Christmas Storybook Island 2014

So perhaps this will become a yearly post since it's so fun going to Storybook Island to view all their Christmas lights. That and I learned to take better photos, sort of. Although, the price did go up this year. It was $12 for all of us to get in, but since that supports Storybook Island, it's worth it. 

I made everyone stop before they ran off so I could get a shot. It was a gorgeous evening for this - not too cold.

I was pretty outraged when I heard on the news that some idiots broke into Storybook Island not long before they were set to open and cut or destroyed a ton of their lights. Ding dongs. Glad they were able to fix everything in time. 

Here's the Three Little Pigs House. The kids kept pointing out how the big bad wolf on top of the chimney was dressed up as Santa.

We had the littles all snuggled up in the double stroller - which is a bear to push with the bigger boy in front. But he wants in and out so it worked. 

They're all headed to Pooh's tunnel. This is my favorite part of the park, lit or unlit. We spent a lot of time playing here as kids and it still seems magical. 

Cheese in the tunnel! 

Pretty tree house. 

I climbed over a line of Christmas lights and onto a bench  to get a better view of the park.

Pretty sure it was a full moon that night too. Perfect!

I love this one.

 And one more.

At this point we were nearing the exit. Santa was on the deck of that building with the icicle lights. Long line! 

This was near Smokey Bear's house. Is that right? Maybe that's just what I call it.

Here's the end of the line in the baby area. 

Rock on for having a nativity Storybook Island! 

Since our first walk through was so fast we decided to go again. We took our photo with the Santa who had no line. 

The tree house again because I love it. 

The kids would have loved to go on the new train but our cash was gone. I was glad for that.  

Ready to go home and go to bed. Fun night! 

Christmas Storybook 2016

The evening of the day we put Snap to rest at the ranch, we ventured out to Storybook Island to see their Christmas lights. We missed last year and had been holding back again since it had been absolutely frigid. It's always cold though. Brrrr. 

We went with Shari and Jesse and the cousins.

Someone was kind enough to take our complete family photo in Pooh's tunnel. 

Pooh's house with Grace, Samuel, Noah and Evie. 

I tried to duplicate a cool photo I took two years ago but it's not as good. 

We've had snow on the ground, unmelted, for over a month, which is strange for our area. Pretty Wizard of Oz lights. 

We splurged and let all the kids ride the train. 

Jesse rode with Sarah. I'm not sure where Samuel sat! 

I would have been incredibly excited to do this as a kid. 

It was all beautiful. But our toes were frozen. 

We walked quickly through the last area, took one last photo, and hurried home to the warmth. 

sparkly storybook island

My family and I hit opening night of "Christmas Lighting of Storybook Island" after Thanksgiving was all over.

This was our second time going together and although it was "warmer" than previous, it was still pretty cold. Funny enough, I was pregnant with Evie the last time we went!

It was difficult for this amateur to get good photos in the dark but here is one: the pumpkin. Everything was really beautiful. The only thing that marred the experience was Noah's incessant whining about the cold.

Father/daughter

We were admiring these trees, though you can hardly tell that's what they are.

My family! Us, Gramma, Grampa and Stephers

Just us

Just Steph and Steve. They are engaged!

And one shot of me leading Noah through the park

Christmas island

 After having planned and cancelled several times, we finally ventured out to Storybook Island, on one of the last nights they were still open, to see their lights. We ended up with pretty good weather, considering, but you can see there's still snow on the ground. I think we've done this two or three times as a family before when we were visiting from Nebraska so you'd think it'd be easier for us to get out and do it! Unfortunately, there was no one to take my picture. No big deal. Look how great the rest of them look at Pooh's house!

This view is from the pirate ship looking across the park.

Nearly done at the Wizard of Oz.

We (Terry) even caved and paid to let them go on the train. Brrrrrrr.

Waiting for the big kids to get back. Fun times. And yes, the lady behind Terry brought her iPad to take pictures with...

summer diversions of vball and storybook

The Tuesday after we got back from Red Lodge, June 5th, I played my first game of sand volleyball of the summer. I don't think I've ever posted about volleyball... 

I love volleyball. It is my favorite sport and the only one I played in high school (only as a freshman because Central was super competitive and I wasn't good enough). When I went to Chapter Camp with Intervarsity after my freshmen year at SDSU, I played some sand volleyball there and was approached by the Intervarsity leader at Mines, Rick, to play with him in Rapid for the summer. Matt also played. We did that for maybe three or four summers until we moved to Nebraska in 2007. When we returned in 2012, I played in the fall with Rick and Matt's team for the fall indoor season one or maybe two seasons, and then it kind of dropped for a couple years. Matt got sick and then got a new kidney and was better, so I suppose that's why we played again last year...or they just had better people than me to play for them. Ha! No worries. I'm glad to be playing again. I love it.

Jeff, Mary (who doesn't usually play), Laura, and Matt.

Michaela was hanging out on the sand afterward. 

After that first night, I was all amped up and felt like I wanted more. Terry and I went for a run together. We've never done that before because he's crazy fast and I'm slow. I kept up okay for about a half mile, and than mercifully it started to rain and we had to take shelter and therefore a rest. 

We ran up the hill, took another selfie with the rainbow and then ran on. At about two miles he left me and I got progressively slower and slower for the last mile until I actually had to stop because my side hurt so bad. I never do that. That's what I get for going fast. I also never go fast. 😂

We've had a pretty wet June, and two weeks later we ended up playing in the pouring rain. We were soaked to the bone like we had been in a pool and lost all three games. We're in lower B so it's more competitive for us (verses playing Upper B last year and getting beat every single night) and we've been doing well there, but the team we played was probably the best in this league. Anyway, that was also our 14th anniversary on June 19th.  I can tell because I was wearing mascara for the occasion, a rare thing for me since it irritates my eyes now.

The following week June 26th Evie wanted to come along and she took a couple pictures of me, like this one of Matt's flung wide arm and me looking up. Did he just hit it?

I used to be able to serve very well overhand when I was 15 but I have lost the skill. I always serve underhand now but at least I rarely miss. 

Another thing we did when we returned from vacation was go to Storybook Island. 

We didn't go this last Christmas so it had been an entire year since we'd been there. 

I've got the kids trained well. They want their pictures taken with everything.

Gotta keep taking this one of them all on the slide. 

"Okay you can let go!"

Evie had her little Ariel barbie connected to a long rubber band line she had made. She would toss her down in front of the tunnel and she'd bounce back up again. It made a pretty funny Boomerang video.

"Mom take our picture!"

The helicopter is new this year!

This was a new Raggedy Ann and Andy. 

Noah's ark. 

I splurged and let the littles go on the train, just the two of them. It took a longer course than usual because they've got part of the park blocked off so I felt they got their money's worth.

They always climb up there...

...and up there. 

This was new though. She cracks me up.

Evie's one desire for the day was to go to the little kids section so she could pose with her Ariel barbie along with the awkward Ariel statue. Evie was imitating her dreamy look.

One final picture that we always have to remake every year of them lined up in front of the whale. Only two can fit inside without bending anymore! 😭