Maddie's Talent Show

Maddie had her Talent Show last night at School. She did so well, we were so proud of her. Grammy, Grampy, Grandma Faye, Auntie Kelli, Halli, Hannah and Jake all came to cheer her on! I went up to the front to tape it and when I got back to my seat Chris was all teary eyed! My recording was horrible but luckily my good friend Anjanette recorded it with her nicer camera and it turned out great. Afterward we went to Outback (Maddie's choice) and she even got a piece of cheesecake to celebrate! I couldn't have asked for a better birthday present.

To Fresno and back in a day!

I was crazy enough to take on a training assignment in Clovis (a city near Fresno) which is over 4 hours from here. Since the training wasn't until noon and I didn't want to fork out the cash for a hotel up there, Chris and I decided we could drive up that morning, he'd watch the kids for the four hours I worked and then we'd drive home and be home by 9. It was quite an adventure. We got up at 5, left at 6 and made it up there a little early. The kids were pretty good. My training went well. Chris took the kids to a movie while I worked. The way home was a little rough and seemed to take forever! We broke up the monotony by stopping in Kingsburg where the sun-maid raisins are made. I had no idea they were made up there. I thought that was pretty cool and we got a yummy bag of chocolate covered raisins to snack on! We also stopped in Bakersfield to eat at Outback and then when we got to the grapevine it was a bit foggy. We rolled in around 11:00 and were exhausted. What a long day! Chris and I were glad it was over.
Here is Maddie in front of the SunMaid raisin sign. The other kids were asleep in the car.

Girls night out at Disneyland!

Last weekend I had a Mystery shop at Disneyland. I only get two tickets so Chris and I were planning on going as a date. We had a babysitter lined up for the kids and then Sawyer got sick! I felt bad because Chris and I were looking forward to spending some time together but Sawyer had a fever and wasn't doing well (he eventually came down with Strep) So I ended up taking Maddie. It was the first time I'd ever gone alone with her and we had a blast. We got to eat at a really fun restaurant called Ariel's Grotto which has the princesses coming to your table. She thought that was neat and decided she hasn't outgrown princesses quite yet! We also went on some rides and we were able to go to the Sleeping Beauty walk through above the castle that recently opened again. It has been closed for at least 7 years. It holds a special memory because it was there that Chris asked me to marry him almost 9 years ago!

This was our yummy dessert. That sea shell was made out of white chocolate.

Train Ride to Union Station

On Saturday, January 3, we hopped on a train in Rancho Cucamonga and met Faye, Kelli, Jake and Hannah at a train station in Covina and then all rode together to Union Station in Los Angeles. We have taken this trip several times and always have a blast. Sawyer especially loved the train ride as his latest obsession is trains.

Here we are posing in front of a beautiful Christmas tree inside Union Station. I just love how beautiful Union station is. The architecture is beautiful and it takes me back to a period long before I was born.

We ate lunch at the famous Phillipes where the french dip sandwhich was born. This place prides itself in never changing. They have been open for 100 years and it is always a fun place to go. To think my Grandpa used to each lunch there many years ago is kinda cool too. You can tell how popular it is by this picture!



Chris and I had never been to China town so we walked over to it. While we were walking we ran into some pretty weird people especially this guy. He was riding a scooter and had a hat made out of all sorts of trash. He was trying to get attention! We ended up giving him our left over sandwiches from Philippes and he ate them!




Maddie and Hannah posing in their Chinese hats.



Carter in his Chinese hat


The Family

We also went to Olvera Street and got yummy Churros filled with Dulce de Leche. We walked through and let the kids pick out a cheap toy that broke before we got home! Then we took the long train ride back home after a fun filled day!

Primary Pancake Breakfast

My first Activity as Primary president was a pancake breakfast on Jan. 3. The kids all came in their PJs to meet their new teacher. Our bishopric made breakfast for them and it was quite tasty! The kids enjoyed it and we had a great turnout!

Long Beach Aquarium

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While the Herrera's and Chris and Amanda were here, we all went to the Long Beach Aquarium and had a great time! The kids enjoyed touching the star fish and sea anemones. They also enjoyed feeding the Lorkeet birds, which were very aggressive!

Rose Parade

Every year the Jones family tradition on New Years day is to attend the Rose Parade in Pasadena and then to Bob and Sharon's house in Glendora for a big New Years bash with all the extended family. I always look forward to this tradition because it really is the only time I get to see many of my cousins and their children. My Aunt Sharon goes to so much work every year and rarely ever gets to go to the parade because she is at home cooking and cleaning for the big tribe. She is one of a kind and I truly appreciate all she does! I only took a few pictures because I was too busy talking to all my Jones cousins. We had a great turnout this year and I was able to catch up with some cousins I hadn't seen in years! Isn't family great!

The only sad thing was that Sawyer woke up with a cough and a fever so he didn't get to go. Chris was a good sport and stayed home with him and just happened to catch the big game! It was weird not having my baby there but I'll admit it was kinda nice not having to guard the pool and make sure I knew were he was the entire time!

Wii

So we finally jumped on the band wagon and now we have a wii. The kids asked Santa and they were lucky enough to get one! Here is a video of Sawyer boxing with Maddie.

Palm Springs Aerial Tram

On Christmas Eve day a bunch of us went up to the Palm Springs Tram with the kids. It was really fun! I had gone on it before when I was in 5th grade on a field trip. They have new trams since then and they rotate as you go up so you get to see the entire 360 degree view of the mountain and the valley. It is a little bit scary, as it climbs up 8500 feet to the top of the mountain. At the top of the mountain it was about 30 degrees and there was tons of snow. Who would think that you can go to Palm Springs to play in the snow? The kids were very excited to play in the snow but soon discovered that snow is cold and hard to walk in. Maddie complained a lot and decided she'd had enough after 10 minutes. Carter on the other hand had a lot of fun. Sawyer was very frustrated trying to walk in it and kept falling down. I'll admit it was pretty cute! We had a great time and enjoyed a beautiful view and a white Christmas!

Christmas in the Desert

For the first time ever, we celebrated Christmas away from home. We went to Palm Desert with my parents, Heather and Cisco, and Chris and Amanda. Wes and Kristy also came out on Christmas eve. We had a great time and although it was a little different being away from home it was fun. We spent the first half of our week preparing for Christmas and the last half recuperating from Christmas! I will admit it was sure nice to just relax on Christmas day. I took a nap and it was so nice! We had fun going to the pool, going to the movies, playing games and spending time with one another! We went on the Aerial Tram and played in the snow, Here are some highlights from our trip.

We folded down the back seat and the van was jam crammed!

Maddie with Grammy

The kids had fun decorating Grampy as a Christmas Tree.

We loved being a the beautiful pool

Our Christmas Tree (check out that gorgeous view in the background)

All the cousins in their traditional Christmas Eve Jammies!


Santa has arrived!

Carter with his Stocking

Sawyer got this adorable scooter from Santa

Santa couldn't resist bringing Maddie a baby doll this year!


Sawyer is an old pro at opening gifts now!



On Christmas day we had dinner at the JW Marriott hotel at a restaurant called Mikado. It one of those Japanese restaurants where they cook the food in front of you. Great entertainment for the kids!



Carter and Daddy



Sawyer stuffing his face with Fried Rice!

Christmas with the Nielsens

This year we went out of town to Palm Desert the week of Christmas. So we spent the 21st of December celebrating with the Nielsens. We went to breakfast at Corner bakery and then headed over to Grandma Faye's to open gifts. It was fun to be with cousins and get to open gifts early! Chris got a really cool gift from his mom. It's called a Kindle and it is a digital book reader. It is pretty neat and we've had some fun playing with it.

After we went to see Grandpa Ed and Tanya to open more gifts. The kids enjoyed having an early Christmas!

Christmas Lights on Thoroughbred lane

Every year this one street in our city goes all out with Christmas lights. It is quite a tradition and draws thousands of people each year. We usually try to go a few weeks before Christmas, park the car and walk down the street with hundreds of other people. If you drive it, it would take at least an hour just to get to the street (on a weekend). We go a back way and just park. They even have police directing traffic it is so busy! The kids had a great time and enjoyed all the beautiful Christmas decorations. It really gets you into the Christmas Spirit.