Day at the Beach

Huntington Beach

Huntington Beach

On Saturday we spent most of the day at Huntington Beach. Jackson was still feeling under the weather, but was doing much better. There was the "Van's" surfing competition that day and the weather couldn't be more perfect.

MORE Sage Photos

I realize there are a lot of pictures of Sage. I tried to capture everything since it was her first time at Disneyland.

Stuck on Pirates of the Caribbean

Did I mention we got stuck for 30 minutes inside Pirates of the Caribbean? Um, yeah it was our last ride at Disneyland, and per Sage's request we went on Pirates. We got stuck on the edge of the drop off. Flash photography is normally not allowed, but I took advantage of the moment and took a picture of Avery and Josh in the front row. When we finally got out of the ride sage said, "Mom we made it!".

More Disneyland Pictures

There are way too many pictures to post, but here are a few of our favorites.

We made a lot of memories and had a lot of fun.

Avery in Disneyland

Avery was a HUGE help in Disneyland. She is such a good big sister. She took Sage and Jackson under her wing. Avery sat scross the aisle from me on the flight on the way home. After the flight, the woman she sat next to said what a sweet girl she was and paid her some very nice compliments. We are very proud of Avery. On Saturday we took her to the huge American Girl store in Hollywood and she was on cloud 9! She had a great time and was able to go on every ride. She acted very grown up :(.

Jackson in Disneyland

Jackson loved Disneyland and was able to go on a lot of rides that he wasn't able to go on the last time we were there in 2006. His favorite part of Disneyland was watching the street performance of High School Musical 3 ( as you all know he is obsessed). We had to go to the show 2 times. Jackson got pretty sick on Friday on our trip, but was a trooper and we dragged him everywhere we went. On a side note, you can be sure to cast your vote for "Mother of the Year" when you hear the following:There is a ride in California Adventure called "California Screamin". It is a roller coaster like no other. The height requirement was 48". Jackson was just under the height requirement and was devistated he could not go on the ride. I told him we would come back the next day and that he needed to wear his other shoes that had higher soles. We went back the next day with his other shoes and he still was barely under the requirement. As you can imaging he was even more devistated, so I did the unthinkable. I took him into the bathroom and stuffed toilet paper into the soles of his shoes, and guess what? He passed! Ha ha. I was nervous after that and told Josh to hold onto him since it is a relentless coaster. He went and loved it. It made his trip.

Sage in Disneyland

After the rough start at Disneyland, Sage was a riot. She has a blast and wanted to go on every ride. She had little fear. She even rode on the Matterhorn, Pirates of the Carribean twice as well as all the other rides. She loved Pirates and seeing Tinkerbell and the other Fairies. She was exhausted every night and even slept through the fireworks. Funny girl!

Disneyland - Day 1

DAY 1 at Disneyland. The weather was beautiful (85 degrees), the kids were in great spirits and Disneyland was magical. We made a terrible mistake of going through the castle first. The last time we were here it was under construction so we did not know what to expect. It was the whole Sleeping Beauty theme and it scared Sage to death! Needless to say, she was scared of Disneyland including Minnie, Mickey and Goofy until later that night. Notice the Sunglasses Sage wears in EVERY picture! She would not take them off. She was a DIVA to say the least and we named her "HOLLYWOOD" on the trip because of her DIVA Demeanor.

DISNEYLAND MARCH 24-29, 2009

The day finally came and we made it to DISNEYLAND! We picked up the kids early on Tuesday afternoon ( March 23rd) and told them we were going to do something fun as a family. They still had no idea that we were leaving town. We got in the car to drive to the airport and we gave each of them a box. The box had a swimsuit ,flip flops, sunglasses and a picture of Mickey & Minnie saying "We're going to DISNEYLAND!". They all opened their boxes at the same time and were excited about what was inside but still did not get it. Finally I said, "We are going to Disneyland TODAY! We are going to the airport right now!". At that point they were so excited. It was priceless to see their excitement. We got into Orange County and went to Downtown Disney for dinner and back to the hotel to swim and get some sleep for DISNEYLAND!

Karaoke Time - Jackson does "Scream" from High School Musical 3

VOTE FOR JACKSON! Here is the full video of Jackson's karaoke performance. The contest only allows you to submit 30 seconds. Make sure you vote starting FRIDAY MARCH 20, 2009 @ www.971zht.com

Good Luck Jackie!

VOTE FOR JACKSON!!!

As many of you know Jackson is our little singer/dancer and is obsessed with High School Musical 3 and "Troy Bolton" especially. We found out that 97.1 ZHT was doing a Kiddieokee contest and the winner of the contest gets a Playground from Backyards of America. We asked Jackson if he wanted to do it, and of course he wanted to sing "Scream" from High School Musical 3. The video will be posted today by Noon on 97.1 ZHT Website, and voting starts Friday, March 20th. If you get a chance, please go to the website and VOTE FOR JACKSON!!!
www.971zht.com

DISNEYLAND!!

It's countdown baby!! We are surprising the kids next week and taking them to Disneyland( Tuesday March 24-March 29). Josh and I are so excited to see the kids faces when we tell them. We haven't decided if we are going to tell them the night before or just tell them on the way to the airport. I will definitely post pictures when we get back from our trip. YEEHAW!! I can't wait for a vacation!

Where Were You....

January 20, 2009 is a day that is one that we will all remember where we were when the 1st black president of the United States was inaugurated into office. I cannot imagine the pride and historic relevance this has on the African American population in the United States. I felt very happy for our little Jackson today. What a momentous day in history that he will be able to look back on one day with such pride. Our country has come such a long way and for the most part has been able to look past the color of ones skin to the content of their character as Martin Luther King Jr. once said. I have a lot of hope for our country and I hope that President Obama is the answer we are looking for. I felt very proud looking at Jackson yesterday and explaining to him what a neat day it was. Even though he did not fully grasp what I was saying, I know it will have an impact on his life.

I am officially old!!!

Avery turned 8 on December 13th and was baptized by her Dad, Josh, on December 27th. It was such a special day, but I couldn't help but look at the day and wonder where the time has gone. I have an 8 year old? It is a crazy thought for me. I know the day was very special for Avery, even though the water was very cold. It was a very spiritual experience for me, one that I will remember just as I do my own baptism. Josh put together a video of photos of Avery from birth until present. It was quite a project and turned out AMAZING! Thanks Josh! Avery looked so pure. We had a lot of friends and family there to support her. We are so thankful to have such a wonderful family and support group. Avery we are very proud of you and the beautiful woman you are becoming! Always remember that special day! I attached a picture of Avery as a baby as well because I cannot believe this little lady was once so small.

Attempt #1 - Building a Snowman

Since we have had a run of snow this winter, the kids could not wait to get their hands in the snow and build a snowman. So... After bundling them all up, we sent them outside to build. They tried, but just didn't quite get it. We will try again. I just have to laugh when I look at this picture because all I can think of is Randy and Ralphie from the Christmas Story. In fact, I tried calling Sage "Ralphie" and she wanted nothing to do with that name. "I'm not Ralphie, I'm Sagey".

Christmas 2009

Christmas is always such an exciting time of year. We had a great Christmas this year and always enjoy the look on the kids face on Christmas morning as they open their gifts to see what Santa brought. This year Avery and Sage got iPods and docking stations and sleeping bags. They have not slept a night out of their sleeping bags since Christmas. Sage got dress-up clothes (of course) and she also got a sleeping bag and a little mp3 player so that she can listen to music like her big brother and sister. We love Christmas time at our house.

"Yib- Bips"

If you have followed my blog at all you know that our little Sagey is as Girly as they come. The first thing Sage does every morning is find her 3 items she cannot function without. What are these items you say? A purse, high heels and "Yib-Bips". I know, I know, "What is Yib-Bips?" you say? This is the name that Sage gave lipstick. She has MAAASTERED the art of putting on lipstick and staying on the lips, don't you think? We can't get enough of her and her "Yib-Bips".