Lazy Sunday

Last night most of the kids fell asleep early, but Lisette and I went up on the roof to watch the fireworks over Disneyland.

We still made it to bed early and we got to sleep in a fair amount before we went to church.  Karen and Wendy joined us this morning and we found the Anaheim 3rd ward and listened to their testimonies.

After church we were going to go right to the beach, but instead Melinda and I ended up taking naps (mostly me, but Melinda caught a few winks as well.

Karen and Wendy had a red rented mustang with GPS so we followed them down the freeway to Newport Beach.  It sunny and balmy with perfect 75 degree weather.  The water was cold but that didn’t seem to deter the kids at all.  They went straight in the ocean to jump in the waves.

Saffy kept pulling us into the water.  A couple of times the waves almost went over her head, but she made sure to hold our hands so that she wasn’t knocked over.

Lisette and Miles looked like they wanted to go out to sea.  If they had a boat we would have lost them.

 

Ian got thoroughly wet.  Lisette found a sea star and threw him back into the ocean.

 

The sand was fine and warm, the salty sea breeze was invigorating and the sun was inviting.  There were lots of people out enjoying the nice day.

If you look close at this landscape, that’s Karen and Wendy soaking up the sun.  We had a nice picnic with fresh La Bread bread, hummus, avocado, and deli turkey.

Now were back at the hotel and it’s only 7:30 but we’re all thinking about going to sleep.  I guess that’s why they call it a day of rest.

Four states in one day

We're not really morning people in our family. Sleeping in means sleeping at least past ten. You won't usually see these kids very chipper at 5AM unless they're looking forward to something really exciting. Saffy can sense the anticipation!

We drove in the dark and watched the sunrise somewhere near Fillmore. We made our first stop in St. George around 9:00AM and ran around at the playground.

Miles and Lisette had a lot of fun on the playground.

Ian was swinging like a madman!

The park had a nice view of the St. George temple. It was a little chilly, but much warmer than Salt Lake.

We made a short pit stop in Primm Nevada and then drove on through to Anaheim. We drove through 4 states and it took just over 11 hours to make it to our hotel, but we are here! Yeah Disneyland!

The hotel has rooftop access so I snapped a few photos of some of the famous Disney mountains.

I'm now very tired, but after a shower a relaxing blog post maybe I'll re-energize enough to make to Downtown Disney, and then at 9:30 we can watch the fireworks from the roof.

Obama!

For the past couple of weeks Saffy has been going around saying "Obama!"  She didn't know who he was, but she heard his name and somehow it captured her fancy.  The kids thought it was funny when she said so she started saying it even more.  It has been really cute and funny hearing her go around saying "Obama!" all the time.

During the inaguration she asked who that was, and Melinda told her, "That's Obama."  Saffy replied, "Why is he Obama?"  

By now she has figured out who he is and she knows that Obama isn't just a funny expression.  Tonight I was looking up the transcript of the inaguration speech and Saffron saw his picture and said, "There's Obama!"  "Let's watch Obama."  So tonight Saffy and I watched President Obama's speech together.

Here are my favorite quotes:

• On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.
• As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals.
• For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies.
• America, in the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words; with hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come; let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

Melinda called in from the other room and asked Saffy, "Are you watching Obama?"  Saffy answered back, "Obama, Obama, Obama, Obama, Obama!"  

Hope

I don't like to get very political on my blog, but I've felt like celebrating all day today.  I was very moved by President Obama's inauguration speech.  I don't know when I've last felt this much hope for our country and for our future as Americans.

There are some tough times ahead of us of all, but having this man at the head of our government gives me courage.

"For God has not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love..."

Two birthdays and some plants