A little dinner conversation

Tonight during dinner:

Me (trying to get 4 y.o. to stop dancing around the living room and come back to the table): Ethan, you won't get any ice cream until you finish your main dish.

2 y.o.(laughing between mouthfuls): No, we don't eat dishes!

I hope they call me on a mission

Last night, we had the full-time missionaries over for dinner, two nice Elders from Utah. Last time they were here for dinner, Ethan happened to be in his room when they left, so he didn't say goodbye to them (although we told him they were leaving). After they left, he came out sobbing that he didn't get to say goodbye. I actually ran out our front gate and asked them to come back to avert disaster.

So last night, they came, we ate, it was pleasant, and they left. No tantrums, no crying. No particular impact was felt by the family until...

This morning, I got the boys all ready for church - white shirts, dark pants, socks and black shoes. I was in the bathroom putting on makeup when the boys appeared. They had packed their backpacks and somehow managed to get them on their backs. They announced, "We're riding our bikes to Utah. We're missionaries." It was adorable.

I am going to keep feeding those full-time missionaries!

Not a Yawn.

7:30 PM finished with his bath

Scott: <yawn>
Scott: That was not a yawn.
Scott: <yawn>
Scott: That was not a yawn... my mouth was tired.

True blue, through and through

My 2 year old is an avid BYU fan. Almost every morning when it's time to get dressed, he asks, "Mom, is my BYU shirt clean?" If it is, he then wants his BYU cap. And BYU pants. When I tell him that he doesn't have BYU pants, he gets upset.

He loves to sing. Once he brought his dad the hymnbook, opened randomly to a page, pointed, and started singing, "Rise all loyal Cougars, and hurl your challenge to the foe. You will fight, day or night, rain or ...." He didn't believe me when I told him that the Cougar fight song is not in the book. I'm sure he's just waiting for the moment in Sacrament Meeting when the congregation jumps to their feet and bursts into, "Rise and shout! The Cougars are out, along the trail to fame and glory...." I can see his thought process-- it happened with I am a child of God; so why not with the fight song?

He asks for his favorite video clip by saying, "I want to watch Caught for the Touchdown", referring to that amazing moment in last year's BYU Utah game, when Jonny Harline miraculously caught the pass and clinched the win at the very last moment of the game. He and his older 4 year old brother hide under the kitchen table and gleefully shout, "Caught for the touchdown!" over and over.

And I love it!

The Magic Kingdom

Dreams really do come true. One night in April, I was lying in bed, thinking, "I wish I could take my boys to Disneyland. "

The next day, Mr. M called from work. "Hey, Ruth has 2 free two-fer tickets to Disneyland that have to be used by Thursday and she can't go. Do we want them?" Unbelievable! I was thrilled!

The boys and I made a day of it. (Mr. M had to work.) In the car on the way down, Ethan kept asking, "Are we there yet? Are we almost there?" As we pulled into the Mickey and friends parking structure, he was bursting with excitement. "Mom, Disneyland looks a lot like the airport!" I laughed and explained that this was only the parking structure, but yes, it did look a lot like LAX.

At the parking garage, I took the precaution of putting a card in each boy's pocket with his name and my cell phone number. This would be important later on!

The tram ride from the parking structure to Downtown Disney was a hit. So was Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters, the Disney Train, and the ducklings swimming in the castle moat. We had a good laugh over Billy Hill and the Hillbillies and even stayed for the parade. (Never again, those two songs are still in my head!)

At one point during the day, Ethan vanished. I retraced my steps to where we had last been. 2 minutes later, a "cast member" came over with Ethan. "I was about to call your cell phone when he spotted you," she said. "He did just the right thing and handed me his card." I was QUITE relieved.

It was a full and good day. No major meltdowns, nothing bad to report.

******************************************
Fast forward to last Friday. Since the tickets were two-fers, we went BACK and this time went to the California Adventure park. The biggest miracle of all was that MR. M CAME WITH US EVEN THOUGH HE HAD TO BUY A TICKET! You must understand, he is extremely careful with how he spends money, and he worked at a theme park in high school.

That sweet man I married came along so we could have a family outing AND so I could ride the real rides. It was a great day with a small crowd. We went on all the kid-rides and saw a few shows. We learned that our kids do NOT like 3D movies, even when they are about Muppets and animated bugs. We tasted hot, fresh tortillas at the Mission Tortilla Factory and had sourdough bread at the bakery tour. Scott seemed to have the most fun watching a waterfall and chasing Michael through a deserted water-play area. Ethan really liked Soaring Over California (imagine all the best parts of an IMAX plus scents and blowing air to make you feel like you're flying).



I got to ride the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and California Screamin, both adrenaline- pumping speed rides. Loved them both. For those who haven't been, California Screamin' is a steel coaster which launches riders from 0-55 mph in 4 seconds and hurtles them up the first incline! What a rush! It also has appropriately (though slightly too loud) thumpy music piped in to each seat behind the shoulder harness. Woohoo!

The Tower of Terror is basically an elevator gone berserk in a haunted hotel with a 13-story drop in the dark. There was much of screaming!



I loved the thrill rides, but the one that I found truly terrifying was the Ferris Wheel. See the forced smile on my face? Sitting in a little steel cage with my three boys, swaying in the breeze, I was thinking, "If that door opens a crack, someone is bound to fall out." It didn't help that I was facing the Maliboomer, a ride that launches people 180 feet up, with their feet dangling from their seats. I later rode the Maliboomer; the nervous anticipation was awful, but the ride itself was tame compared to Tower of Terror.

It was a really fun day. We stayed for the parade and then as the park closed, there were huge fireworks from Disneyland right next door. What a day, what a day! Thanks, Ruth!