Tag: Family

Christmas Vacation In Montana… The First Three Days

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If you know how far California is from Montana, then you know it takes at least a day and a half to get there by car with two children under the age of four. It was an adventurous trip with an unlikely run in with a local from Dillon Montana. Needless to say we were happy to arrive in Bozeman safe, sound and somewhat sane. After settling into our condo rental we headed over to Grandma and Grandpa Taylor’s house for dinner and a chance to catch up. As you can tell, dinner was yummy.



After dinner and a few laps around my parents house the girls were finally ready to go to sleep, which means Shaun and I were well past that point. The following morning we slept in as best we could and then headed over to Grandma and Grandpa’s to hang out. Shaun and I had the chance to sneak off for a bit to spend a few hours to ourselves too! The girls had the chance to open Christmas gifts from Aunt Diane, Uncle Barry and Great Grandma Prueter and we had an amazing dinner at Santa Fe Red’s, a Mexican Restaurant in Bozeman.







It was a casual day but that’s how vacations are supposed to be. Shaun and I had time to ourselves, the girls had time with family and we had time to relax. The only thing missing was snow. Yup… not a single flake in the air or on the ground. Its been an unusually warm winter in Montana so far. I am now doing a snow dance so that Abby can play in the snow she keeps talking on and on about. Fingers crossed!

Christmas Day 2011

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Merry Christmas everyone! It was a wonderful Christmas in the Wharton house full of presents, love and yummy treats. Santa came to our house and the girls were certainly excited to see all of the goodies underneath our tree. Santa also left a lot in our sttockings, which were “hung by the TV with care”. We don’t have a fireplace, so this was the next best place to put them.

Abby was excited to open presents at first but then I think became a little overwhelmed by it all. We have to remember that she is only three and while she understands a lot there is still plenty that she doesn’t understand. But, she was very thrilled with the Sleeping Beauty Doll and the Leap Pad Explorer that Santa brought. Ellie enjoyed it all and really got the hang of opening presents, so much so that I think she liked opening them more then playing with the actual present itself.







After presents we ate a bit of the brunch Daddy made, cleaned up the aftermath of present opening and headed over to Grandpa and Nana’s house for Christmas dinner and a few more presents. Fiona’s father, Neal joined us for dinner as well. It was very nice to see him again and catch up! It was his first time meeting Ellie and Abby has grown by leaps and bounds since we saw him last.



Dinner was fantastic! Nana Fiona made the most amazing creamed corn I have ever had! Everything else was delicious too, from the green bean casserole to the cauliflower with cheese and the very tasty ham. After dinner we opened presents while we waited to make room for a yummy dessert. Abby and Ellie were given a princess kitchen by Grandpa, Nana and Uncle James and shopping carts for each of them from Aunt Brittany. I think those items were the hit of the day!

When presents had been opened and our tummies found enough room for a little bit more to eat, we enjoyed a lovely cake from Portos Bakery thanks to Aunt Brittany. The rest of the evening was spent visiting, enjoying presents and taking in as much as we could before Christmas passed us by. Once it had, the next items on our list was to get ready for our trip to Montana. So Merry Christmas everyone and here is to Montana!

Christmas Eve in 2011… The Relaxing Whartons

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Christmas came upon us fast again. It was Thanksgiving and then before I knew it… it was Christmas Eve! Even though I felt ahead of the game several weeks before Christmas, I still felt rushed once it was here. Luckily our Christmas Eve was quiet and relaxed. Grandma Zoe came over to spend the evening with us eating a lovely dinner and opening lots of presents. The girls were very blessed by Santa and Grandma Zoe. From adorable Peppa Pig toys and clothes from Europe to books and art items the girls have a lot of new and lovely things.

Because we are heading to Montana in just a few days, we decided to keep dinner simple and ordered and pre-made meal from Marie Calendars. I have to say… pretty tasty for a dinner that came out of a giant box! I liked it a lot and it was pretty mess free.









After wonderful food, lots of gifts and time spent together with Grandma the girls headed off to bed. Before snuggling in for the night Shaun and I checked NORAD to see where Santa was. At that moment he was in Northwest Territories, Canada! Not too far from California! So, we rushed them quickly to bed so that Santa wouldn’t miss our house. The excitement kept them up for a bit, but eventually they fell asleep.


Once the girls were out, the tree was turned back on and filled with gifts from Santa and Mommy and Daddy. I went to bed excited by the idea that in the morning the girls, especially Abby, would wake up excited to see what was under the tree! One of the many joys of being a mom of young children. Merry Christmas everyone!

One Last Time… Disneyland with Grandma Zoe!

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I am sure I will get a few jokes about the amount of time we spend at Disneyland, but oh well! We love the Magic Kingdom! Yesterday we headed to Disneyland but this time Grandma Zoe came with. Grandma has not been to Disneyland since Shaun was a kid, so this was pretty exciting as a lot has changed at Disneyland since then!

We arrived in the afternoon ready to have a lot of fun. Abby was very excited! We walked around Main Street, giving Grandma the chance to take everything in and enjoy all of the Christmas decorations. After a walk through the castle, we stopped into the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique to get the two little princesses their proper tiaras. Once they were adorned with their new royal head decorations we wheeled on over to Big Thunder Ranch to get a picture with Santa Clause.





I was worried about the picture with Santa, knowing how children freak out when they see a fat man with a face full of hair but the girls were great! Abby sat right on his lap and when he asked what she wanted for Christmas she was eager to tell him… “A Sleeping Beauty Doll”. Ellie didn’t cry and seemed okay with Santa, but you could tell she planned on keeping an eye on this guy.

When we finished with pictures we headed back to Fantasyland. Abby is now tall enough to ride a few roller coasters and it was time for her to give one a try. She has been asking for a few months now but we needed to wait for a time when Daddy could go. If she became scared or overwhelmed we knew Daddy was the best person for her to ride with. But, she didn’t get scared at all! As the ride first started she screamed just like she hears other people do and when we got to the top she put her arms up! She even got to see the Abominable Snow Man!


After a Disneyland first for Abby, we headed over to California Adventure for more rides! After The Little Mermaid, almost all of the rides in a Bugs Land, and Monsters Inc. we made our way to the Disneyland Hotel for a very special dinner at Goofy’s Kitchen! Abby has never been before and we knew she would enjoy having dinner and seeing a lot of the Disney characters, which we did. Goofy, Pluto, Snow White, Chip and Dale, Baloo, and Minnie Mouse all came by and took pictures with both of the girls. Dinner was yummy and I am sure Abby appreciated being at a place where getting out of your chair during dinner to dance and play is actually encouraged! Ellie was a little apprehensive of most of the characters but when it came to Minnie, she was very excited and had no problem giving her a big kiss on the nose.





After dinner, we headed back into the park but decided to take the Monorail over. This was Abby and Ellie’s first ride on the monorail and they loved it. Mommy and Daddy, however, had a ton of fun getting on and off. What a hassle! For those of you with double strollers, don’t take the monorail! Apparently, California State Law requires that all strollers be completely folded up in order to ride the monorail. Most double strollers dont fold up easily, especially when loaded with diaper bags, food and all the crud you drag with you to a day at Disneyland. I am sure plenty of people where laughing at us as they watched us get on and off, but I know Shaun and I were not. Oh well, the girls enjoyed the ride and that’s all that matters.

When we arrived back into the park, we headed off for a few more rides. We made sure to get on Its A Small World because Ellie loves this one and Grandma Zoe has never seen it all done up for the holidays. From there we found a few more rides to go on and then slowly made our way back to the car. The girls were passed out in the stoller and ready to head to bed. Abby went with Grandma to have a slumber party at her house and fun was had by all. It was the perfecting ending to our last trip to Disneyland in 2011! Until next year!

Christmas Time Is Here

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Thanksgiving has passed and Christmas is in the air! This week I pulled out the Christmas bins and decorated the house. Today Shaun pulled out our tree (yes its fake and no I am not thrilled about it) and set it up to decorate. The girls were very excited about the tree, especially Abby. I have to say I am very excited this year because Abby is now at that age where she is starting to understand the idea of Christmas and of course, Santa! She asks all the time about Santa and now every morning when she wakes up she asks if its Christmas. Its cute now, but lets hope it doesn’t wear out its cute factor too soon. I love that she is so excited and even though Ellie doesnt understand yet, the excitement is infectious. Ellie squealed when she saw the tree and all the lights.
I have to say, Christmas is even better with small children around. I love seeing their faces light up when they see things or you talk about Santa and Christmas day. I truly enjoy experiencing the magic of the season through the eyes, of my children. What a blessing it has been! So in that spirit Welcome to the Christmas Season and enjoy the beauty this time of year brings!

Thanksgiving 2011

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There isn’t much I can say about Thanksgiving that cant be told by our pictures. We had a wonderful relaxed day. This year we decided to do the traditional feast instead of the BBQ we did last year. Shaun’s turkey came out amazing! It was extremely tasty and very moist. No dry turkey in our house! Grandma Zoe came over and spent a few days with us, hanging out and watching the girls. After dinner we decided to brave the crowds and do a little Black Friday shopping at midnight. Don’t worry, it wasn’t us involved in the crazy pepper spraying at the Wal-Mart just down the street from us. Our patience and casual approach to our Black Friday shopping paid off. We were able to go out and find some great deals, like my Dirt Devil Stick Vac for only $10! We also have a new LED HD TV downstairs that we love so far. It was a steal too but I will keep the price of that to myself. 🙂 Happy early Christmas to us!







Dinner with Fran = Yummy Food and Lots of Fun!

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Tonight we had a lovely dinner with Aunt Fran… or Auntie Auntie Fran to the girls. We have not seen her in a while so it was nice to have to time to spend together. Dinner was very relaxed and extremely yummy. Actually, I am not sure extremely yummy even describes it. It was out of this world!

After dinner and dessert we spent time talking and enjoying each others company. Fran adopted a new dachshund puppy named Lily and for the girls she was the hit of the night. Unfortunately Lily wasn’t as thrilled about all of the company. For a good portion of the night she hid in her little burrow and the rest of the time she sat with Fran, keeping a very sharp eye on the two small people who were capable of making high pitched sounds. Luckily Dexter, who is Fran’s other little Dachshund, was happy to hang out and play with the girls which thrilled Abby to no end. The night was wonderful. Nothing beats family, good food and great memories.










Giving Thanks: Sisters

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A Sister is…

a best friend
a partner in crime
a keeper of secrets
a cheerleader when you need encouragement
a role model
a generous person and an amazing human being

She…

drives you crazy but you cant live without her
reminds you that even when things are bad you always have each other
is always there when you need her the most
makes you laugh and definitely knows how to make you cry (in a good way)
will always have a very special place in your heart.

I am thankful for my sister and all that has done and all that she will do. She is an amazing aunt and role model to my children. While six and a half years separate us, we only get closer as we get older. She knows how to make me laugh, push my buttons, and what really means the most to me. I am so proud of all that she has accomplished and I feel so blessed to call her my sister. I can only hope that our girls can have the same relationship that we do. But I have a feeling that if we set the right example, they will. Thank you Jillian for being the best sister a girl could ever have!

Boo at the Zoo… Or Something Like That

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Shaun and had planned to take the girl to Boo at the Zoo at the Santa Barbara Zoo, but did not do something crucial… Buy the tickets. We called the Santa Barbara Zoo and they told us that we could buy tickets at the gate, but they sell fast and there were a limited amount. So instead of rushing to get there, Shaun suggested we do something else. And what is the next best place to Boo at the Zoo… DISNEYLAND!

This time, however, we decided to surprise the girls. And by surprising the girls I mean we decided to surprise Abby. So when they woke up from their nap, we got them dressed and ready to go, but we told them we just needed to head to Target instead. Thank goodness Abby does not have a sense of time yet because she bought it, even when we passed by about 4 on the way. As we approached the off ramp, we finally fessed up as to where we were really going. Abby, as always, was excited but you couldn’t tell. She always stays as cool as a cucumber.

The evening at Disneyland was pretty casual. We rode the train around the entire park, which Abby had a great time doing. We also had the chance to catch the Fireworks and Fantasmic which thrilled Abby to no end. Ellie loved Fantasmic the most because she could see Mickey, whom she is a major fan of. We walked around and enjoyed all of the Halloween sights and then as the night got late we headed home. I have to say, we are very blessed to be able to enjoy such a wonderful place when we want to and to share it with our little girls. I don’t think I will ever take it for granted.

Ellie worked on some of her pilates and yoga from her stroller as we waited in line to get in.

As you can see, Abby is very excited to be on the train!

Ellie was having lots of fun too!

Even though Tinkerbell had “gone to bed” for the night, we still took a picture in front of her teapot house.

Not the best picture in the world, but no matter how old I am I still love the castle at night.

St. George and Back in Two and a Half Days

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I have never actually run a marathon, not even close, but we are no strangers to marathon road trips. This road trip was to St. George and back, leaving Friday night after Shaun came home from work and heading back on Sunday afternoon. It was a marathon, but I am not complaining. It gave us the chance to see some of my family and spend a bit of time with them, even if it was short. Most importantly, it allowed us to spend time with my Grandma Taylor (Great Grandma Tutu to the girls). She has had some health issues as of late so even though it was a shirt trip, we felt it was an important one to help cheer her up.

The drive in was uneventful, getting us in at nearly 2AM mountain time. Not too bad considering we didnt leave the San Fernando Valley until after 5:30PM. The following day was pretty mellow. We spent time at Grandma’s house, visiting with my parents and sister as well as my Uncle David, Uncle Kevin and Aunt Carolyn. Everyone had decided to have a BBQ over at my Uncles David’s house, so Shaun and I made a run to Costco with my dad which gave us time to talk and catch up as well. The BBQ was very casual and gave everyone more time to talk and visit with one another. We had some yummy food with pumpkin pie for desert and then we all say down to watch Rango together, which was a very nice close to the evening.

The following morning we got up and packed the car. Its hard to leave so soon. Had this not been one of the busiest times for Shaun, we probably would have stayed a little longer but such is life. We met with my parents and sister for brunch at Cracker Barrel, yum! After a very yummy and slightly filling breakfast we headed over to Tonaquint Cemetery to say a quick hello to Grandpa Taylor. I miss him very much but it always makes me feel better when we can stop in a say “hello”. After the visit with Grandpa we headed back to Grandma’s house to say goodbye to everyone. We stayed for about an hour and let the girls play. Grandma was in wonderful spirits although I could tell she was sad to see us go too. Its always hard to leave family, but we finally had to pack up the car and say goodbye. Aside from some traffic outside of Baker and Barstow the ride home was pretty smooth. Until next time St. George!

Ellie and Auntie Jillian have a snuggle as we wait for dinner.

A few snuggles and some play time with Grandpa Taylor. I’m sure grandpa cant resist those baby blues!

Sometimes a girl just needs to sit in the closet and eat her snacks before breakfast. That, or Ellie just did not want to leave. Can’t say I blame her.

Abby is trying to be like her Auntie Jillian and play with the golf tee game at Cracker Barrel. She kind of had the hang of it.
Ellie is showing off her Rockette moves to Grandpa Taylor.

That’s a big game of checkers!

Saying “hello” to Grandpa Taylor. Miss you very much!

Jillian finally helped me find Grandpa’s name on the memorial wall. Thanks!

Oh those teary baby blues! Ellie didn’t like the fact that Grandpa wanted to rest his arms, she wanted to keep flying up in the air instead!
Like this!

Smiles with Grandma Taylor. I can see where those blues might have come from.

Chewee, such a sweet old boy. Sixteen years old and still going strong. One can only wish for a happy, loving and faithful dog like this.

Road trip snacks made it not just to her mouth but all over her face!

Ellie is loving her pretzels and showing off her cute little feet all at once. These girls are so easy going in the car. Boy are we blessed!

It’s Time to Get Tangled!

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“Rapunzel, let down your hair!”

And let our hair down we did! Today family and a few friends came over to our house to celebrate Abby’s 3rd Birthday. This was the first year that Abby chose the theme to her party and her pick… TANGLED! As a surprise, Shaun and I bought her the Rapunzel dress to wear for the party. Abby, who needs a few minutes to wake up after a nap, certainly went from grumpy to happy in a hurry when she pulled it from the bag.


Abby looked adorable in her dress and to top it off, she had Pascal to carry with her. That was a lucky find at Disneyland during our trip in July. It certainly added to the costume and Abby was willing to carry him everywhere with her.


Family and close friends came over to share the day with us. We even had the chance to see a few familiar faces that we had not seen in a while. The day was casual, with nothing speacial to be done. Abby played with Emily, Harrison and Ellie and the adults found plenty to talk about. As part of the party we played the movie, Tangled. In the end it was the adults who watched the movie as the kiddos played. I saw this coming.


As part of what I hope will become a tradition, I mde Abby’s birthday cake again this year. It ended up not being as detailed as I had hoped, but Abby didn’t care. SHe was just excited to see cake and cake with Tangled toys on them to boot.


When it came time to sing Happy Birthday to the birthday girl, we made sure everyone was there, including Grandma and Grandpa Taylor and Auntie Jillian. While they couldn’t be there in person they were on speaker phone to sing.


After cake it was present time. Abby is certainly loved and she received a lot of wonderful things from some wonderful friends and family. This was the first year that Abby actually took interest n opening presents and she wont for it. HOwever, when I say she went for it I mean she willingly opened them but she opened them slowly and methodically. Before enjoying the gift inside, Abby had to make sure that all ribbons, wrap and tape had been removed. I dont know where she gets this from but some people might say “Like Mother Like Daughter”.




After presents we all enjoyed each others company until the party came to an end and everyone went home. Abby was one tired little girl, but it was worth every minute. Its hard to believe that she is now three. The time certainly flies but I cannot wait to see what the next year (and of course many years following) will bring. Happy Birthday Pumpkin! I hope you had a wonderful birthday party!

Sunday Reading

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Today we stopped by Grandpa and Nana’s for a bit, to say hello. It was warm out and everyone was relaxing. The girls went straight for the books! Daddy read a few books to the girls and Nana read to Ellie. Abby was even given an old copy of The Wizard of Oz to look at. She was very gentle and seemed genuinely interested in it. I cannot wait to read those stories to both she and Ellie when they get older! Sometimes a good day is just reading books with family. It also makes me so happy to see that our girls love to read! Its a good start!