Summer Roadtrip Day 15- Day 17 Spokane, WA

We left Grandpa and Granny's late in the morning on the 15th.  It's roughly a 6 hour drive from Tacoma to Spokane(depending on the time of year and which route you take).  We took a different route around the pass and made it to Mamaw's by mid afternoon.  Mamaw made us a yummy homemade dinner and we were able to spend some time with her, Uncle Kasey and his two oldest girls-Isabel and Hope.  Aunt Tanya was home with a sick little Dot:(  Luckily we got to see them Saturday!  We spent a good part of Saturday afternoon over at Kasey and Tanya outside grilling burgers and hot dogs for lunch, picking cherries from their cherry tree, playing with the kids on the swing set, and spending some quality time with Tanya, Kasey, and Mamaw.  Tanya and Kasey left for a wedding and we stayed with the kiddos.  Jason and I left for about 3 hours to pick up some more camping supplies and get us restocked with food for the rest of our trip home.  We returned to K and T's and found  the kids and Mamaw inside watching videos.  Mamaw then treated everyone to pizza for dinner and we enjoyed more family time while waiting for Kasey and Tanya to get back and then we visited some more.  The kids had a blast and asked right after we left, how soon we could go back and play!  The five kids got along great and had never ending energy!  We had a wonderful visit with Kasey and Tanya.  And had a lovely time with Mamaw.  She always takes such good care of us and we love being with her.  As I have said before, Mamaw rocks and is such fun to be with.  She tells great stories, cooks yummy food, and always has so much love to give each and every one of us.  We didn't want to leave there either.  So many wonderful memories we have made with family on this trip.

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.

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.

Countdown to Seattle/ Disneyland!

We are exactly one week away from our trip to Seattle and Disneyland!!! Woohoo!

*Yes, you could say not only are the kids super excited, but Mommy and Daddy are too.*

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!