Thanksgiving Vacation 2010 Temecula, California This year for Thanksgiving, we were invited by our dear friends to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday with them in their new home in Temecula, California. An added bonus was that Dana and Yolanda joined us for the holidays. Our week was incredible. It was amazing to be there and exciting to see what their lives are like in their new city.
On our way down to California, we stopped in Vegas to spend the night with Brandon and Charlotte and our cute little nieces! Brandon and Dave went and hit a bucket of balls and we spent the morning at the park near their home. Here are a few of my favorite pictures:
Austin at the park
Brandon and his wife!
And here we are!
Cutie pie Sydney!
The cousins loved their swings
Taylor had the idea to put the twins in the swing together.Sydney and Sadie loved it!
Pure joy
Taylor is so cute with her cousins...and they adore her so much!
Sydney, enjoying a swing
Austin and his new friend were so proud of the hole they dug together. The friend insisted on a picture.
My brothers always have to prove their athleticism and this trip was no different. Here is Brandon doing his pull ups.
Showing off
We're so proud of you, Brandon! And you look amazing! :)And we're off to California!!!!!
We had to make a quick stop in Barstow for Austin to use the bathroom. We ate at McDonalds and the kids were giddy about seeing Ronald.
Celebrating the man who has made the world fat......Disneyland 2010
Dave and I have a rather complicated relationship with Disneyland. I made the mistake of posting of facebook that we were off to the most "unmagical" place on earth and I ended up receiving some hate comments from people I love and admire (Rachelle- that's you!). So, let me share the events of the day and I'll let my audience decide if Disneyland is magical for the Lindsays.First, when we awoke, we learned that Jen was very sick with the stomach flu so she was out. Steve was bummed because he was stuck with the two girls and no wife. We were bummed because Jen, well, Jen is just so fun!
Austin, Taylor and Riley were so excited to go to the park!
By the time we parked, we were into the day almost $300.00. And we hadn't even entered the park. Will there be magic?
Jaxson loved hanging out with Landon, Dana and Yolanda! 
On our way to Disneyland on the train!
Lookin' good girls. And Dana too!
Hey Everybody!We had to take a few family pictures once we walked in. I can't get enough of our family together since we are complete now.
We made a decision to begin with the Pirates ride. While Dana ran to get fast pass tickets, we took some pictures of the kids by the river.
Yo, Riley and Tae Bug
Here is Austin! When I took this picture, I mentioned to Dave that I had forgotten to write my cell number on his arm in case he got lost. But at least I had a picture of my son!
Dave and Lissy Lou!Dana showed up and we walked maybe 20 ft to the first ride with no line. I looked at Dave and quickly scanned for all 4 and low and behold, Austin was missing! Gone. I had just taken his picture 60 seconds before by the river. Dave sprinted to the lake to make certain he hadn't fallen in while Yolanda grabbed Taylor and ran to the left. Dave and I, shaking our heads in disbelief and worry, were calling out for him. After 5 minutes, I started to freak out. I told Dave I needed to branch out so I took off, praying like crazy for guidance. I went the opposite way as Yo and Taylor. While veering off to the right, I suddenly felt prompted to go down by the lake and look for him. About one minute later, I saw a little boy running near the lake with a look of fear and terror on his face. I screamed out to him, he saw me and we just hugged and hugged! He cried. You could just tell how scared he had been.
Here is his little picture with his sad face.....All of this before 8:45am. Let the fun begin!
The day was not very warm, quite cool to be exact. At one point, Austin told Dave he had to go to the bathroom fast. Dave took him in and got the paper down on the seat etc and was seconds away from putting the child down on the pot, when he saw the diarrhea run out of the bottom of Austin's pants. He spent the next 10 minutes cleaning up everything from the floor to the insides of the pants to the underwear. Thanks, Dave, for not freaking out and making us all go home!
Taylor and Riley were glued at the hip! Best friends!
Here are Yolanda, Jaxson and Dave on the Tower of Terror at California Adventure. They are on the top row to the right.Jaxson was an animal on the rides! He was fearless and wanted to go on anything and everything exciting! I love his enthusiasm and love for adventure. What an amazing kid!
Going with the Johnstons and DuJardins was a blast! They treated our children kindly and made the day, well, almost magical! :)
Jaxson and his Mickey Mouse cookieHere we are on the train, heading back to the parking garage at 10:30 pm. To say we were tired was an understatement.
DATE NIGHT
One of the things we planned on doing with the Johnstons before we arrived in California was to go out as couples. The next night on Tuesday, we enjoyed a night out together. Lovely. 
Here is where Austin and Ella ended the night.....A Day At Sea World
On Wednesday, I began the day with a great walk around the lake where Jen and Steve live. Then we dashed off to Sea World for the day. The park was beautiful, decorated with all sorts of Christmas trees, lights and shows reminding us that Christmas is around the corner!
Jen and the kids at the dolphin show. I love this picture!
Steve-o, Dave, baby girl and beautiful Jen
SmmmmIIIIIILE!
A couple's shot.....with Steve. ;)
Two handsome guys at the show, Landon and Dana!
The always-running DuJardins!
Loved the bird lady flying over the audience at the dolphin show!
Alyssa was a trooper! We were so proud of how great she acted whether in her stroller or walking holding our hands.
My sweetheart, Austin
SHAMU SHOW!The boys were completely engaged in the show as they watched the killer whales swim around the pool.
The heart of our home, Taylor!
SHAMU!
Doin' the Shamu chant!
Riley, doing the chant, "Shamu, Shamu!"
Just hangin' out at Sea World
The girls loved watching the Sea Lions
Austin thought they were funny too.LUNCH TIME
Pizza, Pasta and Salad
Pizza, Pasta and Salad
We loved the flamingos
And they call themselves the "brothers from different mothers." 
Some people spent a little bit too much time watching the birds.....
Jody and the cutest little 6 year old boy!
Yolanda found the star fish and had no problem reaching in to touch them. The guard said it was okay so that opened up an entire 15 minutes of exploration from the kids. It was awesome. Thanks Yo!
Thanksgiving Day 2010And what a day it was! I don't mean to brag, but we put on an amazing dinner. Amazing. Delicious on every level.
Riley just dug in and helped Yolanda make the prize-winning rolls.
Austin, next to one of the 4 different meat selections we had during the meal.....
Just mix, Dana, just focus on mixing!
And here are the men of the house, enjoying their morning in front of a football game instead of preparing the meal. Some Thanksgiving traditions never change.......The youngin's of the house on Thanksgiving morning:
Landon, protecting the treadmill.
Alyssa JeanI love that smile!
We are so happy!
Beautiful blue-eyed Ella
Yo, keeping Jaxson and Riley engaged in roll making. Darling kids!
Our chef, hostess and proud mother of the bird.Perfect turkey, Jen! You did it, and it was amazing!
Punch
The Sister Wives
Picture perfect!
Cheers!
Steve's attempt to carve the prized bird!
Yummmmmmmmmm
Best man on the planet. And he's mine!
Preparing for Steve's speech and 5 minute prayer.
Taylor and her daddy
I'm four years old on this Thanksgiving Day!
Look at the selection!
Steve and DaveHugging it up before the dinner
After the meal, Dave and Steve were right back in front of the TV.Traditional Thanksgiving Day
The dance and songs began. The girls had prepared well and were hilarious. We couldn't quit smiling and video taping.
Okay, sometime during Riley's number, Jaxson comes running in with my blow dryer so that he could give some "wind action" to Riley's performance.
Move over Lady Gaga!
Look at Jaxson's face! Pure joy. Pure joy.
"You're hot and you're cold, etc"
Jen got the idea for us to sing too. "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun"
I've never wanted to see any of my friends drunk until I danced and sang with Jen. She would be a scream.
OCEANSIDE BEACH
The day after Thanksgiving, we drove to Oceanside for a day at the beach.
It was in the upper 60s so not too warm but not too bad.
It was in the upper 60s so not too warm but not too bad.
Strike a pose, Taylor! You are adorable!
Love these two!
Pure hotness at Oceanside.
Jody and Austin
Riley! She is a little beauty!
Austin waded in the ocean for a little fun.
Alyssa LOVED the water, sand and running everywhere. And then she would fall......
........and eat sand.
Jaxson was everywhere on the beach too. 
Yo and Jen, before their body boarding.Sister Wives
On our way back home, we spoke with Barbara on the phone and she told us about a storm that was to hit northern Utah Saturday night. We debated what to do. Do we go head to Vegas early, wait until Monday, etc? At 7:15 pm, we chose to leave for Brandon's home in Vegas to beat the storm home. We started to pack like crazy, throwing everything in bags. Jen came in to talk with me for aminute and suddenly, I found myself crying. I didn't realize how much I had missed our friends and it hit me that the magic was over. For a time. So sad. We just love our friends so much!
We left the Johnston's home by 8:00pm. We arrived in Vegas at 12:30am and left there by 7:30am (didn't even see the brother or his darling family!). It proved to be a great decision because the snow storm that blew threw was horrible.
On the road again!
And what we awoke to Sunday morning......
Thanks to the Johnstons and DuJardins for an amazing, unforgettable Thanksgiving Break! We loved it.
