Disneyland's 60th

Before Joe's bar prep began, we had the wonderful opportunity to go to Disneyland with the whole family! Thank you Mom and Dad! It was a blast. I knew I wouldn't be able to do much because of the pregnancy, but Mara was so thoughtful and got me a wheelchair to use around the park. I was so embarrassed at first, but it ended up being a lifesaver. There is no way I would have been able to walk around Disneyland at 26 weeks pregnant with twins! I did walk some, but often it was nice to just have Ezra sit on my lap in the chair whenever we went long distances.

Ezra sleeping in the hotel the night before our two day Disneyland trip. He was all ready with his Donald Duck and Pooh bear.

Ezra, Papa, Grandma Molly, and Pluto! This was our first stop!

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There was one thing on our list that was nonnegotiable. Ezra had to meet his favorite character, Donald Duck. So, right when we got to the park, Joe went to Guest Services to ask about Donald's schedule while Papa and Grandma Molly took Ezra to meet Pluto. It was a long line into Guest Services, but as luck would have it, Donald would be out on Main Street in only a few minutes! This is when the most magical part of the whole trip happened. We headed over to where Donald would come out and Donald singled Ezra out and made a beeline straight to him! Ezra was so excited to see his very favorite stuffed animal come to life and it only got better when Donald took Ezra's hand and paraded him down Main Street to where he would start the line for autographs and pictures. This was a dream come true for a little boy and his mama. Disneyland truly is the most magical place!

Don't let the picture fool you. He only liked the carousel when it wasn't moving, otherwise it was pure terror!

Ezra adored the petting zoo (which I had no idea existed), but unfortunately, he is not the future king.

This was the first time I ever rode the Mark Twain River Boat, a dream ride for a very pregnant lady with a toddler. Ezra and Evie had such a fun time chasing each other around and peeking out at the river. I'd rank this ride, along with It's a Small World and Winnie-the-Pooh, as Ezra's top 3 favorite rides. (His other favorites where Nemo's Submarine Voyage and the show, Mickey and the Magical Map). Disneyland is exhausting though. He conked out while we waited in line to meet Pooh, Tigger, and Eeyore. Nap time won, and he didn't end up meeting them this trip.

Ezra loved the balloon "Donald Duck" that the restaurant balloon guy made him at dinner. Luckily it didn't pop even though Ezra kept throwing it on the ground. On Day 2 at Disneyland, we decided to check out Toon Town. Ezra enjoyed it, but I have to admit that I think they've really let this part of the park go. There are a few fun things, but it is mostly just empty or tattered space. However, since this part of the park is far less crowded, it was nice that we could let Ezra walk for a change.

We had to meet the star of Disneyland! Ezra wasn't very familiar to Mickey, besides him being in his coloring book, so I was surprised how excited he was to meet him!

It was such a blast, Disneyland! You look real good at 60 and your food is still to die for. We miss you and can't wait to come back once the twins are old enough and their parents are crazy enough. We love you, Disneyland!

Viva Las Vegas!

We made it to Vegas and are here to stay! My mom was a saint and helped us drive all the way down from Spokane - it was a long drive. I don't know how we would have done it without her. Plus it was wonderful seeing so many friends and family members on the way down.

Once we made it one of the first things we wanted to do was hit the Springs Preserve. It was gorgeous. We went to the new butterfly exhibit and the nature exchange. Ezra loved the gorgeous butterflies and having mom and dad follow him around the garden trails, but he especially loved the Pachinko board in the nature exchange.

We also had the opportunity to go on the High Roller at the Linq! I am terrified of heights, but it was a great view of the city and so fun to be with family watching all their sweet dance moves.

One thing Ezra learned from Grandma Sears is how to balance blocks on his head. We were sad to see her go, but she did come back in a month and now we look forward to seeing her when the twins come!

One of the most fun things we have seen in early Summer this year is Ezra playing with Evie. He was so excited to see her as soon as we moved down and so sad when she moved! We miss her and her parents! Ezra always makes sure to take over facetime whenever he hears Evie's voice. But on a brighter note, isn't the way Ezra says "Ah-Dah" adorable? I can't believe how much he has grown just over the past few months. He has already mostly given that cute phrase up and is learning so many little words! His latest is "Chee-Ah," meaning that he wants some chia seeds in his yogurt.

Those Good Ole' Spokane Days (Joe Graduated!)

I'm playing catch up on the blog. As soon as we moved, my computer died and it took me awhile to catch up on sorting through all the pictures I take and having somewhere to put them! I have wised up and have an external hard drive now. No more worrying about lost files!

Spokane. How I miss Spokane. It is a truly beautiful place to live. I'm afraid my last few months there weren't the most pleasant what with how nauseous I felt and then how focused I was on making moving plans. I miss looking out my window and seeing ducks and geese on the pond, deer in the field, and hearing the noise of the frogs each night. I miss the wonderful friends we made and the Sunbeams we taught. I miss the gorgeous autumn leaves, the magnificent parks, and mostly, Ezra's baby years which are now past. We made so many memories here. I felt so ready to move so I could start preparing for the twins' arrival, but when it came down to it, I was filled with so much sorrow when we did say goodbye.

Towards the end of our Spokane days, Ezra and I would try to go for a walk every day around the complex. I can't believe I already couldn't make it very far due to the twins! I thought Ezra was so adorable carrying this piece of cardboard he found around the complex.

When Mama didn't feel good, which was most of the time, we stayed busy by coloring on all the moving boxes and then of course playing on and in them!

Ezra adored the many piles of rocks around the complex. He could stay for at least 15 minutes just picking up rocks and throwing them back. He loved playing at the little playground by the mailboxes, but if he ever found a rock inside the fence where it didn't belong, he would insist on returning it to the pile right away.

Each Spring there would be adorable ducklings around the pond.


And of course, Spokane is where Ezra learned to dance. He particularly loves Brandon Flowers' new solo album. At 18 months, Ezra's two signature moves are the spin around and the head shake.

This may be silly, but this is my favorite street in all of Spokane. This picture does not do it justice at all. It is called Grand. The trees canopy the street, wild turkeys are often found here, and although the road is riddled with potholes, in the fall all the leaves turn red and golden yellow and they litter the ground. I wish I had been able to get a photo of Grand in the fall. It is breathtaking.

But the second best thing (Ezra is obviously the first) that happened to our little family in Spokane is Joe graduating from the Gonzaga School of Law! He worked his buns off not only in school, but also in many extracurriculars, including Law Review, Moot Court, and being the President of the J. Reuben Clark Society Spokane chapter. He also wrote an article that got published and completed many internships during this time, two of which were for Federal judges. I couldn't be more proud of him. Especially, since he helped me out so much at home while accomplishing all of this! I couldn't do much that last semester of school.

We were very blessed to have both sets of parents come up to celebrate with us and help us move. The graduation ceremony was superb and the Sushi we ate to celebrate was amazing. Add that to the list of things I really miss about Spokane. It was such a fun weekend and we are so glad our parents came up to share it with us!

Guess how many people attended joes graduation....then add two!....Julia's carrying her twin daughters pretty well wouldnt you say?

See what a law degree does for you?

Conference & Easter Weekend

Easter weekend had a lot going on for our little family. It was General Conference, the first Easter Ezra could really participate in an egg hunt, and it was the weekend when Ezra officially turned 18 months! More on Ezra at 18 months to come later, this post is mainly about our Easter.

The Friday before Easter Sunday, I decided to boil a half dozen eggs. For Joe, Easter isn't Easter without decorating some eggs. Anyway, I went to dink around on my computer while I waited for the water to boil. I had just finished my economics final and was feeling really good about finishing up a rather difficult semester. The next thing I knew the fire alarms were going off. Confused, I whirled around and ran to the stove. The pot was engulfed in flames. Of course, the first thing I do is fan the flames. Yeah... that was one of those slap your forehead, how dumb are you moments. Then I wised up and threw some water on the stove, thankfully, putting the fire out. By the time I put the fire out and disabled the alarms, Ezra was up from his nap and the apartment was very smokey. To top it off, the eggs only cooked halfway and I was not going to be boiling any more eggs for awhile. Sorry Joe. So, that is the reason we didn't decorate eggs this year. I suppose we could have decorated and then thrown out the half cooked eggs, but I didn't really want anything to do with eggs by this point.

Saturday brought Conference, something Ezra is a pretty good sport about. He mostly colored or played with his toys, but he loves the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Whenever they come on he stops what he is doing to watch or dance.

After the morning session, we brought Ezra to a community Easter egg hunt. He didn't really get it, probably because there were a million other kids plus their parents, so it was over in less than 30 seconds. Fortunately, someone in passing threw two eggs into his basket, which he promptly picked up and threw back on the ground. He definitely is more into taking the eggs out of his basket. We learned our lesson though. No more community Easter egg hunts. Family ones are so much better. 

However, we did get these gems while we were there:

 Notice the hot dog in his mouth. He lost it when Joe took the rest of the hot dog away from him and walked out of the shot. I laughed so hard when we got these pictures, but the more I've looked at them the sadder they are! He was so traumatized he took a three hour nap. I can't wait till he meets Santa for the first time.

After Ezra woke up, we did a mini egg hunt in our living room. I wanted him to figure out that he should put the eggs in his basket, but he still just liked tossing them out whenever I put them in. He did enjoy playing with the eggs and finding little toys inside though, even if they were all toys we already had!

 On Sunday morning, Ezra got to find his Easter basket! A million thanks to Grandma and Grandpa Meservy for the fun basket fillings! He was kind of ticked at first, but once he realized that there were new toys he cheered up. It just goes to show you never know how a toddler is going to react to anything, even presents.

  It was such a wonderful, low-key weekend, filled with little firsts for Ezra, great Conference talks, and lots of much needed family time. This semester has gotten the best out of all of us, so this weekend was desperately needed for us to just be together. Happy Easter!