Wilkins Family Christmas Party

My sister and her family were going to Hawaii for Christmas this year. So we had a family Christmas party at her house where we had dinner, and the cousin gift exchange, along with grandma's tradition of new pj's for the grandkids and a Christmas book for each family. We also started a new tradition this year, which was an adult white elephant gift exchange, which was hilarious! I also had made a DVD of our California trip back in October that we watched. It was a lot of fun! My sister always does a great job of entertaining. Thanks Kristen for a fun memorable night! Have fun in Hawaii...a little jealous.

Crazy, memorable, fun weekend...

A few weekends ago we decided to take the girls downtown to see the lights. We thought it would be fun to ride Trax...not such a good idea. We got to the station at 7pm and barely missed the train. So we waited for the next train to come 15 minutes later. We got all bundled in our snow gear and sat there for 10 minutes, sweating because the heaters on the train were turned up really high. We slowly made our way downtown with 2 already tired children. At about 3300 So. the train conductor got on the speaker and announced that there had been a Trax accident and we were holding for a bit until we could get through. We sat there for about 30 minutes. Then finally were dropped off at the Courthouse station and told we had to get out and walk. After a potty stop in a dark downtown basement bathroom, and a 5 block walk, we made it to temple square at 9 pm, 2 hours later. Now everyone was hot and wanted a drink, so we found a drinking fountain and then walked around the lights for an hour, which the girls enjoyed. Who doesn't enjoy the beautiful lights and scenery this time of year? We headed back down Main Street once again for our 5 block walk to the Courthouse station, with 2 tired kids, now cold and screaming. When we got there the train was full and we again had to wait for another train. By the time we got on that train, our kids had lost it. They cried and whined the entire 30 minute ride home with everyone staring at us, irritated. We didn't make it home to put them to bed until midnight. Let's just say we won't be riding Trax downtown again for a long time. Funny enough, the next morning Madelyn asks, "Hey can we ride the train downtown again to the see the lights?" Both Ty and I in unison said, "No!"

The next afternoon Madelyn and I went to see Princess and the Frog. She loved it! It was a really cute show. She was happy to sit there with her giant popcorn and watch the show. It was fun to go just the two of us. She can't stop talking about the movie.

Overall, a little crazy, but fun! Tis' the season.

Silly Girl

The other day Madelyn came out looking like this...wearing my tall boots. Just another day in the life of my girl. She cracks me up!

Live Nativity in Draper

We went to the live nativity in Draper a few weeks ago. Again, it was amazing! We waited in line for 2 hours, but it was worth the wait. It really helps bring the true meaning of Christmas to life. It was especially neat to take Madelyn and watch her get so excited to see the baby Jesus in the manger.

Halloween a little late...

We had a fun Halloween. Madelyn really wanted to be Alex the Lion from Madagascar and so fortunately we already had the zebra costume that fit Audrey, and so she was Marty the Zebra. The girls had fun carving pumpkins, trick-or-treating at dad's office and around the neighborhood, and even passing out candy at our house. Here are a few random photos.

At Ty's office trick-or-treating.

Audrey as Marty the Zebra.

Madelyn as Alex the Lion.

Our California Trip

A couple of weeks ago we took a trip to California with my family. We have been waiting a long time for this vacation. My parents bought a time share in Newport Beach through Marriott almost 2 years ago and we got to use it for the first time in October. This vacation was our Christmas present from last Christmas. It was all worth the wait...we had such a good time! Ty and I decided to start driving a day ahead of when everyone was leaving and stay in Las Vegas overnight. So that's where our trip began. We stayed at the Tahiti Village Resort. Our girls' favorite part was the pool. It had a beach sand entry on one side, and a lazy river across from the pool. Here are a few photos in Las Vegas.The next morning we got up, swam some more and then headed on to California. When we got there we stopped off at Fashion Island to have lunch and shop around and then on to the resort. We stayed at the Marriott Coast Villas Vacation Club Resort. It was really nice. Here's the view off of our balcony. After we all gathered on Saturday, we had dinner and just hung out. We were all pretty tired from traveling. Then Sunday we went to church, Kim and Abe's old ward from when they lived in Newport Beach when they were first married. Then that afternoon we walked around the resort and enjoyed some of the ammenities...the kiddie park, the putting green, the sandbox, and the coy fish pond. The kids had a great time!
Bright and early Monday morning we headed to Disneyland. We went hard and fast all day long. We rode a lot of rides that day in both parks, visited Toon Towne, watched the Pixar parade and the fireworks. The kids had a blast. Here are the photos from that day.
Tuesday, it rained off and on all morning, so finally when it cleared up a little, we headed to the beach. Audrey loved the ocean, Madelyn slept through most of the beach trip, so we didn't last very long because it was so windy and cold. We went back to the resort and got in the hot tubs, which were much more enjoyable.Wednesday morning we headed back out for another day of Disneyland. It rained most of the day, unfortunately. However, it made for an opportunity to ride a lot of rides because there were not a lot of people there. After lunch we met up with our good friends, the Petersons for a few rides and then headed on our own ways, but it was fun to see them for a short moment. Overall, it was a wet, fun, and full day.

Thursday, was a nice day so we went swimming, took naps, and headed to one of our family's favorite beaches, Balboa Beach in Newport. The kids had a great time digging in the sand, and we even built a slide with a plastic tarp that we had from the rainy day at Disneyland. Ty and I won the couples' paddle ball tournament by a long shot, we were pretty proud! Then we had a shake at Ruby's Diner and ended up going back to the condo for a bbq and more hot tubbing...another fun day!

Friday, was our last day at Disneyland, so we got up early and arrived there as the gates were opening. We decided to split up and do what each individual family wanted to do first. So Ty and I ran through the gates and headed to Fantasy Land, we rode several of the little kiddie rides and then went on It's A Small World. We then ran to California Adventures when it opened to do Toy Story and then stayed there and did several rides until lunchtime, including the Muppets in 3D show and the Crush show. We played in Bear Country and went back to Bug's Land (Madelyn's favorite in California Adventures). After naps in the stroller we headed back to Disneyland and didn't get much accomplished, because it was Friday and 92 degrees, it was packed. We watched the parade, rode just a couple of rides, ate dinner, and finished off the evening with the Matterhorn, which was Madelyn's request each night before leaving the park. It was her favorite ride in Disneyland. She couldn't stop talking about how she didn't close her eyes and she was so brave. We rode that ride about 10 times when we were there, thank heavens for the speedy lines and the rider switch pass. Overall, we had a great time in Disneyland, both the girls had so much fun! We packed up the next morning and headed home. The girls did great on the way home, and we made really good time, even with a pit stop in Cedar City at Cafe Rio. Thank you Mom and Dad for another memorable family vacation!