Big Boy-- sorta

This is how excited Luke was to wear some big-boy u-wear. He isn't potty trained yet, but was so excited about wearing it, Derek let him for awhile.

Season Over

Our T-Baller is done! He absolutely loved it and we did too. Great job, Jack!

Last Disneyland Until August

We went on a lot of things we hadn't gone in either in a long time or ever for our last, long day at Disneyland. We were gone for 15 hours and had a lot of fun. Luke ended up crashing in the stroller for a little while and they all did really well. It was the first time for all of us to see the classic Electrical Parade, which was cooler than I thought it'd be!


Jungle Cruise line. Total of five minute wait.

On the Cruise.

After Pooh

Leah fell asleep for a few minutes on Small World. She was so cute! I picked her up and carried her out and about two minutes into our walk to the train she woke up and said something like, 'Mom, I think I fell asleep. Did you know that?' She's a blast.

Disneyland Two Weeks Ago

We set a couple of days aside to go to Disneyland before we're blacked out for the summer on our passes. The first day was a couple of weeks ago and we had a great time doing and seeing some things we haven't normally done. Anna even did her first roller coaster (kid version, but still a great achievement for her)! I'm going to post more pictures to our Facebook account of our Disneyland trips since we ended up with so many pics these last two times.

At first I was a little sad to not be going to Disneyland for two months but after experiencing the summer crowds, I am more than happy not to go back while everyone else is there! Yikes, we spent more time waiting and in line and jus trying to get through the people than anything else. Maybe we're 'spoiled' because being locals, the it did make me appreciate the winter months more.


Anna just finished her first roller coaster.

After the Roger Rabbit ride. If I were in charge, this ride would be tossed out-- a total waste of space.

The Street Party dance (sorta like the parade for the summer) has a kid participation where they can go out during part and join in the conga line. Anna and Leah ran right out and Jack and Luke followed shorlty afterwards.

All of them in the conga line.

This Is How He Slept

Really. I don't know for how long, but his is him sleeping during his nap. Maybe he was thinking it was time to get up but changed his mind...

A Very Well Loved Baby Gift

When we were expecting Anna, Alex (aka Uncle Alex) bought a gift for us/her. It was a nice white light weight chenille blanket. If any of you remember Anna's early days (or entire first year), you remember that she did NOT like the car. I thought babies were supposed to sleep in the car. Anna didn't get that notice and instead she cried. Yup, nearly the whole time nearly everytime we went anywhere. Amazing that we had more children!

Anyhow, I had used this white blanket from Alex for her in winter because it clung to her while she rolled around in her early months. It became her staple blanket but she didn't seem particularly attached to it, she just loved to suck her thumb. In the summer of '02 we took a trip to Michigan and somewhere driving around (Anna crying) I decided to cover her up with her blanket to see if she calmed down. Worked like magic. I was shocked and then dismayed that I hadn't tried it earlier. From that day forward, it has been her comfort at bedtime even though the thumb-sucking is a thing of the past.

These days the good ol' blanket resembles something more like a rope, but we still call it her blanket and she still loves it. It has soft spots and rough spots and she dearly loves the way it smells, especially after it's washed :).

I was looking at this recent picture and it reminded me of everything that blanket has been through with us/her in the last nearly 8 years. Hopefully 8 years from now the blanket will be in some special memory box and not under her pillow every night!

Diane's Wedding

The girls and I had a great time at a dear friend's wedding on Friday night. The wedding was held at a private home with a spectacular ocean view and was just stunning.

The girls were glossy-eyed at the beautiful house, the bride (who looks like a real life princess to them), the yummy cupcakes and nearly everything else. The parking was a little tight so they had hired a valet service for the evening so even our girls felt like little princesses being picked up by our carriage (Odyssey) after the festivities.

We got home at nearly midnight and they both did really well. Anna even stayed up the entire time reading on the ride home.

I'm going to put in a few more pictures than normal because there were so many beautiful and fun things to see.


The girls, the bride and the groom.

The new Haller Family.

Robin & Diane

Going down the aisle.