Tag: Family

Ellie’s 2nd Birthday Party!

Leave a comment
While Ellie’s official birthday isn’t until tomorrow, today we celebrated her second birthday with family and friends. Since Minnie Mouse is one of Ellie’s favorite characters these days, we had a fun Minnie Mouse themed party. The day was pretty relaxed and low key. Abby and Ellie had the chance to play with Harrison and just enjoy being kids while the adults mingled, talked and caught up with one another. This year it was wonderful to have my parents and sister here to celebrate. I know its hard on them when they have to miss birthdays, so it was extra special to have them here.
Ellie had a great time and enjoyed eating her birthday ice cream cake. She was a little unsure of all the people surrounding her and singing to her and became very shy when it came time to blow out her candles, so mommy had to do that for her. We had two cakes this year (I think this will become tradition) one was an ice cream cake from Baskin Robins the other was made by hand by yours truley from scratch. For those who might be wondering, the ice cream cake tradition started last year on Ellie’s first birthday when the cake I was baking from scratch turned into complete chaos. In the end we ordered and ice cream cake instead and I only make a simple small cake for Ellie to smash her hands into. This year my cake was a success and I think a hit with those who chose to have a piece from it.
Nothing but smiles from the birthday girl.

Both of Ellie’s beautiful birthday cakes.
 
Ellie’s birthday cake that was made from scratch by mommy. Lots lof love went into that cake!

After cake and a bit of playtime it was on to presents! Ellie was definitely more involved with opening them this year but still wanted to play with everything as it was unwrapped. Eventually she lost interest and I did a lot of it, but that’s ok. Her distraction came from toys she loved the minute she opened them. Who am I to complain about that?

Blowing out candles but a little overwhelmed by all of the attention.

Kisses from mommy for the birthday girl.

MMMMMM… CAKE!

Opening presents with reckless abandon!

When all was said and done we were surrounded by lots of presents, food and two happy but tired children. The afternoon was a success and it was obvious to us that Ellie is very much loved by everyone she knows. What a wonderful day. Happy Birthday Ellie!

Disneyland with The Taylor Crew

Leave a comment

Take two excited Grandparents, One Auntie, a Fantastic Friend, a Cheerful Mommy and two very Happy Kiddos and what do you get? A TRIP TO DISNEYLAND! Yup, when the Taylor crew is in town its pretty much inevitable that we will end up at Disneyland. How can you resist? SO this year we found ourselves at Disneyland with the same Motley Crew as last year but we also tweaked a few things.

This time around we stayed the night at a hotel in Anaheim the night before. Best idea ever. This allowed us to sleep in a bit the morning of instead of waking up at 4am so that we could get to Disneyland and not deal with a three hour drive in morning traffic. It was completely worth it. We were up by 6:30 am and arrived at Disneyland only thirty minutes after the park opened. This allowed us to go to Cars Land (which had just opened a week and a half earlier) over in California Adventure. We had hoped to get on some of the rides but even by 9am, everything had a line no less then ninety minutes. Its ok, we still enjoyed a lovely breakfast at Flo’s Cafe and then enjoyed a few more rides before heading over to Disneyland for the rest of the day.

On the tram and ready for a day at Disneyland!
The whole gang, minus Grandpa Jerry who is behind the camera as usual. 🙂

Grandma Denise and Ellie waiting for the gang to finish up on the ladybug spinners.

Abby was just a little excited to see Pluto… just a little.

For this trip I decided to roll with the punches and let whatever happens, happen. For the most part, I stuck with that decision. I let Abby and Ellie decide what they wanted to do and Jillian and Drisana were great sports about that. The only snag of the day came with riding the Matterhorn. Abby has been on it once and loved it. Since then the ride format has changed. You can no longer sit in each others laps, instead you sit in your own seat. This meant the height requirement had changed and Abby just missed it by about half an inch. Grandpa Jerry had to leave the line with her and I felt so guilty going on without her. When we got off of the ride, I could tell Abby had been crying. It broke my heart. Its tough being at that point in life where you are still little but you also want to conquer the world on your own all at the same time. She cheered up pretty quickly and we were on to the next ride, but I have to admit there was a twinge in my heart that took a bit to go away.

Ready for her first ride on the Jungle Cruise.

All set to see Winnie the Pooh!

Happy Ellie waiting to ride on Pirates of the Caribbean. As she kept saying the rest of the day… “That was so fun!”

I did eventually get over it and I made sure it didn’t ruin my day with family, friends and my beautiful girls. Instead the girls enjoyed rides like Winnie the Pooh (two times to be exact), Pirates of the Caribbean, lunch and duck feeding at the Hungry Bear and their first time on the Jungle Cruise. The Jungle Cruise was a big hit and I am sure we will be riding on it again soon! Abby also had the chance to use her brand new autograph book and was able to get the autographs of quite a few characters, one of which being Minnie!

As a treat for the girls and the June birthdays, we had dinner at Goofy’s Kitchen. Abby had a blast and loved taking pictures with all of the characters. Well, all but Aladdin. Abby wanted nothing to do with him. Ellie was a bit leery at first but when Minnie came around, she was star struck. She was so excited and in awe that Minnie Mouse was right there in front of her. It was pretty cute if you ask me. Abby also met Cinderella which was another hit, so much so that Abby kept holding her hand.

Pictures with Minnie Mouse at Goofy’s Kitchen. Not sure you can feel the excitement here.

Ellie meeting Minnie Mouse. So start struck.

After dinner we headed back to Disneyland for another spin on Winnie the Pooh and then Drisana, Auntie Jillian, Grandpa Jerry and myself took on Splash Mountain. Yeah, Splash Mountain In June at 9:30 at night meant very soaked. Luckily it has been a hot dry day so my pants and shirt dried off quickly, but my shoe was another story. The rest of the evening was pretty lazy. The girls fell asleep so we watched the fireworks and then hit a few of our favorites. Auntie Jillian, Drisana and I rode Big Thunder and then it was Grandma Denise and Grandpa Jerry’s turn. From there we shopped while Auntie Jillian and Drisana went on a few more rides of their own. When all was said and done we stuck it out at Disneyland and nearly closing time.

At Auntie Jillian’s insistence we rode Splash Mountain. While you can tell we were hit with water, this picture does not  show just how wet we were. Soaked, completely soaked.

It was a long drive home that night, but so worth it. We made lots of memories and enjoyed our time together. Drisana is now an honorary member of the Taylor family after surviving a Disneyland trip with us for the second summer in a row. I know I fell asleep the minute my head hit the pillow that night but it was all for good reasons. Yet another fun day in the memory books. Until next time!

Mother’s Day 2012

Leave a comment

Today we celebrated Mother’s Day. It was a pretty quiet day to be honest and I will admit I liked it. I got a lot of cleaning done, we had dinner with Grandma Zoe and she had some time with Abby and Ellie, and then we relaxed in the evening. I didnt even think to pick up the camera and take pictures of the flowers Shaun gave me, which were beautiful! The moments we did catch were of Abby helping me frost the cake I made. She was so excited to do it too. The minute the cake came out of the oven she was asking me when. I had to tell her that the cake needed time to cool and then we could put the frosting on. From that point I think she asked me every 10 minutes or so. “Mommy is the cake cool yet?” So cute. Glad I caught those moments with our camera though. It’s Abby and Ellie and these moments, after all, that make me a mom. Happy Mothers Day!

 

A Bit of Weekend Gardening

Leave a comment
After a very busy say yesterday, Shaun and I decided to play it low key. Our garden on the front porch had pretty much died, due to the heat of last summer and some pretty bad neglect after that.  SO we headed on over to Lowe’s and bought some new plants.  This year we decided to plant some strawberries, more basil, thyme, cilantro, mint, and we were able to save and replant our chives.  We also put four pots of lavender out as well.  After a nap, which allowed me to clean down the porch, the girls helped us pot our new plants. It wasn’t much but it was the perfect end to another wonderful weekend.

A Busy But Fun Saturday!

Leave a comment
Yesterday was a very busy Saturday. Don’t get me wrong, when I say busy it was a good type of busy. Not wanting to be stuck in the house on such a beautiful day, we decided to head up to Santa Barbara and go to the zoo! Sure we have been to the Santa Barbara Zoo a lot but it is such a great place to take the kids and it doesn’t require an entire day or weekend to do it! The girls had a great time and we had a few firsts. On this visit, both snow leopards were out in their enclosure for all to see. I dont think in all of my time at the zoo I have seen both of them at the same time.  One of them was evening making “funny noises” as Abby said. To me he sounded like my old cat Harley when he wanted something. I have a feeling it was time to eat.
We also had hoped to see the new Otter couple but they were still getting used to their new home, which meant they only were allowed to come out and visit for small amounts of time. Bob and Jillian, the zoos last couple, now call the National Zoo in Washington D.C. Their family of 13 grew quickly and the Santa Barbara Zoo no longer had the space to take care of them.  For those of you who didn’t know, the Otters are named based on pop culture at the time they come to the zoo. Bob and Jillian arrived during a time when the “Biggest Loser” was very popular especially among the zoo staff. The new couple has been named Katniss and Peeta, after the popular books and movie, The Hunger Games. Hopefully the next time we visit we can meet the new additions to the zoo!
All smiles and ready to head to the zoo!

The new Otter couple at the zoo! I have to admit, I love their new names!

Abby didnt believe me when I told her that these Capybaras are big rats.

The Snow Leopard that seemed to be very hungry.

Shaun walking with his girls up to see the elephants.

A young Flamingo that has yet to get his pink feathers.

Where I go, Blankie Goes.

Stopping to see the Giraffes. Ellie wanted to be one!

Hitching a ride with Daddy.

Cardboard + AstroTurf = A Really Fun Ride!

Ellie needed a little help from her Daddy.

A new friend and time spent at the zoo means a nice sleep on the way home.

While we were at the zoo, I received we text from Erika to see if the girls wanted to meet up at Bright Child to play with Harrison. Since we were close to wrapping up our day we accepted! Not only was it an opportunity for the girls to play with their friend, it was also another chance for us to let the girls run until they couldn’t run anymore! With a nap in the car on the way, they were ready to play when we arrived. Abby, Ellie and Harrison played basketball together, ran, jumped and took on the slides without any problems.

Taking a time out, especially after that personal foul. 🙂

Taking on the slide. Abby jumped up the minute she hit the bottom, just at the opening and flew out just so she could go again. It was quite a site to see.

Harrison prefered the feet first approach!

Ellie used those strong legs and ab muscles to stop herself. Yet another impressive site to see. We certainly have strong kids.

After a long day of animals, walking, playing and running we headed home. Luckily we were smart enough to bring PJ’s for the girls, so when they passed out on the ride home, all we had to do was move them from the car to their beds. They passed out before we even reached the freeway.  As I have said before, passed out kiddos are a sure sign of a very fun day!

A Perfect Day for the Beach

1 Comment
Today was the perfect day for the beach so we headed out to Point Mugu State Beach to enjoy the sun and some cool ocean breezes. With a few new buckets, sand toys and umbrellas in tow we set up camp in a great spot and had a great day. The girls made sand castles and mud pies, chased away the seagulls and dipped their toes in the water. Abby had a blast as the waves crashed in hitting her legs and then quickly pulling out. She LOVED the feeling as the water receded and the sand moved under her feet. Ellie, on the other hand, was a bit more wary of all this water and stuck with mommy.
We didn’t do too much in particular but we still had a wonderful time. When we weren’t playing in the sand or the water we were watching seal lions and birds playing in the surf. Out of nowhere, two young California Grey Whales appeared in the first crest of waves from the beach. We watched as they spouted water from their blowholes, rolled in the waves and one even attempted to breech. It was amazing to watch. In all of my life living in Southern California and hanging out at the beach I don’t think I have ever seen two whales that close to shore. Truly amazing! It was the most perfect day at the beach and I am so blessed that we could share it all with our children!

A Little Spring Snow

Leave a comment

April certainly has brought us some wet weather and cooler temperatures. It rained and rained and rained all day yesterday and into the evening. It was very chilly at night but not cold enough to snow here in Porter Ranch.  It was however, cold enough to snow up in the mountains in the surrounding areas. So this afternoon we decided to head up to Frazier Park and see if there was enough snow for the girls to play in. After a little diving and a bit of searching, we found lots of snow and a perfect place to stop.

Frazier Park had some snow but it took driving up towards Mt. Pinos before we found enough to play in. Once we found it, there was plenty of it. Our perfect spot already had a snowman too! The girls had a great time. Ellie was in awe of the cold white stuff that surrounded her and Abby jumped right in, trying to add to the snowman!

Our time in the snow was short lived as the clouds darkened, snow began to fall again and we started to lose daylight. Both of the girls were not happy to leave but did willingly head back to the car when they realized just how cold they were. The cool air and time in the snow gave us some peace and quiet on the ride home though, leaving the girls to sleep on the ride back. Another wonderful and very spontaneous Saturday for the Whartons.

 

Happy Valentines Day!

Leave a comment
Happy Valentines Days from the Whartons!

Shaun was very nice to his girls today. They wouldn’t hold still for a good picture but as you can see, he gave them each a Valentines Day balloon and a single pink rose. So sweet! He was also very nice to me and gave me a big beautiful bouquet of peach roses. I cant complain at all. Happy Valentines Day to all of you and to the loves of my life!



Christmas Vacation In Montana… Our Final Day and Heading Home

Leave a comment

As the saying goes, “All good things must come to an end” and that includes wonderful vacations with family and friends. Our final day in Bozeman was pretty relaxed and unplanned. My mom, my sister and myself headed over to the mall to do a bit of shopping together while my dad watched the girls. Shaun went to the condo to start organizing our things so we could get the car packed later that night. Shaun wanted to go for a skate around the large pond in town that has been turned into a skating track, but unfortunately the gel in he skates froze up to the point that he couldn’t get his feet in.


That night we went to dinner and shared one last night of fun and family. Afterwards, Abby and Ellie stayed with my parents while Shaun and I headed back to the condo to pack up our bags and then pack the car. I know I did all of this with a heavy heart. I was having such a wonderful time, I really didn’t want to go.

The following morning we headed over to pick up the girls. We said our goodbyes and I tried really hard not to cry, but its me and I did. We took a different way home, which is the route I take during the summer when I come up to visit. Most of it was dry and easy going, until we hit the cut off into Island Park, Idaho. We barely made the turn from the stop sign because it was so icy but we made it. It was slow going until we hit Ashton, Idaho.


From there we were snow free and making good time. We stopped in Beaver, Utah that night for a much needed rest and did the final stretch home the following morning. The girls were excellent travelers and I think we were all happy to get home and sleep in our own beds. Now its time to unpack, settle back into our normal routine and wait to take a vacation from our vacation. Until next time Montana!

Christmas Vacation in Montana… Snow Fun and Travel Through Yellowstone

Leave a comment

After an amazing dinner and a great nights sleep, Shaun and I woke up and headed back in to Yellowstone for the day. What a difference there was between this winter and last. For starters it was a balmy 28 degrees out as opposed to -10 degrees last year. The snow pack on the road was very thin to non existent. In most spots through the park, we could still see pavement.

The unseasonably warm weather did keep many of the animals away though. So no wolves for me this year. We had been told about several animal carcasses that the wolves had been frequenting for food but to no avail. We did see the usual bison throughout the park and even a long trail of them heading out to Hayden Valley. We also had the chance to catch two coyotes trying to catch mice in the shallow snow and grass.




The only road open in the park to vehicles is the road from the North Entrance at Mammoth to the Northeast Entrance in Cooke City. Shaun and I decided to drive the entire road and it was beautiful! On the way back we stopped to eat the sandwiches we bought before coming into the park. We hadn’t been stopped more then twenty minutes, so when we tried to start the car and it didn’t we were completely baffled. It was our battery and we were stuck in Yellowstone, with cell phones that did not work, and only a few people near by. Luckily one of the few people sitting at the lookout waiting to a glimpse of a wolf had a portable jumper kit.

Once the car was running, we got back on the road and decided to head back to my parents house just to be safe. The drive through Paradise Valley was beautiful at sunset, despite having to keep our eyes on the sides of the road in anticipation of deer, which were everywhere. We had such a wonderful time but it was nice to get back and see the girls. They were somewhat excited to see us, but you could tell they had a great time with Grandma, Grandpa and Auntie Jillian.




During the day Abby and Ellie watched movies and played. When Ellie took a nap, Grandpa took Abby outside to play in the snow. She had a great time, rolling up snow balls, making snow angels and enjoying what was left of the snowfall from a few days ago. She even sat and what was left from their snowman for a picture. I good day was had by all, that’s for sure!

Christmas Vacation In Montana… Cookies and Mommy/Daddy Time

Leave a comment

Our first day away, Shaun and I took advantage of being child free. What did we do? Slept in of course! Its not something we get to do often, if ever so it was really nice have some extra sleep. Our day was pretty simple. Once we were up and out of the house we drove around town and then headed out to a little place called The Coffee Pot. Its a small little cafe and pottery studio. The pottery they make on site is beautiful, so much so that I wanted to take everything home. Unfortunately their pieces were a bit on the expensive side, so I had to leave most of what they made there.



On the plus side I did get to enjoy one thing they are famous for besides pottery, their biscuits and gravy. Before I say anything else, I want to state for the record that I have never been a huge fan of biscuits and gravy. It never really appealed to me and the few times I had tried them I wasn’t impressed. I now realized its because I have never had anything that was good enough or worthy of eating. Until today. Shaun, who is very hard to impress when it comes to good food told me they were the best he had ever had after he took his first bite. I knew I had to at least try them and I am so glad I did. WOW… I cant describe them, but it was amazing. So bad for me but worth it.


After our yummy little excursion we headed to the one place I had a feeling we would end up going to… Yellowstone! Shaun was able to get a last minute reservation at our favorite hotel in Gardiner so we headed out. After we arrived and settled into our room, we drove up to Mammoth Hot Springs for dinner and it was amazing. Perfect weather, perfect food and all of it inside one of the places on earth that makes me very very happy.

While we were away that day the girls had a blast. Abby and Auntie Jillian made cookies and luckily Grandpa Jerry caught a few great pictures for us! Jillian says Abby was an excellent helper, especially when it came time to clean up the beater!





Our first day away was a huge success! The girls had a great time and Shaun and I had the chance to relax and enjoy each other, a wonderful city and head out to one of my happy places.

Christmas Vacation In Montana… A Trip to the Museum and the Last Night of 2011

Leave a comment

Its the last day of 2011! Can you believe it?! Where did the year go? Instead of dwelling on how quickly the year passed we decided to take the girls and head on over with my parents and sister to the Museum of the Rockies. The girls and I visited the museum back in May when we were in town for Jillian’s graduation and they had a great exhibit on frogs. This time there were two exhibits, both of which were very interesting.

The first was a photo gallery of music legends taken from the works of many famous photographers and photo journalists. All of the adults found it to be very interesting but the girls didn’t share our sentiments. The second was called “Mayan Gold” and it displayed artifacts found in a Mayan burial site in Panama. For those who are thinking it, no nothing was mentioned regarding the “Mayan Prophecy or Doomsday theories” as it was completely irrelevant to the site. Instead it was able to give the public some insight on how the Mayan culture viewed death, burial and the afterlife. Their ability to work with gold, other precious metals and gemstones was impressive. Once again the adults really seemed to enjoy it but the girls, BORED TO DEATH!


After trying to enjoy the first two exhibits as best we could, we headed to some spots that the girls would enjoy. The girls had the chance to play and build with some Lincoln Logs as well as see Abby’s favorite spot, the Dinosaurs!


After enjoying the Dinosaurs we took the girls to the place we knew Abby was waiting for, The Yellowstone Trail which is a play area for children that teaches all about Yellowstone and the outdoors. The girls had a blast! Ellie enjoyed the toddler section, rolling and jumping around on the mats that are meant to look like the Lower Yellowstone falls. She found a few favorite toys as well and made a couple of friends. Abby took off and did a bit of fishing and watching through binoculars at the fire lookout. She even started to get a little bossy with the other kids, collecting all of the binoculars and keeping several little boys from taking them. She told them it was time to clean up and they couldn’t have them. Gee, where did she get that from? It took one of the little boys telling Grandpa Jerry that she wasn’t sharing before giving them back. Oh Abby…



Before we knew it the museum was closing and it was time for us to head back to Grandma and Grandpa’s house. We still had a whole night a head of us and the New Year to ring in. Now it was time for the girls to take a nap and Shaun and I to rest. The rest of the evening was spent watching TV, talking with family and eating our traditional Chinese food.



Its getting close to midnight and the girls are still going! Shaun and I are ready for bed but I think the girls are on their second or third wind. I hope they can make it to midnight and then pass out as soon as we get into the car!