The Three Wolf Moon

Some of our heartiest laughs last year were induced by the Three Wolf Moon shirt reviews on Amazon.

You can find them here.

and check out the sweet videos here and here

Darren couldn't believe it when he received this in the mail from his sister Cami. His own Three Wolf Moon shirt!

{He even had to strike a redneck pose for this pic}

Sweet.

Happy Birthday to My Man!

We had a busy day. The boys got home from their campout, went to a CAN-struction pre-build {more on that later}, took a nap, dinner @ In-N-Out, then finished up the night at California Adventure.We love you, Darren! You are so amazing. You have the skills of Macgyver, the reflexes of a puma, and the brilliance of a rocket scientist--you could be your own Old Spice commercial!
{I always mean to do a fabulous fondant cake for every birthday, but I always chicken out!} Xander was nice enough to lend me one of his Hot Wheels--perfect, since it looks like Darren's Jeep.
Rip that paper, baby! XOXO's:)

1st Boy Scout Campout

Bug spray, hiking boots, first aid kit, flint & steel, pocket knife, compass.

That's what we thought you bring on a rough outdoor excursion in the wilderness. Apparently not in Orange County.

The list changes to wetsuit, surfboard, swim trunks, beach towel, sunscreen.

Early morning--hot chocolate in a water bottle.

Xander had a wonderful time.

Fantasyland

As I sit here and edit pictures, I hear a faint boom-boom-boom sound.

When the house is quiet, we notice it every night around 9:40 pm.

Finally figured it out.

It's the Disneyland fireworks finale.

Makes me smile. The kiddos have had a week and a half of early release days, so its been nice to have a little extension of summer.
It was hot this afternoon! Not AZ hot, but plenty warm.
Miss Courtney lost her front tooth last night!

Xanderman tried his hardest to pull the sword out of the stone--no luck.

These pics were taken from the Casey Jr. train {sorry for the blur}.

Darren still thinks it's cool that he drives past the Matterhorn on his way to work some days.

The kids fell in love with the miniature Storyland.
My fave...

King Arthur's carousel.

These guys were fun! We just thought they were part of the janitorial staff, then they started rockin' out on their garbage cans.

The big man! The kiddos are the perfect age to enjoy this.

glee vs. Kidz Bop

Alexander's friend sent a Lady Gaga song to his phone.

It was obviously not sung by Lady Gaga, and Xander asked his friend why he was sending him Kidz Bop songs.

His friend then told him, It's not Kidz Bop, it's Glee.

Xander then asked me, Mom, what's Glee?

Me: It's a show about these high school kids who sing their own version of popular songs.

Alexander: OH..... so it IS Kidz Bop.

He has a point.

New Calling

Activity Day Leader!
I am excited, but this is totally new to me.

California Adventure

We promised the kiddos that we'd go see World of Color on the weekend.It was our first full day @ California Adventure.

We LOVED Soarin' Over California.
The Redwood Creek Challenge Trail reminded the boys of scout camp.
This tire swing was wicked fast. Even though Courtney held on for dear life, she got knocked off into the wood chips. Brave little woman--she got right up and insisted she was fine.

Pretty cool view from the top!

I think the adults were having just as much fun on the rope bridges. Some grown men were having contests to see how many jumps it took to get across.

What kind of animal is Darren?

A wolf.

What kind of animal is Natalie?

A skunk.

No joke. The paw print has spoken.

The kids did really well on the rock wall.

Xander's turn!

King Triton's Carousel

He's got that yeah, I might be a little too old for this look, doesn't he?

I think the boys have found a new addiction. The Toy Story ride is a virtual shooting gallery.

{Don't worry though, Bullseye the horse isn't harmed in any way}

Night shots--before I DROPPED my camera on the ground.

{I know! I let go of it, thinking the strap was around my neck. It wasn't. I was so mad at myself!}

We agreed with the kids' observation of CA Adventure.

Disneyland has a more peaceful, magical feel.

We had a really fun {exhausting} day. World of Color was quite amazing! We weren't disappointed.

MmMmMmmMmmMmmm...

My new favorite scents... Bath & Body Works

Victoria's Secret

{I'm sure you really wanted to know what I'm smellin' like these days.}

I Feel Good!

Well, more healthy, anyway.

Maybe it's because I'm outside exercising every day.
Maybe it's because we live by Sprouts.
{loving the fresh produce & herbs}
Maybe it's all that walking at Disneyland.
Maybe it's more oxygen from the trees.
Maybe it's being by the sea.

I feel more balanced.

Wildest Ride in the Weird-er-ness!

That's what Darren's family calls the Thunder Mountain ride @ Disneyland.
And guess who we found there? The Lee family!
Just kidding...they came and stayed with us for a quick end of summer trip.
She made these darling bling Mickey shirts with.....gasp! The Silhouette!
{Mooohooohahahaha! I brought her to the dark side!}

When You're Not at Disneyland...

Pretend that you are!

The kids transformed Courtney's room into their own Disneyland. Our favorite touches were:

Indiana Jones {being chased by a giant ball}

Tiki Room {RH side}

&

Haunted Mansion {complete with tissue paper ghosts}