We are going to....

DISNEYLAND!!!!

I am so EXCITED. The one thing I really miss about our "new life" is Disneyland. I probably whine to Rob about it way more often than is acceptable. But I think people are either Disney people or not--and for me, I am definitely a Disney person.

Well, apparently, my amazing husband got the idea in his head to ferret money away for a surprise trip and plan it with my brother-in-law as a surprise for my sister. It didn't stay a surprise for her very long, and my parents decided to go as well. As a result, the surprise was almost blown a couple of times, but they managed to cover their tracks. And for our anniversary, Rob told me we'd be leaving at the end of this month for Disney!

At first, he got a "that's not funny to joke about" response. But once I realized he wasn't kidding, now he has a wife who is out of control making adorable stuff for us to wear while we are there!

I am so STOKED that we are going and that both my babies will be old enough to remember this trip (and tall enough to ride the Matterhorn!). There is something just MAGICAL about Disneyland--I become emotional at the thought of seeing my kids faces light up in wonder at that place--the magic, the smiles, the wonder, the excitement. Yeah, I am definitely a Disney person!


Here's the first thing I made: freezer paper stenciled shirts for Squirrel and Little Bird and my sister's three boys:

I am so proud of these! 

I got the idea from Dana over at MADE, one of my very favorite creative blogs. She does a great job of explaining the process, so I won't reinvent the wheel, but head over and check it out: HERE. 

They didn't require a lot of skill, but they DID require a good deal of time. (I am now an exacto knife wizard!) In the end, I love that they are so clean and sharp and look almost like they were screen printed. I can't wait to get all these kiddos at the front gates in their awesome coordinating shirts...it brings tears to my eyes just thinking about it. 

Okay, enough Disney blubbering! I will post more crafts as I make them and as I have time. I am gearing up for both our trip and the 210 BOYS who arrive in my apartments the day after (eek!) we get back from our trip. Hope you are enjoying the last breaths of summer! Already the nights are chilling and fall is creeping in....

UPDATE: 

I've had a lot of requests for the photos I used. I am not 100% sure these are the exact ones, but they are pretty close, so here's some links to the closest I could find to what I used! Hope this helps! 

MICKEY (click HERE)

MINNIE (click HERE) 

DONALD (click HERE) 

GOOFY (click HERE) 

PLUTO (click HERE) 

Yellowstone!

Howdy, howdy!

We are moved and mostly settled in--just need to hang the pictures on the walls! It is so nice to have all this space (our home has nearly doubled in size with this move). And a new place is like a clean slate. Even though it is a similar apartment, it feels so different here too. I will post pictures of the new place once everything is totally IN place.

Oh, P.S. to my last post. Sturgis did not happen. Poor Rob's hopes were dashed with a roadside breakdown just past Jackson (Black) Hole, WY. I told him I am going to sew a patch on his motorcycle jacket that looks like this:

He wasn't real fond of that idea...

ANYway...While my family visited, we spent a day over in Yellowstone National Park, driving and seeing the sights on the south loop. I haven't been to Yellowstone since I was just a kid--maybe 7 or 8. We went just a year or so after the fire that ate so much of Yellowstone. As a result, my memories were of a very other-worldly place--sort of apocalyptic. This time, I was struck by it's beauty and diversity.

Here are a few pictures of us enjoying the day:

{Grandpa's Buddy}

I can't decide if I like the color or black and white better...what do you think?

Ok...I like this one best:

Waiting for Old Faithful...

{Thar she blows!!!}

{Waiting for lunch...}

{Near Dragon's Breath Cave...and look, a very rare picture of Myself...}

{Dragons have stinky breath...}

{Buffalo}

{The kids were crazy about having their older cousins there. And we are keeping our fingers crossed that the visit made this high school senior think hard about Idaho for next year!}

Peeking out...

Phew! Whirlwind weeks here! Sorry I have been gone so long. We had checkouts here at the University, followed by some on-campus programs for non-students, LDS Education Week {AMAZING!}, family visiting, I am on call for all the other managers on campus {who are on vacation or just became moms!}, oh and we're in the throws of MOVING! {Can I just say right now that moving across the country is 897459835693 times easier than moving across a parking lot--seriously, the last five days have looked like this: Fill box. Walk 200 yards. Empty box. Take empty box back to origin. Repeat.}

We are almost totally in the new apartment {which we LOVE!}, but definitely not settled in--still lots of unpacking and sorting and picture hanging to do. We are enjoying a couple more days with my parents here, and then Rob is off to Sturgis {yes, THE Sturgis Bike Week--a life long dream} and I will enjoy some one-on-one time with my babies.

I'll post more later {and pictures of our Yellowstone trip and family visit and the move}, but for now, we're all feeling like we could use a lot more of this:

Hope you are enjoying the tail end of summer!