Family Home Evening in the mountains....

One of the great things about Utah County is that you are never more than 20 minutes away from the mountains. After a quick dinner Don and I decided we wanted to get out of the house for Family Home Evening. So we got into the van, chose Payson Canyon and headed for Maple Bench. It has a small lake (you can walk around the perimeter in 15 minutes), with lots of trails and snails to explore. And if you get there when the sun is going down you can watch the smooth lake burst into motion as the fish jump up to catch their evening dinner.

We often get the comment that Liberty is the female image of Don, I don't see it... Daaaddd! That's MY job!!!Bizzie was very "Vogue" on this trip...

The look of summer...

Discovering the Joys of Murky Waters!

Keeping my skirt dry...

Looking for snails.

I love this picture! I can feel the squishyiness of lake water in my shoes just looking at it.Getting (or trying) a picture of the girls...

Don took this and said, "All I see is a lot of legs in this picture."

"Dad! Take a picture of me on this rock!!" Vogue.

Liberty's got a real knack for blowing out candles, here she is applying her talent to her first dandelion...

And here's Big Sister Bizzie showing her how...

The Boring Trip: Day 4

I'd like to dub this day as "Princess/Queen for the Day." It was my birthday and Don had a special day planned. This was the day the girls were going to the Bibbity-Bobbity-Boutique to be magically transformed into princesses - I was SO excited!!! Our appointment wasn't until 10:30am and we were at the park early so we had some time to kill. After entering into Fantasyland we stumbled across the Pixie Hollow!!! I had no idea that Tinkerbell had been incorporated into the park - it had fairy music playing, jumping fountains, and giant flowers to meet the fairies in. So I waited in line while Don and the girls went on more rides...

I am so glad they went on the teacups without me!!! My stomach can handle a lot of things, the teacups is not one of them. It's a deceptive ride...it seems fun at first and then a minute in the feelings in your stomach start contradicting the happy image your mind is feeding the body....

Tinkerbell!

Silvermist!

Liberty looks stunned here but she was actually loving it (notice no thumb in the mouth or blankie pressed to her cheek...)

Finally it was time for the BIBBITY-BOBBITY-BOUTIQUE!!!
From the minute you are assigned a fairy godmother the girls are treated like princesses with talk of magic, wishes, and whatever their good-hearts desired - the place was dripping with girly-ness (they loved it!!!!)...

Before...

After (they are sitting in Cinderella's magic carriage)...

So here is the process to becoming a princess...

Step 1: Slicking it down. Step 2: Pre-Hairpiece.

Step 3: Working out the Rat's Nest (beauty has its price...)

Getting closer...

Bizzie...not so much...yet.

Step 4: Endure Ultimate Pampering.

Step 5: Fairy Godmother Wishing Dust (just close your eyes and make a wish).

Step 6: Bibbity-Bobbity-Boo! (the birds pull back the curtain and they see themselves in the magic mirror as a true princess!) - Autumn felt and looked so beautiful....

Bizzie was afraid to move her lipsticked lips...and her ringfinger NEVER came down...Inside she felt like this...

Unbeknownst to me Autumn had been chatting it up with her fairy godmother about how it was my birthday and they wanted me to undergo the transformation too (I said I wasn't sure we had the time so I texted this to Don: Autumn wants me to have my hair done - say no. Don wrote back: We have time. My response to Don: Curse you! My response to Autumn: Guess what?! Dad says we have time!!!) so here I am becoming Queen Mom:)As we stepped out of the Boutique the girls walked daintily along like proper princesses. Autumn offered up adoring smiles and waves to the little girls she passed and Bizzie was in her own little dream land:) This was my favorite birthday ever!! So I got my keepsake from Disneyland. And Don got his too!! This is what he wanted...

Bizzie was so relaxed Don & Autumn had to keep talking to her to keep her from nodding to sleep. The artist jokingly threatened she was going to paint her sleeping!!!

We headed over to Ariel's Grotto for lunch and to meet our fellow princesses! Snow White!Mulan!

Cinderella!

Belle!

My princesses!

I took Liberty back to the hotel for a quick nap and we met up with the girls and Don an hour later to watch the Aladdin show (the genie was really good in the show); and then we headed back to the hotel for dinner. Autumn beamed with pride and princess-ly love as a little girl said to her mom, "Look Mom! Is that a princess?!"

Then we headed back to Disneyland to pick up the girl's princess pictures and while we were waiting the girls did some funky moves to the parade music...

Liberty spent a lot of time observing Disneyland from behind the safety of her own thumb and blankie, but every now and then we (usually Don) could coax her out of that safety zone and let us see her face and some emotion - this video is one of those rare footages...

We prolonged "Princess-for-a-day" for as long as possible...

It finally came time to wash off the glitter and become our normal, gorgeous selves again so we ended the day with a night dip in the pool. The girls and I took off as soon as we got on our swimsuits and Don followed with Liberty letting her walk to get out a days worth of wiggles (she spends most of it in her stroller). He thought maybe she would walk to the end of the first segment of the hallway, but like an energizer bunny she kept going, and going and ended up waling all the way to the pool! This is just the last portion of her trek...

Bizzie is afraid of sharks so we played "Seals" and we would kiss noses and swim off - not as exciting as sharks but the things you'll do for your kids:)