Huntington Beach & Disneyland

We flew into the LA area pretty early on the 8th. And we had the rest of the afternoon to kill. So we drove out to Huntington Beach to fill up our souls with the joy that is any time spent at a beach. Jenna was in heaven building her sand castle. And playing in the FREEZING water with Casey, "Hurry Dad, run, the waterfall is coming." What a great afternoon.

 We spent the evening walking around Downtown Disney getting ready for the next day! You know, getting our game faces on. It was okay, we didn't do a whole lot of shopping, so it felt like we were walking for walking's sake. So we didn't stay long.

 We had an amazing time at Disneyland! It honestly could not have gone better. With this many people we have had trips in the past where a lot of time has been wasted trying to decide what to ride next, or where we are eating, etc. But this trip went so smoothly. We did split up for a little so that the Quarders could hit the new Cars Land in California Adventure. But otherwise we were together the entire time and went smoothly from ride to ride. We all felt like we got everything in we wanted to. All of the kids did amazing. None of them really napped, but were still well behaved. We had so much fun! 

 Jenna was absolutely terrified of the characters! Scared to death. Any time any of them came within 10 feet of us she would start to cry and say, "Hold you, hold you, hold you." until one of us picked her up.  She was a little better with the fairy godmother probably because you can see her face. 

As you can tell from her face, Jenna was a little unsure about The Pirates of the Caribbean. Of course, she promptly asked to go on it again as soon as it was over. 

 She started running out of steam during the firework show...

...and was asleep before the show was over. A day well spent! And she was fantastic. 

 

The next day we drove home with my mom. With a special stop in Barstow for some mustaches. Cuteness!

Big Bear, Baby!

We headed to down to Big Bear, CA last weekend for our annual vacation with my family. It was a fun  activity filled couple of days. We all arrived late Thursday night, so things didn't really get started until Friday morning. We kicked things off with a quad lift ride up to the top of Snow Summit ski resort and a picnic on to of the mountain. It was so beautiful up there and we could not have asked for better weather! The cousins had a great time running around and exploring. 

After lunch, we divided up. The Quarders and the Malans rode the lift back to the bottom, while Grandma and Grandpa, Megan and Kylie and us hiked down. My stupid, arthritic knees lasted about about 200 yards down the hill before they were screaming in protest, not good when the trail is 1 1/2 miles long. So frustrating, and though I'm glad I did it, I have no interest in going through that again! Kylie and Jenna had to much fun, and Jenna was a champ! I was crazy impressed with how well my Dad did with his back injury and all. He even gave up his hiking poles about half way down so that I could use them. We were also joined by two random dogs who Kylie and Jenna fell head over heals for. They were much better at listening to Ky then they were Jenna, who spent the rest of the hike calling to them. It was really quite stunning up there and it was great to get a little time in nature. 

The kids put on a kazoo/noise maker parade with Grandma and Grandpa. (They were in heaven!)

 There was lots of Buzz Lightyear, giant cowboy hats, playing in cupboards, spinning wheels, and mud! All the very best stuff for kids of all ages. 

 There was dancing in the rain and huddling up in the sauna. There were too many kids in the tub and great family meals around the giant dining room table. 

 There was a ton of crafting; alphabet stickers on construction paper, tie dying shirts, bead & pipe cleaner jewelry, and sticker stories.  There was bocce ball, left, right, center, and an attempt at Settlers of Catan (which was a giant fail).

 I took family pictures of my brother, Scoot's family and my sister, Sara's family. I think I'm getting a little better. Still have a lot to learn, but I learn a little something else each time it seems like.  

 We had a fabulous talent show, spurred on by Ms. Kylie Mae and her excellent gymnastics. 

On the last day, Jenna got her second ever hair cut. Thanks again, Aunt Jen! 

 And then we all headed to the Big Bear Reserve/Zoo. Jenna loved seeing the big bad wolf and birds. 

 Then we headed to the park for a picnic, playing, and finally our good-byes. Yet another fun weekend. I am so grateful for the efforts my whole family goes through to get here and allow us all to get time together. So often if feels as though our time together is rushed when I am in town and these trips allow for much calmer time together. I think it is especially wonderful for the cousins to solidify relationships with both each other and with their aunts and uncles. Love you all and can't wait to do it all over again next year! 

Malan Family Reunion

For our Malan Family reunion, my Aunt Janice asked me to help with invites, name tags, decorations, and centerpieces. So I've been busily preparing for the even for a while now and this weekend, it finally arrived. I decided to try the spray painted tin cans for the centerpieces. I got the idea off of Pinterest       from this pin Spray Painted Cans. I ended up painting over 90 tin cans. {A big shout out to all my friends for helping track down 90+ cans!} 

Jenna and I went up a couple days before so we could have a birthday dinner with my mom. Then we went the next morning to help set up the hall. While I was getting ready to go, I noticed Jenna singing to a baby doll. She let me video her (miracle!), but as you will see, was less enthusiastic about me helping her with the words. 

 My ancestors helped to settle Ogden's east bench, so there is a Malan Ave, a mountain Malan's Peak, etc. still bearing our family name there. It's kind of cool. 

We mixed the cans with mason jars filled with rock salt and a candle, and then filled the cans with flowers and flags. I was pleased with how they turned out. 

Someone had hiked Malan's Peak and brought water down from the family's spring to serve at the reunion, which I thought was an awesome touch. 

My favorite part was getting a little time with my cousins. Aren't they beautiful? 

We were able to grab a family picture with some of the descendants of my grandparents.  The reunion was for all the descendants of my great-grandparents who at last count totaled well over 700. I would guess there were about 150 at todays reunion. 

And we got a picture of my Dad and all four of his sisters. I am not sure the last time they were all together. I though it was pretty special, especially when three out of the five of them have had some pretty serious heath issues over the last few years. 

Ruann, Emily, my Dad Randy, Janice, and Lisa

 For the decorations, Aunt Janice and I put together these posters about my great-grandpa Alexis Bartholomew Malan and great-grandma LaVeta Elfreda Andreason Malan. As well as one of them as a couple. They seemed like great people, plus he was a democrat which made me proud! 

The theme of the reunion was AB & Elfreda To The Rescue with a bit of a nautical feel. So the name tags included a life preserver with a picture of the 1 of the 13 children that you descended from. Here's mine: 

We also made a bunting banner with the theme title hanging from life preservers we made using styrofoam circles wrapped in fabric and rope. I loved how this turned out. 

After the reunion I got to see me niece, Maile for a little bit. 

I don't get to see her very often and I miss her terribly. Love you Miles! 

Jenna of course was an absolute champ on the flight home. She is just the best traveler and we could not be more grateful for that. I'm sure part of it is just that she has been doing it her whole life, but nonetheless.