They Say Faith Is Like A Little Seed, Right?

I bought some flower seeds as an act of faith that we'll actually have a house in time to plant them. Flowers in summertime are one of life's simple, yet great joys.
But no house yet.  So for now, they sit, smiling at me on my dresser, nestled between my chubby ceramic bird and a framed print from Hawaii - the promise of a future yet to be.

Image from California

I took this photograph while we wandered through the most perfect neighborhood of beachy cottages on the way to Crescent Bay. Ah...love it there.

California Vacation According to My iPhone

 So excited to be on the road! We originally planned to leave early Monday morning, but James thought it might be better to break it up and leave on Sunday afternoon instead.  We told the kids that we needed all the help we could get cleaning so that we could leave.  Ethan volunteered to clean the bathroom for us, and did an AWESOME job (Matthew helped a little at the end).  We were so impressed :)

 On Monday, we headed to Crescent Bay where James proposed.  The kids were not as impressed as they should have been :) I, on the other hand, loved going back.  Hey Baby, maybe someday we can live in that cute beach cottage neighborhood that surrounds the beach?  A girl can dream can't she? ;)

 Tuesday was our first day at Disneyland.  After a computer glitch made us wait for our pre-paid tickets for about 45 minutes (grrr), we were off.  To make up for it, they gave us a "return pass" that meant we could skip an entire line for any ride and walk right on.  Not bad, I guess.

 Riding on the giant pirate ship.

 The Dumbo ride was one of Justin's favorites.  Can you tell? He also loved Astro Blasters and Pirates of the Caribbean.

 Aw, brothers.

 Natalie fell fast asleep with her "Minnie Plouse" doll that night.

 On Wednesday, we headed to Sea World.  It was so cool.  The shark exhibit, the sea turtle exhibit, and the arctic exhibits were our favorite.  I had no idea walruses were so enormous.  I highly recommend visiting sometime.

 Day two at Disneyland.  So excited!

 Justin sporting his Goofy mouse ears and eating animal crackers while waiting for Dad and the older brothers while they rode Star Tours.

 Exploring Tarzan's treehouse (which used to be the Swiss Family Robinson Treehouse).

 Riding Splash Mountain with Ethan and Matthew. I feel rather embarrassed that I completely blocked the lady behind me (not to mention that expression on my face...what is that?).  And even more embarrassed because they show you the picture while you're still on the ride.  That moment when we both realized what happened and she was sitting right behind me was more than a little awkward.

 Natalie climbing on the rocks outside of the Indiana Jones ride.

 Eating lunch at the Golden Horseshoe in Frontier Land.

 Me and James.  Awww.

 Ethan enjoying the Hillbilly band during lunch.

 My man.

 Matthew's favorite ride was Indiana Jones, followed closely by Space Mountain and Splash Mountain.

 Natalie is head over heels for Minnie Mouse.  We had no idea.  She sure was cute anytime we saw anything Minnie related.  She says that her favorite ride was Peter Pan.

 Ethan's favorite ride was Space Mountain, followed by Splash Mountain and Star Tours.

 I let her loose during one of our gas stops on the way home.

While driving home, I asked Siri what the weather was like back home.  I had to laugh at her response.  She doesn't usually give commentary on the weather, but she echoed our feelings exactly.  We miss the warm weather already!

Things we learned on this trip:

• Natalie loves all things Minnie Mouse
• Our older boys love rides - the more thrilling, the better
• You can totally let your Disney freak flag fly while there.  Disneyland is definitely the place to break out your Mickey sweatshirt from the 80's.
• BYU families love Disneyland.  Next time, James and I will have to wear our Cougars gear.  I seriously had to stop myself from shouting "Go Cougs" to every BYU-attired person.  I'm not kidding :)

Memories we'll cherish:

• Staying for the night parade was totally worth it.  It was hilarious watching our boys wave at all the pretty girls in the parade, and even more hilarious seeing how proud they were when all the pretty girls smiled and waved back at them.  
• Also during the parade, Hook threw Matthew an "I've got my eyes on you" signal, and it was especially awesome, because that's a little something James and I do with Matthew all the time.  It's like Hook knew.  It was magical :)
• Justin was not a fan of Pirates of the Caribbean ride at first because it "makes [your] stomach go up-down".  On our last time riding it, Justin sat next to me.  As soon as we got on the ride, he threw both little arms in the air and started whimpering.  I asked him what he was doing, and he replied that he was getting ready for the drop.  He for some reason thought that putting your hands in the air made the drops less intense.  Poor kid had been making the ride worse on himself every time!  I quickly explained that the best thing to do was to roll into a little ball on the drops if he didn't like them.  After that, he loved the ride :)
• In Sleeping Beauty's castle, I pulled on one of the door handles, and it pulled back.  I may have screamed and jumped back in terror.  And I may not admit to that if you ask me :)
• Captain EO. Was. Awesome. Awesome, I tell you.  Perhaps even a little life changing.
• All of our kids insisting each night that they so weren't tired, and then falling asleep within two minutes after laying down.
• Natalie falling asleep on Pirates of the Caribbean every time.  We're kind of wondering if she was going to her happy place and then fell asleep :)
• And of course, having some car issues in St. George on the way home.  Barely being able to find a place to stay for the night, and then having to pay a fortune for a rat hole of a room.  And then Ethan throwing up.  It may have been one of the worst nights of my life, but I'm sure it will make its way into our family lore over the years :)

In conclusion, go to Disneyland.  Do it.