Happy 8th Anniversary

November 11, 2000

Tim surprised me with a day trip to Tahoe. At the time I was working and going to school so days off were few and far between. We decided to take a walk by the lake and much to my surprise, a fresh layer of snow started to fall! I was so excited over the snow that I didn't realize that Tim was on one knee waiting for me to acknowledge him. When I saw him there waiting patiently, my eyes filled with tears and I knew this was the moment I had dreamed about since I was a little girl.

Tim and I LOVE fall and decided that since we both love the season and we got engaged in November that it was fitting to have a fall wedding. We wanted our wedding date to be as close to our engagement date as possible so we decided on November 10, 2001.

My handsome groom.

The guys.

Mom and Dad Warta - Thank you for modeling a Godly marriage and giving me such a wonderful man for a husband.

Going to the chapel.

My mom and I.

The girls.

My two dads.

Tim and I didn't want to see each other before the ceremony and it was well worth the wait. I will never forget the quiet moments we shared.

Mr. and Mrs. Timothy Warta

I think we were on cloud 15 here.

Our first dance...EVER!!!

I got the cake in the face but I saw that one coming.

And away we go...

Timmy,

Happy 8th Anniversary! The years have flown by and as I look back on our special day, I can honestly say that I love you deeper, harder, stronger, and more today than I did 8 years ago when we said, "I do." Thank you for being a devoted husband, father, and friend.

I love you!

California Adventure

Today's focus was California Adventure but due to the short lines we found that we had conquered that adventure by 3:30pm and decided to head back to Disneyland.

Soarin' Over California is AMAZING!! I just love that ride!

Hailey,
This picture is for you...since I know how much you just love candy corns! ;)

Jamie, I did my best to bring you home a churro but the cart just wouldn't budge!

Both California Adventure and Disneyland were so empty. We found out that this is the "off season" and the first 2 weeks in November are a great time to go due to the small crowds.

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

The spinning Ferris Wheel...that made us sick.

Mr. Potato Head greeted us as we stood in line for a whole 20 minutes for the 3D Toy Story ride. We haven't waited longer than 25 minutes for any ride at either park!

Landon,

You would LOVE this ride! You use a gun to shoot the different targets and yes, Daddy beat me at this one too!

Do you recognize these bears, Landon?

We went for a walk in the Redwoods while we were there. We were both amazed at what a great job Disney does of re-creating everything. We really felt like we were in the Redwoods!

The view from the top of the look out tower.

Don't worry folks, there won't be any wild fires on my watch!

Landon and Claire,

We rode on this raft ride today and got pretty wet. It was a lot of fun!

Landon and Claire,

Mater and Lighting McQueen wanted us to tell you hello!

Donald Duck

Ready to soar over California again.

Looks like we're in Burney Falls again, not in some theme park.

California Screamin' ROCKS!!

And because we're too cheap to buy our picture, we just took a picture of our picture!

"L" is for LANDON

"C" is for CLAIRE and CASEY


Back to Disneyland...

Landon and Claire,

This is the boat we rode on when we went on the Jungle Cruse. It's a boat ride that takes you to see lots of different animals. You would really like this ride.

We saw an elephant.

You would LOVE Indiana Jones, Peanut! These are the jeeps that take you on a wild adventure!

Good ol' Dumbo!

Catch that? 6 minutes is the wait for the Haunted Mansion! We walked on so many rides it was unbelievable!

The castle is beautiful at night.

And they lived happily ever after...

Well tomorrow we head home feeling refreshed and although we'd love to stay just one more day, we really, really, really miss our little ones!

Brian and Angie,

A simple thank you isn't enough for taking care of our children so we could spend 4 days together. Our time away has been so precious and so much fun. We love you both dearly and appreciate you more than you'll ever know.

Disneyland

We were at the park bright and early (before they opened actually) and stayed until closing time. There's something magical as you enter the gates and walk under the archway into the happiest place on earth, entering the world of yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

Landon and Claire,

There were so many cool things that we wanted to share with you so we took lots of pictures. We hope you enjoy them!

XOXO,

Mommy and Daddy

The classic Dinseyland picture.

Tim and some Indian.

Sleeping Beauty's castle covered in snow. The Park is transitioning into the Christmas season....can't wait to see what it looks like today!

Landon,

This is the Nemo submarine ride. We climbed into this submarine and explored the sea. We saw Nemo, sharks, coral reefs, star fish, and much more.

Here's Daddy looking out a window.

Here's some of what he saw.

Another MUST have photo!

The entrance into the Haunted Mason.

The decorations are so detailed and interesting.

Landon and Claire,

Here is a picture of Splash Mountain. Can you see the log coming down the waterfall? We got SOAKED on this ride, from head to toe!

I just had to include this picture. Maybe next time Tim won't put the camera directly by the sun.

You can see a few water drops on Tim's shirt but that was NOTHING compared to when we got off. Our log was full of adults and very heavy which made a big splash! It did cool us off (it was 89 degrees) but we stayed wet for a long time.

Tim tried to pull the sword out of the stone but had no luck...

Let a girl do it...no luck either!

Landon,

Remember when we rode the Tea Cups at the fair? These were exactly the same! I made Daddy promise not to spin too fast so I wouldn't get sick.

We were supposed to be enjoying a spot of tea but Tim looks like he's smoking something.

Landon,

There are the cars we drove in Autotopia. They were super fun! I took a picture of a yellow one just for you.

I scream you scream, we all scream for ICE CREAM!

Us with Walt and Mickey.

Landon and Claire,

We rode the Buzz Lightyear ride. We had never been on that ride before. It was really fun and we got to try to shoot the targets. Daddy beat Mommy and had the highest score.

Ready to watch "Honey, I shrunk the audience."

Landon,

Daddy thought you might like to see a picture of this personal helicopter.

He also thought you would like to see this rocket pack. It goes on your back and you can fly!

A kiss at the top of the tree house.

The ol' ball and chain.

Mom,

This picture is for you. LYM

I love carmel apples and this one (although not carmel) was too cute to pass up.

We had a GREAT day and can't wait to do it again today!

Downtown Disney

We're celebrating our 8th anniversary (a few days early) in the "happiest place on earth." Here are a few highlights from our first day:

We went to the Lego Store and found some pretty cool Lego masterpieces.

What a goofball!

Here's to 8 wonderful years!

Landon and Claire,

We hope you like the pictures from the Lego store. We miss you guys but know that you're having a lot of fun with Auntie Angie and Uncle Brian. We'll post more pictures tomorrow.

Love you more,

Mommy and Daddy

Trick or Treat

Dear God,

As I carve my pumpkin help me to say this prayer:

Open my mind so I can learn about you.

Take away all my sin and forgive me for the wrong things I do.

Open my eyes so Your love I will see.

I'm sorry for turning up my nose to all You've given me.

Open my ears so Your word I will hear.

Open my mouth so I can tell others You're near.

Let Your light shine in all I say and do!

Amen

Trick or Treat!

Landon decided months ago that he wanted to be a bumble bee (so he could sting his sister) and he wanted Claire to be a lady bug. Lucky for me, I found both costumes at the consignment store and with a little modification, we had ourselves a bumble bee and a lady bug!

First stop was Gramma D's.

Next it was on to Grandpa and Grandma Kizer's.

Grandpa Stan joined us for dinner.

Our little lady bug...

and our little bumble bee.

Who knew insects could be so cute?

Claire hit the candy early and hard.

Our neighbors loved seeing the kids.

Our group of trick-or-treaters. We were joined by the Hudson family and Auntie Angie, Keagan, and Bethany.

Daddy's girls.

Beth and Claire are the BEST of friends. Claire insisted on holding hands the whole time. Beth didn't seem to mind, she loves being the older cousin.

Another stop. By now they had this trick-or-treating thing down!

Just us with our bugs.

The cousins.


Hope everyone had a Happy Halloween!!!

Birthday Fun

Party Time

All Claire wanted for her birthday was pink and purple cupcakes so that's what we did!

Claire and Uncle Cody
Keagan got all the kids to play soccer. Notice how he is holding Claire's hand, he is sooooo good with her and she LOVES him.
Present time! Landon stepped in to help...
and so did the other kids.

Bethany went through her own toy box over a week ago to hand pick gifts for Claire. This star wand was one of many.

Beth,

You are such a treasure! Your gift to Claire made my heart very glad. It was such a special gift and Claire loves everything you gave her. We love you tons!

Claire is really into baby dolls.

She is quite the little mommy.

Pink and purple cupcakes for the Bear.

Love the tutus girls!!!

Thanks Nama Kizer and Gramma D for making this little girl's birthday wish come true with her pink and purple cupcakes. She loved them!

The birthday girl couldn't wait for candles, she just had to dive in.

Happy Birthday Claire Elizabeth!

Thanks everyone for making Claire's birthday party so special. We love you all!

Bishop's Pumpkin Farm

"No, I two on my birfday," is what Claire kept telling us the morning of her birthday. It took come convincing (the whole day) that in was in fact her birthday and she was in fact two. Her birthday blessings began bright and early with a balloon delivery by Mr. Newton and Bethany and Auntie Angie followed with their own balloon delivery. Next it was present time from Mommy and Daddy and then off to the pumpkin farm with Grandpa Stan.

It was a pretty packed day but our birthday princess had a blast!

You are one cute birthday girl!

While the kids were outside playing, Tim snuck Claire's present into her room which totally blew Landon away. He just couldn't figure out how it got there.

Every little girl needs a kitchen.

Bishop's is always so much fun for the young and old alike. Landon is our little animal lover and couldn't get enough of the baby goats.

This lama didn't want to be petted but it liked to give kisses.

Claire is starting to warm up to animals in general. She tolerates the family dog so for her to feed the goats is a really big deal.

Our gentle giant.

Landon is so much like his daddy. He is always trying to figure things out and this sand toy was no exception.

Look at that smile! Love it!

Claire has no fear which causes me to fear. She only went down with me two times before she was ready to go at it alone.

She thought the little trucks were pretty cool.

Landon and Grandpa Stan

Headed out on the hayride to find the perfect pumpkins.

Claire picked out a green and orange pumpkin. She was adamant that this was the perfect pumpkin for her.

Landon on the other hand, went big and orange.

Claire and Grandpa Stan

Waiting for our hayride back.

Landon asked if we could sit up front so he could watch how the tractor worked.

Family photo time.

Next it was off to Round Table for dinner and you can't go to pizza without playing a few arcade games.

Hope your birthday was fantastic! We love you beyond words!

Happy 2nd Birthday Claire Bear

I can hardly believe that you're 2 today! You've had a big year, full of many milestones and firsts. You turned into a toddler before our very eyes, giving up your pacifier, diapers, and crib. Your personality has blossomed and you are so full of life. Your giggle is contagious, your kisses ever sweet, your smile melts your daddy's heart, and your admiration for your brother makes my heart glad. I hope your birthday is as special as you!!!

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October 2009

You are so special, Claire Bear!
We love you BIG,
Daddy, Mommy, and Landon