CALIFORNIA PAR-TAY!

"Happy Birthday to me! Happy Birthday to me! Happy Birthday to Ashley, Happy Birthday to me!"

Yes, I took the liberty of buying myself a plane ticket to go to Cali. This was the best decision I ever made :) I got some scholarship money as a reward for my good grades at BYU-I and decided that for once in my life, I was going to treat myself to something big and fun! SO I DID.

This is worth reading-

Getting myself to California with an 18 month old did prove to be somewhat difficult though because of the following:
1) I had a lot to carry and a lot of energy to control
2) I didn't know that I had to have Wyatt's actual birth certificate with me in order to prove his age, so I had to wait at the desk while Ethan tried to send a fax.
3) In the meantime, (while the flight lady was taking care of the other passengers and while I had to wait there until I could get my ticket) Wyatt decided to take a large, runny, odorous poop. I was holding him at the time and discovered later that the poop had leaked out of his diaper and on to my jacket and arm--lovely. My arm smelled like smeared poop.
4) Because he was poopy, but I couldn't change him until I got past the gates to the bathroom, all these little kids around us were plugging their noses and whining, "Ewwww Daddy. . . something stinks!"
5) The flight lady tells me that I cannot use his immunization record as proof of age and that I must indeed buy him a ticket. I started to cry.
6) I had to buy a ticket for $100.00 (We don't HAVE $100 to pop out like that)
7) All the people behind me were concerned for me because I was in tears but they were also somewhat anxious for me to hurry it up so they wouldn't miss their flight.
8) When I was finally able to change Wyatt's diaper in the bathroom, the intercom chimed in, "Attention all passengers traveling to Long beach, California.... we are now beginning the boarding process. We will start with priority boarding for all those in a wheelchair and for those who have small children. Please come to the gate immediately." All I could do was roll my eyes and say, "Welp, that would be us Wyatt." (I still hadn't gone through the security yet)
9) Security: Wyatt was screaming the whole time, my jacket smelled like poop, I didn't have my liquids in baggies so they got annoyed with me, they had to do a special test on his water bottle which took a long time, and I had sweat rings already because of all the stress that was consuming my body.
10) I make it to the gate (I was almost the last person to board) and I got a good seat but then Wyatt wasn't feeling good. He was whining and flopping around all over the place. Luckily, he did sleep the entire flight though.
11) All I wanted on the flight at that point was a nice refreshing drink . . . oh, oooops, allegiant air doesn't provide complimentary drinks. Perfect.

That was the end of my nightmare. I was so happy to see Aubrey's smiling face as she pulled up to the airport to pick me up. I was tired, frustrated, and just needed someone to cheer me up. After telling her the story, I was able to laugh about it and move on. That was quite the ordeal.

Once I made it to Aubrey's apartment complex, I was able to do this.......

We went to the pool twice while I was there and we had a great time. It felt so great to have the sun's rays sink into my skin. I could feel my tan getting on haha.

I thought Wyatt would be stoked to get in the pool and float around, but it ended up being the complete opposite! He didn't want to step foot in the water. It took me about 20 min of coaxing and gentle enticing to get him to step in the water. The only reason he ended up getting in was because of this boat floaty thingy. Even then, he was a bit skeptical about the whole thing.

Ahhhhh, it's so nice going to the pool :)

Jay and Wyatt actually warmed up to each other quite fast and they had a blast playing together. Of course there were moments when there was biting, hitting, pushing, screaming in each other's faces, stepping on each other, stealing toys, and much more, but altogether, I think they liked each other. Look, they even had matching pajamas!

This little pumpkin is one of the main reasons why I decided to fly to California. She is already 6 months old and I had never seen her before--I really wanted to see the darling little thing. Kate is a doll and she is such a good baby! I was surprised at how well she acted and how she was able to entertain herself all the time. She would smile at the simplest things too.

One of the cutest things ever was to see Jay make Kate laugh and giggle. He didn't have to do much to get her to respond with giggles. It was SO CUTE!

Brett was very busy with school and work, but I'm so glad he got to come hang out with us a few times during the trip. He's a great Daddy. In this pic we went to a little park area and ate dinner. Aub and I got free meals at Chick Filet because we are both mothers and that was their little deal for the weekend. We felt so cool.

Okay, this picture says it all right here. I made so many wonderful memories with Aubrey and her family this trip. At one point in Disneyland, I was even brought to tears I was so happy. I'm not joking either, and NO I am not pregnant! I seriously cried because I was overwhelmed with happiness while in Disneyland. I guess it truly is the "happiest place on earth".

I'm so glad we went to
DISNEYLAND!

I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THIS PLACE. I feel so magical and happy whenever I go there. It's like all your worries fade away and disappear while you're in there. I love how it's tailored to children and to the little things that make us happy in life.

See! Look at how happy this tiny little Mickey Mouse sucker made them! Both Jay and Wyatt loved everything about the park. Aubrey and I had a lot of laughs as well. It was definitely one of the longest days I've had in a long time but it was so worth it. All the kids zonked out in the middle of the day and Aubrey and I were able to relax and visit while walking around together.

Things I'll remember about this Disneyland trip:
*Jay threw up as soon as we walked through the doors to downtown Disney
* I started crying during the Mickey Mouse show for the kids (ages 4 and under)
* Aubrey was so intense at shooting the targets in the Buzz Lightyear ride! (She smoked me by like 1,000 points!
* EVERYONE & THEIR DOG would stare at Aubrey and her kids as we walked by. NOBODY thought to look at me or Wyatt . . . nope, everyone stared and smiled at Aubrey and her kids. It was a little disturbing, but we all know how gorgeous Aubrey is so it's no wonder why they did.
* The ghetto caterpillar ride that lasted .2 seconds--Wyatt didn't even like it hahahaha
* Waiting for 30-40min just to see Mickey Mouse in his house. Wyatt was SO EXCITED!
* Jay went potty in the middle of Disneyland and the toilet was right around the corner
* Walking around at night trying to find some sort of treat in Disneyland when we were dead tired. We spent 30min walking around and never ended up getting anything ha.

*MY FAVORITE: World of Color Show*

Aubrey & I dropped the kids off at home and ate dinner, then turned around and went right back into Disneyland to try and catch the new light show they've created this year called, "World of Color".

We arrived and parked the car with only like 7min to spare until the show started. We were both so tired from walking around all day, but Aubrey was exhausted and her legs were killing her. I said, "Let's run Aub!" She protested and tried to hold me back but she eventually gave in. WE STARTED RUNNING THROUGH DISNEYLAND DODGING ALL THE PEOPLE THAT WERE COMING AT US.

When I was behind Aubrey I was laughing so hard because of how funny she looked! Here we were, two young mothers, in flip-flops, running through Disneyland to try and catch the show. Hahahaha I couldn't stop laughing at Aubrey and I. I was having so much fun. We had to run, then stop, then run, then stop, over and over again because we both had side aches haha.

We made it to the gate and continued to run to the area where the show was at. We made it just in time. The only problem is that there was no room to sit anywhere. We had to squeeze ourselves into this tiny area. We noticed a sign that said, "Wet Zone" and we both decided it was probably just the mist that would get us so we stayed put.

The show started and it was AWESOME! Aubrey was so happy because I was so happy to be there and so was everyone else around us. After about 5 min of normal showcasing, we then understood why it was marked "wet zone". It started out with mist, as we suspected, but then it got heavier and heavier. Mist turned to droplets.... droplets turned to rain...... and rain turned into constant gushing HA!

We were both getting drenched with water and we had goosebumps all over our bodies from the chilly air. We couldn't stop looking at each other and laughing our heads off! Our hair was beginning to stick to our foreheads, our mascara was smearing, our clothes were soaking wet and the show was still going. There was nowhere we could go, and nobody to hide behind. It looked as if we had hopped out of the shower. I was laughing so hard. I couldn't stop thinking about how much fun I was having that very moment with Aubrey. Us two sisters getting drenched together- priceless.

When the show was over our arms were slippery from the water and we had to do a little waddle because it felt like we had peed our pants. That's also when our aching muscles began to throb. Aubrey could hardly walk and kept saying, "Oh my gosh, I can't move," and then we would both start laughing again. Anyway, I could go on and on, but what a fun night that was!

THE BEACH!

(I took this lovely picture, Thank you very much :)

The beach was also a blast except for the fact that Jay pooped his pants and Aub had to throw away his underwear. Oh, and that Wyatt would not take a good picture with me. So Jay got to wear his sweatshirt/jacket as pants to keep him warm- it looked so funny.

Aubrey and I watched the dumbest show ever while we were there. There were these guys that said they were dancers and stuff but they did hardly any dancing. They just entertained and made people laugh. It was the biggest waste of time, but we laughed about it after.

Aubrey is usually never caught in the action on camera when she's doing all her loving motherly actions of love. I captured quite a few while I was there though. I know how that goes being the mommy. Ethan is in all sorts of pictures with Wyatt while they play with toys, take a bath, and go to bed, but I'm hardly ever in them because I'm the one taking the pictures!

What a cute family :) We celebrated Mother's Day together and it was a great day. Aubrey is an amazing mother.

Thanks to Brett for having this ready for us when we woke up :)
So thoughtful.....

I'm so glad that I treated myself to go on this week-long trip and it was very much needed. I had so much fun while I was there. I loved the weather especially. Thanks sis for being such a great hostess and for playing with me--it is a vacation I will not likely forget.