Last year when Disney first announced their "Give a day, Get a day" program I was DETERMINED to join and finally take our girls to Disneyland. It has been a dream of ours for the past 2 years, and the girls have saved their birthday money "For Disneyland." We searched for a project that would allow Nani to participate, and found the cutest family project called "Project Linus" (www.projectlinus.org) We chose out cute fleece fabric and made some blankets! Even Samara was able to assist in the making.
Even many little hands make light work. :)
Sam knows the importance of a blanket! Her favorite is a Princess blanket given to her by Carrie.
Happy to serve... We were making our blankets right after the earthquake in Haiti. It made our service feel more real as we told the children that some of their blankets might go to the children in Haiti that lost everything. In fact, When Nani drew her cards to go along with the blankets... Her people were all cute little Haitian children. :)
Daddy Daughter time. Maybe we should always have some type of project going on... it was a soothing way to pass the time.
With smiles on their faces, we finished the blankets! It was a great thing Disney did... I learned a lot of ways to include children in service, and get all of us out of ourselves and thinking of others.
"Hopoate Family... You've just finished a service for Project Linus, what're you going to do now?" "WE'RE GOING TO DISNEYLAND!"
Cousins, Reagan and Samara (or Samamawa as Reagan calls her) happy to be together again!
A visit with Nanny, my Dad's Mom who is turning 93 this year! Our oldest daughter is actually named after her. Nanita-Juanita and Nanny put together.
Who needs Disneyland when you have Crippenland! The kids favorite ride... Papa's big truck!
My mom and I. One of the best things about coming home is the spoiling this woman does for you. Delicious breakfasts, favorite dinners, awesome smoothies...LOVE IT!
And no trip to Cali is complete without a visit to DeJong's Dairy. I went there as a kid, and now my children love to go as well.
When I saw this picture, I was overwhelmed with how lucky all our kids are. Imagine growing up with all these loving cousins! Not to mention a haven like the Cripp-Inn.
DISNEYLAND!
The girls were VERY excited to walk into Diseyland... and that includes me!
Nani takes the wheel!
Samara did too... what a ride that was. You can see how focused she was on the road. ;)
Teacups... a favorite of the day. We rode them 3 times! "We" never incudes Tino though... spinning rides are just not his thing.
That evening Nani, Papa, and I rode the teacups and Papa made us spin at AMAZING speeds. Spinning wasn't my thing anymore either. :)
Another favorite, I think because there was no line, Disney's Merry-go-round.
And the other ride to top the list... DUMBO!
Grammy and Papa Crippen came to Disneyland in the middle of the day.
They let the girl's each pick out their own pair of ears... a treasure still today.
My little baby Nani. By 9:00, these girls were done... and I was glad I have been working out all this time! My great parent's took the girls back to the hotel, and allowed Tino and I some time to play.
We helped Buzz...
And flew in space mountain... we also rode Indiana Jones, Splash Mountain, and the Haunted Mansion. It was fun, and I was sooo glad for the fast passes that we had.
Me and my Prince Charming. As you can see, it is almost midnight and the magic is running out...
Thanks Walt... For a great Day.
Our 3 girls all knocked out.
We have a picture here at downtown Disney with Tino and a 1 year old Nani... Now look!
LA TIMES
Austin, Nani, Lofty, and Kea just being goofy!
Cousin Fun!
Valentine's Day!
A walk with Grammy.
A dangerous place to be with my klutzy little girls!
We had a swingin' good time!
YUMMY! I told you I get spoiled in California!
My favorite thing to do... just hang out and talk. :)
A sleepover at Grammy and Papa's house. The kids just ran upstairs and each picked a shirt from their grandparents drawers, so fun.
The Drive Home...
A random stop at a random place... but the kids had fun! I think that is something I learned on this trip. You really don't need to spend money to have fun. These kids just love being with the people they love... that is better than anything else in the world.
With the kids getting older, drives aren't quite as hard as they use to be.
For the past 2 months Tino has been reading Gordon B. Hinckley's Biography, and has loved it! Learning about a lot of the history of the church caused him to want to stop at Cove Fort... a fort built by Hinckley's grandfather.
It was a great way to finish up a fun, family filled vacation.
