Disneyland 2011 - Fun with Cousins

When we made the decision to go to California in October instead of for Christmas, we knew we would have an opportunity to experience Halloween at Disneyland... something we hadn't done since moving to Washington.  We were even more excited to learn that our trip coincided with the fall break for my sister's children.  We spent one fun filled day at Disneyland with Daja and her family.

I have been to Disneyland at Christmas several times... but I think the Halloween decorations and hype is a little better.  It is at the very beginning of the holiday season, so it really gets you excited for all of the holidays that are coming.

It was pretty busy the day we went with the cousins, the most busy of the three days we spent there.  Fastpass rules had changed so that you could only hold one pass for a land at a time, which meant more long lines.  Luckily the cousins all had fun waiting in the lines and acting goofy.  Ephram and Dustin enjoyed climbing on the railings at the Haunted Mansion... until Dustin fell.

After eating and riding several attractions, we settled down on Main Street to watch the parade.  It was a good picture taking time... and since I hadn't had my camera out enough I took advantage of it.  Apparently Braxton had the same idea.

Another perk to visiting Disneyland when we did...  Andy was there for his birthday.  He got this birthday button, which ended up getting us a free FastPass on any ride from a cast member.  They also gave all of the rest of us (11 people) "I'm Celebrating" buttons to wear.

And Ephram and Dustin both got their 1st visit buttons.  I love that we will have this little souvenir to remember his first time to Disneyland.

The cousins had a lot of fun waiting for the parade.  We were on Main Street in front of a store with one of the penny presses.  They were taking turns going inside and making their pennies.

We started pin trading the last time we were at Disneyland (about 2 years ago.)  Charlie was really excited to put on his lanyard with the pins he had selected last visit, and to find new pins this time.

Dustin really liked the parade.  Really.  No joke.  I have rarely seen such cute personality.

Ephram woke up just in time to see the drum line lead the parade by us.  He was a bit sleepy, but still in awe of it all.

Evin and Ephram definitely like each other.  We were waiting outside the Thunder Mountain ride for the other kids and Evin really wanted a picture with Ephram.  You can tell from the result that Ephram was very excited and couldn't sit still.  In fact, I have 5 more identically blurry pictures from the same attempt.

We ended the night with a turn on the carousel.  All of the kids had a blast finding their horses.  I really wasn't sure how Ephram would react... but the carousel became his favorite ride of the trip.  We rode it 6 more times in the next 2 days!

Happy Birthday Andy

This year we celebrated Andy's birthday in California at my parent's house.  My sister and her family were there too, so there were a lot of people to sing Happy Birthday to him.  There were also a lot of helping hands and curious kids as he was opening presents.  We went with a Lego Star Wars theme this year, with a Nintendo 3DS thrown in.  This got big approval from our oldest nephew, Evin.  All things considered, I think Andy enjoyed his birthday... and the bread pudding my mom made him for dessert!

Ephram at 21 Months

All the Ways to Get Around

By 21 months Ephram had quite a lot of ways to get from point A to point B.

Feet work really good.  

(You may notice that he also had a growing affinity for stickers.)

Push toys in the house became more than just a mode of transportation.

They became scooters, skateboards, climbing props and ramming objects.

Here, Ephram was unhappy that I was taking his picture. 

(Love the pout.)

Brand new this month, Ephram added jumping to his repertoire.

He started having success by climbing up on chairs, couches and beds, which helped his bounce.

This Little Tykes car is one of his favorite toys.

Not so much for riding inside, although he does enjoy that.

He would much rather open the door, turn the keys, push it around and pretend to gas it up.

(This month also showed first glimpses at imaginative play.)

The tricycle continued to be a favorite.

(His little legs were still too short to reach the pedals, but he loved being pushed!)

And here is his cute face.

Happy and content after a stretch of play.

Eyes starting to close, head starting to bob.

Ready for a nap!

Outdoor Soccer

Charlie played soccer again this fall - this time it was outdoor soccer.  Once again, his favorite position was goalie!

Brothers at Play

Charlie and Ephram both love to play... especially when they can do it together.  Here are a few pictures of a couple of playtimes in September.

Kindergarten!

Charlie was so excited to start Kindergarten this year.  He started talking about it last winter, and as the month of September approached the topic consumed more and more of our conversations.

Finally, it was time for us to go to his school's ice cream social - an opportunity for the kids to find out what class they are in and to meet the teacher.  Kindergartners get an added bonus of actually getting to see their classroom.  Charlie was a bit excited.  This may also have had something to do with the fact that he knew he would soon be eating ice cream.

Then, the day before Kindergarten we gave him a new book to read.  We love "The Night Before" series... it is a lot of fun!  Charlie read this book three times before he went to bed.  And I suspect that he may have crawled out of bed to read it some more!

The morning of the first day of Kindergarten, he woke up with excited energy.  We had special oatmeal with sprinkles for his school colors - red and black.

And then we took just a few before school pictures.  

We walked the short distance to school (it is about 3/10 of a mile from our house.)  We got there before the doors were open and paused to take another picture in front of the building.

And then it was time.  Charlie remembered how to get to his class from the scavenger hunt we'd done during the ice cream social.  He did ask to stop and take smiling pictures by the smile sign.

He marched into class and read the first day directions.  Yes, he can read - and well.  

He followed the directions perfectly.  Charlie loves it when things are spelled out so clearly.  He was so very proud to sit at his desk.  I stayed and watched as he started his very first morning work and met his table mate - Kollin.

And then, I did as I was instructed.  I said goodbye, and marched out of the classroom.

It was definitely more difficult for me than it was for him.

He was right at home at that desk!

After school he couldn't stop talking about everything they'd done.

I took some more pictures since he was so happy.

Inside the house he showed off his first day work.  

We couldn't have had a better first day of school experience.  So proud of my kindergartner!