Had a blast at Disney World

Hailey and I took the kids out to Orlando for a Disney World trip this past week and had a great time.  We have tried to always take the kids with us when going out of town, or at least as frequent as we can and we realized this time how much easier it has become at their current ages.  Hailey left about 12 hours before me as I had to get work done and she took Ady and Max.  She said they were the easiest ever to fly with.  I took Lucy late that night and she did not sleep once, but she was great.  I did not even have the car seat to strap her into as it would not fit so we gate checked it.  I am not sure exactly why I share all this other than their current ages really allowed us to enjoy this family trip a ton! 

Here the kids are being as calm as they can be on the first morning awake, just looking out at the park in the distance

This was the best Snow White ever.  She was flirting it up with Max big time and he had no idea what to say or do

"rolling" Kandell Style in the Disney Double Stroller that we made a Triple

Walking around Disney with 3 kids is no easy task at any age.  The weather was great, we all got sun burnt and thank Heaven for the Disney stroller rental.  Oh on a side note for anyone thinking about a trip to Disney World as opposed to Disneyland.  I would not suggest the extra money for the park hopper if you have kids under 9-10 yrs old.  We thought we would get to Epcot, Hollywood Studios, etc but these parks are not like in California where you can just walk to them quickly.  To get from one park to the next you have to take shuttles etc and it is very time consuming not to mention most of what young kids want to see is at Magic Kingdom.  So there, that is my money and time saving advice for anyone thinking about Disney World

I sure got my working out in each day. From sun up to sun down if I could not get 3 kids in the stroller, then one was on my shoulders it seemed.

They are trying to make sad faces as we are checking out of the hotel

These two princesses were in HEAVEN every day. 

I love this picture.  I think it really captures our spirits this trip, we all had a blast just being a fun family!

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Where have have the last 3 weeks gone?

I cannot believe how easy it is to miss just one week of blogging and then before you know it, you are almost a month behind.  To be honest, it is not like I have not been super busy, well WE ALL HAVE, so it has not been easy to find the time to share with you all.

Thanks to technology I have scrolled back in my Iphone camera to try and remember all we have been doing.

My very last post was our quick little jaunt down to St George and per the camera roll in my phone here is a bulleted list of all we have been up to.

• pulling all the edible and salvageable goodies out of our garden
• newly discovered Lucy video interviews
• getting in the Halloween spirit at Cornbellys
• Sunday hikes
• Carving pumpkins
• a family trip to Punta Mita
• Max and Daddy BYU football game

I will share a little blurb on each of these with you now.  

Pulling all the edible and salvageable goodies out of our garden

Tomatoes, basil, and lots of herbs

Our family garden was very plentiful this summer and as the fall has approached we have had to put sheets over the veggies (just the tomatoes) and we were able to extend the season.  We picked enough basil that we have bags and bags of pesto and we also roasted tons of tomatoes and froze them along with the pesto.  We are hoping for some gardeny goodness all winter long.

newly discovered Lucy video interviews 

Getting in the Halloween spirit at Cornbellys

haunted hayride at Cornbellys

Here is a nice shot of Hailey and the kiddos all ready to go on the haunted hay ride.  You have got to love that Lucy smile.  Cornbellys is so awesome.  Thanksgiving point has gotten better ever single year and has added all sorts of fun stuff for the kids, corn cannons, mazes, rock climbing, haunted stuff, games, food and much more. 

Sunday hikes 

These guys can be the best of friends or worst of enemies on any given day

As fall has set in we have made a kind of Sunday tradition of driving up the canyon toward the Draper temple and we found a hiking trail off the side of the road and the kids have loved it.  One week it was cold, cloudy and rainy but this past Sunday it was beautiful.

Carving pumpkins

We had a family home evening one monday at the Lovell's house and aunt Lisa did a family home evening lesson on the harmful effects of telling lies and Hailey and I brought pumpkins to have the kids carve.  It was a really fun time and we took seeds home and cooked them up and they were all eaten up within the next day.

a family trip to Punta Mita 

Harris Kids, Noble Kids and Kandell Kids in the Villa Luna Pool

Date night with Hailey at Sea Breaze

Can you believe this picture?

The highlight of October, at least as of now is our family and friends trip to beautiful Punta Mita Mexico.  This is the same house we went to last Christmas with Grandpa and Grandma Kandell.  We love it so much we went back and this time took two other families with us.  We went with the Harris family and the Noble family.  It was awesome to have so many kids to entertain each other and we parents had a blast too.  The food was great, the house as comfortable and relaxing as always and we had great weather too.  I feel like Punta Mita will be one of those destinations we will make a family traditional trip/vacation full of memories.

Max and Daddy BYU football game

BYU spanked Boise State this night

Max and I went to the BYU vs Boise State game and had a great time.  Here we are in the cougar store getting our gear on!  Max loved that little ball we bought and we threw it and played catch under the stadium at half time and he thought that was the highlight as there were so many other "older" boys doing it too.  He now wants to go back with his cousins Easton and Zach since they know how to play catch too.

Well as you can see October has been awesome so far and Halloween is right around the corner so we are very excited for that too.

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Eric and Hailey's 9 year anniversary

Today is our 9 year anniversary!  Can you believe it?  As I was watching Adyson get all ready for school this morning I told her that Mommy and I had been married for 9 years and that that was longer than Ady had been alive.  She smiled and watched me give Hailey a hug and kiss and went on with her morning, however it was crazy to me to think that we have been married that long and in that time how much has been accomplished through our marriage.

engagement pictures over 9 years ago!

There are too many great things to list them all but the most important to me are:

1. 3 absolutely wonderful children who though they stress us out a lot, bless our lives more than any worldly possession or thing.
2. A home that is safe and peaceful (most of the times) that can shelter and protect us from the outside world at times
3. Amazing in laws from both sides that have added to our memories and friendships.  Nieces and nephews and more coming now from Hailey's side.
4. Great friends, wow we have great friends
5. We have been able to visit some very cool and fun places
6. learning to be patient, understanding and committed.
7. The family garden that many do not know, that Hailey actually started years ago and has become something we all look forward to.

heading out for a lazy morning stroll in Vancouver

Anyhow, I could name many more but those seemed to have come to mind quickly.  So this past weekend Hailey and I took a few days alone and visited Vancouver, BC and it was amazing!  We loved it and had such a great time.  The reason for going of course was our Anniversary and the best thing about it was that we just got to spend time doing what we wanted to do, when we wanted to do it.  So what did we do?  We ate, slept in, watched movies in bed, ate, slept, walked the city, .............................  You get the point, we did was parents of 3 normally cannot do on vacation and that is whatever the Heck we wanted to do.  One morning we literally woke up at like 9, got breakfast, came back and watched a movie and fell back asleep, we then got up and went to some food carts for lunch, walked a mile or so (ya that was my fault, we ended up walking down the side of a freeway into nowhere) then came back, watched more TV or a movie, had dinner and dessert and then bed and movie.  Sound boring to you?  Then you do not have 3 or more kids under 10 at home.  We loved it.

We loved just spending time together and not having to worry about much of anything.  You see, after 9 years of marriage I have come to realize, there are always worries.  Not that my entire life is spent worrying, but you worry about kids, about work, about your spouse, etc.  It was just good to let that all go for a few days.

Some other highlights or our Vancouver trip were::

• Hawksworth Restraunt
• China Town Night Market (for me at least)
• Food Carts
• Horse pulled carriage ride at Stanley Park
• The Granville Island Public Market
• Relaxing together

a Great Panoramic view or Vancouver from Stanley Park

look how awesome and fresh the Salmon in Vancouver is. 

Sushi is so good there due to all the fresh local fish

some of the best food made at the Granville Island Public Market

Since we had no kids we found ourselves taking lots of Self Portraits or "selfies"

I look forward to the next 9 years too!  That is a worry, you see.  In 9 more years Adyson will be a senior in high school, Max a Jr and Lucy will be almost a teenager!  I bet that all gets here sooner than I can expect at this point.  Through all of it, I am lucky to have the support and love of my wife who I say Thank You to today and Happy Anniversary.  

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Redhead Event 2013

Ady and I attended the Redhead Event in Portland and at this point we think we made the Guinness Records Book

So on Friday this past week both Ady and I traveled to Portland, OR to try and get into the Guinness Book or World Records.  We were part of the Redhead Event 2013, which was trying to gather the most natural born red heads (currently known as gingers) in one roped off area all at the same time.

To be honest, the record attempt was really just an excuse to take Adyson away for a special weekend and create some good memories.  I did not realize until I was in Portland just how special a weekend or even just a night really, away with just one child could have such a positive impact.  We were really able to bond and have lots of fun.  She thought it was awesome that I gave her a key to the room and she was the one that insisted on opening the door every time.  Each time we left the room she made sure I knew she had the key in case we needed to come back and get in!

So on Friday night after we checked into the room, we got on a bike taxi and headed out to eat some Street food.  We were dropped off by a large parking lot of really nasty but tasty food carts and trucks and we first got some Mexican food.  While eating, Ady pointed out a man that was eating food out of the trash can so I explained why and asked her if she wanted to give the rest of her food to him and we did.  We talked about how good it made her feel.  It was cool because the guy was very grateful that it was still warm and waved to us later when we saw him again.  Ady smiled when she got that wave later.  We also tried some Korean BBQ that was very tasty too.

Ady enjoying some Mexican taquitos on the street.  Portland Redhead Event 2013

After filling up on street food we went back to the hotel and watched The Croods on tv!  The funny thing is that I fell asleep during the movie only to wake up and Ady had watched the entire thing and downed an entire bag of m&ms.  She was so excited to be able to stay up til Midnight and to sleep in as long as she wanted.  She was telling me the entire time, "mom and I love to sleep in but Max and Lucy always wake us up."  She was pumped that I said she could stay up as long as she wanted and that she could sleep in all day if she wanted.  We were up before 8 am!

So the next morning we got breakfast in bed and this little foodie or ours got an crab omelet!  Yup I love how she enjoys eating such crazy stuff. 

After breakfast we checked out the Portland farmers market since we had heard such great things about it and I have to tell you that it did not disappoint.  This was by far the best farmers market I had ever been to.  Just walking the market you could smell fresh basil as if though it was infused in the air somehow.

heirloom tomatoes at the Portland Farmers Market

By about 11 am we headed over the the main square to sign in to the Redhead Event 2013 and then had some time to kill so we found this really cool candy store called Rocket Fizz.  Ady was as they say, as happy as a kid in a candy store.  The great thing about Ady was that all she wanted to do was get treats for Mom, Max and Lucy.

happy as a kid in a candy store

Now we get to the main event, the Redhead Event 2013.  You would have to be there to believe it but over 2000 natural red heads actually showed up and at this point it does appear that Ady and I are World Record Holders.  We will know for sure in about 90 days.  When you get there you have to have a picture of yourself when you were under the age of 8 and this is how they verify for people like me who are no longer sporting the flaming red, that you were truly a redhead.  We got official tags with our numbers on it and we were then just sitting around eating ice cream and waiting waiting waiting.  The bad news is that it was about 90 degrees and hot and sunny.  Nothing like 2000 gingers in the sun.  There was more sunblock used in that park than anywhere else in the world that day too I bet.

sitting in the sun with italian ice, just waiting to be officially counted

After the long wait they herded us all like cattle through one entrance to a roped off area and filmed each person entering one by one.  I kind of felt like we were being led off to our death in some weird lets rid Portland of the red heads kind of thing.  But we survived.  Here is what it looked like.

Look at all the Redheads

To end the day we met up with my cousin Jimmy Kandell and his wife and daughter over at the hotel and had some snacks and caught up.  It is cool to be able to get together even if just for 30 mins with family.  Ady was very polite and I hope she enjoyed that little pit stop.  After seeing Jimmy, we got back to the room, packed up our one small bag and headed off to the airport.

What a blast and what memories we will cherish for so long.  I am so glad I had the idea to do this and even more glad that my wife, Hailey held down the fort back home.  I guess I will owe her a Mom weekend away with Max soon.  I wonder what they could get in the Guinness Book for?  Messiest child and most stylish mom?  Well, I bet most of you reading this had no idea you were friends with a couple or world record holders.

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Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Since this past Wednesday night, I have been in Florida with 2 of my gal pals. My friend, Chelsey (nyborg) Bell and I have been best buddies since we were little. And every summer her husband takes her away for the whole summer so he can manage a Apex Security sales team. The first year they were in Cincinatti and Colorado. Then last year they were in Pittsburgh (although last year I did get to see them since they came to Kent to visit us at Eric's parents house) an this year they were in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. SO, I have missed her and on top of being alone, she is prego, with her first little girl (due in October) so I decided this summer I would go and see her. So Kristin Defa (another Highschool friend of mine) and I went out this past Wednesday night and had a ourselves a little girls trip. All 3 of us checked into a super resort and spa right on the beach. The Westin Diplomat in Fort Lauderdale, we think we must have got a room upgrade cuz we had a beautiful full view of the ocean and beach. SO pretty!

We spent time at the pool, and just laying around

We made a couple of trips to the wonderful spa, we did an early morning (well, is 9am early on vacation?) Body Sculpt class at the fitness center, we got dessert from rooms service, went to a movie, ordered one in, bragged about the men in our lives and did all the girly relaxing AND CHATTING we could.

We even had pretty good weather, it rained one of the days while we were out at the pool, as you can see below. We were just sitting on our lounge chairs and a few drops came, then a huge down pour. Everyone ran out of the rain. I have never seen a crowded pool deck cleared in 1 minute until then.

But, I was so much fun to just hang out and talk and be together. Kristin is getting married in 6 weeks so she had plenty to tell us about and Chelsey is prego and deciding on girl names and colors and all that fun stuff. So, I was so glad we were able to do this. Thanks Chels and Kristin! Let's for sure be doin it again next year!

And of course here is a picture of my kids who I missed so much. They are wearing the Fort 

Lauderdale shirts I bought them while I was away, and sporting the "I Love Fort Lauderdale"  monkeys I got them as well.

Yay, Mama is back home!!!

 Oh man, did I miss those sweet faces, and my adorable husband who managed to hold down the fort while I was away. Thanks baby, I owe ya :)

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Our Disney Trip

We just got home form our little southern California trip, and we had a ton of fun. I think Disney is one of the best family vacations you can do. Eric and I and the kids travel quite a bit and a lot of places we go we feel a little out of place with kids or like people are thinking "oh great...kids". But not at Disney, everything totally centers around and caters to families and little kids, so its completely awesome. Ady loves the rides, every morning she woke up she said "mickey mouse rides please". We had so much fun we we would go to Disney all morning then do naps back at the hotel in the afternoon then go back to Disney at night. Is was great. We went on pretty much every ride in Fantasyland and ToonTown and we did some of my favorites too, like Pirates of the Caribbean, which Ady did not like (the the drunk pirates didnt look friendly, not to mention the skeletons too) Disney was all decked out of Halloween and it was so beautiful there. Ady dressed up as Princess Belle one night and Alice from Alice in Wonderland another night. Also while we were down there we spend one morning at Huntington Beach with Eric's cousin Weston and his wife Cat and their 2 kids, Avery and Isaiah. It was a lot of fun too, Ady and Avery loved playing in the sand together and we even renting like a 6 person beach bike/cruiser thing. It was great to see the Marsh's and get some fun beach time. The weather was great! Overall we really liked our trip together and are excited for next time when Max can love all that's going on as much as Ady did.
More pics from the beach and from Disney are below...so scroll down and enjoy!

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