visit from darth vader

Zach found a present on our doorstep the other day - a Darth Vader lightsaber. It was accompanied by a note:

Zach was beyond thrilled and he should be. It's not every day Darth Vader gives you his lightsaber. Zach practiced his lightsaber moves all day - swishing it around, hitting all the furniture, poking Halle. It makes different noises when it hits something, so Zach made it a habit to whack whatever he could. He even insisted I call him Darth Vader.

Since Brandon was gone on a work trip, Zach wrote him a note about his new lightsaber and taped it on the door so Brandon would see it right when he got home. It said this: I GOT A NOOW LITSAVR FRUM DRTHVADR AND ITS RED IT MACS SOUNDS AND IT FODZDUON (Interpretation: I got a new lightsaber from Darth Vader and it's red. It makes sounds and it folds down.)

Thanks, Uncle Jeff, for making Zach's day!

birthday girl

Halle's funny face. When she's asked to smile, she just squints and grimaces. But at least when I ask for a funny face, I get exactly what I ask for. I'm afraid when we get her 2-year-old pictures taken, they're all going to look like this.

Have I ever mentioned my daughter LOVES Minnie Mouse? Well, she does... a lot. Because of this, Minnie Mouse had to be the center of Halle's 2nd birthday party.

Minnie Mouse party hats

Halle's birthday cake - incorporating everything Halle adores - Minnie Mouse and PINK! I almost cried when Halle actually recognized what the cake was supposed to be.

Birthday friends (minus Beckham)! Halle's so lucky to have so many fun friends close by. Halle loves having friends over. We are going to miss them!

Opening presents. It went super fast because there were lots of helpers.

Coloring Minnie Mouse gloves with friend, Ivy

Zach and Halle show off their Minnie/Mickey gloves. Zach was very concerned Mickey didn't have thumbs.

Happy birthday (in a couple days), my sweet girl!

disneyland

The Happiest Place on Earth? I may have to agree. Disneyland has having fun down to a science and my kids had a hay day. Having Brooke and Drew there with them was icing on the cake.

Since part of the NCAA tournament was in Anaheim, we decided to hit two birds with one stone. Brandon and Kram got to see a basketball game while Lori and I herded cats... er... kids around Anaheim. We walked around Downtown Disney and while it was neat, the kids were confused. Where were all the rides? We had to improvise. We hopped on a "train". When they announced it would take us to the parking structure, Lori and I cracked up. We rode it anyway and had a great time. The kids were less than impressed.

I had heard Rainforest Cafe was a great place to take kids, so we did that for lunch. Unfortunately, the kids did not like it. When a "storm" came every 30 minutes (complete with darkness, thunder, and lightning bursts), the kids would cry. So every 30 minutes thereafter, they covered their ears, hid under the table, and sang ABCs. So funny. We paid for the experience, but they would have been happier at McDonald's where is never got dark and scary.

As for the actual Disneyland - we did that too. The kids were in heaven. Zach's favorite ride was the Gadget Go Coaster and least favorite ride was Space Mountain. I tried to yell happily during the ride, but I was quite frightened myself. I was proud that he would even try it. Below is a picture of Pirate Zach on the Buzz ride.

Zach and Brooke would entertain themselves in the ride lines by playing I Spy. Drew would do "magic" while we toured the park and Halle just wanted to walk like the big kids.

Halle's favorite ride was the Astro Orbitor. She loved the spinning and she loved going high. She hated the Alice in Wonderland ride. At one point during the ride, she grabbed my hand and placed it over her face, then held on with an ironman grip. She also adored seeing Minnie Mouse, who is her favorite Disney character.

A highlight for Zach was going to a Jedi Training show. They chose people out of the audience and taught them how to be Jedis. Zach was super disappointed when he wasn't chosen, but his tears dried as soon as Darth Maul came out. He loved the entire show.

This picture sums it all up. Disneyland is fun. Disneyland is exciting. But Disneyland is also exhausting.

zach's first soccer game

Zach had his first soccer game yesterday. I was nervous that he wouldn't like it, but he loved it all. In fact, he's been wearing his soccer uniform for days. I ordered the wrong size for him and he ran around during the game trying to keep his shorts from falling down. Luckily there were no mishaps.

Last night when he said his prayers he said, "Thank you for my soccer game because I LOVED it!"

In the video, Zach is on the blue team and is #15. My favorite part of the video is at the end when he yells, "I kicked it!" He was so excited with the whole experience.