New song by Pearl Jam

I heard this for the first time last night and I didn't even recognize it as Pearl Jam until the first chorus! It's unlike most of their music lately and I would love for everyone to hear it. Listen to the lyrics, because they are pretty touching. Enjoy!

Happy Holidays!!!!

Halloween . . . .

I teach primary. And not only is it primary, but I have sunbeams. And I love my kids. They are crazy, but I love them. A couple of weeks before Halloween, my co-teacher Jandi asked the kids what they were dressing up as for Halloween, and then of course they wanted to what we were dressing up as. Well, I hadn't planned a costume because Brian is a party-pooper so we never go out. So I asked the kids what they thought I should dress up as. The consensus was that I should be a princess. Yes, that's right . . . a princess. Well, Eli thought I should be a king, but we explained the difference. Anyway, I got a crown and got all dressed up for trunk or treat. I also had a wand, but the girls continually told me that princesses don't have magic wands. I took it anyway. So, here are four of my six kids in their costumes. I was sad because Eli was sick and couldn't come and Ethan didn't come to trunk or treat and he was going to be an ewok! So, here you go . . .

I had a "Belle"

This is the Cat in the Hat, and his twin baby brothers were Thing 1 and 2

This is my ladybug!
And Tinkerbell!

And the Simmons' say goodbye to Disneyland

But we'll be back!

The Disney Pumpkins

The end . . . . of the Haunted Mansion pictures

Jack in full Disney automatronics!

Brian's birthday present!!

This is in the big room during the ride. The really cool thing was that as soon as you enter the room, you smell gingerbread. Very cool!

You can't see it, but Zero is floating down the hall.

Is there an end to the Disneyland Pictures?

Oogie Boogie is scary as a topiary!

This one is for Gretchen.

The Korean kids from "it's a small world."

There are more pictures . . . . wa ha ha ha ha !!!

And more . . .

Brian always gets a mint julip when he goes to Disneyland. This time, he got one on Saturday and one on Sunday. He's spoiled.

This one is for the Wells family ;)

Brian also loves getting caramel apples at Disneyland. We ate a lot of food over the weekend. Sheesh!

Now that the modem is possibly fixed . . .

I can try to finish my Disneyland posts :)

Haunted Mansion during Halloween Time!

More pictures . . . Disney makes a few changes to a couple of rides during Halloween Time. For the record, Space Mountain with the Ghost chasing you is absolutely amazing. Seriously, kids walked off the ride in tears! The Haunted Mansion is changed to include The Nightmare Before Christmas. Sadly, we were those annoying people who took pictures during the ride. Here you go!

Halloweentime at Disneyland

I realize that I can be very random. When Brian requested a particular cake for his birthday, I was more than willing to give it to him to make him happy. Well, then he decided he didn't want the cake because a whole cake is too many calories. So, I decided that instead of the $30 tiramisu cake, we'd go to Disneyland. Yeah, seems odd, but that's how I roll. Anyway, here's the pics we took while on our whirlwind trip to Anaheim. It was a fun and exhausting trip. And I wish that there were rules regarding the age of children in strollers . . . as in, your 12 year old can walk, you don't need a stroller. (Argh!)

Brian attempting to eat a "turkey leg"

We decided that Katie owes us $8 for this "turkey leg." It was actually really gross, and we're pretty sure that it was actually a ham shank. Regardless, we won't be getting that again. Ick!

Waiting in line for the Haunted Mansion!

Candy corn Halloween Time sign on the Golden Gate Bridge outside of California Adventure.

Candy corn Cactus in California Adventure

Giant Candy Corn contest winner-California Adventure

The Francis Ladybug spinner ride-California Adventure

Proof I was there!!!

Effalumps and Woozles

So, Mom and I decided we wanted to go to the zoo and see the new baby elephant. So, we planned a Saturday as a mommy-daughter day in Emmigration Canyon. We went to the zoo and saw not just the new elephant, but there were baby tigers, and baby snow leapards. And a baby giraffe. And, just for the record, a baby giraffe falls six feet to the hard earth when it's born. I think that's a rough way to enter the world. Anyway, below are some pics from the adventure. I think my favorite part was seeing my mom watch the baby elephant. It was fun. When we were done, I kidnapped Mom and took her to one of our favorite places to eat. It's called Ruth's and it's a little further up the canyon. It has been highlighted on Food Network's "Diners, Drive-ins and Dives" and it ROCKS MY SOCKS!!! We had a good lunch and got a reuben to go for Brian. All in all, a great day with my mom.