DISNEYLAND

Both Katon and Mikelle got picked (at separate showings) to be trained as a Jedi knight in a Star Wars show they do at Disneyland. There were about 150 kids in the crowd and they pick probably about 20 so we were really lucky that they got picked. The first show we went to Mikelle was the first one to be picked from the crowd so she got to stand right by the Jedi Master and it was so fun to watch her. During the program he kept talking to her and the crowd loved it. When she went up at the end to fight Darth Vader the whole crowd cheered for her. Katon didn't get picked that show so we promised him we would try the next day and thankfully he got chosen.

No joke this was the longest line we stood in the entire vacation. But you gotta see the princesses...

Steven riding the really fun roller coaster at California adventure..

The tower of terror. Katon closed his eyes the entire time. Both of the kids said it was fun but once was enough for them...

WE HAD SO MUCH FUN AT DISNEYLAND!!! This was the best Christmas ever. My kids including myself were in Heaven... We spent 3 worth while days at Disneyland and California adventure. I was surprised how much my kids loved the big rides. Well the ones that they were tall enough to go on. The only exception was the tower of terror at California adventure that we mean parents made Katon and Mikelle go on. We tried to take Kayla on it but at the last minute they measured her and she obviously wasn't tall enough. The funny thing was that when Kayla went to get measured she secretly stood on her tippy toes. Everyone laughed and thought is was so cute. Katon and Mikelle's favorite ride was splash mountain. We stayed one night until midnight when Disneyland closed and so at about 10:00 all the rides had no lines and we ran around going on all the big ones. When we got to splash mountain the kids rode it over and over and over again. They loved it... The only bad thing about this whole trip was that Disneyland was really crowded during the day. It was fun being there during the Christmas festivities but I wouldn't go again at that time of year. Regardless we had a wonderful time...

CHRISTMAS

Getting ready to see if Santa came

Santa Came

Were going to Disneyland...

We had a wonderful Christmas. Santa brought our family Disneyland tickets. We talked to the kids ahead of time asking them that instead of presents would they like to go to Disneyland. They were all for that idea. I was a little worried that they didn't really understand that they weren't going to get presents but Christmas morning came and they couldn't of been happier. We were all so excited to go to Disneyland.

Christmas Eve at the Jarvis's

All the cousins

What a cute family...

The Lamb Family

Who's left at the Jarvis Home

Dad reading his story

Two Love Birds

Who must really love each other

My mom always gives the grandkids an ornament on Christmas Eve...

It is always a fun night on Christmas Eve. Steven and I thought long and hard about staying in Flagstaff for Christmas but we both had a hard time on missing out on all the family parties. After all that is what Christmas is all about to us. Being with those we love. I love my families Christmas Eve traditions. I just love my family.

Kempton Christmas Party

Our cute niece Ashley

Just some random pictures of the Kempton family. Can I just say that I LOVE the holidays. I love getting together with family. The Kempton Christmas party is always fun. We always have delicious food and GREAT company. It is fun being apart of a big family.

Riggs Christmas Party

Grandpa and Grandma Riggs

All the cousins including 2nd cousins

grandkids helping great grandma with her Christmas story

Rocky and Stacey Riggs

JD and Briana

So my grandpa and grandma Riggs are the best grandparents ever. They still manage to have all of their family get together for a Christmas party even though the family has grown and continues to grow. It is a lot of fun getting together with everyone. My grandma always goes above and beyond for Christmas. I tell ya my grandma is a grandma everyone wishes they had...

Seeing Santa

Flagstaff puts on this whole big Santa celebration where Santa comes into town on a train and they have a parade. Santa ends up at the square in down town Flagstaff where kids go to meet him and they serve free hot chocolate with cookies and other goodies. The only catch is that it is outside in the freezing cold and you wait FOREVER in the line. But I would have to say that is was a lot more festive than seeing Santa at the mall...

A quick trip to the ER

So although it doesn't look traumatic, IT WAS... We put the kids to bed for the night and about 10 minutes later we hear a thud and a scream that you knew something is wrong. I run into the girls bedroom and there is Kayla completely covered in blood. No exaggeration... I freak out and hand her to Steven who in return freaks out himself. I have never seen so much blood in my life. Her eyes were filled with blood, it was all over her face and into her ears. It was seriously a dramatic sight. After a few minutes we got her face somewhat cleaned off so we could see where she was bleeding. During this time Mikelle and Katon are crying and were so scared that something serious had happened to Kayla. She had a really deep gash right in between her eyes and we thought it would be best to take her to the ER to see if she needed stitches and to make sure she didn't fracture her nose anywhere. We called our neighbor and headed to the ER. I changed my clothes before we went because my shirt had blood all over it but Steven didn't so when we went to the ER we got a ton of stares. Picture a dad with his hand covered in blood with blood on various parts of his clothes and then a little girl whose jammies are covered with blood and blood all in her hair. It was quite the scene. Mikelle was so dramatized with seeing Kayla bleeding so much that when we got home she wouldn't look at Kayla or go near her. So for such a dramatic experience for the whole family we came home with little pieces of tape to heal the wound and a dent in our check book. What are you gonna do...

And it stops

How can you not love this... even those who hate the snow

My kids love the snow. Although the girls last about an hour or so out there before they get too cold, Katon can stay out there all day long. He loves to explore and see what he can find buried under the snow.

The after math of our 4 days of snow. I know most of you think that I am crazy but I love it when it snows. Monday and Tuesday were snow days so the kids had school off. We had fun staying home and playing games, making crafts, and drinking hot cocoa. I loved it. It feels so much like Christmas here. The thing that is so great about Flagstaff and probably why I love the snow so much is because it doesn't stay for like 4 months straight. It will snow long enough for us to enjoy it and then it melts away and comes back again another time. Crazy or not I love it... and for all you that only like to visit the snow, come and VISIT...

The First SNOW of Winter

It started snowing this morning and it hasn't stopped. I can't tell you enough how much I love to open my blinds and watch it snow. It doesn't get old to me. As I am posting this I am right next to my living room window and I am watching the snow fall. It is actually coming down pretty hard right now. I love it.