California in June

Not only did we go to Hawaii, but we were also able to go to California with Drew's family in June. We started out with Drew's immediate family and Grandma and Grandpa Anderson at Disneyland. It was so fun. Sam was the perfect age because he didn't need a nap and everything was still so "magical" for him. Ellie liked it as well, but she was a little strung out by the 3rd day. She gets a little snippy when she doesn't get her naps (so do I). Sam LOVED the Jedi training and was so excited when he was chosen (took 2 tries). Ellie loved all of the princesses and Minnie Mouse but made sure you knew that she didn't like Goofy.

After Disneyland we drove to Oceanside to spend the rest of the weekend with the rest of the Anderson's. Grandma and Grandpa rented a beach house for the entire family for Christmas. It was so much fun and the kids had so much playing with all of their cousins. We were also able to go to SeaWorld while we were there. We had an amazing time and loved it all. Thank you so much Dave and Joni and Grandma and Grandpa! When I was going through pictures I realized I didn't get pictures of everyone - sorry! We need to swap pictures. :)

I realized as I was putting together the slideshows today that all I have in my itunes is Jason Mraz. I'm going to have to get some other music. :)

Chris and Zale's Wedding in Hawaii

I have been horrible about updating my blog so I'm just going to try and do a couple of the main trips/events over the past few months. First off.........

Chris and Zale decided that they were going to get married in Hawaii and my mom and dad made it possible for the family to enjoy a wonderful trip and wedding on Maui in May (thanks mom and dad :D ). It was a wonderful trip that we will always remember. Drew and I had a little snag getting there. When we got the airport Sunday morning to leave the flight had been delayed which would have meant that we would have missed our connecting flight in Phoenix to get to Maui. The lady from the airlines told us that if we could make it to LA we could would be able to get on a flight that would still make it to Maui that night. I decided that we should give it a try so we ran through the airport and found a southwest flight that went to Vegas and then to LA and we would have about 1 hour to make the connector to Maui. Everything seemed to be going well until we were about to land in LA and all of the sudden the plan pulled back up and circled over the ocean for about another 30+ minutes. When we finally landed there were fire trucks and ambulances all around us because we had lost one of our hydraulics and they were worried that when we landed the wheels wouldn't hold and we would skid along our belly on the runway. Obviously, that didn't happen and we were fine except for the fact that we didn't have enough time to make our next flight. We got to the ticket counter 5 minutes before our flight was supposed to leave and they wouldn't let us on. So we spent the night in LA. We were both pretty upset from the events of the whole day but still went to the beach to try and make the best of it.

After waking up at 4 in the morning to make our flight the next morning (with no bags) we finally made it to Maui. Even though it was stressful getting there we had an amazing time. It was the first trip Drew and I had really been on without the kids (thanks Joni for watching them). I think it made us realize we need to make a greater effort to take time for the two of us. It was so nice to go on a trip with my family. It is really only the 2nd time since we've been married that we've been on a trip with them and it was wonderful.

The wedding itself was wonderful. There was a little confusion with the man that married them - he had the wrong date. But after all of the initial confusion and stress it was so nice. Zale looked beautiful and it was a wonderful night. It was so nice to be able to get to know Zale's family better. I had tons of pictures so here are a couple for those who don't watch the slide show.

Drew trying to enjoy himself in LA

One of my favorites of Chris and Zale

Chris, Zale and Conner

Nate's info

Hi all! I know it has been forever since I posted and we have been traveling a ton. I will do my best to get it updated soon. However, I thought I would hurry and post a quick note about Nate. Nate (my brother-in-law) has asked me to update his blog for him while he is on a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Anyone that is interested in his current status can check it out here.

Brooke :)

5 Mile Pass - 1st Place

He did it again! Drew had a race this weekend and took first place in his division. Unfortunately I chose not to attend this time because I think I would have been pushing my luck with the kids in the cold weather. I'm hoping to track down some pics to post later. :)

Updated MMS Blog

I just updated the MMS blog with some Mother's Day gift ideas. Here is a link or just keep reading below.

Great Gifts for Mother’s Day!

I can’t believe that Mother’s Day has already snuck up on us! For the mother’s in my life I have created a tradition of giving them an empty scrapbook and then for every holiday/birthday I give them new pages to fill it with. With MMS it makes it so simple. I’ll I have to do is create one page and I have 3 books filled (mine, my mother’s, and my mother-in-law’s). There are tons of great designs and templates to choose from in the shop – make sure you check them out. Here is a page I did last year for Mother’s day. I used A Mother’s Life from the Ette’s and Company.

Another great gift idea that I think any mother would love is a brag book. I created some brag books for Grandparents this last Christmas and they were a hit. Simply take a template pack and you already have a starting point for a book. Here are some sample pages from the books I created. I used the Grandparent’s Brag Book from Miriam Lima. Once your book is created simply use the book option to have them printed. However, if you are like me and wait to the last moment to get things done, there is another option. Simply create your pages in a landscape format and print them as 4×6’s at your local print shop. Then go to your local store and find a cute 4×6 picture album and WHOLA!

Don’t make it complicated. Keep it simple and focus on the pictures and you can create an amazing gift in a flash!

Happy Scrapping and Mother’s Day!

Brooke

Ok so I never do this, but.....

Ok so I saw this thing on the new Circut Cake and I am intrigued. I don't think I would go out and spend the money on it right now, but I wouldn't mind winning one. So that is what I'm doing. I am posting a link for you to see what I'm talking about. I'm sure I won't win, but it's worth a try - right! :)

http://bit.ly/new_cricut_cake

Intermountain Cup Race in Hurricane - 1st Place!

While we were down in St. George for Easter, Drew has a bike race. He did amazing - again. He took first place by almost 2 minutes. Drew you impress me more and more each day - way to go. :)