California or Bust: Day 3

Welcome to... DISNEY DAY 1!

Okay, here's where the pictures start to pick up.  I think I have something like 43 in this one blog post alone.  Wheeeeee!  (You're welcome, Grandalf.)

The first thing we did on that morning was drive our car to our hotel, where we could park for $4 per day (instead of $15 per day at the Disneyland parking garage).  Then we walked to the park entrance from there.  Here are my boys, getting ready to go through security:

And finally, FINALLY, after SO MANY months, we were back at DISNEYLAND!!!  Wonderful, happy, blessed Disneyland!!!

Before our trip, we put a lot of thought into very minute details, such as whether or not to bring a stroller for Weston.  We ultimately decided that we'd move MUCH faster by pushing him than by constantly nagging him to try to keep up with us.  Fortunately, he was more than happy to sit and ride most of the time:

That first day, we waited for a little while for some more good friends: the ADAMS!!!  A year and a half goes by, and all of a sudden kids everywhere look SO much older!  It was wonderful to see Emma, her little brother Nick, and their mom Kim after all that time.  (And Brad joined us later, too!!)

Oh, I love Disneyland.

So, this is probably of zero interest to most people, but here's how our day went:

-Star Tours (so awesome)

-Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters (Jean missed this one, thanks to a diaper blow-out!)

-Space Mountain (REALLY scary for Weston... we regret it in retrospect)

-Monorail

-Lunch at Big Thunder Ranch BBQ

-Winnie the Pooh

-Tarzan's Treehouse

-Jungle Cruise

-Tiki Room

-Disneyland Railroad

-(Over to CA Adventure for...) Monsters Inc.

-Redwood Creek Challenge Trail

-Dinner with friends in Downtown Disney

So.  As I mentioned above, Tim sorta kinda took Weston on the spooky Halloween version of Space Mountain.  Weston was willing and eager to get on, but after that ride (he came out with tears in his eyes), his outlook on Disneyland COMPLETELY changed.  All of a sudden, he basically refused to go on any ride that he couldn't see from the outside -- even rides that he'd been really looking forward to, like Haunted Mansion.  This, at first, was really frustrating to me and Tim, because we obviously wanted to go on the rides that we liked and that we knew he'd enjoy.  However, Weston is ridiculously stubborn, so that first day ended up consisting of a lot of discussions/battles about which rides to try.

Later that night when we were walking back to the hotel, Tim and I had a long discussion about the whole situation.  We realized that we were trying to experience Disneyland as we used to, when Weston was little and didn't have any reservations or fears about rides. That was no longer possible, so we came up with a new strategy.  More on that later...!

Anyway, here are a few photos to highlight Day 1!

This is the gift shop at the end of Buzz Lightyear.  Back in our CA days, Weston used to love this place, and he seemed to remember it a bit.  (At least he remembered those Buzz Lightyear toys that spin and light up!)

Here, we're about to get on the Monorail:

Weston, Emma, and Tim got to sit in the front!

They had a really fun time together:

Lots and lots of walking.  Lots of walking.

Ahhh, the castle!  (The first time I saw the Disneyland castle, I couldn't believe how small it was.  When Weston saw it for the first time on this trip, he said, "It's the castle!  It's... small..."  Hahaha!)

A fun little Halloween themed photo op:

And here's the Big Thunder Ranch BBQ!  I was so excited to eat here again:

As we waited for our table, I took a picture of our caravan:

This place is really fun, what with the live music and all:

We got lucky because our table was right next to Woody's break area.  So, he kept walking back and forth, and Weston was able to get a couple photos with him:

We were hungry.  And a little bit silly:

And... ohhhh.  Big Thunder Ranch BBQ delivered!!!

Weston even got to participate in the kids' pumpkin parade!

A quick fist bump with Woody, and then we were off to more rides:

Weston used to LOVE the Winnie the Pooh ride when he was little, so I took a few pictures.  He even loved it so much one time that he barfed all over the place!

Fortunately, no barfing this time.  Just good ol' fun:

Of course we had to visit the gift shop right by the exit of Winnie the Pooh, where Weston (just like he used to!) thoroughly examined all the sweet treats:

He decided on a giant candy-corn sugar cookie (yumma):

Here, he's crossing the bridge in Tarzan's Treehouse:

He also enjoyed the playstuffs at the end:

And then it was finally time for Cole's FIRST RIDE!!  (We're excluding the Monorail here.)  We decided that it should be Jungle Cruise, as with Weston:

He was so totally pumped.  (I love that he and Brad are in the same pose here!)

And just look at that sweet childlike wonder:

Haha... those crazy gorillas!  (Did anyone notice that the baby gorilla is gone?  Now the mama on the left is just dangling a rope!)

Sadly, we had to say goodbye (just for a little while) to the Adams, but Weston recovered when he got to play with all the cool stuff in the Indiana Jones store:

Later, we headed over to California Adventure.  We'd been forewarned about all the construction craziness, but I think we underestimated the number of boarded-off walkways.  They were everywhere!  (But it's all good, because it sounds like the new Buena Vista Street entrance is going to be spectacular.)

After Monsters Inc., we briefly explored the Redwood Creek area, where Weston got to do lots of climbing.  (Again, he refused to go into the cave where you see your spirit animal!  Too dark!)  But still, he had fun.  I can't believe he had energy to play after a full day of fun with NO nap:

Later, we met up with our fab friends in Downtown Disney for dinner: the Nutters again, plus the Hansons!!  Nothing like a good old Hannutson reunion.  It was loud and crazy and wonderful, as usual.

Six adults and eight kids plus a ninth in utero.  In each of our families, we have children only of the same gender (at least so far).  The Hansons and Nutters have girls, while the Andersons have boys.  Hahaha!  I love it.

After dinner we explored the Lego Store, where the kids (and adults) got to have a little fun:

Note the placement of Tim's left hand:

Hahaha!  Weston and Becca were so cute:

After a quick visit to the World of Disney store, we decided to call it a night.  Tim stopped to snap a picture of the new, art deco style CA Adventure gate:

It was 9 PM, and while Cole was fast asleep, Weston was still hanging on:

By the time we reached the hotel, though, he was out!

While we were in Anaheim, we stayed at the Anaheim Plaza Hotel, which is just across Harbor Boulevard from the parks.  It wasn't fancy, but it was a decent hotel, especially since it was SO much cheaper than the Disney hotels.  While I really miss those fun years when we were Annual Passholders at Disneyland, I have to admit, I really liked being a pure "tourist."  It was SO WONDERFUL to just walk five minutes to the hotel after a long day and fall into bed, rather than take the tram, find the car, and drive 45 minutes back to Pasadena.  We liked it so much, in fact, that we stopped at the front desk that first night to extend our stay to a second night!  SO WORTH IT.  I wish we'd done an overnight at Disneyland long ago!

Jump to:
CA Trip Day 1
CA Trip Day 2
CA Trip Day 3
CA Trip Day 4
CA Trip Day 5
CA Trip Day 6
CA Trip Day 7
CA Trip Day 8
CA Trip Day 9
CA Trip Appendix

California or Bust: Day 2

We woke early on Day 2 to Weston pulling open the curtains to that horrid, bright desert sun while insisting that it was morning and we should get up.  Here he is, apparently rested and refreshed (...how?...), while Cole looks on:

Sometimes Weston is a pain in the tookus with Cole, but other times (other rare times), they're pretty darn cute together:

Anyway, we left the hotel just before nine.  Weston desperately wanted to pull a suitcase, so I snapped a (terrible) picture of him being a very sweet helper:

We decided to leave Circus Circus and drive to a different resort for breakfast: the PARIS!   They have our very favorite breakfast buffet in Vegas.  (Okay, we've probably only tried like three different places for breakfast in Vegas.  But still.  Trust me.  It's awesome.)  However, there's always a line:

It is so worth the wait.  Where else can you find a breakfast buffet that has made-to-order crepes, bagels with smoked salmon and capers, and strawberries with cream??  Mmmm...

Of course, Weston being Weston, he only wanted dry waffles:

After breakfast we explored the casino and checked out la petite Tour Eiffel.  (Man, I love the Paris resort.  Mainly because I love Paris.  If I could stay anywhere in Vegas, I'd want to stay there.  Of course, it's a buck or two more than $34, heh heh heh).

And I'm sure that Cole enjoyed the sights as well.  Heck, give him some plastic rings and he's happy!  (He wins the Most Mellow Baby Award, probably for all time.)

Anyway, at about 11:30 we hopped back on I-15.  We gave Weston a break after a few hours at a McDonald's play area (thank goodness for play areas!), and later I started snapping pictures of that lovely Southern California landscape:

Okay, maybe it's not the most picturesque landscape in the world, but I sure miss it:

Around 5 PM, we arrived in Stanton at the home of our FAVORITE NUTTERS!!!  Here's Malia, looking so old (I cannot believe she's in kindergarten):

Cecily -- trying out her Halloween costume -- quickly burst into the picture (hahaha!):

...so I gave her some camera time of her own:

And we can't forget our own little ham:

We haven't seen the Nutters in a year and a half, and it was wonderful to hang out with them again!!  I love this picture of Tiffany attempting to take in the goofiness that is Weston:

After going out to dinner and getting the kids down to bed, we had a good old-fashioned game night with Dave and Tiffany:

Ahahahahahaha...... Tim....

I LOVE THOSE GUYS!!!  We spent the night at their place (thanks guys!!!) and then left early the next morning for... DISNEY DAY 1!

Jump to:
CA Trip Day 1
CA Trip Day 2
CA Trip Day 3
CA Trip Day 4
CA Trip Day 5
CA Trip Day 6
CA Trip Day 7
CA Trip Day 8
CA Trip Day 9
CA Trip Appendix

California or Bust: Day 1

Well... the conclusion of our recent trip to California?

A:

We want to go back!

WE WANT TO GO BACK!!!!!!  AAAAHHHH!!!

(And lemme tell ya, Tim's mom's comment on our previous post has me both scratching my head and giggling in guarded anticipation.  I love me some Disney!!)

We had such a great time!!!  Isn't it funny that whenever you return to a place where you lived, you seem to love it so much more than when you were actually living there?  I used to have very mixed feelings about our Pasadena days -- lots of pros but several cons, too. However, this vacation was 100% awesome.  It doesn't hurt that we spent three wonderful days at Disneyland (one without kids, wheeeee!), a jam-packed, fun-filled day in Pasadena, and an amazing day in Santa Barbara for a wedding.  I think this was a "Best Of" trip for us, and we made sure to do all our favorite things and visit our favorite places.  However, we left California still wishing that we'd had more time!!!  There is just SO much fun stuff to do.  I really, really miss California!!!  AHHH!  SUCH A GREAT TRIP!!!

So, here's my insanely lengthy recap of our trip.  I decided to break up the photos by day, so here we go with DAY 1!

We left on a Sunday afternoon at about 2:30 PM.  (I had to work that morning, but fortunately my coworker gave me the boot a little early, which was nice.)

Weston was really, really eager for this trip.  He readied himself beforehand by doing things like keeping me in his room at night for much too long, talking about rides at Disneyland, and constantly mentioning the "little TV" that would go in the car for the long drive.  Here he is at the get-go, ready for that beloved in-car movie-watching!  (I love that skeptical look on his face.  If only he knew at that point how often I was going to be pointing my camera at him.)

And here we are, just before we started driving.  SO EXCITED!

I didn't get a ton of pictures on that first day, just because we were pretty much just sitting in the car, heading south, watching the landscape roll by as the sun set over those high desert hills.  However, I snapped a picture at a rest stop of brave little Cole in his carseat.  (Bless his heart.  He spent a LOT of time in that carseat.  Tim and I made every effort to remove him from it whenever possible, so he didn't develop sores or something.  Haha!)

The drive south was uneventful, until we reached St. George and were forced to exit I-15 and make our way along surface roads at one point.  Apparently a tractor-trailer hauling bees (yes, BEES) had overturned, so the fire department (in their full bee-resistant netting, we heard) re-routed all the traffic off the interstate.  Ha!  Never had that happen before!  (Bees...)

Anyway, we finally reached Las Vegas around 10:30 PM, slightly exhausted but slightly exhilarated by all the lights.  First we drove up and down the strip, and then, thanks to a great deal online ($34?!), we spent the night at none other than the CIRCUS CIRCUS resort, Las Vegas Boulevard's most famous gaudy monstrosity!!!  (Tim said that he would compare it to "Denny's with a chandelier."  LOL...)

Anyway, after navigating the resort for a little while, we finally found the right entrance to the hotel lobby.  Weston had a happy little time while Tim parked the car:

As with all Vegas resorts, we had to walk through a maze of lobbies and shops and halls to find our room (which, despite the $34 price tag, really wasn't as awful as I was assuming). Lights were out by midnight, with me sharing a bed with Cole and Tim sharing a bed with Weston.  Of course, as is his habit when sharing a bed with someone, Weston spent most of the night kicking, punching, and yelling (and let me just add that his feet just happened to be lined up with Tim's crotch), so Tim and I switched around 6 AM, hahaha.  A restful night?  Heavens, no.  But we did get a little rest before our second day of driving!!


Jump to:
CA Trip Day 1
CA Trip Day 2
CA Trip Day 3
CA Trip Day 4
CA Trip Day 5
CA Trip Day 6
CA Trip Day 7
CA Trip Day 8
CA Trip Day 9
CA Trip Appendix

Hallo-wheeeeee!!!

Well, let me just say that our Halloween was COMPLETELY overshadowed by our trip to California.  Haha!  (It was so good!  IT WAS SO GOOD!!)  We arrived back in Utah on October 31st at 2 PM, and we had just enough time to race home and rustle up the boys' costumes before it was time for the Halloween party at Tim's office.

Here's Weston with a particularly awesome Captain America pose:

 And here's Cole, just sitting back and enjoying the show:

Ahhh... enjoying the spoils of office trick-or-treating:

After the party, we came home and got ready for the neighborhood trick-or-treating, plus the Trunk or Treat at church!

Cuteness alert!!  Here's an attempted thumbs-up: 

... followed by a really strange face with Buzz Lightyear in tow:

Weston was more brave this year with trick-or-treating.  He still asked me to come to the door with him a couple times, but he was much more confident with ringing the doorbell and saying "Trick or treat!"  We usually had to prod him to say thank you, but he's getting there...! 

And here's Cole again.  As usual, just enjoying the show.

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!!!!

I am super excited to post about our trip.  As you can imagine, I took around 848,000 photos, so it might take me a little while to find the best 839,000 to actually post on the blog.  But don't worry - you'll hear all about our adventures at Disneyland, Pasadena, and Santa Barbara!  Wheeeeeee!!!

I want to go back.  Is it bad to start planning next year's trip to Disneyland already...?

Pre-California Rapid Recap!

Welcome to my Rapid Recap!  We're leaving for California tomorrow afternoon (one more sleep!!  one more sleep!!), and that means that there's laundry to fold, bathrooms to clean, suitcases to pack, emails to send, and about a bamillion other things to do.  Hence, this very rapid recap of recent events!  Wheeeeee!

Can you guess what's been in my mind a bit lately??  CALIFORNIA!!!  Friends!!  More friends!!  Santa Barbara wedding!!  Dots Cupcakes!!  Tarantino's!!  I've spent the last few weeks coming up with an itinerary, a packing list, and a to-do list, in addition to all the other pre-trip planning.  We spent a LONG time debating where to eat at Disneyland and where to stay in Anaheim... because you can probably imagine that we're a teensy bit excited to visit Disneyland again.  Which strollers should we bring?  Should we buy a toy or two for Weston?  Should we pay up for a World of Color picnic?  Should we bring a backpack in addition to the diaper bag??  (Oh, I love worrying about an upcoming Disney vacation!!)  We also spent a LONG time lamenting the fact that Pirates of the Caribbean is going to be closed - yes, CLOSED - during our visit.  But it's okay.  We've accepted that reality and transcended the trauma.  Seriously, it's okay.  It'll still be fun.  It'll still be fun. :-)

We're considering rearranging our whole house when we get back.  Yep, the kitchen will be Weston's room, the bathroom will be the master bedroom, etc.  (Okay, maybe not that drastic.)  But the bottom line is that we have to get Cole the H-E-double-hockey-sticks OUT OF OUR ROOM.  That kid does not sleep.  God love 'im, he's so precious.  BUT WE WANT TO SLEEP AGAIN.

I think that I'm switching my #1 Most Favorite Thing at Cafe Rio from the chicken salad to the pork salad.  I was recently enlightened to the exquisite deliciousness of the pork, and I'm pretty sure that... yes, I'm gonna say it... I'm pork salad all the way now. :-)  (Tim is still holding strong to his pork burrito, enchilada style.  Oh yes.)

I got to help out at Weston's preschool a week ago, and as you can imagine, it was a cornucopia of cuteness.  I almost exploded with motherly adoration upon seeing Weston carry his backpack and hang it up  on the hook with his name, along with all the other kids, without even being asked.  I'm pretty sure I did actually explode when he was selected to be the Calendar Helper.  Sure, he was kind of tired and cranky by the end of the afternoon, but I was so darn proud to see my little preschooler doing his li'l preschool thang.

And now for pictures!!!

Shock and awe, baby... shock and awe.

 Family half-day-trip to Cornbelly's!!  (It's Thanksgiving Point's big, festive, fall fun thing.  I sure love me some festive fall fun.) 

Behold the Jack-O-Lantern mountain:

What can possibly be more fun for little kids (and their moms) than Happy Meals at the playground...?  I challenge you to come up with something more fun.  Consider yourself challenged.

 And there's Heather of the famed Petersons!!!  LOVE her!!!  And look at sweet Adelaide... oh my gosh.  SO CUTE.

We went to WitchFest at Gardner Village and ogled at lots and lots of witches: 

Ogling at witches is way more fun with Dawson and Katelyn (as is everything, of course).  And with balloons: 

And with chocolate chip cookies: 

We attended a super fantastic birthday party (Costco pizza and a Thomas cake...?  Heaven.), and I couldn't resist this photo of the dads with their little guys: 

Two months older than Ben?  Correct.  Twice as big?  Check.  Hehehe...