The secret revealed

Good guess, Wade!! Unfortunately, the children did not guess our trip from our clues, and they (particularly Jacob and Katie) were dying to know. So yesterday, Rich gave them an elaborate word puzzle that told them what we are doing. Each child got one letter guess for free, and they had to earn extra letters by doing chores. Jacob and Katie washed and vacuumed out Dad's car, did laundry, made all the beds from clean sheets, and did dishes. They finally got enough letters to figure it out. Here is what it said:

We are going to Aunt Jen's house, having a big family dinner, going to our old ward, traveling to Anaheim, staying at the Embassy Suites hotel, riding on roller coasters for three whole days at a fun park where Mickey Mouse lives, swimming at the hotel pool, relaxing in the sauna, and soaking up sun at the beach.

We leave on Friday!

And finally...Clue #8

You'll get to see old friends, family, and if you're lucky, a movie star or two.

Clue #7

We are staying in a town that begins with A.

Clue #6

You'll need to bring your sunscreen, swimsuit, goggles, towel, boogie board, and don't forget your ticket.

Clue #5

We will be riding on a shuttle.

Clue #4

Living like kings is going to be "suite".

Clue #3

There will be free soda involved.

Clue #2

You can go from cold to hot to cold to hot as much as you like.

Clue #1

We are driving in the van.

Surprise Family Vacation

Rich and I decided to plan a fun, surprise vacation for our family. We wanted it to be something that we haven't done before, that everyone will enjoy and that will create some great memories. We are not telling the kids (or you) what we are doing or even if we are going anywhere. However, we told them last Sunday that we are starting May 30, which is the day after school gets out, and that we will be back home 8 days later, on June 7. We will give them hints throughout the month. Each person got to choose a sticker and a randomly selected calendar day. On that day, they get to open one of the eight clues. The clues will reveal some key information about what we are doing but they will not tell them everything. We will give them the whole plan when it is time for the vacation to begin. The first clue will be revealed tomorrow morning. They will open clues on May 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 16, 23 and 26. We will post the clues as we open them, and you can guess along with the children!

Here are a couple of fun pictures of Pajama Anna, as we called her tonight. She is crawling and standing. We are sure she will make the Pettingill 9 month walking standard.

We love you!