Faith, Trust, and Pixie Dust

I'm still reeling with the magic of Disneyland. Can you believe I hadn't been back to the happiest place on earth since I was 10-years-old? My return was past due. And the best part? Everyone in my immediate family was able to make it. 

2 parents + 4 siblings + 3 mates + 3 kiddos + Mickey Mouse = one rad way to celebrate Christmas. 

We booked a hotel for a week and went loco with our park hopper passes. 

And I may have gone a little nutso with las picturas.

 If you actually look at every one you are either A) my mother B) my mother-in-law C) a truly loyal blog reader.

So without further adieu...these are for you select few ;)

Classic family shot

Lydie Bug's first ride

Toy Story

Fantasmic Lake

Jungle Cruise

Love Birds

Haunted Mansion

Soaked from head to toe after Splash Mountain. Look at Zacharoo's face :)
They definitely forgot that the heaviest person on your ride should not be in the front.

Grandpa and his Snoogie.
These pics melt me.

I cannot even begin to describe how awesome the Christmas decorations were.
Disney knows how to do it.

I have cute parents.

Sleeping Beauty's Castle during the day.

Sleeping Beauty's Castle at night.
I had to get up on Kyle's shoulders for this one.

Getting amped up for the Christmas Parade!

We staked our claim at the very end of the parade in front of It's a Small World

So dang good! 

All 3 kiddos were enthralled. Well, Lydie played with a wrapper most of the time, but at least she sat still :)

Uncle Steve and "his girl."

Sweet Baby.
Lydie was a champ on this trip.
How did we do it you might ask?

Snacks...lots and lots of snacks.

"You best be backin' away from my mum mum, foo."

Winnie the Pooh

Unfortunately, we had more on our agenda than kiddie rides.

Behold: Tower of Terror. 

Yeah...I wasn't that scared. Not.

I was so mad at my mom for making me believe it wasn't that bad. I believe my eyes tell the real story here.

Real men carry stuffed animals.

Shopping
I needed 3 things: a postcard (for my personal collection), a Christmas ornament (for our family's collection), and something for Lydie pie. We decided on the cutest princess jammies EVER. And it was soooo hard for me not to throw in a princess castle complete with 15 Disney characters and an Alice in Wonderland tea set. Yes, I do plan on reliving my childhood through my daughter.

"I can't quite figure her out."

Ferris Wheel with my honey

Night time shot

Waiting for the World of Color show.

Date night.
 All of the babyless adults were so awesome about watching Lydie and letting Kyle and I go off by ourselves. On the last day, we stayed until midnight and got to watch Fantasmic just the 2 of us. Topped with peppermint hot chocolate, we couldn't have asked for a better time.
It's enough to make you forget you're a grown up.
 As we were leaving the park one of the workers called out, "Good night, youngsters!"
K: "I have a beard."
S: "I have a baby."
Our own personal claims to adulthood.

Hotel time
AKA Lydia's exploring time

Such a modest lass.

Sweetie Pie

I LOVE this picture of my mom and Lincoln. She's such a fun Grandma.

We celebrated Zachy's 4th birthday!

He's my buddy.

This shot is precious.

We had a little party with cinnamon rolls and presents before hitting another full day at the parks.

A few days later we also got to celebrate Mandy's 30th birthday!

The last day was dedicated to family pictures.

Nailed the Santa pic. She's such a poser.

Cuuuuute

Happy Grandparents

Adorable Cousins

The whole fam

It sure was a blast! Whose ever idea this was... (Jerry?) well done!

Dear Lydie Girl,

Happy 7 month birthday, pretty!

You are a scooting champ! I realized a few days ago that you need to have pants on at all times, because you get rug burns on your little knees. You absolutely see the benefits in being mobile. 

But sitting up? Not so much. 

Perhaps I shouldn't practice with you on the bed anymore. You think falling over is hilarious, and I'm pretty sure you're propelling yourself backwards on purpose.

To describe you in a word: personality.

You have been overflowing with quirky enthusiasm since day one and I love you to pieces for it.

You giggle, you grunt, you flirt, you SQUEAL.

A blob, you are not. A space cadet? Forget about it. You are fully in the moment AT. ALL. TIMES.

Daddy and I get told frequently that we're in for it.

You love to be independent. 

It takes you forever to finish a bottle, because you don't want any help. I've learned to live with the fact that you will drop it 10,000 times and get milk/water everywhere. On the plus side, if I hand you half a rice cake you will feed yourself for as long as I replenish them :). Daddy and I are going to buy you mum mums today...rice crackers that are full of fiber. I'm sure you'll love them. You love everything.

You devour bananas. You always want water after a meal. 

Even though all of the baby websites say you should only have milk, I give it to you anyway. 

Because, psshh, it's water!...it's not like I'm putting coke in your bottle. 

And believe me, people do this. 

You know what I'm talkin' bout, Lyd. You and I walk to the ghetto Target a lot together.

You're obsessed with people. Nothing brings you greater joy than when someone smiles at you. Especially daddy. Boy, is he your buddy. You're going to be a tough little chick with the way he wrestles with you.

You would play all day without sleeping if we let you.

You're my girly girl. You love your stuffed animals and your dolly. You love to pet the dresses I put you in and chew on the tutus. But, let's be honest, you'd prefer it if I chillaxed on the headbands. 

It's no secret that I dreamed of having a little girl for my first child. 

Thanks for being my sweetie pie.

Next to daddy, you're my favorite.

Christmas is in full swing, and we can't wait to share it with you!

We made chocolate covered holiday pretzels with Tawny, Rylee, and Landon.

I should be a food model.

I made this ornament at a relief society party.

And this gift tag at a scrap book party.

And you were a mighty big fan of the mashed potatoes and corn at the ward Christmas party.

I'm sure you're wondering why a giant, glowing orb has replaced the kitchen table, but someday you'll understand why such things take precedence. 

Maybe, if you saw a lot of lights all together you'd grasp the concept of Christmas a little better.

In fact, we're boarding a plane for your 5th time this afternoon to behold such a magical place.

Need a hint?

It's in Anaheim. And mommy may be a tad more excited about it than you are!