Mickey's Trick-or-Treat { day 4 }

{ Thursday October 22, 2009 }

Day 4 at "The Land" began with time over in Toon Towne,

and ended in California Adventure at Mickey's Trick-or-Treat!

A good solid place where my children are confined



Goofy!



Mirror mirror on the wall, who's the fairest of them all?
ISABELLE!



With Magic Mickey

Cruella Deville

If she doesn't scare you, no evil thing will!

Captain Hook

The Queen of Hearts

Off with their heads!

All dressed up and ready to go to Mickey's Trick-or-Treat!

Candy!

Thomas was so exhausted from going to infinity and beyond!

One happy boy

To infinity and beyond!

Our family with green army guy & Woody

The Governor from Pocahontas

Isabelle loves Pinocchio!

Having the best time ever!

Daisy Duck

Thomas loves Handy Manny!

He even wears Manny socks.

With Jo Jo and Goliath

The Wicked Queen from Snow White

Thomas giving Sully a big boy cuddly hug

Beautiful Isabelle

The kids by the end of our night.

:: THE END ::

Thomas and Isabelle dancing like it's Halloween 2009!!!

Newport Beach & Disneyland { day 3 }

{ Wednesday October 21, 2009 }

{ At The Crab Cooker, our favorite place to eat in California }

~

On day 3 of our vacation we found ourselves

spending the majority of our day in the Newport Beach area.

We had lunch at The Crab Cooker ~

we started with the jumbo shrimp cocktail,

and I got the lobster tail and their Manhattan clam chowder

{ with a couple of drops of Tabasco sauce added to it of course! }

and Tyler got their crab legs.

Best. Seafood. Ever.

After lunch we headed over to Newport Beach

for sand castle building, sea shell hunting,

and fun in the waves & sun!

Isabelle and I love seafood!

{ Thomas really did flip over my clam chowder, I love how my kids will eat anything! }

The men of the house

Look! The ocean! Ariel, Nemo, here we come!



I love the beach! All this sand for me to throw around!

Seashell hunting with Dad

ISABELLE!

Walking with Dad

Tyler & Thomas

With my kids on the beach

Best Boy

Brother & Sister digging for shells

{ in front of Sleeping Beauty's castle }

~

Because we bought 4 day passes to Disneyland, after the beach we spent a few hours over there. Of course it was fun!

Isabelle in line for Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

{ my favorite ride }

Tyler & Izz

~

:: Talk about packing it in! ::

Disneyland { day 2 }

{ Tuesday October 20, 2009 }

On Day 2 at Disneyland we spent our time over at California Adventure. I love CA Adventure because of the Candy Corn Acres, characters are walking around everywhere, and I love love love Soarin' Over California with Isabelle!

{ Isabelle even went on The Tower of Terror with me. She's one brave little lady! }

The four of us before going on the Monsters Inc. ride.

Thomas loves Monsters Inc.!

We took him on this ride at least 10 times.

Walking into Monsters...

Me and Belle



Thomas!

Mr. Incredible

{ he's the one in the red }

The most beautiful blue eyes on earth

With Ariel

~

Today we also had lunch with The Princesses. No trip to the Land would be complete without that! It was our 3rd year doing this, and each year Isabelle gets more and more excited to see the Princesses.

~

{ I love having a daughter! }

The look on her face when Snow White walked into the room!

Princess Izz

Isabelle with Snow White, her favorite princess at the present

Talking about the 7 Dwarfs...

Belle & Belle

Isabelle with Aurora/Briar Rose/Sleeping Beauty

Is my boyfriend seeing another girl???

With Cinderella, my personal favorite

Well, I guess Thomas is just a ladies man!

In line for the Toy Story ride

Buzz! That's what Thomas is going to be for Halloween! Ahhh!

One cool cat

{ 3-D glasses for the Toy Story ride }

Outside the Brother Bear play area

The Family + some bears

Tyler & Thomas

Cars!

Thomas loves Cars!

Cars!

Some of our favorite pictures from the Monsters Inc. Ride

~

:: Needless to say, we were exhausted by the end of the day, but what a fun day it was! ::

Disneyland { day 1 }

{ Monday October 19, 2009 }

{ Our family at Disneyland }

~

Day 1 at Disneyland was quite the adventure. The first day there is always the best! Being at Disneyland at Halloween time is always a treat. I love the pumpkins everywhere, the candy corns in the palm trees in lieu of coconuts, the Disney villains walking around { Jafar, the evil Queen from Snow White, Jack and Sally, etc. } and the Halloween Screams firework show is really spectacular!

With Thomas on the Snow White Ride

{ On the drive to California, the kids watched Snow White about a hundred and one times, so once we walked into Fantasy Land, it was the first ride we went on! }

On Pinocchio



Mr. Toad & Belle



Watch out!

Thomas is one crazy driver!



Us

On the Teacups

In front of The Matterhorn

~

It was pretty exciting, Thomas was actually tall enough this year to go on The Matterhorn! The first time he went, he rode with me and he covered his eyes the entire time. By the end of our time at Disneyland, he and the snow monster were best buds! Thomas loves the fast rides!

It's a small world after all!

See the mermaid Ariel in the background?

Small World is Thomas' favorite ride

{ in true life }

He loves it!

For Bart, who loved Scotland, kilts, and most of all, bag pipe music

Belle avoiding the paparazzi

On the Haunted Mansion ride with my favorite girl

Thomas got really scared on the Haunted Mansion

{ poor boy! }

The kids with some villains

With my children

{ and Sally, Jack, and Maleficent... }

The Anderson Family of Four

The kids inside Pixie Hollow

The firework show that Disneyland puts on at Halloween time is something amazing! So amazing in fact, we watched it twice. There really is nothing better at being at the happiest place on earth in October!

Viva Las Vegas!

{ Saturday October 17, 2009 }

For the past week the Anderson Family

has been in California at Disneyland!

We opted to drive this year

{ buying 4 airline tickets got a bit pricey }

and we stopped in Las Vegas for the night.

We watched the pirate show at Treasure Island

{ not so family friendly anymore! },

the volcano at the Mirage, and the fountain show at The Bellagio.

The kids were mesmerised with the city that never sleeps!

a mime

A picture with Jack Sparrow!

The following day, on our way leaving Vegas, we stopped at The Silverton, a casino and lodge right off the strip. We went there because they have a giant aquarium and every hour a *live* mermaid swims around. For those of you know know my daughter, Isabelle loves mermaids!


Belle

Thomas & Tyler

Belle with some moose

{ or meese, whatever }

Belle. Thomas. Me

After our fun at The Silverton we went to lunch at In-N-Out, then drove strait through to Anaheim. It was a fun start to a fun family vacation!

~

p.s. for the record, I must say that I do love In-N-Out now. The first time I tried it, I wasn't impressed. Then my sister-in-law tipped me off to their secret menu, and since then, I've been in love! Animal style!

The Mermaid show at The Silverton

Scarecrow Festival

On Thursday night we went to the Scarecrow Festival at Thanksgiving Point. We saw lots of scarecrows, pumpkins, and there were bounce houses for the kids to play in. What a night!

CANDY!

PUMPKINS!

Mommy & Belle

Haunted Village

Last night was the ultimate date night!

~

Tyler and I went to the Haunted Village at This Is The Place. We doubled with my sister Stacie and her boyfriend Patrick. It was so much fun... it was pretty scary, it was pioneer scary! There was a headless horseman, dilusional pioneers, a creepy Brigham Young, and woundeed war soldiers. The atmosphere at This Is The Place is so neat, I love it! The view up there is so beautiful, and last night was the perfect evening to go because it wasn't too cold and it really smelled like Halloween outside.

~

It's no wonder October is my favorite month of the entire year!

Patrick. Stacie. Me

Me & Stacie

Stacie & Patrick

Us

Afterward Tyler and I went for ice cream at Baskin Robbins. I had 2 scoops, bubble gum and chocolate fudge. Then we went home and watched a riveting episode of CSI New York.

What a fun Halloween night!

Frightmares!

This year our family had a first...

we went to Frightmars at Lagoon!

~

Frightmares is something

we've always wanted to do,

but every year the month of October seems to

come and go so quickly is hasn't happened...

until this year.

We had a blast!

~

I was actually impressed with how decked-out

Lagoon was with ghosts, pumpkins, scarecrows, goblins, etc.

All the rides were open,

and there was even a Spook-A-Boo for the kids

to go through where

candy was passed out at each station.

Our family at Frightmares

With my little goblins

Belle

{ as Thomas now calls her }

With my favorite girl in the whole world

So Tyler has been on this strict diet as of late...

Belle. Thomas. Tyler

Sweet Thomas was actually scared here!

My boy loves pumpkins!

On The Ladybug with The Boyfriend

Isabelle gets so scared on The Ladybug!

With a warlock

With the Texas Chainsaw Massacre psycho guy

A Terror-ific Time!

On Saturday our family went to Wheeler Farm for a terror-ific time!

We went on a spooky wagon ride, through a never-ending corn-maze, and then ended at the pumpkin patch where we all got to pick out pumpkins. What a fun time! After we did the activities we walked around the grounds at Wheeler Farm, saw the farm animals, and took lots of fun fall pictures. It was a good autumn activity!

The Anderson Family of Four

On the wagon

Isabelle holding a ferret

{ Aren't my red shoes cute? }

Izzie with a scarecrow

With The Boyfriend

Getting ready for the wagon ride!

All of us

Izzie riding the tractor ~ just her size!

Thomas plowing the fields

Petting the rabbit

So scary!

Entering the corn maze

By the graveyard

Look at our pumpkins!

Isabelle insisted we take a picture in front of the mini-dog house...

Giddy-up!

The Boys

One Beautiful Girl

~

Fun times were had by all!

The Anderson Family loves Wheeler Farm!

The Spookiest House On The Block!

In the spirit of Halloween,

the Anderson Family of Four

created and decorated the spookiest house on the block!

~

I found this fun kit at Wal-Mart,

{ I have a love-hate relationship with Wal-Mart.

It's so cheap, yet I spend so much

every time I walk out of there }

~

Decorating this Halloween gingerbread house

was so much fun!

Tyler, Thomas & Isabelle did such a fine job.

I think it may actually be haunted...

SPOOKY SPOOKY!

It's all in the details...

So spooky!

Isabelle making the candy corn pathway

Frosting-face Thomas munching on his candy corns

Ta-da!

The End.

Pick'n Pumpkins

{ Thomas. Me. Patrick. Sarah. Isabelle. Stacie. Mom. Dad }

~

Last Monday for Family Night we went pick'n for pumpkins at Hank's Pumpkin Patch. It was fun to go with my family! We all had a good time, and afterwards we went out for yogurt at Yogurt Stop. Best FHE ever!

Sarah & Thomas

Have you seen the ghost of Izzie?


Stacie & Patrick

Tyler & Me

Best Buddies

So Big!

Pick'n the perfect pumpkin...

Thomas kept on piling little pumpkins on the wagon... it was cute.
They're just his size!

I found a big one!

Lifting this is such a workout!

Izzie loves witches!

Who's taller?

Sarah. Stacie. Thomas. Tyler. Isabelle

Mom. Isabelle. Thomas. Tyler. Me

Tyler pulling our wagon of pumpkins

We picked the best ones!

With The Boyfriend

Isabelle with Grandpa

Me & Sarah

Stacie loves the toppings at Yogurt Stop!

This is a family blog Stace...

Sisters

Wild & Crazy Thomas

Having yogurt with my girl

Oh, what a night!

So Cute It's Scary

As tradition would have it, at the beginning of the month Grandma Marsha took Thomas and Isabelle shopping for their Halloween costumes. Grandma Marsha is so generous with her grandkids! Buying their Halloween costumes each year is something she loves to do, and the children look forward to the outing all year long.

~

Isabelle decided to deviated from being { yet another } princess this year, and instead she decided to be a WITCH! Not just any with though, she's going as The Wicked Witch of the East from the Wizard of Oz. We even found her a snazzy pair of black and white tights at Target for her to wear under her dress and ruby slippers to complete the look. She's ready to board her broom and go!

~

Thomas had a hard time deciding between the Buzz Lightyear costume and Thomas the Train. Buzz won, and the boyfriend couldn't look any cuter!

Watch out for the house Izz!

Big boy hugs

To infinity and beyond!



Tyler with his Mom

Us

Our family + the pirate

~

After we went shopping we went to dinner at Chili's.

It was a fun night!

Thomas and Isabelle are now

officially ready for Halloween!

Thank-you Grandma Marsha!

You are the best and we love you!

The Boo Crew

On October 1st we broke out

the kids' new Halloween jammies,

complete with spooky masks and all.

October is my favorite month,

and Halloween is Thomas and Isabelle's favorite holiday,

so we like to begin celebrating from the start

of the spookiest and most fun month of the year!

{ Pumpkin. Frankenstien. Witch }

~

SPOOKY SPOOKY!

{ photo shoot }

{ Isabelle, a mini-Glinda the Good Witch }

{ group picture, Isabelle is in the front row, second mini-Glinda on the right }



This last June, a week before the The Wizard of Oz performance, was the professional photo shoot with all the dancers. We just got our pictures back!
~
Isabelle had so much fun in her dance class last year,
and she really enjoyed performing on the stage
{ especially since Aunt Sarah was The Scarecrow! }
and so these pictures hold some of Isabelle's most special memories.
~
I am really happy with how well these turned out.
Could Isabelle Grace be the most beautiful girl in the world?



Y.E.S.

Utah State Fair

This weekend the Anderson Family of Four

went to the Utah State Fair.

It was the perfect activity to end our endless summer!

We saw the cows, pigs, sheep, crafts

{I loved all the quilts... Utah has some seriously talented women!}

and at the end of the evening, Tyler took Isabelle

on the one "ride" I deemed "safe", the Fun House

{people die every year going on rides at the fair... didn't you know?}

~

I love the atmosphere at the fair.

It's so high class!

I love the wax roses, henna tattoos, snow cones and funnel cakes.

Something really cool though, the night we were there,

Boyz II Men was performing, so walking around the fair

amongst the scents of cow manure, cigarette smoke,

and BBQ on a stick,

we were listening to On Bended Knee.

It was so nostalgic!

In front of the Sleeping Beauty castle in the craft building

The butter cows



Tyler & Thomas with Thomas The Train



Izzie & Daddy with Big Red

Petting the sheep

Little Baby Wilbur

Scary!

After the fair we went to Litza's Pizza for dinner

{we went to the one by the U, because that's the best one}

Area 51 Party

{ Alan & Steph }

~

Last night, in honor of Stephanie & Alan's recent wedding,

there was a party/informal reception at Area 51.

Alan is the owner of Area 51,

so it was the perfect spot for the celebration!

Before the party started

The dessert table

The food table

Sarah & Stacie

The sisters

Shelby & Stephanie

Sarah. Patrick. Stacie. Stephanie

Stephanie. Patrick. Stacie. Sarah. Me

Patrick & Stacie

~

It was a FUN night!

Thanks for the great party Alan and Steph!

You should throw one every Sunday night...

Anderson Family Reunion 2009

This weekend was the Annual Anderson Family Reunion!

It's a tradition we always look forward to!

The festivities were at Liberty Park ~

the weather was perfect,

the hamburgers and hot dogs were grilled to perfection

{thanks Tyler!}

cousin Joy made a to die for Greek pasta salad,

and the company couldn't have been any better!

Aunt Kristine made these for the bean bad toss ~
here is little Isabelle looking through one.
She is indeed a ray of sunshine!



There was a hula hoop contest,
and Isabelle was the master by the end of the night!



Thomas... not so much the hula hoop master,
but he sure is cute holding it!


For the kids' talent show,
Isabelle sang {rather beautifully}
Twinkle Twinkle Little Star


I now know where Isabelle gets her hula hoop skill from!



{ Katie. Abbie. Thomas. Skylie. Tahlia }

Abbie singing her little heart out!



The hula hoop queens!

Tasia, the dancing queen!

Celestra & Joy

Us

~

It was a beautiful reunion with a beautiful family!

~

Thanks for all your hard work Ken & Kristine,

and for keeping all these fun family traditions going!

We're already looking forward to reunion 2010!

Silver Lake

With yesterday being Labor Day, and Tyler being home from work, the Anderson Family of Four headed up Big Cottonwood Canyon and took a leisurely walk around Silver Lake. We were hoping to see a moose {we didn't} but instead we saw trout and a few bugs. The kids loved it! It's so much fun being in nature. Big Cottonwood Canyon is so beautiful, we're lucky to live so close to it!

Sister & Brother

The Boys

With my 2 favorite little people

Photo taken by Isabelle. Really.

Thomas Thomas

In front of the lake and all its beauty

Mr. & Mrs.

On Saturday August 15, 2009 Stephanie and Alan were married.

The wedding and dinner was held at Tuscany.

The entire evening was like a fairy tale.

The bride was stunning, the groom was ecstatic,

the atmosphere romantic and love was in the air!

... and they lived happily ever after.

:: THE END ::

Steph & Alan's Rehearsal Dinner

This past Friday on August 14 Stephanie and Alan had their

wedding rehearsal and dinner.

Everything went beautifully

{thus, everything went flawlessly for the wedding too}

~

At 5:30 we all met at Tuscany to rehearse the wedding ceremony, and around 7:00 we all went over to Trio for dinner. The food there is excellent! It was a wonderful evening in celebration of Stephanie and Alan beginning a new life together. I am so happy my sister found somebody like Alan, and I am thrilled that he is my new {and only} brother-in-law!

~

They say that a picture is worth a thousand words,

and I have uploaded about a thousand pictures

{but it's my blog and I can have picture over-load if I want to}

so below is a very detailed picture-catalog of our night!

I am in the pink, and was also Stephanie's matron of honor, and I walked down the aisle with Jared, Alan's best friend.

Isabelle practicing her role as the flower girl

Rehearsing

with the bride-to-be

Stacie. Stephanie. Me. Sarah

Mom. Sarah. Stacie. Stephanie. Me. Grandma Connie

Sarah & Stacie

our family

flower girl Isabelle

Aunt Sarah holding Princess Izzie

our table at Trio

the head table

Sarah. Katie. Erica. Stephanie. Stacie. Danielle

Stephanie with Brandon and Monica,

friends who introduced her to Alan

Cousins Raleigh and Krystal

Uncle Carl and Aunt Wendy

Sarah and Stephanie

Dad & Steph

Me. Dad. Grandma. Wendy. Mom

Me & Dad

Kevin. Stephanie. Alan

Steph with Mom and Dad

Grandma & Stephanie

Me. Grandma. Stephanie

Stacie with her hot date, Patrick

Stephanie with Cousin Raleigh

:: THE END ::