M-I-C-K-E-Y

Our family got season passes from  generous grandparents for Christmas this year. . . I was so thrilled, and have been able to use them several times. I know it might seem like overkill to have season passes to the Happiest Place on Earth, but I truly love it. We finally got to have Peter take a day off and come with us. It was our first day of spring break, and I was thrilled to have him along. (I am usually solo, or with a friend.)

The Happiest Place on Earth is a WHOLE LOT HAPPIER when we use the Jaxon pass. Basically, it is a special services pass that we get because of Jaxon's autism. Believe it or not, having autism at Disneyland can be trying and difficult. As a matter of fact, on this very trip Peter was waiting in a regular line, and Jaxon flew around and ran into someone who was holding a baby... Needless to say, that person got mad. Anywho, having the Jaxon pass allows us to hop in any fast pass line, without a fast pass, and believe me, it helps a LOT. 

Peter used to feel  a little bit of guilt for using the Jaxon pass. (For the record, I never did- ps, that picture of Wade in the link KILLS me) But, recently, I asked Peter when he thought we would stop using the "Jaxon Pass" and he said, "When Jaxon is no longer in special education!" I would tend to agree, but I hope that is sooner than later. 

The other great thing about the pass is the way it entertains kids, on days off, spring break and just about any other Holiday you can think of, and we have not ever had a kid say, "Oh, man.. NOT DISNEYLAND!" on the day that we do, we will most certainly not get that child a pass ever again. 

 Most of our trips to Disneyland are not without incident, and this one wasn't either. Wade was/is sick, and runnin' a temp. At one point, he even said he wanted to go home, but nothing a quick trip to the gift shop couldn't fix. A couple of tablespoons of motrin and he was on his way (after a quick nap).

 My husband may consider himself at times a "Disneyland Nazi" Parade? NO! We can't wait around for a parade!!! We have to go on ____________ ride! This is another great reason for D-land passes. Time. Time to do whatever you want. We even went to the Tiki room which I don't think I have ever been to in my 38 years  of life. I finally went, and you know what? Once was probably enough.

 But the parades, the parades in my opinion are a CAN'T MISS. They are so well done, so colorful, so fun to watch.

 My kids were enthralled the ENTIRE time, and soaked up every second.

 I couldn't decide what to watch. Their faces? Or the parade!

Of course snow white turned her back on me the split second I clicked the camera. . . .We had a fantastic time, and always do. I am grateful for generous grandparents who make it all possible!

A Very Merry Christmas To YOU!

I am embarrassed. The SECOND year in a ROW I have not sent a Christmas card. It has been a crazy year... I WANT to do a family Christmas picture, but to be honest, I see my husband for about 15 minutes a day, and I have about 10 minutes to clear up things I need to clear up and then, it is over. I would love to do a picture, and write all of the things we have done.

I don't have the picture.

But I can write. THAT I can do. . .

THE YEAR IN SUMMARY 

WYNIA FAMILY 2011

The Wynia family had a crazy year. No really, we did. It started off with being newly laid off, and having to make big, gut wrenching decisions about our lives, and our future. Good times, good times. That lasted until April, with Peter traveling to locations, crunching numbers, praying, and trying to figure out exactly WHERE we were going to start on our new Papa Murphy's business venture. (At least we had THAT figured out) We contemplated no less than 5 or 6 places, and finally came down to the Inland Empire in Southern California. For those of you who don't know, that is the little strip of land that travels south from Riverside straight to San Diego on the I-15, and is directly behind those beautiful mountains that are just before the ocean. There is no DIRECT route to the ocean, but we find ourselves making our way there frequently anyway. 

We spent the spring months signing our life away, doing training and getting ready for the big plunge. Peter and I even went to a week long training at the Papa Murphy's headquarters to get ready for this big adventure. 

Kids at Nanna and Papa's house at the Lake during our trip to the corporate office. 

We moved in July. We had the help of a moving co., but of course, I packed every living last thing we owned (besides Peter's office) and I will forever be grateful for the sweet people who showed mercy on me and helped me pack up my house for the 11th time in 11 years. (I am including our first move in together and a few moves from apartments and in-laws while we were building houses, but still, a move is a move.)

Abigail at our house before we "closed" on it!

We are confident we will not have to move again for a VERY long time. We found a great house in Murrieta, just about 3 miles (6 minutes exactly) from our new store, which I am VERY grateful for, because Peter is there about 14 hours a day, and sometimes even more than that.  We love our house, neighbors, schools and ward and feel amazingly blessed to have been given so much after a few years of very difficult struggles. I have truly learned that Heavenly Father has COMPLETE control over our lives, and many of the things that happen to us are purely for our benefit. Even the trials. I am not sure I could say I was grateful for those trials at the TIME, but I am most certainly grateful for them now. They taught be so many things about our relationship with Heavenly Father, how he teaches us, all of us. I am grateful to be through the trials, but still the same, grateful that Heavenly Father thought I was strong enough to endure them. 

Peter and I doing who knows what...

Our Store Front. Yes, REALLY! 

Peter working at what is lovingly known as the "sheeter"

We opened our new store on November 3rd, after a few crazy days of delays and difficulty with the county fire department. All is forgiven now that we are open, and things are going well! We have been met with incredible excitement and we have no fewer than 5 pizza stores in our parking lot. However, we feel like we have a great location, and have received great feedback on our product which is brand new to the area. That is right. There has never been a Papa Murphy's pizza here! (Hard to believe for some of you, I am sure.) 

Peter "sheeting" dough. Yes, he is not required to wear gloves doing this, and yes, his hands are clean...

Peter is still working LONG hours, and I find myself "working" at the store as well. However, my main title is "marketing freakshow" and of course, I love it. I manage our store's facebook page, as well as School Fundraisers, and any other marketing activities that we might need. Peter runs day to day operations, however, I find myself doing a little bit of that as well. I am sure that is a common occurrence when you own your own business. I even go to work and run the cash register and answer the phones when I am needed, and I work WAY more than I thought I would, but I kind like that too because I get a glimpse into what Peter does all day long and I get to educate our customers about what Papa Murphy's is, and why they are going to love it. (You can like our Facebook page to see what I do at facebook.com/papamurphysmurrieta)

Our Grand Opening Ribbon Cutting by the Murrieta Chamber of Commerce. 

Introducing, Mini Murph

Our kids. Oh yeah, we still have them. Abigail is in 5th grade. She is doing VERY well with her grades (after a rough transition to a very intense school) and is finally starting to enjoy the So. Cal. life. She LIVES for boogie boarding, and is definitely going to be a beach babe. We just got a new puppy for her for Christmas. (I know, I can't believe it either) But the family dog was long over due, and I just decided I needed to take the plunge NOW.

I know she is STANDING on her boogie board, but still..

Jaxon being Jaxon.

Jaxon is Jaxon. Really, what can I say about that kid. He is funny, and I wish I could record everything he says. He is getting used to his new school, and I am still working on deciding if we are going to keep him there. It is challenging to come from a school that had an amazing autism program to one that.... doesn't. But we are working on it. 

Waders.

Wade is in his second year of preschool and is going every day. (I had to do SOMETHING to keep him busy! He turns 5 in a few months, and will go to Kindergarten next year) I am sure he will do great, and we are working on reading right now. He is a complete video(game) head, and I hope Peter will teach him programming in a few years so we can capitalize on that obsession....

Kaylie is a wild, stubborn, hard headed two year old. When she is good, she is VERY VERY good, and when she is bad, she is HORRID! I had a babysitter call me in tears the other night because Kaylie was throwing a big tantrum. Really, the first of all my kids who has done it with any real intense vigor. She really knows how to throw it down though. HOWEVER, on the other side, she can be just super sweet and loving. She will go far in life, as long as we can learn to channel all that energy and intensity!

Overall, it has been an amazing year. We are incredibly grateful for this opportunity and are finding blessings around every corner. We know without a shade of doubt this is where were are supposed to be, and that is a wonderful feeling after years of uncertainty. We know the blessings of the Lord are upon us, and any who choose to put their faith in Him.  We wish you a wonderful 2012, and hope we will be able to put together a family photo NEXT YEAR! Until then, enjoy this one...

Enjoying the beachy life.

Just my luck

I went on a great trip to San Francisco this weekend. It was to celebrate my mom's 70th birthday. I don't know what YOU think 70 looks like, but it looks way better than I thought it would!

My in-laws came to take care of my kids so that I could go. I love them so much. It was invaluable time that I got to spend with my sister-friends. Kinda like sister-wives, but not. Time that we get to spend together like this is irreplaceable. I am grateful to call them "friends" as well as sisters. I love them.

Since we don't all live in the same state, traveling together is pretty much the only chance we get to see each other on a personal level, and it is SO much more personal when you aren't juggling kids at the same time. I highly recommend it.

We spent almost all of our time SHOPPING. And EATING. Because that is what Stewart women do.

And hanging out with this guy, and Brigitte. (That is my sis, Hillary with her new bangs. Which has given her an alternative name of Brigitte or Gretchen... take your pick.)

We spent a LOT of time in shoe departments. And those of us who HAVE cash, dropped a load of it.

We walked past this square probably 30 times in three days.

It was just getting the finishing touches of Holiday flare.

Some people leave their heart there... We just left lots of great memories.

And lots of great restaurants.

I would say San Francisco is pretty much the perfect destination for such an event, and it was great to be there with my sister friends... and mom. HAPPY 70th BIRTHDAY MOM! WE LOVE YOU!

Making Good out of Bad

My husband has to work on Saturday. Once a month usually. Yesterday, while he was away, there was a tragic accident. Jaxon killed Abby's fish. Now, with that statement, you might think, "That doesn't SOUND like an accident" but, I think it was. The fish (which we have had for over a year now) lives in Abby's room and Jaxon barely ever pays any attention to it, but for some reason, yesterday, Jaxon decided he was going to "play" with Abby's fish. I will spare the gory details here, but let's just say there were lots of tears shed. LOTS. Abby quickly reminded me that Jaxon also killed her LAST fish, too. (The girl is a steal trap)

A fish is about the only pet on the list of "Abby's List of 500 Desired Pets" that we are willing to venture into right now. And so, to try to make things better, I told her that I would take her out when daddy got home for a little girl's day out. (A completely great way to get out of the house with any kids accept for Abby) Peter came home and since it was time for Kaylie's nap, Abby and I headed off to "run errands" while the boys hung out at home with the sleeping baby.

Our first stop was lunch. (You better believe I am going to make a girl's day out include LUNCH!) We decided to get salads at Paradise Bakery and as we were sitting there chatting over lunch, a serious revelation came upon me. She is growing up. You know, you know how it just *SNEAKS* up on you? Day after day after day and all of a sudden you notice, WOW. They aren't really that little or young anymore! And, I actually quite like engaging in small talk with her! (Which revolved ENTIRELY around the game 'Frontiereville' which her dad was letting her watch/play with him.

I started to laugh a little because she is just so animated when she talks. I nonchalantly got out my phone and took a few pix, and just couldn't stop because they were just such a perfect expression of her 9 year old face. So much expression, and so much animation. Since it seems like I blinked, and she is nine, I wanted to recall this little "moment" of our bonding, and her willingness to just chat the afternoon away over lunch.

She uses her hands a lot when she talks. Makes it hard to talk and eat.

Although it may seem like some of these are posed, they truly aren't. She was seriously mid sentence here.

I have seen this face so much. She used to make faces like this when she was a baby. But now I don't see them as much anymore. Unless I take pics mid sentence.

This has to be my favorite. Because, it is hilarious. And so, so, Abby, you can see the slight shake of the head when talking. (Who on earth is she looking at anyway?)

Doesn't look like she is making much progress with that salad does it.

I love this look, because it is so unassuming.

Describing something with her hands.

Does she even CARE about her salad? I think not.

Okay, maybe she does.

Thanks for lunch Abby, I hope we have lots more lunch dates.

Be prepared to DIE from CUTENESS!

That is all... I am not biased.

Wanna see more? Please check my facebook page... or twist my arm, and I will post more here.

I left my husband.

I did. I can't believe I did it either. It was after a week of complete chaos too. It was crazy, but I had to meet up with my sisters for our FIRST Girls trip!!

Where did we go?

VEGAS.

Of course!(?)

I took off Friday morning and drive with my other PHX sister to Las Vegas to meet up with my mom and 3 other sisters! No, this family knows no boys... just ones now related by marriage. It has always been kind of difficult to attempt something like this. . . I mean, we realized after we left, that we had left a total of 17 children behind. . . Was that an accomplishment? Or just sheer stupidity. (We still aren't sure) I think all the men made it. . I know my husband did anyway-- and he had it the worst for sure!!

We took in a great show . . Le Reve at the Wynn

and ate some even GREATER food! If you know anything about my family, it is that we LOVE FOOD!

Do we look alike?

We had a great time and it was fun to spend so much time with people I LOVE! Thanks girls! It was a blast! Let's do it again. . . . When Kaylie is a little older -per Peter's request! :)

PS- As I left for my trip, I gave Peter his "list" and jokingly said, Oh, and potty train Wade while you are at it. When I got home, they were on day 3 of potty training! Brave brave BRAVE daddy!

Email from Home

My husband and I e-mail... here is where you would say, isn't he home right now???? Looking for work???????? And I would say, yes, as a matter of fact he is! Yet, we still find e-mailing as a great way of communication. Ok, I guess that could also mean that we STINK at communication but it works for us, so there....

PLUS, as you probably know, my laptop is in my ROOM...Near my BED... Where I watch TV... It is a great set up. I am thinking I need one of these. My birthday is coming up. . . maybe I will get one then and my life will be complete.. (or completely a waste) Anyway, I recently got an e-mail from Peter regarding one of his favorite past times which would be. . . . Making me feel old. We are the same age, but, he has this crazy nack about numbers . . . and calculating them, and if you know me at all you know I am not good with numbers. (Forget the fact I was a financial advisor... I am VERY good with software, ok??) I am just not good at adding on the "fly".

Usually, Peter will just come up with this kind of information at a completely random moment.. but for some reason, he decided to e-mail it to me. Normally, he tells me when were are eating lunch, driving in the car or doing something else totally random. I was going to keep a log of all of his "calculations" so I could share them with you, but, I can't seem to get my log going, so, now that he gave one to me in print, I will share. I think he REALLY missed his calling as a statistician. (Is that even a profession?) Well, if it was, he would do well. . . .

Now, welcome to my world....

Led Zepplen's final studio album came out in 1979, 10 years before our sophomore year in High School.
Third Eye Blind's "Jumper" came out in April 1997, nearly 12 years ago.
In 2 years, Nirvana's Nevermind will be 20 years old.
Next year will mark 30 years since U2's 'Boy' came out.
In perspective, our freshman year of high school was 31 years after Elvis' "Jailhouse Rock" and Frank Sinatra's "Come Fly With Me" came out.
When Abby is a Freshman in High School, 'Boy' will be 37 years old.
Our Freshman year of High School, Nat King Cole's "Unforgetable" was 37 years old.

Feel old now? Me too.

Then I got an e-mail from Abby.

Dear mom it saes nothing of a kind about where to go!

I know that won't make sense to you, but, I loved it. I still can't believe that I can get an e-mail from my 7 year old... hilarious. Never mind the fact that she could have walked into my room and asked me about it... She had to e-mail me. I guess she is learning how we roll. . . No talkie talkie.. Just E-MAIL. (Maybe I should get her hooked up on FACEBOOK!)

BLOGIVERSARY ANNOUNCEMENT

Ok, I know I said I was going to do a giveaway, but since I am on Vacation.. I am going to wait until I get back to do my giveaway.. I want it to be good and proper and all... So, instead, I will make an announcement....

Remember when I was doing this and this and this???


Well, I was this:


You might ask, What on EARTH? Who is crazy enough to have a baby while they are MOVING to another STATE, and BUYING a NEW BUSINESS and under EXTREME AMOUNTS OF STRESS????? Well, I guess we are.

Dear Mom

Dear Mom,

I am sorry that I didn't send you a Mother's Day gift. Between looking for a place to live in Phoenix, having all the members of my family get the flu and going to Disneyland over the past 10 days, life has been a little bit nutty. I hope you understand. Since I didn't get anything to you via USPS, UPS, Fedex or other, I hope ISP will suffice. I want you to know that I love you and I think you are a wonderful mother.

You are fabulously fun. Some of the best memories I have of you are dancing until all hours of the night in Balboa, CA to "Word Up" by Cameo, traveling across the globe with you as a family and having fantastic parties in our home with perfect food, perfect decor and a perfect hostess. (Getting ready to Cruise- waiting in the airport for one of our many family trips)
You amaze me with you ability to teach kids. You find the most fun and creative ways to teach your Grandkids and I love the things that you share with them from your tiniest treasures, to your cute little songs.
I can't believe the costumes and things that you used to sew for us. Your creativity is astonishing, and although I like to try to imitate it, it is NOTHING like having the real thing. I still love to call you for decorating ideas and the latest trends in home craftiness. And even though my husband won't let me show this picture to Abby for fear she will ask what a "playboy bunny" is, I think it was a great costume idea . . and I will never forget the looks that the 6th grade teachers gave me when I showed up for Halloween looking like this:

Mom, I am glad you love the beach. I have so many memories of our family at the beach. I just love that you LOVE to have fun! I don't think it is a mystery as to why I ended up with a "party planning" degree. You have a passion for life and fun, and as a matter of fact, you have passed your passion for things like the beach, parties, fun and yummy food to all of your daughters. Personally, I think they are some of the best passions to have.
Some of the most precious time I have spent with you is after just having a baby. I love it when you come to stay with me and cuddle those sweet little babies. I love the pictures I have of you holding each one of my little bundles. It brings me so much joy to have you in their lives. They love you, and I love you too.

You have always been the epitome of fashion and style, and I love to look at old pictures of you. Always hip, always now, always beautiful.
Thank you for all of the love and support you have given to me throughout the years. Thank you for the wonderful memories and traditions, and thank you for raising such a wonderful family. I hope I can do it as well as you!