Days 7, 8 & 9: Spencer's Temple Sealing & Heading Home

Day 7: On Friday we were pretty much just recuperating from all of the excitement of the Holidays. Sean and I met up with one of his best friends from high school, Marcelle. They have known each other for about 12 years and she's always got good stories to share! We went to the Elephant Bar & Grill for lunch. This is a tradition every year we go down, except normally we have lunch with Peggy and Melissa (two of Sean's drama teachers from High School). They are HILARIOUS!! Two of the funniest women I have ever met - I always leave that restaurant with a sideache from laughing so hard with them. Unfortunately, this year Peggy was really sick and then out of town and Melissa was dealing with ailing parents, so we weren't able to meet up with them. I don't know about Sean, but I felt a little guilty eating at Elephant Bar without them! This was also the start of Sean's cough and subsequent flu.

After a yummy Boxing Day dinner that evening prepared by Lynnie, I got busy packing up all of our things so we would be ready to leave in the morning (Sean was getting really sick). Unfortunately Sean and I both slept terrible Friday night. He was freezing cold most of the night before his fever finally broke and I was tossing and turning. I finally had to get up and go sleep in the other guest bedroom where we had set Ethan up for the night so we could pack. Needless to say, Sean and I were both feeling pretty miserable Saturday morning, which leads us to...

Day 8: We got up early to load up the car and make the drive to the Redlands, CA temple.

It's a beautiful little temple. For you Oregonians, about the size of the Medford temple. Sean was feeling pretty crappy by the time we got there - fever, nausea, cough. But he endured! We were there for Todd and LynMarie to have their beautiful little boy, Spencer, sealed to them. What a blessing to be a part of their special day and to watch as the three of them became an eternal family! Spencer looked so cute all in white. The ceremony itself was short and sweet, but it still brought tears to my eyes to see them now as an eternal family. The spirit was very strong in the room that morning.

Todd, LynMarie and baby Spencer.

Sean and I with the boys - 1/2 of the Southworth grandkids.

After lots of pictures of the happy family and extended family, Todd and Loren gave Sean a blessing of health to help with his flu. Then we headed over to Soup Plantation (aka Sweet Tomatoes in Oregon) for a yummy early lunch. Definitely one of my favorite restaurants. What's not to like? More salad fixings than you know what to do with, fresh pasta dishes, yummy soups and breads and to top it all off, the soft-serve ice cream for dessert! And fairly toddler-friendly. They had all of Ethan's favorites too: plain pasta, pickles, grapes, macaroni and cheese, etc. He ate very well for a (not-quite) 2-year old and that always makes me very happy! Sean.... well, he stayed out in the car because he figured there was no sense in us paying for a meal he wasn't going to eat. I just brought him out a piece of plain bread to snack on.

After lunch we headed to Todd and Muffy's house to hang out for a while before heading home. Ethan, Spencer and Papa played on the floor while Sean tried to nap in the recliner. Meanwhile, I got busy and found a place for us to stay in Redding and phoned ahead for a reservation. We finally got on the road after a quick stop to the store for saltine crackers, Sprite and Powerade for Sean - the nausea and throwing up had officially set in. A little over an hour into our drive home, we stopped near Six Flags for gas, bathroom break and a 6-hour energy shot for me since I was going to be doing all of the driving. Let me tell you, those things are NASTY! They taste like watery cough syrup and it's impossible to drink it all in one or two shots because the bottle opening is so small. Several gags later, I was able to get it all down. It sure lacked in taste, but it worked! No weird, jittery side effects either - just this funny new twitch I've had since then... just kidding!

Anyway... I drove on to Santa Nella for dinner - chicken salad sandwich, fruit and a chocolate chip cookie from Pea Soup Anderson's. Yummy! Then it was on to Redding to crash for the night. We checked in after midnight and Sean stayed in the room with Ethan while I unloaded the car. Even doing the minimum (suitcases, travel crib, etc.) it was still several trips. Only after my 3rd trip did the lady point out the luggage cart. Gee, thanks for that. A little late don't you think?! Well, I made sure to use it in the morning. And Ethan was happy for the ride!

Day 9: Sean and Ethan slept in while I showered and went down for breakfast, all by my lonesome. I brought up some dry toast for Sean and dry cereal and an apple for Ethan. . After loading up the car one more time, we were on our way for the final leg of our journey home. We pulled into Springfield sometime after 3pm and were so happy to have made it safely! It was a great trip, but it's always nice to be home!!

Also... Thank you so much to Nana and Papa for taking such good care of us while we were visiting! The lodging was good, the food was good and the company was even better!! We had a fabulous time!! I know Ethan enjoyed spending so much time with his Nana, Papa, Cassie and Cassie (aka Alysha, but Ethan was a booger and wouldn't say her name)... and the doggies too! Here's a few more pictures from our trip.

We played lots of fun games from Todd's collection, including "I'm the Boss!" (a personal favorite), "Lifeboats" (another favorite), "Wits and Wagers" and several others that I don't recall at the moment. Notice the concentration?

I love Muffy's face here! "I can't believe you just made that move!"

Nana, Papa and Ethan.

Ethan and the Aunties (Alysha and Cassie).

Seriously, how can you not love this face?!

Days 5 & 6: Christmas in Cali

Alright, I guess I'd better get on the ball and write our Christmas post - especially since I never finished my Halloween post with pictures of Ethan in his costume... that may still come, so don't laugh if it does!!

*Christmas Eve*
Let's see... Baking, last-minute shopping, live music and being surrounded by family and friends were the highlights from our Christmas Eve. In the morning I made peach cobbler (Grandma Mary's yummy recipe) and raspberry shortbread cookies (Grandma Sandy's recipe - though I had to change the name from raspberry triangle cookies because they aren't actually in the shape of a triangle and that really bugged me!) for the festivities later that evening. Sean also whipped up a batch of chocolate oreo balls - so easy, but oh so good! Finally, while Ethan was down for a nap, I rushed to take a shower and then made a very last minute trip to the Simi Valley mall for a couple of gifts. Made it about an hour or less before closing and I used every minute! Normally I am not a Christmas Eve shopper unless it's for stocking stuffers, but we had all been so sick and then busy getting ready for the trip that I just hadn't had time to finish up. It all worked out in the end, though.

That night we had friends of Sean's family over for dinner and then sang carols around the piano with Loren (Sean's dad) on the guitar and their friend Gary on violin (I forgot mine at home!). We even had at least one person per part - Sean singing tenor, Todd bass, Cassie alto and me and Alysha as soprano (though we were taking turns chasing after the Ethan-ator)! Once everything settled down, we opened our Christmas jammies and then Papa read this year's Christmas book: The Light of Christmas.

Here's a picture of Ethan in his Christmas jammies - while "visions of sugar plums dance in his head."

*Christmas Morning*
Of course, the little-little ones were up first, but once everyone else was up we took our traditional picture on the stairs.

Pictured top to bottom, left to right: Alysha, Cassie, Ethan, Sean, Me, Muffy, Spencer and Todd.

Just us.

Ethan's Santa gift (a Southworth tradition - a small, unwrapped toy is left by the now-empty plate of cookies for Santa): CARS shake-n-go race car!

Spencer with his Santa gift: a wooden train.

Cassie with her gift from Ryan, Amy, Jonathan and Ella - a mirror framed with little picture openings and some of them already filled in with pictures of her and family. Amy - she LOVED it!!

Ethan with his "Handy Manny Deluxe Talkin' Tool Box Set" from Nana and Papa. This was definitely the year of Handy Manny toys - Ethan LOVES Manny and will come running in from the other room if we turn it on for him!

Alysha and Spencer with his new "Spin-A-Letter" toy.

We all made quite a haul this year between my family and Sean's - I'll spare you the full rundown, though, and just list the highlights! Ethan got several different Handy Manny toys, puzzles, books, toy cars and trucks (including a fire truck), clothes, new jammies, froggy slippers (he shuffles around the house in them now!), a ride-on dump truck, a car garage toy and a new toy cellphone. I got a beautiful sapphire necklace from Sean, clothes, Nike running shoes, make-up, DVDs, jewelry, a Yankee candle and a new winter coat (once I go shopping and find one I like!). Sean got a new navy pinstripe suit from me and Ethan, clothes, lots of new books, shoes, cologne, a snowflake tie, folding garment bag (for suits, etc.) and Barnes & Noble gift card. As a family, we also got the games Princes of Florence and Typo and a Red Robin gift card!

Once the presents were opened and the breakfast casserole was eaten, we spent the rest of the day relaxing, grazing on leftover Christmas eve dinner and treats and playing games while the little ones napped.

Ethan with his new ride-on dump truck complete with various truck noises.

*Christmas with the Toftdahls*

So we celebrated Christmas with my family a little before we left for our trip (read the new Christmas book together) and then mainly the Sunday we got back, on the 28th -but I thought it'd be easiest to keep all of the Christmas pictures, etc. together.

Ethan was more than happy to open some more presents, but he got a little preoccupied with his new cellphone, so Auntie Elisabeth had to help him out a little. She didn't mind that either since she only had a couple presents from us to open!

A new book from "Tia" (Auntie Christine) and the Handy Manny "doll" we got him... Do you still call it a doll if it's for a little boy - is there some other name for it that I can't think of?? "Doll" just seems so little girly...

Lis-beth and Ethan at Gramma and Grampa's for the post-Christmas celebration.

A shot of Ethan by our tree at home. Don't even ask for the story behind this picture, though I'm sure Sean would very gladly tell it!!

We thoroughly enjoyed both of our Christmas celebrations - in somewhat sunny southern California on Christmas day and then in rainy, cold Oregon a few days later! We are so blessed to have such a wonderful, loving family on both sides!! Thank you, thank you to everyone who helped make our Christmas special this year!!

Day 4: Disneyland!!

Day 4 of our trip was one of the best... Disneyland!! And in case you can't tell by the above picture, it was a success!! 15 hours in the "Happiest Place on Earth" - 9am to midnight - with a not-quite 2 year old and it was a great day. No major melt-downs, tantrums or fits. I was amazed. We truly have a wonderful little boy and it was a blast to spend the day with him in one of our favorite places. Sean's sister, Cassie went with us and we got up bright and early to make the hour plus drive from Sean's parents' house to Disneyland. Sean's other sister, Alysha, was also supposed to come but was really not feeling well and decided not to go. We sure missed her, though!

Once inside the park, with Ethan in the stroller rental, we headed down Main Street and saw... a celebrity!! Well, maybe not a huge celebrity... Ok, so you'll only recognize him if you watch Food Network, but still!












It was Guy Fieri from the show "Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives" - Sean and I occasionally catch this show and it always makes us hungry for "diner food"! We saw him a couple more times throughout the day. He was on the boat in front of us for Jungle Cruise and at one point the camera crew even turned their cameras on us - we smiled and waved right back!

After our brief brush with fame, our first stop was Indiana Jones for the "big people" and it was our first opportunity to take advantage of the Stroller Swap passes. Since there was just the three of us non-toddlers, two people would wait in line and enjoy the ride while the 3rd person kept Ethan entertained. After the ride, we would use the pass and it would put the person who didn't get to go almost at the front of the line. The pass was good for two people, though, so we took turns on who got to go twice.
Ethan and Mommy enjoying the view and the corny and very punny jokes on the Jungle Cruise.
Jungle Cruise was Ethan's first official Disneyland ride - not counting the tram, which he thought was pretty cool. He definitely liked being on the boat and looking at all of the jungle animals - there was so much to look at, I don't think he could decide!

Even with a toddler in tow, we still managed to get to do everything we wanted to do - including all major rides - and then some. We thought we did a pretty good mix of rides for Ethan and the rollercoasters for the 40-inches and over crowd. In the end, Ethan rode:
- Jungle Cruise
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (twice - first time with Auntie Cassie)
- Pirates of the Caribbean (twice - he loved this one!)
- Haunted Mansion
- Pinocchio's Daring Journey
- King Arthur Carrousel
- Mad Tea Party (aka Teacups)
- It's a Small World
- Astro Orbitor
In addition to Ethan's list, the rest of us also rode on:
- Indiana Jones Adventure (a must for every D-land visit)
- Splash Mountain (we each got to ride it twice the lines were so short)
- Star Tours
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
- Matterhorn Bobsleds (I screamed extra loud for you, Mom!)
- Space Mountain

We were also able to enjoy nearly front-row seats for the early showing of FANTASMIC! It's one of Sean's favorite things to do at Disneyland and Ethan loved the show too. Shortly after the show ended, we were able to stay where we were and had great seats for the "Believe... In Holiday Magic" Fireworks Spectacular complete with a 'magical snowfall' at the end. Ethan thought this was pretty cool, too.

Here's some pictures from the rest of the day...
Haunted Mansion all decked out "Nightmare Before Christmas" mode. Notice the 'ghostly' presence to the left of the picture? Creepy, huh?! Big grins on the Carrousel.
Took this picture just for my friend Sara's little boy - he LOVES Toy Story! REALLY big grins on the Teacups. Sadly, this was the only picture we got of Cassie during the day while riding the teacups. She was gracious enough to be our family photographer and we weren't able to get any group shots! But... we were SO HAPPY to have her with us!! She was a BIG help with Ethan and made the day go by much, much smoother. Ethan loves his Auntie Cassie! Posing with Tigger in Critter Country.
Aww... and even some kisses for Tigger. Too bad they don't have any Jungle Book characters roaming around! The hippo on Small World - per Sean, "it's a hippie hippo" and probably belongs back in Eugene! Going through the bubbles on Small World - other than this, Ethan was a little bored with this ride. I don't blame him - it's really only cute for a little while... Sitting on Daddy's shoulders, watching the parade. Riding the Astro Orbitor with Daddy - Ethan was not afraid of heights. Mommy was in the rocket in front of them and she was!
Pretty much the grand finale of our day - FANTASMIC!Our happy little family after a GREAT day in Disneyland!! Can't wait until next time. :)

Day 3: Wrapping Presents & Back to Bethlehem

Monday of our trip was fairly uneventful. We all slept in a little and after breakfast, I went right to work on wrapping presents. Eventually, the others joined me and we watched 'It's a Wonderful Life' - one of my all-time favorite Christmas movies. Alysha hadn't seen it all the way through and Cassie hadn't seen it at all, so it was neat to see them experience it. As usual, I teared up in the beginning, when the young George Bailey gets his bad ear hit by the pharmacist before he realizes George just stopped him from accidentally poisoning a family. But I always bawl at the ending, especially when George's brother, Harry, shows up and says, "A toast to my big brother, George, the richest man in town."

For dinner that night, I made up a pot of broccoli spaghetti with grape tomatoes, one of Sean and I's favorites. There's not really a sauce to it, but lots of parmesan cheese that you toss the pasta and veggies in after you've added some butter and lemon juice. Either they were just faking or else everyone seemed to like it because there weren't any leftovers!

After dinner came the highlight of the day. We headed to the Church at Rocky Peak, just outside of Simi, to go to their Back to Bethlehem event. On their website they say it's "more than a nativity scene and not a play..." It was an awesome experience and you really did feel like you were traveling back in time. They gave everyone a handful of "shekels" (coin money) before you entered Bethlehem and you had to use one immediately to pay your taxes. Everyone was in costume and in character. There were Roman soldiers, inn keepers (who slammed the door in your face as they told you there was "no room in the inn!") and merchants selling spices, bread, pomegranate seeds and clay beads on a bracelet that you could buy with your shekels. There was also a Rabbi school and people at work making mud and straw bricks, fresh-pressed olive oil, woven baskets, etc. You even got to visit Mary, Joseph and the baby Jesus (a real newborn baby) in the stable. Sorry, this is the only decent picture I got from my cellphone. Ethan especially liked all of the animals. He got to pet a donkey, goats and sheep. The goats and sheep were eye-level with Ethan and he really liked it. At one point he was completely boxed in by animals and there were quite a few tourists taking pictures of it! It's really hard to explain how well done it was, and of course we don't really have any pictures from it (left the camera in the car) - but it took up about the space of an LDS Stake center parking lot with all sorts of buildings (most were just backdrops) or merchant stands. They also had angels that were spotlighted and sang every 10 minutes or so - of course the Roman soldiers couldn't hear them and would ask everyone what they were looking at! As you were leaving Bethlehem, you would pass by the three wise men who would question if you had seen the newborn baby and when you told them he was in a stable, they would be shocked that a King would not be born in a palace. Anyway... all very well done and very memorable.

Days 1 & 2: The Drive and Fontana

For Christmas this year we went from this (ice, freezing rain, snowstorms, fog, etc.)...

...to this. Though it wasn't exactly sunshine and rainbows while we were there. We had our fair share of clouds, wind and rain - but no snow.

So we started our grand adventure down to Southern California late Friday night on the 19th. And by late, I mean really late. We're talking we left at about midnight, so I'm counting Saturday as day 1. I had to work all day Friday, so by the time I got home to pack and finish getting Ethan's stuff together and then make sure we had all the other random stuff - presents, wrapping paper, boxes and bows (I hadn't had any time to wrap since I'd been so sick), etc. it was pretty late. Then we still had to stop by my parents' and then the grocery store. By the time we had some snacks for the road, and a new portable DVD player (a saving grace according to other parents with toddlers - SO true!) it was close to midnight but we were determined to be on our way!!

14 1/2 hours later... we rolled into Simi Valley, CA where we were staying with Sean's family for the week. Along the way, we actually had to stop at the border patrol station. We've made this trip at least 6 other times and it's never been open. Of course, we may have actually had some [[ahem]] fruit [[cough, cough]] to declare. But I can neither confirm, nor deny it at this time.

Moving right along...

Saturday afternoon and evening was spent chatting and hanging out with Sean's family, followed by showers and a bath for Ethan. We all felt pretty grungy after being in the car all day. We decided to put Ethan to bed a little early (for him), but since we were in a new place and he was sharing a room with Sean and I, I decided to lay down with him. We were both out cold by about 7:45pm. The earliest I've been to bed in years. It was heaven.

The next morning we got up bright and early and headed to Fontana where Sean's brother, Todd and his wife LynMarie (aka Muffy) were blessing their baby boy - Spencer Aaron. The adoption for their little guy went through sooner than expected, so we were very excited to have them hold off on Spencer's blessing and sealing until we were down for the holidays. After church (where the Nursery was made up entirely of visitors related to Spencer), we headed over to Todd and Muffy's for a yummy lunch, board games and naps! Ethan got to nap in Spencer's crib (thank you!!) and slept for about 3 hours. After naptime, Ethan, Spencer, Papa (Sean's dad) and Todd played with the train set that was around the tree. Ethan loved the "choo choo" and was quite fascinated by it!

See the big grin on his face?

The other fun past-time that day was climbing up and down the stairs. Over and over and over... you get the idea!

Todd keeping a watchful eye on the little ones as they climb the stairs.

Finally it was back to Simi for a late dinner and bedtime!

Our CA Trip... From the Beginning

I figured for journaling purposes, it would probably be easiest to break down our trip by day, rather than having a HUGE, incredibly long post with tons of pictures. This way, our trip is neat and organized - just like our kitchen cupboards. Ha!
Anyway... enjoy the text or skim it and just skip to the pictures. :)