Readers,
I am sorry that it has taken me this long to update my blog. My only real excuse I have is after months of my desktop being SO slow, I eventually just carried it down to my basement. There are still pictures on there I need to get off. Beyond posting pics on fb using my phone, I didnt really have a way to get to pictures. It has been a good fall, winter, and now spring. We are keeping busy with A. in dance, piano lessons, and two church youth groups. (I am secretly counting down when some of those weekly obligations are over so in the evening if we just want to play in the yard without looking at the clock- we can!) D. will be starting soccer in just a few weeks. I keep getting emails that they are looking for a coach for his team... they will have to keep looking. His soccer is 2 nights a week. This is really the first time we have driven to events for him! I hope he enjoys soccer while I freeze on the sidelines those first few weeks! :) T. is a senior this year and just 40+ days away from graduation. Of course his graduation and A.'s dance recital are the same weekend- no stress, Im good! (AGH!)
Anyway- enough of a paragraph update to cover MONTHS of me missing. Here are some pictures!
Also- as is typical fashion I will be writing WAY more than you ever wanted to know... but hey- this blog is for me too, right?!
THE TRIP:
Our flight left Omaha at 6:55am. We left the hotel around 4am. We arrived at LAX about 9am only to discover D.'s carseat was not with the other luggage. Andy and T. took the big suitcases and boarded a shuttle to get the rental car. The two kiddos stayed with me as we tracked down his seat. (PS- I loved on this entire trip that our kids (18, 8, 4) were really great ages for traveling. I never worried about someone taking off. No need for diaper bags, and if we needed to divide up occasionally it wasnt a big deal. I never felt overwhelmed. Anyway, we found the small carseat in the oversize baggage claim, hopped on the shuttle, and got to the car right when the boys were ready to walk to the car. We crammed into the SUV and took off for the beach. We went to Laguna Beach which was about an hour from the airport.
The two youngest fell asleep on the drive there. A. had last been to the beach on her first birthday when she played in the Atlantic Ocean. It was so fun for us to be there when they saw the ocean and when they ran right in (despite the 61 degree water temp). It did help it was 95 degrees that day! We spent about 3 hours total at Laguna Beach- lots of time in the waves, exploring the natural tide pools, and we even took time to just lay and soak in some sand on the beach. I was silly (or smart) to bring a sheet that we could lay on. I hadnt packed any towels so we just had to dry off in the sun. We enjoyed our lunch at Johnny Rockets and also stopped in our favorite of stores, Whole Foods, to grab a few items before heading to the hotel.
We got the the hotel and there in the lobby was the stroller with BAKER on the sign! I was so excited my web searching helped me find the incredible deal. With an almost five year old, I was considering not bringing a stroller- or maybe just one of our umbrella strollers at most. I spoke with a friend (thanks Jill!) who told me I could rent a stroller outside the park. The price was cheaper and I was able to have the stroller for 4 days- pushing it the 1.2 miles from our hotel each day and home. Our son certainly loved having the stroller though he hadn't been in one for over a year. I loved having a place for water bottles and snacks. Once when our phones weren't working and I was trying to find our group- I just looked for the stroller parked at Olaf's Experience. (Whew)
We got settled into our hotel- the Stanford Inn and Suites. The room was perfect. Our room had 2 full size beds and then it also had a small room off of it with Mickey bunkbeds and another bathroom! Two bathrooms for 5 people was a plus! They also featured a free breakfast every morning that began at 7am. Waffles were the hit for us, but also sausage patties, egg patties, bananas, apples, cereal, oatmeal, and toast. (I liked making sausage, egg, waffle sandwiches) They had a small pool and a hot tub. Though it was older and the rooms could have used a little updating- I was perfectly content with our accommodations. The front desk people were very friendly. The hotel was 1.2 miles to walk from our door to the parks. By the third day we paid for the ART shuttle to take us there and back. We found the hotel was close enough for us to escape the parks for a few hours on Tue and Wed to relax and play at the hotel. If money wasnt an issue we would have loved to stay at The Grand Californian Hotel because it is attached to the property- but the 2 rooms made it nice even though our nights were so late the kids went right to sleep!
So- that first day in California we walked to the park and went to California Adventure Park. We just sort of walked around and acclimated ourselves to the setting. We went on a few rides and then went to see the show Aladdin. Oh my! Words cannot begin to describe to you how impressed with the show I was. I felt like I would have willingly paid $100 to see this 40 min show. The music, the set, and flying carpet, the genie! It was all done so well. As much as I found myself watching the show, I also found myself with my head turned down the row, just taking in the looks of awe and amazement from everyone in my family. I took a mental picture and just want to remember the fun we had. We found somewhere to eat- D. was not happy with the kid choices. T. went back to the hotel and we went on a few more rides.
The next morning I was determined to get to the parks as early as possible. They opened at 8 and we were there about 8:02! (PS- someone mentioned in DisneyWorld it took them over an hour to just get through the ticket lines and in the park- we maybe had 5 minutes tops!) The first place we went was the Star Tours Ride. It was super fun and D. was thrilled to get to do the ride he had been waiting for since Christmas. Space Mountain was having "Meteor Showers" that day so we werent able to ride on it. We did plenty of other rides and a few shows. (Magic Map, Indiana Jones, Pirates) The waits didnt feel too long. I had packed PLENTY of snacks so the kids stayed happy. We also found a few penny flattening machines which was fun for them (a great way to spend $0.51 on a souvenir). We ate lunch at a great all you can eat BBQ place. As we arrived we noticed the menu had bbq chicken, ribs, cornbread, coleslaw, and beans. There weren't kid meal options. We almost walked away disappointed and defeated by our picky son when a sweet lady approached us and told us that we could bring food for him from another vendor. Andy went to get D. a cheeseburger and we found a nice table outside to sit, relax, and eat delicious BBQ! They were also very sensitive to Andy's dairy intolerance and a chef and the manager came and talked with us about options. After lunch T went back to the hotel to relax and we kept checking out shows and rides. We eventually returned to the hotel for a bit to relax but wanted to return that night to see the Color of Wonder Show at California Adventure. We didnt have FastPass Reserved Seats but it was still nice. A. rode in the stroller back to the hotel and Andy carried D. on his shoulders since we didnt get back until about 10:30pm (12:30am Iowa time).
One part about the whole trip was the relaxed, carefree attitude all members of our group seemed to consistently display. As we walked into the parks that last morning and discussed what we needed to make sure we did before we left, everyone basically said that they were content and had a great time so far and anything else would just be bonus! Thats right- no rushing around like crazy trying to get on a ride... well- except one ride... The Radiator Springs Racers. After much debate it was determined that I- the Momma- would rush like a crazy person and elbow my way through the crowds in order to get fast passes for this one ride. My family teased when I returned if I gave anyone a black eye and I responded, "Actually, I made some friends!" :) The fast pass system is great and it certainly allows you to enjoy a ride with a much shorter wait. It took us perhaps 22 minutes total with a fast pass and we had heard on the shuttle of families waiting 2.5-3 hours for the Radiator Springs Racers without a fastpass! No thanks! I cant really describe the ride- it started out with 6 people just riding in a car and that seemed fun... then the car raced another car - going at most 40mph along a track with beautiful scenery, sharp curves, and rolling hills! It was AWESOME and we all enjoyed it!
So- we just went on racers, we went to Downtown Disney for lunch. We were able to go to the Jazz Kitchen Express where I could get the amazing bread pudding I had been dreaming about for 5-6 years when I last had it! Thankfully there was a cheeseburger for D. I won't tell about the sesame seeds on the bun, or the mustard, pickle, onions that Andy snuck away and tried to remove. We then rode the monorail back into Disneyland and waited for the next big exciting experience... Jedi Training. Andy even shared this story in his sermon today about D.'s persistence.
We arrived about 20 minutes before the show and found front row space on the ground behind a blue line. We sat down and played a game of Go Fish and invited kids next to us to join in. (Go Fish and UNO are great on vacation). In the beginning, a emcee came out and explained that in order to be chosen for the show to train as a padawan, they must jump up and down, waving their hand, and call out "Pick me, Pick me." I began to worry. This is the moment D. had been waiting for... he had watched You Tube videos on it. He had dreamed about it. Our daughter, A. was selected as one of the first to go on stage. D. continued to hop and wave his hand. Twenty some more kids between 4-12 were selected. I continued to become nervous. Finally, the man said, "And finally, I must select the little boy in the red shirt who never stopped hopping. The force is strong with this one." Relief! I smiled very big and gave the selector a big thumbs up and mouthed the words "Thank you!" D. was excited. He was very intent and paid close attention as the Jedi taught the moves "Left Shoulder, Right Shoulder, Left Leg, Right Leg, Jump, Duck." (At about this time as I am taking pictures my camera battery symbol starts flashing red. No way- of all times, I am going to be unable to record the videos of A. and D. fighting the bad guys! And then I remembered, thanks to the many blogs I had read preparing for this trip, I had bought a portable charger about the size of a lipstick tube. I attached it to my camera and kept taking pics and videos as it charged! It was definitely $9 well spent!) So- back to the action. Soon the training was over and Storm Troopers came out. Then Darth Vader and Darth Maul came on stage. A. fought first against Darth Maul down on the ground in front of the stage. She listened to the coach and did a great job. Almost right after, D fought against Darth Vader up on the stage. It was so fun to see. They even each received a certificate. You can only imagine how pleased both kids were that they were able to participate in this opportunity! Im also thankful that Disney Photo Pass took some pictures for me while I was making the video!
We also did the talking to Crush interactive show. Crush the Sea Turtle wanted to talk to Andy and asked him what he likes to do in Iowa. The second time we went to Star Tours, T.'s picture was selected as the spy. The kids kept teasing that I was the only one who didnt get something special. My response was I got my tasty food (Dole Whip, Bread Pudding, and In and Out Burgers) and the hours of smiles and laughs I was able to experience with my family.
(Was the whole trip Rosy and Perfect- I guess not- but the few moments of exhaustion and kid grumpy because of sesame seeds on buns was really very limited. I had dreamed of this incredible trip for months- envisioning how it would go and the memories that we would make. A month before the trip I got real and significantly lowered my expectations. I was wrong- it really was an amazing time and the way we did it and how long we were there worked just great for us. Three nights in hotel and 2.5 days at the park worked just fine for our family. Kay- back to the rest of the journal...)
After that we went on a few more rides and then headed back to the hotel. The kids went swimming, I enjoyed the hot tub, Andy went for a run, and T. relaxed in the hotel. Then we were able to drive to my fav non-Iowa restaurant... In and Out Burger. The cheeseburgers... the fresh cut fries... the water... the reasonable/cheap price...! Love it! The kids approved as well! We then headed back to the parks, went on the Racers again, the Big Boys went on a rollercoaster while D. slept in the stroller and A. and I watched the fireworks. We then headed to see the show Fantasmic. A. really, really, really wanted to watch this performance. Andy and I were certainly nervous knowing that the show began at 10:45pm (12:45am Iowa time!). Again- we didnt get fast pass tickets for reserved seating but our spot was great. We all agreed it was a great way to end our Disneyland experience.
I am really struggling to get the pictures I took on the blog- the above pictures were taken by Disney Photo Pass (which I have full rights to thankfully!) Here are some more pictures without such description:
As you can see- it was a great trip! We enjoyed spending time together. We got along great! Many people were surprised when we told them we were going to Disneyland instead of Disney World. My response is usually summed up with the fact that Disneyland was perfect for our family. I love that the 2 (YES ONLY TWO!) parks are close together and within walking distance. I love that we could book a great hotel also within walking distance for a decent price. I love that I dont have to book reservations for dinners and maybe shows 180 days in advance. I love that all the rides I want to go on are fairly close together. I loved that the plane tickets were significantly cheaper than flying to Florida. Perhaps for families who have been to Disney World you might find the CA version not want you wanted- but we loved it! I hope we can return again there when our younger ones are teenagers for an entirely different experience.
Well- I would edit this some more but D. has patiently waited for me to be done so we can have a Mommy and D. night and I promised him I would build a fort... Gotta go-
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