Kassidy and Bridger Visit

Last week I got a call from Bridger saying he wanted to take Kassidy to Disneyland as a surprise for her birthday. It was going to be quite the surprise because her birthday isn't until December. But they had some extra days off and wanted to come and stay with us. So after the initial OK from me he booked the flights and told Kassidy (who was beyond thrilled) and 2 days later they were here! Holy Moly! Talk about being spontaneous! 

Saturday morning Parker missed a scouting activity and a soccer game so we could take him to hear the Pacific Orchestra perform the music from Harry Potter! Parker is going through a major Harry Potter stage right now and was so excited to get dressed up and hear the music live! There was also a magician and a fun "act" that went along with the orchestra. It was a family friendly event and they taught the kids a little bit about conducting music and the 4 groups that make up a full orchestra. We had front row seats and it was wonderful! We loved it!

After the concert we met my parents for lunch at Maggianos. Yum. That place is legit. So delicious!

Before heading right back down to Costa Mesa to pick up Kassidy and Bridger at John Wayne we did some shopping and cleaning and all around preparing to get ready for them to stay. Parker made this cute sign.

There was major construction traffic getting to them so we were an hour late. But that gave us just enough time to walk around Balboa and watch the sunset. The kids were crazy and tired. But we all had fun!

We stayed up late talking and catching up but the next day was Sunday so we had to get to bed! Tanner had meetings so I got everyone up and ready and started dinner before we left for church- and we were on time! I spent most of my time in the hall with Jack and when nursery started there was only 1 leader for 14 kids so I stayed to help. But Jack was melting down by the end of the 2nd hour and I had to bail. He was sooooo tired from all of our late nights. After church/dinner/clean up I hid in my closet to have 5 minutes of peace and quiet and within those 5 minutes Rayleigh found me (and she was covered in marker). There aint no rest for the weary, people.

It was nice to have Tanner around though. The State Survey team showed up at 7am on Monday morning and we haven't seen him since. But he reports that it's going really well. Sunday night we made treats and played games. It was so fun! Parker had been BEGGING to play games so he was happy.

Tanner left at 4:30am to get to work before survey arrived. I got up and got the kids ready because Parker had an orthodontist appointment before school. It had been raining but the babies would NOT sit still/quiet in the waiting room so we walked around outside (their happy place) and jumped in puddles. Poor Parker had his expander placed on the top of his mouth. It is not a fun device but he's taking it like a champ.

Monday afternoon while Parker was at school, they went shopping and to the movies and then we all had pizza for dinner. It was a cozy, rainy day!

Parker was invited to participate in a Disney Youth Education class on Tuesday which worked out PERFECTLY because his group was able to take Kassidy and Bridger to Disneyland as well! I hated to have Ray miss another day of school and Jack wasn't feeling too well. So, I'm thankful for the way it all worked out! It's nice that Kassidy and Bridger could fly here but it was complicated trying to figure out how to get them around with Tanner gone 18 hours a day and I was busy with school/nap/bed time schedules. But we made it work!!! They had a blast! Parker had an amazing experience learning about Walt Disney  and the history of all his innovations. They found each other at the end of the day and snapped this cute picture in front of the Mickey Pumpkin and it's crazy how tall Parker is! Almost as tall as Kass!

Bridge kept saying what a "SuperMom" I was which pretty much made me melt into a puddle of warm fuzzies. I LOVE being a Mom and I lover my children fiercely. There's nothing I wouldn't do for them and I work hard to keep up a happy, clean, orgznied home. I strive every day to fill my mind and heart with things of the spirit so that I can be led in His ways and direct my thoughts and actions to a higher path. Having a broader perspective helps me navigate these tiring, grueling toddler years. I know how quickly they passed with Parker and I know they are passing even more quickly now. But, these kids are wild and crazy and it takes a lot of energy to keep up with them and Bridger so kindly acknowledged that. He was very helpful, always playing with the kids, doing dishes, and being all around sweet. Rayleigh fell madly in love with Bridger. This morning before I drove them to the airport Bridger gave Ray a big hug and said, "I love you Rayleigh." to which she responded, "I love you too, Bridger." And that's coming from my little speech delayed lady! I think it's safe to say we'll be keeping our new uncle. I told Bridger I was thinking about starting a new Instagram account to document all of Jack and Rayleigh's #dailydistasters. He strongly encouraged me to do this! ha ha Before 10am we'd had about a dozen opportunities to submit disasters that had already occurred. This was just one of them:  Ray, stripped down to nothing (because every time she goes potty she has to eliminate all of the clothes from her body), with a muddy bottom because she'd been playing in the wet backyard. Crazy, messy girl. I love you madly, deeply, too!

Another sweet thing about Ray is how nurturing she's becoming. She wanted to hold her baby and feed it a bottle. She was thrilled when I gave her a real life bottle and tossed a burp cloth over her shoulder. She then wanted to put her baby to bed and asked me to "Start the music". This morning I was playing and reading to the babies on the floor and I laid down. She ran and got me a pillow and blanket and some stuffed animals and told Jack to be quiet so I could sleep. She's the best!!!!!

I'm so glad Kassidy and Bridger made the decision to come down and stay with us. They are the only ones from Tanner's family who have done that and it really meant a lot to me! I miss everyone so badly but it's just so hard to travel with the babies. So when they took the time to come see us it really touched my heart and I'll treasure the time we spent together forever.