Two things before I begin:

1.  Technically, our California trip ended the day after our second stop at D-Land.  But we didn't really do anything that day besides go home, so I didn't take any pictures and there isn't much to blog about.  Besides the jerky lady who tried her darndest to ruin my whole day from her safe spot behind the check in counter.

But I rose above it.

Anyway, I just wanted to conclude our trip recount by saying we had a fabulous time.  A humongous gigantic ("ginormous" can join "vacay" in the realm of words that I really don't like) "THANK YOU" to my in-laws for planning and carrying out this trip.  And for your generosity in renting the beautiful beach house!  It was great to see everyone!

2.  I just de-boned and cleaned a chicken for the first (and VERY last) time.  I'm not sure what possessed me to even consider that this might be a good idea, let alone carry it out.  But it did and I did and I did.  And Bryce decided to get a stool and sit right next to me to watch.

And to narrate.  From the chicken's perspective.

"He's wike, 'Ouch!  You'we wipping my wing off!  Ow!  Ow!'."  "Wip his bones off, Mama!"  "Ooh, no!  It's my blooood!"

Let me tell you, that made the experience so much more enjoyable for me.

But the best part might be when he said, "Ah!  Juice in my eye!  You spwayed me, Mama!"

Can you catch salmonella from chicken juices squirting in your eye?

Anyway, onto our regular post.

Our baby hit the Big 5-MO last week.

But that doesn't mean he's growing up.  Or getting bigger.  Or anything like unto it.

See?  Still scrawny thighs.  When someone mentions that he's "getting so big!", or "big for his age", or "chubby", I still have the urge to pop them in the nose.  Because he only gets bigger when it's said out loud.  And I have a friend who has those same urges when similar things are said about her baby, so it's totally normal.

Oh, I love those cheeks and that smile.  Love them!

Since there's no check up this month, there aren't any medical stats for you.  Here are better ones for ya:

He is adorably cute!

He rolled over from his back to his tummy on September 12th and from his tummy to his back on September 28th.

He has sweet eye hand coordination going on and grabs anything and everything he can.

And then he sticks it in his mouth.

His favorite things to do that to are my fingers and my face.  I just love slobbery baby kisses!

His hair sticks up on top.  Not quite as much as Kayli's did, but still cute!

Speaking of hair, he got his first hair cut last week.  He had some crazy long stragglies growing over his ears.  Kind of weird looking.  And not in a cute way.

He wiggles his limbs and stares hard at anyone he wants to get the attention of.  When he finally gets their attention, he rewards them with a great big toothless grin.  This applies to family, friends, and strangers alike.

He is always rewarded with a friendly smile in return.  And fortunately for my weakening impulse control, people comment on his sweet smile more frequently than they comment on his growing size.

That, and his thumb.  He still loves it.

He is loved by all who come in contact with him!

Especially his big brother.  They have such a sweet friendship growing between them.  I really hadn't expected this at such a young age.  But I love it!

A little video of Bryce loving Trey.  Don't worry, I was right there in case the play got a little too rough. Oddly enough, this crazy "game" usually elicits giggles from Treyton.

Can you tell here just  how much he adores his big brother?  And I included this for the grandparents--so you can hear the cute little coo's he makes.

Yes, I am still 121% infatuated with my baby.

Disneyland: Take 2

That's right.  It seemed like a good idea to go back to Disneyland.

Okay, anyone who wants to tell me that my baby is getting big--check this out!  He looks so tiny in his uncle's arms.

Sorry it's blurry, but the shot of these cousins' friendship needed to be documented.  But we still had to hurry on our way to the park!  No time to actually stop and get a good picture.

We headed over to California Adventure first.  And who did we see first off?!

The Big-Eared Mouse himself.

And then we went on The Screamin', or The Screamer, or something like that.  It was a thrill a minute!  Thanks to my in-laws for being so willing to watch the kids so Blake and I could ride rides like this together!

Okay, I can't find it, but there's a picture of Blake at about this same age, at Disneyland with his mama and he is in almost the same pose as Bryce.  Adorable!  But the photo of Blake doesn't have his silly-faced younger brother in it.  Sad.

See the red chair hooked to the yellow chair, with the black flip flops?  Bryce and I are sitting in it.  And Kayli is in the red swing above us.  This used to be my favorite amusement park ride.  As soon as it started up though, I could not wait for it to end.  Remember what I said about circular motion?  Yeah, I was not feeling so hot.

Getting ready to ride on a buggy roller coaster with Grandma in search for healthy fruits and veggies.

Kayli looks nervous, but this really was a pretty tame ride in the Bug's Life area.

They boys were not as worried.  Probably because they were getting all psyched to go ride the Tower of Terror.  That's right we took our little man on the elevator ride.  Kayli was too scared, of course.  But Bryce couldn't wait.  Every time I found the motor control to look down at his face, he had on the hugest grin.  HUGEST.  So, I realized I could pry my fingers off of his before I crushed his digits between my palm and the hand rail on the ride.  It's so fun having such a thrill-loving little man!

Then we met up with everyone who stayed away from the hotel to catch some more of our favorite characters.  Treyton and I were not in the mood to wait in another line to get a photo up close and personal, so you'll just have to click on it to make it big enough to see Mickey, Woody, and Cinderella.

Especially, if you're as excited as Bryce clearly was to be this close to Woody.

Three lovely princesses!

These were the only characters that Bryce felt absolutely no grumpy shyness around.  He was in heaven.

Peek-a-boo, Sweet Cheeks!

Heaven!  How he loves that Tow Mater!

Then we rode Soarin' California.  They make it feel like you're hang gliding over California.  You can even smell the oranges as you zoom over an orchard and the pine as you fly over a forest.  So, I thought the coolness I felt on my backside was from a fan set up to make me feel like I was truly flying through the air.  Then I asked Blake if his was cold too.  It wasn't.

Then the ride ended and we stood up.  And I realized that my bum was cold because it was wet.  Not soaking, just damp.  Because my seat was damp.

I really hope that the person riding it before me just spilled their water bottle, or something.  Not that they got so scared they you-know-whated their pants.  Because I was now wearing whatever it was.  That is a good feeling.

Then we headed over to Disneyland and started things off with a ride on Indiana Jones.  Blake convinced Kayli to try it.  She didn't like it.  Surprise.

Then while the adults who had been waiting with the kids who were too small for Indy went to ride it themselves, we took the kids on a river cruise.

"We" being me and Blake.  "The kids" being our three, two of the kids' cousins, and one of friend's children.  3 + 2 + 1 = 6.

People gave us some really friendly looks as we toured around with our little brood.

Hanging out in Goofy's house in Toon Town.

The castle was all lit up in preparation for the fireworks show.

But I think the kids might have been more entertained by these glow sticks from Aunt Kensey than they were by the fireworks.  Thanks, Aunt Kensey!

We had a lot of fun, but it was a crazy long day!

Beach Bums

I don't think it would have been too hard for us to become those had we stayed much longer.

These sweet cousins were happy to share "Queen of the Mountain" rights.

Don't worry, this was another mountain so he had every right to be King of it.

And then Bryce needed to be King for a bit, too.  While my sister-in-law (who is really good at thinking and planning ahead) gets a cute family photo.

And then the King decided to erode his own mountain before the tide came in and did it for him.

Sometimes I hear my friends talking about their butterfly-loving, pink lace-wearing, yuckiness-hating girly girls.  And I wonder what that might be like...

There wasn't a mountain big enough for this boy to be king of, but he got a prize anyway.

Beaches are great places for late night romantic walks--just so you know.

I Finally Made It To San Diego

When I was young my parents went to San Diego and brought me back one of those t-shirts that says somebody loved you and brought you back a t-shirt.  Implying that they didn't love you enough to take you along with them (Just Kidding, Mom & Dad!).  And then I've heard all about how beautiful it is there.

And so, I've always wanted to go to San Diego.

This time, I finally made it.

And we went to Sea World.

And watched these cute and entertaining sea lions

This one actually kept that ball on his nose as he swam all the way down and took it over that high jump sort of thing.

I'm not sure how I felt about things after watching "The Cove", but the dolphin show was "so beautiful!", as Kayli put it.  It was difficult to get a good shot, but that man is riding on the backs of two dolphins.  Wow.

Again, not the best shot, but it was pretty impressive how they would all jump up and flip completely synchronized.

And, of course, Shamu.

Not really sure why, but there was a whole lot of this going on.  Did you know killer whales are actually dolphins?  Yeah.  I learned that at my OB/GYN's office.

But then we had to put the camera away because Shamu started to do what he apparently likes to do best --SPLASH!!

She shares my enthusiasm for San Diego, as well.

And we got to pet these sting rays (stingers removed).

Last time we did this, I was afraid to touch them.  I got over my squeamies this time though and they actually felt really cool!

Then we visited some more sea lions.

And then we picked up these sweet shades so we could go watch Sesame Street in 4-D.

It was pretty cool, but when Telley blew some wet stuff out of his tuba at us, it really hurt Trey's feelings and he almost started to cry.  So sad!  But the rest of it was really cool and fun!

And then we went to see these beauties.  Beluga whales.

Look at that cute face!  How does a whale stay all white swimming in the ocean?  I don't know why, but that doesn't seem like it should be possible to me.

See the hat in that front Elmo?  And Bryce and I are waving in the pink Elmo behind.

And then we hopped on this little ride.  I thought it was going to be like one of those rocking ship rides where it just goes back and forth.  But then they threw in some swinging around from side to side action. And that is when I discovered that I can handle roller coasters and up and down and speed until the cows come home.  But throw in circular motion on a horizontal plane and you'd better bring me a barf bag.

Which is why I happily let Daddy take them on this ride.  And they had a blast!  And I was very happy to be holding the camera on steady ground.

Good, long day.  So, we headed home.

And then this suddenly appeared off the side of the freeway.  Another one of the beauties I've always heard about in San Diego.  It looks like a castle.  This is a temple built by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  So pretty!

And then we had dinner at the IHOP near the beach house because Blake was super excited when he saw it.  And then I informed him that we have IHOPs here in the North Pole, too.  Yay!  Who knew I married such an IHOP lover?

The Best Part of the Beach

Is how great my family looks while at it!

Can it get any cuter than this?

No, it really cannot.

And I'm talking about my baby, not my cute pedicure.

Playing in the surf!

It was a bit cold, though, so this one stayed warm on Grandma's lap.  And I stayed warm snapping photos of everyone.

Meanwhile, Kayli got back to work on her sea foliage collection.

This was already built when I showed up, but I'm pretty sure Grandpa had a hand in it.  Very elaborate.

My niece's hair was styled super cute, every single day.  Goes well with that adorable smile!

I love how my husband looks in the waves with my babies!

And then, following tradition, Daddy had to bury the kids in the sand.  This time with a real shovel.  We mean business!

She has always loved this.

And then Bryce decided to be a brother.

That's can't be comfortable.  Good thing Daddy intervened since I was busy getting photos for the blog...

Like this one.  Of how fabulously dirty being buried in sand can make you.  Or your daughter's swimsuit.  Hopelessly sandy.  Forever sandy.  I'm not at all bothered by this.

Oh, I love my little man!

And then it was his turn to be buried.

And Kayli decided to be a sister and get even for being stood on.  She threw sand in his face.  You can tell how happy that made him.

He got over it and decided to do some shoveling of his own.

Then we buried the both of them, but Bryce had wasted enough time in the sand and didn't have time to sit around for more pictures.  And in case you're wondering--yes, this man's forehead got insanely burned.  It's still peeling.

Pretty.

Uncle Brandon was great to splash and play with the kids in the cooooold water!

You couldn't really see this in the prior photo.  They found these wetsuits in the garage of the beach house.  Holy cow!  Can you believe how cute he looks in this?!  My little mini surfer.

Also cute, but not quite as well fit.  It helped keep them warm though.

There were bigger wetsuits, too.  And body surfing boards.  Or boogey boards.  Or whatever they were. And then they set off for big waves.

Caught one!

Riding it in

One more cute pic, just because I'm nice like that.

Still riding the wave!

And then he tried to get Kayli out on it.  I snapped this photo, turned around to talk to someone, turned back around to see her getting totally wiped out by a gigantic wave that appeared out of nowhere.  Scary!  She took it though.  Which is one more reason we can't figure out why she was terrified on half of the rides at Disneyland.