Back to California: Sad Times and Fun Times

So this summer I won a couple of Disney gift cards from a sweepstakes Bashas did. I was pretty. darn. excited. The only thing better than winning cash is winning money that has to be spent at Disney. :) Pretty cool. So with part of it Jeremy said I should do something fun like go to Disneyland with my sister. Um, okay!!
We originally planned to go the first weekend in December, because that day worked best, we thought. But then she found that she needed to move it to the Monday after Thanksgiving. So we did. But then that reason was gone, so it seemed like we had moved it for no reason. Until I heard the crushing news that one of my best friend's dads had died, and his funeral was going to be held the Saturday before our planned trip in the same area. Suddenly the timing of our trip seemed like a bit of a blessing in disguise, because I was able to drive home Friday with my family, and turn around to leave for California about an hour later and make it there by Friday night. I stayed with my other best friend, and got to hold her sweet new baby. The next day we were both able to go to the funeral and support our dear friend, and I was able to offer some help to her family with carting things around. I was so grateful to have the opportunity to be there, and to have that trip already planned, also on a flexible enough weekend that I could go two days early. It was a tender mercy for sure.

While I was gone, the kids and Jeremy stayed pretty busy putting the tree up, getting out of the house, and meeting up with some cousins to see Wreck It Ralph 2!

Emily was sweet and willing to rent a car and drive out to meet me Sunday evening, so I picked her up at the John Wayne Airport (and adventure, since I had to go down in an pick her up at the car rental return) and we spent the evening at Downtown Disney. It was a super fun time, and so fun to explore and see all the Christmas decor and shop and be together without our nine crazy kids.

We stayed at kind of a sketchy hotel, but it was super cheap, haha. It didn't feel unsafe, it was just about as basic as you can get! But bright and early the next morning, we were at Disneyland, and we rocked that day, let me tell you. We had park hoppers, and used MaxPass, and rode 26 different attractions, took 35,000 steps, and I finally found someone that would drag ME around Disneyland like I do to everyone else! She was slightly more excited than me to be there (because she hasn't been without kids or to California Adventure since 2005, and has only been to Disneyland once a couple years ago with all 4 boys, including a nursing baby...) and her legs are longer, haha. We had a great time, and I'm so glad we went!

"The rain came down and the floods came up"

So, it's been a long month. Jeremy's been working hard getting his office up and running, There have been lots of setbacks and frustrations, and his x-ray equipment is still a headache and not fully functional. It's been exciting, but nerve-wracking and frustrating at the same time. It would probably be easier if he could just concentrate on that, but we've had other craziness going on with our townhouse. (Well, we rent, but still, we try to take care of everything that we can in exchange for really good rent.)

A large branch from the big olive tree out front fell on our roof and within a few days it rained and the kids' bathroom started leaking. The HOA's roof guy said it wasn't the tree's fault and that roof just needed to be resurfaced.

 So they did that, and then last week the kids and I ended up staying at my mom's for 5 days while they expensively and messily removed all the wet sheet rock, which was full of 60's asbestos. And the bathroom has been sitting all torn apart since then, which has been exciting. Really looking forward to it all getting sorted out, but I’m not sure when that will be!

We have had a busy month in general though. Summer life with 5 kids is a little much for me! We have tried to stay busy, though. I was sad to not have the option of going to the cabin on 4th of July with all the fires. We're still worried about those, but hopefully our cabin will continue to be safe. :-/ We didn't do too much celebrating, but went to our ward's 4th of July breakfast at the Melser's, and did sparklers with the kids that night. I just wish it got dark a little earlier. It would be more fun that way, but our kids go to bed pretty early usually. Bridget was already in bed and didn't get to see them.

Towards the beginning of the month we also met up at Mesquite Groves Aquatic Center to help celebrate Chloe's birthday. My kids always love that place, and it's pretty cheap to get in. If it wasn't like a 35-40 minute drive we would definitely go more often!

Abbie was down here visiting when we did our traditional Chik-Fil-A fun.  We went for a pretty early lunch and it wasn't too crazy yet. I'm had to quickly make a shirt for Bridget this year, but otherwise the prep was already done from my sewing last year!

We had the opportunity to attend a double funeral for my great-Aunt Karen and great-Uncle Kent, and it was a great experience. I learned a lot about them that I didn't know before, and it was nice to spend some time with extended family.

We used the trip to Urban Jungle on our POGO passes, and the kids love that place! It was a little crazy trying to pseudo-keep track of all of them, especially with Bridget and Shawn to watch, but they all had a really great time. We should go again sometime!

And then one of the biggest events of the month: Bridget turned 1! So exciting and crazy! We had a fun relaxed day for her birthday, and did cake and candles that night with just family. Jeremy also got some light-up balloons that they all had a blast playing with.

Our second Bridget-celebration was a couple days later, when we were in Pima. It was more of a party then, with some grandparents and cousins. Both times were fun.  It's always nice to spend time in Pima, but with every child we've added, packing has grown more hectic, and... it's just a lot to travel anywhere. I'm hoping that will ease a little as they all grow and can do a little more packing for themselves. What do you think? :)

The other eventful thing that happened during that trip is that we found out Spencer was returning from his mission in Tampico, Mexico. He had some things he decided he needed to take care of better before he continued. That was hard, but good, and it was great to see him. I was glad that I got to be there when he came home, at least for a day or so, since we ended up extending our trip a day or two because of the crazy bathroom stuff. It is just such a mess!

So I spent my 35th birthday packing everything BACK up, and driving home with 5 kids. Not quite what I had hoped for... I tried not be sad about it, but I was a little bummed. When I got home, though, Jeremy sent me to the Gilbert temple (the Mesa one was closed briefly) and I got some (free) dinner at Joe's Farm Grill, which is also super tasty. And I got myself a piece of cheesecake to celebrate my birthday, which was pretty exciting, since I have been trying really hard to start losing this baby/nursing weight the last couple months since Bridget finished nursing. I haven't been having -any- desserts, and that cheesecake was amazing! Between that and the peace of the temple, it was a nice end to a crazy day, and I appreciated it!