California Vacation

Ever since Hannah was little, Justin and I have talked about taking her to Disneyland before she started Kindergarten. After a little research, we found out that Noah was going to be too short for most of the "bigger" rides, so we started second guessing ourselves. When my friend Brooke's wedding invitation for a July 23 wedding two hours North of Disneyland came in the mail, we took it as a sign and booked the trip. I am so glad that we did! The trip we took lasted 9 days, and it is officially my favorite vacation I have ever been on. That's saying a lot, with 3 cruises, several Mexican vacations, and many more to compare it to! The key to this trip was the fact that it was the first real vacation that Justin and I planned, booked, and payed for ourselves. What grownups we are!

Our first two nights were spent in Carlsbad, which is just North of San Diego. We flew into LAX and drove there right away. Going to beach to spend the rest of the first day just seemed like a natural thing to do, and we found a terrific beach that wasn't too crowded, had a cool ambience and perfect weather.

Justin took the kids one at a time out pretty deep (deeper than Mommy felt safe doing--the waves were pretty decently sized!). They loved jumped over the waves with Daddy. Then he would come back and switch kids. I loved watching them have so much fun with Justin. Part of what makes him such a wonderful father is how much fun he has WITH his kids. A lot of Dads I see enjoy watching their kids have fun, but Justin loves to get right in on the action with them. After a great afternoon at the beach, we picked up pizza and headed back to the hotel. Sitting in the restaurant area of the hotel eating our pizza, we were happily surprised when the staff brought out fresh baked cookies for us. A very sweet way to end the first day of vacation. We took a dip in the hot tub and "warm tub" (Noah's name for the pool) as just a sprinkle of a rain shower passed overhead. The kids happily went to bed, knowing the next day LegoLand awaited them.

What an incredible place LegoLand is! The rides themselves are much more geared for younger kids, and you'd have a hard time enjoying them if you went after Disneyland, but for us it was great and we were glad we spent a day there.

Everywhere you turn are landscapes and characters made entirely of Legos. I was reminded of my brother the whole time, as Legos were a huge part of his childhood. I couldn't help texting him a couple of times while we were there.

One huge area of LegoLand is devoted to miniature landscapes of famous cities all around the U.S. Justin and I really like the area designed like the Las Vegas Strip. The detail on these things is incredible! Here Hannah is walking in front of a tiny part of the Las Vegas model, designed like the New York New York Hotel.

Hannah and Noah both had a blast on the rides. Our only wish was that LegoLand was open a little later, as we seemed to find the part of the park with the best rides awfully close to closing time.

The next day we got up and relaxed at the pool. The kids also got the first of the creative souvenirs we brought for them. Instead of spending the whole trip hearing "I want _____!", we spent some time online before we left and picked out some great stuff. Each day of the trip, the kids got something. They loved it! Each night they looked forward to coming back to the hotel, and they knew that they could get a couple things from each park, but we weren't spending the entire trip shopping! Here they are sitting by the pool with the first of the souvenirs; Disney beach towels.

Hannah has turned into quite a swimmer over the course of swimming lessons and spending a lot of time in the water during the trip!

After the pool, we packed up the car and headed to Anaheim. The drive was only an hour or so, but the kids both napped for a bit and were refreshed when we got there. After checking in to the hotel, we headed to the pool (again!). Then an early dinner and early bed time got us ready for our first day in the happiest place on earth!

The last time I was in Disneyland I was 13 years old, so I was happy to be back, but even happier to be able to navigate my way around just fine. For such an enormous park, it sure is layed out well. Each time something with my kids happens (Halloween, Christmas, etc), I find myself saying this, but I truly think that as a kid you think you are the lucky ones, but doing things like this as a parent and being able to watch my kids have the time of their lives is 1000% better than doing it myself as a kid. There were many occasions over the next 5 days when I would catch myself tearing up as I watched the joy on their faces.

We met many characters, took pictures with them all, and had them sign Hannah and Noah's autograph books. However, there were a couple who really stood out above the rest. One of these was Tinkerbell. We stood in line at Pixie Hollow to meet her, and we knew Hannah would be excited. She LOVES Tinkerbell. Her visit was great, but when it came to be Noah's turn, he was very shy. He actually wasn't very excited about meeting any of the characters until we walked away from them. But Tinkerbell was so wonderful with him! Instead of just paying attention to Hannah, since Hannah wasn't scared of her, she plopped herself right down on the ground next to Noah and started talking to him. She went to find his name in the front of his autograph book, and we hadn't put it there yet. So, she labeled it for him: Noah's book. So cute. He warmed up to her a little and we got some great pictures of the two of them. SO! Note to all you relatives who complain Noah is not friendly enough with you: YOU need to be more friendly with HIM! You are the grown up, after all! LOL. I mean, look at him!

There is just too much to write about with our Disneyland adventures. I've picked out some of my favorite pictures and I'll narrate as necessary. Also, our concern about Noah being too small was not a big deal at ALL! They offer something wonderful called "Switch Passes". Basically, if Justin, Hannah and I want to go on a ride that Noah is too small for, we tell the attendant we want to switch off and show them Noah. Then, Hannah and I wait in line (or get a Fast Pass--coolest inventions EVER!) while Justin and Noah do something else. Hannah and I ride, then Justin and Hannah take the switch pass and have hardly any wait to get on the ride again. It was WONDERFUL!! Hannah was too young to totally understand, but she got the best part of the deal: riding everything twice while only waiting in line once! Noah never felt left out, and everyone was happy.

We got into Toon Town an hour earlier than it officially opens one day, and went to meet Mickey Mouse in his little cottage. Classic!

Noah and I staked out a great spot for the parade one night while Daddy and Hannah went on a ride or two. He is so much fun to hang out with these days. I just love this picture of him and me!

You can't go to Disneyland with the trademark hats, although they've changed a lot since I was little! You can still get the classic black hat with black ears, but my kids are anything but "go with the original" kids. They loves their hats, which are embroidered with their names on the back. Hannah's also has a pink veil. Very Princess!

Justin enjoyed meeting some characters more than others. Here is is with Woody, making a finger-gun with the Toy Story character. What a goof ball.

The classic family photo just inside the entrance, with the Mickey flowers in the back. Notice Justin and I sporting the Disney shirts ourselves. Seemed like a great idea at the time, but I'm not sure I can wear that out of the house again. Oh well.

For the last day and a half of the trip, the Wills family came and started their trip. Overlapping like this was intentional: each family had their own time at the park, but we got to spend time together there as well. We met up at The Rainforest Cafe in Downtown Disney when they got to town. Our planning ahead and getting reservations meant we had an awesome, private table. The kids loved the restaurant (well, most of them did--sorry Aiden!).

We took Milla and Hannah to Ariel's Grotto, a fancy restaurant where you are greeted personally at your table by four or five Princesses. It was a wonderful experience, and the food was excellent as well!

Having the cousins together was a priceless thing and I am so glad we did it.

Noah on his favorite ride: the Ladybug ride from A Bug's Life in California Adventure. Think Tea Cups only giant lady bugs. He was absolutely hilarious to watch!

After a terribly depressing last few minutes in the park after 5 days of total bliss, we went to bed to get ready for the wedding the next day. We packed up and headed out in the morning, and it was a good think we left some extra time, since California traffic means you spend 3 times as long in the car as the Navi system says you will!

My friend Brooke made such a beautiful bride, and it was such a blessing to be able to be a part of the special day. The moment that choked me up the most was when Brooke and Matt's son, Victor, came running onto the dance floor to dance with his parents during their first dance as man and wife. The picture captured the moment perfectly, with both of them smiling down at him. At the end of a trip that was so much about family for us, this was very touching!

So, that's our trip in a nutshell. Did we have fun? Let's just say that Mr. Noah is going to get a pre-Kindergarten Disney trip as well. We can't wait to go back!