Happy Father's Day 2010

This was an slightly unusual Father's Day this year.

It was especially fun to have just spent 5 days in Vancouver commemorating a special time in my OWN father's (Grampie's) life as President of MDRT with the father of my children! So I felt like we had just HAD a 5 day great Father's Day!!!

But Father's Day Sunday was unusual because the "B" kids had spent the night and were with us to celebrate. It was FUN, but definitely a different morning than we are used to... with Deevs, Miss M, Jade, and the "B" kids, we had a FULL HOUSE!

I made pancakes at the request of the "B" kids (that sounded like a fitting Father's Day breakfast!). When D woke up he tended to Miss M's stitches for a wound the cause of which shall remain nameless (rhymes with "mort memoval").

After that, it was PRESENT time. Miss M and Deevs - with the help of the "B" kids - carried in the gifts from the car and presented them to Dad (Uncle Darren). He got an antigravity chair and a watch to add to his collection.

Jade came over and played with the kids for a while (that was fun for them... THANKS Jade). Then Mr. B came and took the kids home to celebrate Father's Day with them - I think they were building a snake enclosure for the baby snake they found.

And we headed off to the beach.

It was a bit hazy down there, but still a lovely day. It was just us, minus Lando (Alaska) and Sara (work). Deevs and Miss M went for a run up to the pier and ended up leavin together a little earlier than us - they had to study for finals. We stayed later with the 2 of us and Jade... we were all reading our books. We headed back around 6:00. A very relaxing & lazy day.

We went to G&G's for dinner (Las Golandrinas) to celebrate Grampie's fatherness. We got him Glenn Beck's new novel "The Overton Window" and Season 1 of "Chuck". We hung out for a while then headed home.

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY, FATHERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bday x 2

Happy birthday Daddy!

1 year and 39 years both celebrated on the same day.

What a blessing and a gift.

Waiting for Dad to open his gifts.

Opening gifts.

Bijou loves presents.

Daddy loves presents.

Jade loves wrapping paper?

This is the first year Dad has EVER taken a day off for his birthday.  He takes it off work almost every year for Mom's birthday, but never for his own.  So that was special and unique in and of itself.  When the kids got home from school we all went out for ice cream (Grammie came too) and then Grammie took the kids to Small Groups while Mom & Dad went shopping for more gifts for Dad with his birthday money (thanks grammie & grampie!!) then cuddled up and watched a movie.

Manzanar

On our way home from Mammoth, we stopped at Manzanar

about which Wikipedia says:

Manzanar is the site of one of ten "War Relocation Centers" (or "relocation camps," "relocation centers," "internment camps," or "concentration camps" - controversy over which term is the most accurate & appropriate continues to present day) where over 110,000 Japanese Americans were imprisoned during World War II.

It is located at the foot of the Sierra Nevadas in California's Owens Valley between the towns of Lone Pine & Independence. Manzanar (spanish for “apple orchard”) is one of the better preserved of the former camp sites, and was designated the Manzanar National Historic Site.

Outside the center

Miss M standing by the miniature model of Manzanar

Lando at Manzanar

Deevs getting a family ID tag

Watching the 22 minute documentary

Miss M at the memorial

Still More Mammoth '09

Mom & Lando @ McCoy

Dad & Miss M @ McCoy

@ McCoy for lunch on the last day

Lando

Deevs

Miss M

Lando hitting a jib. 

(Mom trying to sound like she knows what she is talking about.)

More Mammoth '09

Hangin' in the condo in the morning, getting ready (after a hearty "breffy" of eggs, sausage, steak, toast, OJ).

The guys

Where's Lando???

Miss M & Mom will come later.

Waiting for the boys after a day off.

Deevs

Lando

New Year's Day at Walt's Place

Disneyland on New Year's Day was PACKED (had to park at Convention Center!)... you had to wait in LONG lines just to enter the parking structure, buy a ticket, or get into the park.  

CRAZY! 

But it sure was purty.

In front of the HUGE Christmas tree on Main Street

Christmas-y view down Main Street (Elle, Grammie, Jade, C)

Mom sitting on the ground to take photos during snow ("snoap").

Jade & C ~ on new Toy Story ride (Jade beat us all with 154,000 points)

Sleeping Beauty's Castle Kiss

Sisters

 

Went on the new Small World all decked out for Christmas.

Went on Haunted Mansion all decked out as "Nightmare Before Christmas"... GREAT!!!

Went from 3:30PM -11:30PM.

Worth it!!!