And so it begins....

We took all of the rugs out of the living room for a while. This little girl is getting ready to go potty. She asks to go all the time and usually insists wearing underwear over her diaper so I decided to let her try. It took some convincing to get her to sit down on the potty (someone has been watching her brother too much). Hopefully this goes smoothly... After all, I followed my own advice, go when your child is ready not when you are.

California

We had the most amazing trip this Spring! We left just in time to miss the last big snow storm in North Dakota and it was just what we needed! We left on Vaughn's birthday. Hopefully I will figure out how to post some of my camera pictures soon but until then, I had to just use the pictures from my phone. 

We started out by going to Northern California where we got to visit my aunt, uncle, cousin and grandma. It was wonderful. They took great care of us and it was so nice to catch up. It was cool and windy but for us it still felt like paradise. Rosalie is like a fish and loves the water. She doesn't want to be held and pushes whoever is holding her away saying, "let me go". She is going to get swim lessons ASAP! I wish we were somewhere where it wasn't mission impossible to get into a swim class.

We stayed in 6 hotels on the trip and it was pretty hectic moving around. The kids got used to riding on top of all our luggage at each place. And see that awesome pack-n-play? We lugged it around the whole trip and paid $50 to check-it on the plane only to have Rosalie refuse to sleep in it. I think I should take it out of her allowance when she is 15, what do you think?

Since we stayed in so many hotels I definitely have favorites to recommend. Marriot tops our list as the best one we stayed at. At Disneyland we stayed at the Park Vue Inn across the street. It was super inexpensive but smelled awful. It served it's purpose though so stay there if you are planning a Disneyland vacation. They serve breakfast and will give you water bottles to take to the park with you. Also, LegoLand just became a resort so they have a hotel. We stayed there and it was only their second week open. It was an amazing hotel for kids and a little annoying for parents/grandparents. It was so fun though. The kids loved it and could have stayed there all day so it was worth it. The meals at the hotel are pricey so prepare yourself for that. $25/person for breakfast?!?!?!

Disneyland was Disneyland. It was everything you expect and hope for. I had never been to California Adventure and I always thought it was a teenage type park but they have updated it since I was last there and it was great! We definitely spent more time at Disneyland but there were some amazing things at California Adventure that made the Park Hopper ticket worth it....Lots of little kid rides and a Disney Junior show that will rock your toddler's socks off. Cars Land (from the movie "Cars") is awesome but overcrowded. We spent two days at the two parks and it was just right for us. We didn't get to it all but were exhausted after the two days and couldn't imagine doing another one. 

This was the world's largest tumbleweed! I thought we only had those in Wyoming? It was right next to the world's largest oilfield. At least it looked like that to us. We are oil field folks and we had never seen so many well heads so close together and as far as we could see. Pretty amazing for those of us who see it every day. 

Legoland was very knight/princess oriented. Especially at the hotel where they have a giant castle built entirely out of Legos that the kids can run around in. (And a Lego dragon guarding the entrance.) They give the kids all the Legos, shields and swords they want to play with but of course you have to buy them if you want to take them home. Surprisingly, the souvenirs at LegoLand were not incredibly overpriced and we went home with a certifiable knight and a real princess. 

I can't believe that is the end of my pictures! I will have to bore you with more later. This vacation was so wonderful. If you are ever going I would be happy to give you the tips that I have. It was magical! And luckily the weather since we've been back has been pretty good. I love my life!!! (Not that the quality of my life depends on the weather but it helps!)

Update 2013

I figured it was time for an update! The past few months have flown by in a whirlwind! Rosalie turned 2! We got a puppy. Then it was Thanksgiving. Then Christmas. And the most important holiday of the year, my birthday!!!

Our new puppy

 My parents came to stay for Rosalie's birthday and Thanksgiving. It was so great to see them (it had been a long time since we had visited)! While my mom was here we went to the pet store to buy some crickets for our frog and came home with a puppy! I love her so much but most days I still wonder what I was thinking! It really is like having a newborn human in the house! Potty training has been very taxing and trying. She loves the kids though and cuddles up with me every night which makes up for any flaws! Look at that cute face! I am ready to be out of the puppy stage though. How long does it last?

The Jordan's with Santa at Spring Lake Park

 Before Christmas we went to a friends birthday party at a local park. They set up a huge Christmas light show there. This night they also had activities inside with Santa and Mrs. Claus! They also had a horse and buggy ride which pulled us around the park to look at the lights. It may or may not have been the coldest I've ever felt! Luckily, Vaughn and I survived and had a blast. Little things like this make me feel so blessed to live here. It is a great town and great community. Although we thought we would be moving for a couple months, now we know we will be here at least another year and I am pretty excited about it!

Vaughn and Rosalie on Christmas morning

Vaughn and Rosalie (and the rest of us) were pretty spoiled this Christmas! I tried not to go overboard but I only half succeeded! My parents came again as well as my aunt. It was such a great few days! The love felt this holiday was almost as tangible as all the gifts given and received.
I am sure that I have a lot of things I could work on this coming year but I decided that if 2013 is exactly like 2012 then I will be happy. So, with that said, I am dedicated to loving (and probably spoiling) my kids. Having a great friendship/relationship with my husband. Keeping family and friends close to us (if not physically then every other way possible). I hope that you all have a fabulous year! Hopefully I will update more often and I can share some of the fabulous recipes I have been cooking!