Disneyland in December

A couple of weeks ago, our little family went to Disneyland.  It was so delightful!  My kids are at the PERFECT ages...they loved everything!  And we discovered that Ellie is quite the little rollercoaster junkie - the scarier, the better....like Mother, like Daughter - I was in heaven :). 

The only bummer is that I realized how much my kids are growing up.  We didn't spend nearly as much time in Fantasyland (the really kiddie rides) as we have in the past.  Most people would be thrilled with this, but it makes me sad how quickly time flies and how quickly my kids are growing up!  I wish I could freeze time. 

We had a fantastic time. 

My funny Jack

Funny Jack... This is his typical face when we tell him NOT to do something.  He closes his eyes, and lifts his eyebrows.  Punk.

Last night at dinner, we were talking to Ellie and Jack about my family's Christmas Nativity pageant that we do every year.  Ellie is going to be Mary, and we were talking to Jack about what he wanted to be.  We mentioned a sheep - which he thought was hilarious.  Then we said he could be a shephard.  We then mentioned that he could be a wise man, to which he got super excited and said, "Yes!  I want to be SpiderMan.  Mom, I need to get a Spiderman costume!"  We tried to correct him and say, "A wise man, not SpiderMan."  But it did no good.  He's sure he's going to be Spiderman for the pageant. 

And, of course we have taught our kids about what Santa brings in your stocking if you're not good.  Coal.  And everytime Ellie does something Jack doesn't like he says, "Ellie, you're going to get cold presents in your stocking!"  Awesome.  He's probably said that to Ellie 20 times this month.  And he says it totally ticked off.

Jack has this darling "pirate potty" book that talks all about this cute pirate and his potty.  And it comes with stickers as a reward for going to the bathroom on the potty.  Jack is completely potty trained, but we rediscovered the book the other day and realized that it came with a whole bunch of stickers.  He thinks the story is funny, so we've been reading it lately before his nap.  Well yesterday, Jack needed to go potty, so he and John ran into the restroom and John pulled down his pants to set him on the potty (he's still really short!).  Much to John's surprise, there was a pirate sticker stuck to the tip of his unit!  John laughed and said, "Buddy, what is that?"  To which Jack answered matter-of-factly, "My pirate."  He thought it was awesome. 

Jackson is one of a kind.  Little squirt.

Ellie Ginger

My sweet Ellie turned 5 last week.  For the past month I've been going through all of her pictures from the time she was born until now for a book I'm creating and it's been such a joy to remember all of the fun details of her life.  I am so blessed...she is such a wonderful, sweet, fun, smart little sweet-pea.  I can't believe how fast the time has flown.  The most profound change in who I am happened when Ellie was born.  She changed me.  She is such a joy.  And she's growing up so fast!  I love her more than life. 

Jack & Mommy time...



Jack and I went on a little Disneyland trip this week...It was SO fun...and funny!  Jack really is such a little sweetheart and is so fun to be with.  And he makes me laugh - He is such a little punk!



 Jack LOVES Buzz, and often he wants to be called Buzz. 

 We rode the Disneyland Train around the entire park at least twice a day.  Jack would have stayed on longer, but I made him get off.

It about broke my heart to leave Ellie home...she was devastated.  But, Daddy took good care of her while we were gone.  They had a daddy/daughter date to the Mayan, and had a picnic up the canyon.  I'll post pictures of their outings too.  Plus, being the nerd I am, I've already booked our flights for our next Disneyland trip so Ellie has something to look forward to :). 

And NO, just because I'm a Disneyland nerd, I DON'T buy the "ears", or the t-shirts, or anything else Disney...although it would probably make a great costume!  I sort of wish I would have thought about it while I was there...

Summertime...

Wow...we have had such a busy summer! It's not that we've been doing anything too spectacular, just playing and swimming a lot.  Here are a bunch of pictures - they're not in chronological order. 

Ellie after her dance recital - Daddy brought her flowers

John fishing at Cottonwood Lake in Wyoming

Cottonwood Lake

Me & Jack on a walk at Cottonwood Lake

Jack in one of his awesome get-ups.  He wore his hat the whole time at Cottonwood Lake, and even slept with it!!

Cute Boy!!

Jack got these glasses at summer camp - He thinks he looks so cool.

Ellie and her cousin Harrison with their piggy banks waiting for the ice-cream truck to come - he never did.

Evensen Men golfing in Bountiful

Dad & Jack wrestling - one of Jack's FAVORITE ways to play

Jack in another AWESOME get-up, including Ellie's winter coat and his helmet - I'm not sure why he though he needed extra warmth that day - it was about 95 degrees outside.

Our 7th anniversary in Hawaii - September 5th

Cute Ellie in her soccer uniform & on the first day of preschool

Ellie and her cousin Abby this summer

Way too long...

It's been way too long since I've posted...not that many people care :). Here are some BRIEF highlights of the past couple of months.

Ellie finished her first year of preschool and they had a darling program with a cowboy theme.
SO CUTE!

I know Ellie doesn't look too happy, but she had fun :)

Ellie's teacher is the best! She's been such a blessing to Ellie.

I love these women!! I really should post a picture of the three of us from the 'good old days' in the mission field! We had a fabulous time in Santa Barbara - and I got a great abs workout from laughing so hard. Really.

Ellie & Jacks new toy. Funny how long they are entertained by going 1 mph. Jack in his swimming gear for lessons. So cute.
Father's Day - Aren't they a good lookin' bunch?! I'm so blessed to have such amazing men in my life. I am so grateful that John is such a great father to our kids...they ADORE him. He is such a sweet, patient, engaged dad. He learned a lot from his own dad. And then there's my dad (not in the picture). Words cannot express my gratitude for him. We have such a sweet relationship.

I am so blessed.
Ellie's dance performance. She did NOT want to wear makeup - she's not so girly. But isn't she darling? I love her to pieces!!

Ellie's perspective. These are her photos. I just thought they were funny.
Fun times with beloved cousins!!
Yes, Jack is wearing a swimming ring - funny boy!!