Who Gives a Fig?

We took advantage of our fig tree this year and harvested figs.  And figs. And figs.  So many figs!  So, we decided to make some fig jam.  It was my first experience in canning, and it was a success.  So yummy!

Figs

Jam.  There's something about jam in jars that just looks so pretty.  I love learning new skills!

The Rest of Our Vacation

The remainder of our vacation was pretty low key.  We went to the beach, we played games, we went bowling.  Then it was time to leave the beautiful California weather and return to the sweltering heat of Louisiana.  We loved being with our family.  But we were ready for a vacation from our vacation!  I always think that it is so nice to come home - no matter where it is.

At the beach.  It was windy and a bit chilly.  However, I managed to get a nice sunburn.  Crazy!

Building a sand castle with the cousins.

Watching a movie with the cousins and Uncle Paul.

Bowling with the fam.  Look at that concentration!

Disneyland Day 3

Hitting up the teacups again.  This time with the cousins.

Brielle and cousin Ainsely.  They became best buds and held hands everywhere they went.

Meeting Tigger

Meeting Pooh

Waiting for the fireworks to begin.  We saved them for the last night, and they were the perfect end to our visit.  Brielle loved seeing Tinkerbell and Dumbo fly over the castle.  That's all she could talk about for days.

We picked out some mouse ears and she got a Dumbo doll.

Our second Minnie sighting, the last thing we saw as we left the park.  How iconic.

Disneyland Day 2

Dumbo - the first ride of the morning.

Riding on Alice in Wonderland.  Brie thought it was a little weird.  I agree.

On the tea cups with Daddy.  It turned out to be her favorite ride

Maybe the fact that the steering wheel could be a drum had something to do with it.

Or maybe she just liked the spinning.

Kyra and Aunt Rachelle driving in Autotopia

Brielle and Uncle Paul on the Go Go Gadget Coaster.  This was her second-favorite ride.  The first time she rode it, she went with Aunt Misty and the 3 cousins.  I waited to see them go, since I couldn't ride.  Imagine my surprise when I saw Brielle in a car all by herself, grinning from ear to ear, zooming around the track.  I about had a heart attack.  But she did fine and wanted to go again!

Meeting Mickey.  She belly-ached a bit while waiting, but as soon as she saw him, she was all smiles, hugs, and kisses.

With the fam on the jungle cruise.

We had a princess lunch at Ariel's grotto with our Minnesota cousins.

Brielle's face when the princesses walked out:  priceless

Meeting Cinderella, her favorite princess.

Meeting Aurora.  Look at that grin!

With Snow White.  Once again, all smiles.

With Jasmine.  Not as happy about this one (she was hoping for Belle), but still smiling.

 

We wound up the day with a trip to Bug Land at California Adventures.  She loved all the bug rides.  And the bug theatre?  A definite must do!

It's a Great Day....

...when you wake up in Disneyland!

For our Herbst Family Reunion/Vacation, we went to the Magic Kingdom.  And it was truly magical.  Since Mark served his mission in LA, our family arrived a couple of days early to tour his old stomping grounds.  We met up with some wonderful people that he worked with and taught on his mission.

Mark worked in a lot of Samoan wards on his mission.  Tao and Maetala are one of the families that he met, taught, and has remained close to through the years.  After hearing so much about them, we finally got to meet face to face.  What an awesome family!  Maetala put on a feast for us - Samoan style.  Knowing how much eating is part of the Samoan culture, we went hungry.   Mark tucked in considerably, but I'm afraid I made a disappointing showing.  I just could not eat enough to satsify these people.  Luckily, Brielle made up for me.  They were so proud of how much food she put down.  She was especially fond of the shrimp in coconut milk.  It was neat to see this side of Mark's past.  Now we have both visited each other's missions.  I love sharing that part of our lives with each other.

Then we hit Disneyland.  Brielle was SO excited.  And I am grossly understating that.  We spent Sunday night at Downtown Disney, just walking around and looking through the shops.  She was so happy, and pointed out everything that was Mickey.  She looked at us and said, "I LOVE Disleyland (that's how she says it)!"  And we weren't even in the park yet.

We went to the park bright and early Monday morning and hit up all the rides we could with our family.  Brielle loved being with her cousins.  We hung out a lot with Mark's sister Misty and her kids.  Our kids are around the same ages, and it was a real treat to see them, since they live in Minnesota and we don't get to see them often.  Here are the highlights of our first day at Disneyland:

First Ride:  The Astroblaster

Hanging out with the cousins.  Notice the sweater?  We were NOT prepared for the cool mornings and evenings!

In front of Aurora's castle.  This is one of the iconic things Brielle was dying to see.

On the carousel in Fantasyland

Driving Mickey's car in Toontown

Minnie Mouse sighting #1.  Don't let the pose and the face fool you.  She was ecstatic to give Minnie a hug and a kiss on the nose.

Waiting to see Aladdin with Aunt Merri.  She sat mezmerized through the whole show.

Exhausted!

Waiting for the parade.  See the frustrated faces?  The wait was worth it.  She loved every bit.  Too bad the sun was right in our eyes so we couldn't get any pictures.

Her end of the day treat.  The best sucker we have ever eaten.

An Official Cubs Fan

My husband and his family are Cubs fans.  No, they are not from Chicago.  They don't have any family in Chicago.  Somehow they started watching the Cubs on some random Idaho channel when they were growing up.  And a love for the Cubs was born.

Uncle Paul found some awesome Cubs gear for Brielle and sent it her way.  Now she is an official Cubs fan.

And a pretty cute one at that!

I Mustache You a Question

Are we awesome?  Or are we AWESOME?

(Brielle's comment, "Hey, mommies don't wear mustaches.  Only fancy guys do!")

 

 

Serving in Young Women has been a wonderful experience for me.  The girls have reminded me how it feels to be a teenager again, and I love learning from them.  They have truly been a blessing in my life.

 

I didn't get many pictures of girls camp.  I was too busy having a blast!  It was so fun - spending a few days at the beach and getting to know the girls from our stake.  I was with the 2nd year campers, and they quickly caught me up on the latest dances.  Who was doing The Wobble at 11:00 p.m.?  That was us!  I didn't realize how much the dance scene has changed since I was a teenager.  I have so much to learn...

 

However, I did get some pictures of some of the amazing crafts the girls did, including this jar, which held a tea light.  We placed them all around during our testimony meeting at the beach.  It made for perfect ambience:

The girls also had some workshops.  This one was about building a testimony.  The girls made a handprint to remind them of the 5 elements of a testimony.  Then they wrote their testimonies on their hands.  I thought they turned out cool.

And then came skit night.  Our girls did a skit, written by one of our Beehives.  Did I mention that the girls in my ward are AMAZING?  I really thought their skit was one of the best - well thought out and well written.  It even had an original song!

 

 

I love having great spiritual experiences with "my" girls.  These girls are strong and deep.  Their testimonies are deeply rooted at such a young age, and they work so hard to keep their standards high.  We have wonderful Sunday lessons and weekly mutuals.  Oh yeah, and we have a TON of fun.