Opa's retirement party/meeting the prophet

Opa retired as President of the LDS Business College. Amberlee and Dalyn were able to attend his retirement party at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. They were so excited to meet the prophet and many apostles. President Monson showed Dalyn how he could wiggle his ears with no hands and called him Little Tiger. He told Amberlee that she was a pretty girl. They both felt a lot of love and say it will be an experience they will never forget. We are proud of Opa and his accomplishments at the college.

Day 6 Sequoia National Park

After our adventure at Disney Land, we drove to see Jason and Keirsten and the Petersons. They had picked up Dalyn's drum set for us. Dalyn was so excited to see his instrument. We had a great dinner with the Peterson family and the next day we drove to the Sequoia National Park a short distance from their house. It was spectacular! It felt like you were walking through another world. The trees reminded me of something you'd see in a movie. It was hard to believe they were real. The kids loved sliding through the snow. Definitely a must see.

California Trip 2008 Day 4: New Year's Eve in Disney Land

We decided to live on the edge and spend New Year's Eve in Disney Land. There were so many people in the park that it was at capacity and by 11 am noone else could get in. It was amazing how efficient the park was, however. We got to go on all of the rides we wanted to and didn't feel like we waited in lines too long. We loved adding to our lanyards and seeing all of the beautiful Christmas decorations. We also got to see Jana Taylor one of my dance teachers who now works for Disney in the Christmas parade. That was a lot of fun. At midnight we counted down with the crowd and then ran to catch our fast pass time on Space Mountain. At 1 am noone was in line for the Astro Rider so Amberlee and Dalyn went on it a couple of times. The bus ride to the hotel at 2 am was very painful, but it is a day our family will never forget. Everyone should do it...once.

California Trip 2008 Day 3: Knott's Berry Farm

We had a super fun day at Knott's Berry Farm. It started out a lot rocky. We chose to go on Ghost Rider right when we got to the Park. It looked pretty tame. When the ride was over, we were all in pain and Dalyn was in tears. It was an old wooden roller coaster and did not feel good to ride on. It was a horrible experience for Dalyn. The more people we talked to throughout the day, the more we heard that it is considered the worse ride at the park. It took some convincing to get Dalyn to go on another ride. The Pony Express and the Jaguar were favorites along with the Wild West Show. By the end of the day, Dalyn was an old pro at the roller coasters. Moral of the story, do not no matter what your age or love of thrill rides--go on Ghost Rider.

California Trip 2008 Day 2: American Girl Doll Store

On the 2nd day of our trip we drove to LA and made Amberlee's life long dream come true of going to the American Girl Doll Store. She did not spend one penny for two years hoping that one day she could shop at this store. American Girl Dolls are the only toy she has every really been into. It was one of those magical days. We ate at the American Girl Doll Cafe where Dalyn kept commenting that he was the only little boy in the room. It was such a fun meal. Then Amberlee got her doll's hair done. They took her picture with her dolls and put it on a magazine cover. Then she shopped, shopped, shopped agonizing over every penny. At the check out counter everyone thought it was so cute as she counted out every quarter, nickle, dime and penny. (Luckily there wasn't a line.) It was a dream come true day. We all agreed the only thing that could have made it better would have been if Grandma Glenn could have come. She has always been a doll lover.

Christmas California vacation 2008 Day 1

This year for Christmas we decided to take a California road trip and pick up some electric drums for Dalyn along the way. We left two days after Christmas. We first drove to Las Vegas and stayed at the Ventian Hotel. That evening we went to see the Blue Man Group which has been a long time dream of Dalyn. The kids loved getting the Blue Man's autograph. It was a super fun day.