Who loves Legoland? I DO!

Ava has been BEGGING us to take her to Legoland for months now. Finally, last weekend, we packed up the Volvo and headed to San Diego. Senya does this cute little thing lately where we say "who loves ice cream" or "who has the best mommy" and her little hand pops up and she says "I do!" So cute. So here we are (in the first picture) walking to the entrance of Legoland and I asked "who wants to go to Legoland?" Too bad there is no audio, because she let out the biggest "I DO!"

We loved Legoland. It is perfect for our kids at this age. Ava got her thrills on "The Dragon" roller coaster and Senya was happy to play on the playgrounds and go on the smaller rides (we tried a couple of times to stretch her so she could meet the 36 inch height requirement on most of the rides, but those Legoland workers were on to us). The structures built with Legos were pretty amazing too.

We stayed at our favorite place in San Diego - it feels just like Hawaii. On Friday night, Senya needed more milk in her "sthippy," so Ammon and Ava headed to the little gift shop. Ammon said that Ava got it in her head that she wanted smores. They were able to round up all of the fixing and we hit the fire pit in our pajamas. What a great idea A!

It was too cold to swim in the ocean outside of our room, but the pool was nice. Ava's swimming is really coming along. Thank goodness because Senya has no fear of the water, so we had to be right on her the whole time. What a fun way to kick off 2010!

Welcome 2010 (that sounds so futuristic ...)

There is no better place to ring in the new year than Pasadena!

We brought in the New Year in our traditional mellow fashion. We decorated the house with streamers and balloons and I made Kellie's horseradish-crusted beef tenderloin for dinner. Ammon bought all of the obnoxious party favors like air horns and we were in bed by 10 p.m. The next morning, we bundled up (although we did not need to because it ended up being about 70 degrees) and hopped on the Gold Line for the 5 minute ride to the parade route. I love the Rose Parade. The floats are so beautiful and the marching bands nearly bring me to tears for some reason. Lucky for us, we are tall enough that we can stand pretty much anywhere on the route, saving us $85 per person for a seat. We put the girls on our shoulders and ate sizzling bacon-wrapped hot dogs at 9 a.m. Then we came home and watched the game. It will be fun when the girls are a few years older and we can camp out to get prime street space and then go to the game.

Here are my ten resolutions for 2010.

1. Do better at doing what I say I am going to do .... guess I won't be talking as much this year:)

2. If I don't know the answer to one of Ava's 2000 daily questions, like "where do rocks come from," then I am going to Google it as opposed to making up a silly answer or telling her to ask her dad.

3. I am going to "book" my blog and work on my other scrap books.

4. I am going to try to be healthier. I have a couple of races lined up, have only been to McDonalds once in 2010, and have been going to the gym.

5. I am going to make my hair appointments as I leave the salon.

6. Work on my photography skills.

7. Read more.

8. Keep up the date nights with Ammon.

9. Get my car washed twice a month.

10. Limit my Target trips to once a month.

Wow, I said a lot. Now lets see if I can keep goal #1.

A December to Remember ...

At my old firm, the partners had a program called "A December to Remember." It was a bonus program where you could make a lot of extra money if you wanted to work more hours. All rational thought aside, people worked more hours in December than other months in the year. It was hard to pass up an opportunity to make a little extra and I found myself spending more on Christmas and convincing myself that we needed the money. The irony is that in all of the years this program existed, there was very little about December that I remembered and I certainly don't remember what we did with the money.

This year, I set out to make it a true December to Remember. While I don't have photos documenting all of our activities, we had one of our best holidays ever. We implemented two of the Dorny traditions, leaving shoes out for Santa on December 6th (a litmus test of sorts to see if you have been naughty or nice), and lighting a candle on each of the four Sundays before Christmas. We made a lot of homemade decorations for our house, decorated gingerbread houses with Abby and Nathan, attended two holiday programs starring Miss Ava, went to Downtown Disney with Alexus and saw the lights, and hosted the Dorny Family Christmas Party.

We then packed up the car and headed to Utah with our annual stop at the Bellagio. Vegas must be hurting because we got an awesome deal and a great suite upgrade. Senya immediately opened the refrigerator/minibar and started unloading the bottles and nuts. This is the fancy fridge where as soon as the $18 bag of peanut m&ms is removed, a computer automatically charges your room account. Thankfully, the billing clerk had kids or had the Christmas spirit because she reversed the charges for us ... which, by the way, may have exceeded our room charge! It was a fun break in the drive for us and the kids loved the room, the lights, and the fountains.

On Christmas Eve, we arrived in Fillmore. Was that ever a shock to this now-California-girl!?! Below zero almost the entire time and my kids LOVED it! Grandma and Grandpa out-did themselves with sledding, ice fishing, and hay rides. It felt like Christmas in every way. On Christmas Eve, my dad read out of Luke and Ava acted out the story of Jesus' birth - with the help of a nativity set or two. Ammon played the guitar and my Mom and Ava decorated cookies for Santa. People came to the door throughout the night bringing gifts and goodies. It was warm, relaxing and exciting.

In addition to the spoiling my parents doled out on the kids, the girls were thrilled with their gifts. Ava got an American Girl-like doll with a couple of outfits and a [H]ukalele. She also got the Snow White dvd, some play make-up and a teacher set. Senya got an American Girl-like doll and a Rody horse. She got a Dora the Explorer backpack too. Ammon got some new running shoes and I got some boots, a whisk and a rolling pin. We are so blessed!

Now that was a December to Remember!

Ava's school holiday program. I asked her if she was nervous before she went on stage and she said "Mom, I have moves and I'm going to rock it." And she did. This was the only shot I had of her because I had Senya in one hand trying to run up to the stage to get her sister, the Flip in the other hand trying to record the performance, and then the camera for a brief second.

Ava and Alexus in their Christmas dresses before church.

Ava and Senya in their Christmas dresses. What pills. I don't know whether I'll ever get that perfect photo of the kids where everyone is smiling, hair is in place, and my house is in perfect order. Oh well, that is just us.

Ammon and Senya sledding. I need to feminize my Mom's snow gear for the grandkids, size 3T. Senya looks like the little brother from A Christmas Story.

My Mom and Ava coming back up the hill. Ava was a little daredevil. She was hitting all of the jumps that a bunch of snowboarders had made, catching serious air and laughing the whole time. She cried tears that froze to her face when it was time to go home.

Me and Senya. We accidentally hit the snowboard jump too. Mid air, I realized that there was no longer a tube underneath me. The landing was a little hard, but Senya loved it!

On the hay ride looking at the lights. Thanks Mom and Dad!

Merry Christmas ...

A Visit from Opa ... and other things we are thankful for ...

Ammon's dad takes the train from Seattle a couple times a year to visit his brood in Cali. We love his visits. He is so much fun to have at our house. This year, he came for Thanksgiving. So did Stina, Aaron and Annika. Add our family, Luke & Marlo's family, and Jessica, and that makes for almost one half of the Dorny clan in one place!

I have so much to be thankful for in 2009.

I am thankful for little hands. As I sat at the Thanksgiving table, with all of the noise, laughter and sippy cups, my mind went back about six years ago to a camping trip with Luke and Marlo. Marlo and I were hiking and talking about starting our families. Who knew that years later, thousands of dollars, a couple of losses, hospitalizations, bed rest, and many, many tears we would have five healthy, beautiful kids between our two families. Stina has traveled the same path with us to get her family, which will hopefully expand soon, and my heart is full of thanks.

I am thankful for our good health. The girls have had some colds and each had pneumonia last spring, but overall, we have weathered the daycare germs pretty well. No H1N1 at our house either. And other than a bad lunch last week, I haven't been sick once this year thanks to my powerhouse immune system :)

I am thankful for adrenaline. Ammon and I have been fortunate (or crazy) enough to do several races this year. I am thankful that my post-10-pound-baby-body has rebounded (somewhat) and that Ammon and I are able to train and race together. One of my favorite "date nights" was a run up to Old Town, dinner, and the bookstore, then a run home --- about eight miles round trip. I am thankful that Ammon has recovered from his bike accident, and thankful that he survived the waves at the LA triathlon.

I am thankful for our jobs. Especially my new job that allows me to spend more time with the girls. The days we have together are priceless. And I welcome my three work days to exercise my mind, fight the good fight, and to have lunch with friends and window shop on Lake at my leisure.

I am thankful for our families. I am so grateful that we are able to travel to Utah and Seattle so that our kids know their grandparents and cousins. I am grateful that our families have been able to come to California to visit us. We've had some fun visits including the Dorny Family Reunion, two visits from Opa, Bedstemor coming to meet the twins, my family coming for the Pasadena triathlon, my family coming for the girls birthday, the deer hunt in Utah, Labor Day in Fillmore, and other fun visits.

Lastly, I am thankful for coconut m&ms, car dvd players, date nights, Magic Eraser, ladybugs, Trader Joes, the Arroyo, running partners, sisters, sister-in-laws, my Fillmore BFFs, Flat Out bread, my Alexi Murdoch cd, our soldiers in Iraq, a set bedtime, Tivo, good neighbors, Kiss Me mascara, my mom's laugh, my dad's work ethic that he passed on, spinach and cranberry salad, my blackberry, and for the quiet 30 minutes I occasionally get to update my blog.

So here are some pics of our Thanksgiving 2009.

Out Takes ...

Jessie took our family pictures for our Christmas cards. Here are some out takes ... surprising that we actually got some good pictures with this crew! Betcha can't wait to receive your card in the mail :)

Happy Halloween!

Here are some pics of the girls over the last two days. Their costumes changed and evolved before last night was over due to Senya's destruction of my glue-gunned master piece (there was a gold super "S" at one point)and Ava getting tired of her costume after having worn it every day for the last month.

Notice how beautiful and sparkling Senya's eye is? Surgery on Tuesday was a success.







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