our journey to disneyland.

before i share the wonderful joys of our BEST disneyland vacation...i must share the journey to get there. we had been planning on taking a family trip disneyland since last year. we took kyri when she was two and we have been dying to go back! once we received our tax return, we started planning. we ended up choosing a week in april that was after every ones spring break, but before the summer craziness. having an 8 month old and a 4 year old, we wanted to avoid a crowded time. once we chose the dates, our friends, the ernst family, decided to join us that same week. yay! their son, gabriel, is kyri's best buddy. they are two peas in a pod! we got a great deal on tickets (with the give-a-day) and upgraded to 3-day parkhoppers for the whole family. we also found a newly-renovated best western hotel across the street from the park, for only $64 a night! wooohooo! with all of the planning, we were starting to get so excited for our family vacation to disneyland! little did we know...the week before we left was going to be the worst week EVER.

our family was hit with the nastiest tummy bug. yuck! kaden got it first and was throwing up every hour. all day. that night, kyri started throwing up. the next morning i was taken down and was on the couch all day with my girl. kevin stayed home from work, taking care of our dreadfully sick family. we did about 10 loads of laundry in two days. so nasty. kaden was hit the hardest. he just couldn't keep anything down. i had to give him small amounts of breastmilk at a time so he wouldn't throw it up. poor baby boy. it is torture to see your babies sick. you feel so helpless. kyri was out for about a day and then was back to her normal, bouncy self. kaden's tummy was so sensitive for about two weeks. i didn't have much of an appetite until we left for our trip...which was only 6 days after this all went down. i am still thanking Jesus that kevin didn't get sick. it was a miracle! our friends that joined us, were also all sick with the same thing, at the same time. when it was time to go, we were all in NEED of a vacation! that week was just so horrendous. on top of that, so many things were going wrong, in every way possible. the timing of our trip couldn't be more more perfect...we were so ready to enjoy a wonderful vacation as a family, away from home! disneyland, here we come!

on the road...7 hour drive with the best kids in the world! no crying or whining the entire trip makes for a very happy mommy and daddy!

at the hotel, getting ready to meet up with our friends!

kyri was so excited to see gabriel! when they saw each other, they ran into each other's arms...like the in the movies. priceless.

little buddies.

so happy to be on vacation.

dinner at the rainforest cafe. so fun!

such a big boy now.

playtime at the hotel!

this is how kaden gives you kisses...he attacks you.

cuddles before a long, fun-filled day at disneyland!

celebrating easter at home.

so proud of her egg-decorating skills.

dying easter eggs with the family.

too little to dye eggs this year, so kaden is just havin' fun with daddy!

PINK!

she made one for daddy...and mommy and kaden too.

we also decorated easter sugar cookies.

they were both beautiful and yummy.

easter morning and easter baskets.

kaden was pretty excited to discover he had eggs filled with treats too...baby fruit puff snacks.

kyri got new princess shades in her basket.

oh so kissable cheeks!

kyri's easter dress that i made for her. why i thought it would be a good idea to make her dress...i do not know. i had to start over and almost gave up. i'm so glad i didn't. i love how it turned out and kyri loved it too!

i made kaden matching pants, which were much easier to make. so adorable, my little spring baby!

cute as can be.

big sister loves her brother.

hi there, blue eyes!

kaden sure does love his mama.

so thankful for these wonderful blessings.

celebrating easter with friends.

gabriel and kyri...love this precious friend moment.

playgroup buddies all ready to hunt for some easter eggs!

kyri girl and her easter basket.

little lady.

soaking up the sun.

hi there, beautiful boy!

best part of the easter egg hunt...the treats!

garrett is quite content with his m&m's.

enjoying their yummy chocolate.

sweet girls...anna and kyri.

what a great day!

at preschool, we made bunnie masks. the kids loved them!

cute boys.

bunnies and their baskets.

the kids also made easter sugar cookies.

gabriel covered in flour...and lovin' it!

my beautiful baker.

short and sweet.

shortly after andy was here, grandma and grandpa made a quick trip out to california. they flew down to see andy before he left and then drove his car up here to drop it off and see the grandbabies. it was a short visit, but we sure did love seeing their beautiful faces! we enjoyed dinner together and spent the next day outside blowing plenty of bubbles. grandma and grandpa went to disneyland with andy and they brought back a princess coloring book for kyri...and a GIANT red and pink lollipop! there was lots of hugs and kisses both given and received. i love seeing my babies with grandma and grandpa. warms my heart. someday we will live closer so they can have sleepovers at grandma and grandpa's house and so mommy and daddy can have lots of date nights...wooohooo! we want nothing more than to be closer to our family. we are hoping to see them again this summer. with kyri and kaden, it's too hard for them to stay away!

blue-eyed beauty.

this sweatshirt was kevin's when he was in elementary school. grandma saved it and now kyri gets to wear her daddy's sweatshirt...precious.

now there are two precious loves to love on!

just asking to be kissed!

grandma and her girl.

i'm gonna get your glasses, grandpa!



parents to adore.

pretty much as big as her face...and it tastes good too.