Granny bought her a Sleeping Beauty dress and wig:)
And with the fairest of them all, Snow White, who we saw and visited with a few times during our stay.
It's a Small World.
Henry and Emma meeting Minnie Mouse. They also got to visit inside Minnie's house!
Granny outside of Chip and Dale's tree house. Henry, Emma, and I were climbing up the stairs inside.
Henry and Simba driving the firetruck in Mickey's Toontown with Goofy!
Emma got scared when Goofy came up and sat beside her so she jumped down and headed over to Granny for protection:)
Emma had her face painted twice. Both times with a pink unicorn:) And in case you didn't know, you have to relax when you get your face painted-Granny was informed of this when she had it done the first time. Too funny:)
Henry picked two since he only had his face painted once. He opted out the first time. On his right cheek is a black widow spider on a web and on his left cheek a snake.
Goofy came by again while we were having breakfast on Sunday at the PCH Grille. Emma, with Granny's help, hid under her napkin!
Henry and Simba were more than happy to pose for a picture with Goofy.
Emma learning how to surf. Mickey, Goofy, Stitch, Minnie, Daisy, and Goofy helped the kids learn how to surf and how to do some dance moves. Here's Emma balancing on her board.
Henry trying out some dance moves. They both loved the interaction with the characters!
One of my wonderful other half, while we were in line for the haunted house. Granny and Grandpa watched the kids for the afternoon and evening so that we could have some Daddy and Mommy time. Thanks again Mom and Dad:)
The haunted mansion. This was really cool.
Granny and Emma riding in the pink flying Dumbo. I wonder who chose the pink one?!
Me and Henry riding in the blue flying Dumbo. We were in front of Granny and Emma. Was really fun to be able to look back and watch them.
The flying Dumbo ride.
Emma also got to meet the Fairy Godmother and go her autograph.
Sleeping Beauty's castle.
Henry and Daddy driving. Jason said Henry did most of the driving and did really well.
Granny and Emma driving. Granny said it was a bumpy ride:)
Look, it's MICKEY!!!!!
On Saturday morning, we had our character breakfast at Goofy's Kitchen. This is Emma with Belle.
Dale came by our table to get some hugs and kisses and maybe a picture or two. And he signed our autograph books as well.
Emma had a hard time at first with the lifesize characters, but she warmed up rally quick.
Goofy came by to make sure our breakfast was yummy.
Topiaries of Mickey, Minnie, and Pluto on our way to Goofy's Kitchen.
Emma modeling her new swimsuit. We went for a quick dip in the pool even though it was only 60 degrees outside. Mommy froze to death and I only put my feet in.
Henry in his new swim trunks. Henry, Emma, and I braved the kiddie pool and then headed over to the hot tub before heading back upstairs to dethaw.
The Ladybug Boogie. Granny and Mommy got volunteered for most of the rides with the kids. I think this was our first ride in Disney.

Seattle-Granny and Grandpa's House and Our Visit with Aunt Rachel and Uncle James

My fabulous sister-in-law and her husband. Rachel and James had us over for dinner. We didn't get much time there, but we loved every minute of our visit with them.
Emma beating on Uncle James' drum(forgive me James, I don't remember the proper name)

Henry was absolutely against going over to see his aunt and uncle. He flat out refused to see his Uncle James. Guess who was his bestest buddy by the end of the night?! Uncle James rocks!
This is a shot of the super yummy dessert Rachel made. This is a baked pear stuffed with dried fruit. Soooo yummy:)
Emma warming her hands by Granny and Grandpa's fire. The little rocker is from when Granny was a little girl.
Henry and Emma warming up by the fireplace.

Guess Where We're Going?!...

Disneyland!!!!!!!!!!!!!

For Henry and Emma's 5th Birthday, Granny and Grandpa wanted to do something special. And since they live in Washington state and we live in Texas, traveling back and forth gets really expensive. So they decided that as a bday present this year, that they wanted to take the kids to Disneyland to celebrate! So we get a triple bonus-1)We get to spend lots of time with Granny and Grandpa which we LOVE 2)We get to go to Disneyland 3) We get to see more of the family while we are up in Washington for a few days!

We're counting down the days until we leave! We are really looking forward to spending time with Granny and Grandpa and with the famous mouse and his friends!

Granny and Grandpa Come to Visit:)

Grandpa and Granny Henriksen came for a week long visit last week. We had been counting down the days and nights until they came. Granny came in Sunday night and was greeted by two happily screaming kiddos that were so happy to see her. She got the grand tour of their room(which she has seen a number of times), but it's always new with them. And then we had a small hiccup. Henry realized that Grandpa didn't come in with Granny and all of a sudden we had big crocodile tears and a very unhappy little boy. With reassurance from Granny, Daddy, and Mommy he calmed down. And Monday evening Henry and Emma went with Daddy to pick up Grandpa from the airport.

We had a busy week. Almost every night we had a picnic in the family room at dinner time. And Granny and Grandpa had their very own entourage everywhere they went(except shower and bathroom). And they had their very own alarm clock. Hmmm, I wonder who that could be?! Henry managed to sneak upstairs to our room where Granny and Grandpa stayed to wake them up every morning. Thank goodness that most of last week the kids slept in.

In the first two days alone we colored, painted pictures on their bedroom wall, built with Legos, played with toy animals, watched kiddie movies, had tickle matches, read stories, and cuddled like crazy.

Wednesday we went out to lunch and decided to head to the Dallas Zoo afterwards. We got lucky in several ways that day. We are members of the zoo and got in for free and Jason's parents got in for free as well because of their military discount. We had cool weather and the rain held off until we were back at home. And we somehow managed to not get stuck in traffic on the way home. The big attraction for Henry was the bug house so we went there twice. Emma liked the reptile house and just being out with her grandparents.

Thursday we went to the Rainforest Cafe at Grapevine Mills Mall for lunch. Like you didn't know that was going to happen?! The cafe is one of Henry and Emma's favorite places to go so they had to share the experience with Granny and Grandpa. Daddy had to go int work for a meeting so we stayed home and played.

We didn't plan much because the weather wasn't the greatest and because we have a great time at home. And we didn't want to be go, go, go the whole time.

Daddy took Granny and Grandpa to the airport and Henry, Emma, and Momma stayed home. We blew kisses as they pulled out of the driveway. It was a really wonderful visit and we didn't want them to go. We love you and miss you Granny and Grandpa!!!