Breakfast With Santa!

Each year, Andy's theater hosts a Breakfast With Santa event. The kids get to sit on Santa's lap and talk with him and Mrs. Clause. They eat breakfast, do a small craft and then watch a Christmas movie complete with free popcorn. It is always a lot of fun and Makenzie is always full of surprises! Last year she ratted Brayden out and told Santa how naughty he was!

This year, she wouldn't tell anyone what she wanted for Christmas. She said if she told anyone except for Santa her wish wouldn't come true. So Andy and I were anxiously awaiting to hear what she asked for. Princess? Dolls? Ballet stuff? Nope. She asked for a. . .wait for it. . ..Jack-In-The-Box. Seriously! What 5-year-old girl wants a Jack-In-The-Box for Christmas? Ours!

And so the shopping began. Do you think I could find anything in the stores around here? There were a few very babyish ones, but nothing she would like. Many of the nicer styles were sold out online. But I learned a lot in my quest for a Jack-In-The-Box. Did you know President Obama and former President Bush each have their own that plays Hail To The Chief when you crank that handle? Neither did I. They are both in stock if you would like one of your own. There are also some that feature Alice Cooper, Michael Vick and Kiss! Talk about scary! I found some very cut vintage Disney boxes on E-bay that ended up selling for over $100. There were also some great Wizard of Oz collectible boxes that sold for over $300. I had no idea Jack-In-The-Boxes could be so expensive. In the end, I found a cute Very Hungry Caterpillar style. I hope she likes it. . .and plays with it for more than 15 minutes!

POST SCRIPT: Makenzie has been telling EVERYONE who will listen, "My wish came true! Santa brought me a jack-in-the-box. But not just any old jack-in-the-box. . .a Caterpillar jack-in-the-box!" So, even though she doesn't play with it a whole lot, it was totally worth every penny. We really bought her belief in Santa. . .for a little longer anyway!

The Narrows!

Check another national park of my list! In October, Andy and I were luck enough to be able to sneak over to Zion National Park after attending a manager's retreat in St. George. Our trip was fast and furious, but well worth it! We spent most of Saturday October 13th wading/hiking the bottom up hike in The Narrows. We got to the trail head just before 9 am. It was a little bit overcast, but still beautiful nonetheless.

 The water was a cool 58 degrees that day. It rained the day before and cooled things off quite a bit. It was chilly when we started, but not unbearable. We figured our neoprene socks would keep our feet warm enough.That being said, it probably would've been more comfortable if we had stopped and rented dry suits.

 Sometimes you would be walking along in ankle deep water and then it would drop off without any warning and you would be up to your knees. . .or even your waist!

 I like this picture because you really get a feeling for how massive the cliffs are and how insignificant you are.

 As we were just starting out, Andy made a rule that whoever was the first person to fall down in the water couldn't get up until the other person took a picture. Of course, he was the first to to a face plant in the water and unfortunately he had the camera in the front pocket of his jacket (sealed in a Ziploc) so I couldn't get a picture until after he got up. But he was soaked. Checkout the water just pouring from his jacket. Brrrr!

We laughed that someone took the time to pile up cairns along the way. There were cliffs on either side of us. . .so really, there was only one direction to go. . .right?

Because of the rain the day earlier, we saw a few seasonal waterfalls (including this 135 foot tall one) that aren't always visible.

Toward the end of our journey we encountered a number of boulder obstacles like this one pictured above at the end of Wall Street. While they look easy enough to go around, the water was always waist deep around them, the current was stronger and the footing slipperier. It was exhausting!

As we were hiking, you could also hear a gurgling sound in the rocks. It was very interesting. And a little disconcerting. It almost seemed like the rocks would implode and crumble at any given minute.

Our trail guide said that it took 3 to 4 hours to reach Big Springs, the ending point for The Narrows without a permit. After being in the water for just over 4 hours, we decided to turn around and head back. Little did we know we were probably only a half mile for Big Springs!

 

The sun was very elusive. You would get small glimpses of it between the rocks from time to time. Mostly, however, we hiked in the shade of the rocks.

On the way in we only say a handful of people. On the way out, however, the river was littered with dozens of people. I am glad we got to the trail early. By now our feet were completely water logged and shriveled, our boots were full of water and sand and easily weight 1 or 2 pounds more than when we started. (Experts say that each extra pound on your feet is equivalent to an extra 5 on your back!) After spending close to 9 hours walking 8 miles or so in the water, we were ready to get on dry land.

On Sunday we did a bit more sightseeing in the park. After that we hit the road and headed back home. We unpacked our suitcases, did some laundry and then packed them back up two days later for our drive to Denver!

Disneyland!

Warning: This is a long post with a lot of pictures!

Thursday, September 27

On Wednesday, we drove to Hesperia, CA and spent the night. our goal was to get an early start on the day and take advantage of our Early Entry ticket for Disneyland. Despite the fact that everyone woke up at 6:30 am, we still didn't get out of the hotel until just before 8. Without rush hour traffic, we would've made it to the park just after 9, but we encountered a few slow downs and then we still had to deal with parking and ride the shuttle. So we only ended up getting in the park 15 minutes early. Oh well.

We headed straight back to Fantasyland to hit some of the classic rides (Dumbo, Teacups, Peter Pan, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, Alice In Wonderland) that every kid must experience on their first trip.

 I can do roller coasters all day long, but things that spin me in circles make me sick. I was worried about losing my breakfast on the Teacups, but I survived. . .and I didn't even take my Dramamine beforehand!

Andy and I were commenting on how all of the rides seemed to be very similar: a car of some sort on a track that takes you through themed scenery. We thought it was kind of lame. Then, after we got off of Peter Pan, Brayden exclaimed, "That was BEAUTIFUL!" As I thought about the rides from a child's point of view I realized just how amazing they really were.

Next up another classic ride: the Matterhorn. Lexi wasn't big enough to ride it so we got a rider swap pass. There was a miscommunication about who was going with me after Andy and the twins got off so I ended up going by myself. When I got off I walked over to the carousel to meet up with them. As they were finishing up their ride I realized that I had my camera around my neck, but I didn't have my purse! They made me put it in the pouch in front of my seat and I forgot about it. Now I really was sick to my stomach! I had our entry cards for the next two days, my credit card and more cash than I normally carry in there. If that was gone. . .well, I didn't even want to think about that! I sprinted over there and pushed my way to the front of the line. The attendants quizzed me to make sure it was really mine and finally handed it over. Thank goodness for the honest people who turned it in!

 After that it was already time for lunch. There were no chicken nuggets or french fries to be found, which is a problem for a certain 2-year-old who won't eat anything else. Rupunzel's tower was right between the restaurant we ate at and Pinnochio's Daring Journey, our next ride. I wasn't planning on waiting in line for 40 minutes to meet Rapunzel because she was supposed to be at Ariel's grotto with the other princesses and we had reservations there for another day. But Makenzie heard a passerby say something about the line for Rapunzel and that was that. We HAD to wait in line. After we got off of Pinnochio, the sign said it was only a 20 minute wait. Just as we got up to the front of the line though, they said "a bird flew in Rapunzel's hair" and she needed a 5 minute break to get it out. Well 5 minutes turned into 10 and we ended up waiting 40 minutes after all. Meanwhile, Lexi fell asleep in my arms and didn't get to see her.

 Makenzie totally lit up when she saw Rapunzel. The princess was very sweet and kind and even autographed Kenzie's story book. Makenzie grabbed her own hair and started stroking it as Rapunzel spoke of her favorite part of the story. Too cute!

We planned to go to Toon Town next, but Lexi's nap changed that. So we put her back in the stroller and Wheeled her over to Critter Country to pick up Fast Passes for Splash Mountain. The twins and I went on It's A Small World and then rode the train around the park. Then we met back up with Andy and all went on Winnie the Pooh. Then it was time for him and the twins to go on Splash Mountain.

They LOVED it! And thanks to the rider swap, they got to go on it again with me. This time they got even wetter than the first time. "All the way from my head to my toes," said Brayden. As we got off, Tigger and Pooh made an appearance. The line to meet them was very short so we bounced into it. Again, Makenzie lit up and ran and gave each of them a HUGE hug! Lexi was a bit afraid of the big stuffed animals, however.

 Yeah, we all look like drowned rats in this picture from riding Splash Mountain. Oh well.

 Next up: Pirates of the Caribbean and then Thunder Mountain Railroad. I got to ride it first this time with the twins. It was fun to see how excited they were. The squealed and screamed the whole time! Again they got to ride it back to back with virtually no waiting. I felt bad that Lexi couldn't go on some of these rides, but the rider swap made the experience much better for the twins.

 Back to Toon Town. We rode Who Framed Rodger Rabbit and and wandered around. There were so many fun things for the kids to do! This door was for the Electric company. I watched another kid pull on it, otherwise I would've walked right by it without a second glance. Instead, I asked Brayden to try and open it for me. I wish I had a video of his reaction. When you try to open the door bright lights flash through the windows on the top and it makes the sound of electricity arcing. It really startled Bray and he ran screaming across the street.

 After that we toured Mickey's house. It must've been laundry day.

 By this point I was totally exhausted. All day I was constantly scanning the crowds and the lines to make sure we had all the kids with us. So when I saw a little blond head dart under the line rope and head towards the exit I yelled, "Lexi, come back here, Sweetie." Andy just looked at me and reminded me that I was actually holding Lexi in my arms. Blondie's mom was behind us in line and just laughed at me. I was embarrassed to say the least.

 All week, Lexi had been talking about meeting Mickey and having him sign her book. Guess what? When she saw him she freaked out. Once again, however, Makenzie was overjoyed to meet one of her favorite characters.

 Next we played in Goofy's Garden and toured his house. Then on to Daisy's boat and Chip and Dale's Treehouse. Then we hit Goofy's Gadget Coaster the kids were so excited for this ride after looking at the virtual map app on my iPad that they blew past us and ran to the line. "By Mom. I love you," Brayden yelled to me as he whizzed by.

 Lexi declared this as her favorite ride and wanted to go again. She gave it two enthusiastic thumbs up.

 The kids said they wanted to ride It's A Small World again, so we headed out of Toon Town and over that way. We got there just in time for the parade. Everyone was already lining the streets, but there was an area roped off for a walkway where we had an unobstructed view, so we stood at the back of that.

 Just then, a Disneyland employee came running back to us and asked if she could borrow my princesses. Of course! She took them right up to the street so they could wave at The Little Mermaid! And guess what? Aerial looked right at Makenzie and waved back! The girls came back to where we were standing and shortly there after the employee came back and got them again, this time to wave to the float filled with all of the princesses. They were both ecstatic!

As we saw the parade coming to an end we jumped in line for Small World and basically walked right on. Andy was delighted he didn't have to wait. 

 Lexi was not so delighted that I was taking her picture. I have dozens of pictures of this face. She would be grinning from ear to ear until I tried to take her picture. Then she would do this. Then she would laugh because she knew I didn't get a good picture. What a tease!

 After that everyone was hungry so we walked to the front of the park and got something to eat. The kids all said they wanted mac & cheese. After waiting for more than 10 minutes for our food, they informed me that only had order of mac & cheese left. Guess what happens when two tired and hungry kids are told they can't have what they want for dinner? The meltdown quicker than Velveeta in the microwave! That was fun. After we ate Brayden got a piggyback out of the park. I don't think he was on Andy's back for more than two minutes before he fell asleep. Poor Makenzie still hadn't dried out from Splash Mountain (5 hours ago!) and was too cold to fall asleep until we got her to the car and changed her into dry clothes.

Friday, September 28
We knew we had a late night ahead of us with the Halloween Party, so we were hoping the kids would sleep in. Lexi had other plans. Like clockwork, she was up at 6:30 am. (Insert mommy groan here.) We had a leisurely morning and showered all of the Disney magic from the day before off of them. They thought it was very cool that the condo we were staying at had a Mickey themed bathroom.

After that we headed to Goofy's Kitchen to meet have some lunch and meet a few more characters.

 Lexi ran right up to Cinderella and gave her a hug. She did everything she could to ignore Dale, however.

She wouldn't eat much of her lunch, but she wanted to make sure she got every last drop of ice cream out of that dish!

 Isn't she the cutest Minnie Mouse ever? I might be biased, but I sure think so!

After lunch we wandered around Downtown Disney for a bit. The Beauty and the Beast lego creation outside of the Lego Store was pretty impressive.

 In the World of Disney, Andy was impressed with the Wookie backpack. Too funny.

That night we donned our costumes and headed to the Halloween party at Disneyland. The decorations were spook-tacular!.

Andy is a good sport for dressing up with us.I think we were unofficially the best dressed. Despite the fact that Sebastian was acting more crabby than lobstery, we got a lot of compliments, smiles and finger points. Some people even clapped as we walked past them on main street. We also posed for about five different photos with complete strangers and I think Sebastian made a fishy face in every one. :)
  
We went on the Haunted Holiday Mansion which was redecorated with a Nightmare Before Christmas theme. Lexi started trembling at one point, but she was a brave little girl and never cried! 

After that we went headed back to Thunder Ranch where the villains were supposed to make an appearance. The area was rented out for a private function, however, and they told us the villains would instead make an appearance on Main Street later that eventing. Bad luck. The kids were bummed. As a consolation prize, we headed to Thunder Mountain Railroad for a quick ride. Just before the twins and I reached the platform, the ride broke down and they made everyone exit the line. More bad luck. So we went and found Andy and Lexi to start Trick-or-Treating.


On the way, we just happened to bump into Woody! Finally. . .some good luck! This was the one character Brayden was very excited to meet. As the Disney photographer was taking the picture he noticed Brayden was making a fishy face. He started laughing and commented on it. Then Woody looked at him, started laughing and gave Bray two thumbs up.

 I want candy. . . .

My favorite part of the evening was the Pirate Palooza dance party that we hit between trick-or-treat stations.This video is a must-watch. . .if for nothing else than Brayden's pole dance at the end!

 A bit more trick-or-treating then it was time to stake out our spots for the Halloween parade.

 After that we moved and staked out spots for the fireworks. And waited. And waited.  The kids were getting very tired at this point. Of course Makenzie fell asleep just before they were going to start. I decided to wake her up to watch them. Brayden was pumped during the show; the girls enjoyed them too, but not as much as Bray. The park was still open for two more hours and we were hoping to hit a few more rides, but the kids were pooped and we decided to call it a night. On the way out we finally saw a few villains.

Saturday, September 29

We took a break from the amusement parks and headed to Little Corona Del Mar for the day. None of the kids had been to the ocean before and loved every minute of it!

 I sacrificed my body, including my big toenail, to get a picture of their faces as the waves came in. I underestimated the power of the ocean and got blindsided by a huge wave. I bent my toe backwards as I fell to my knees. At least I managed to save the camera!

 

 Traffic there was terrible. . .bumper to bumper!

 Beware of volcanoes and turtles!

 Lexi voluntarily went into the shade shelter and took a 2 hour nap. She was a tired girl.

 After playing in the water Makenzie would roll all over in the sand to get warm. She was filfthy!

Brayden enjoyed the warmth of the sand as well.

 We were in a cove with rock formations on either side. It was fun to watch the waves come crashing in on them.

 At low tide we went exploring on the rocks and found a few creatures in the tide pools. . .

 . . .colorful sea anemones

 . . .and lots of crabs!

Sunday, September 30
Time to hit California Adventure. We got there early to line up for Radiator Springs. Andy got in line for Fast Passes while the twins and I lined up on the street. We were front and center.


When the park opened, Lightening McQueen and a few employees walked us over to Cars Land so there wouldn't be a stampede. All of a sudden they told us to form a single file line on the right hand side. So much for being front and center! We lost valuable track position. Not that it mattered anyway, the ride broke down and they didn't know how long it would take to fix it. We decided not to waste time waiting since Andy had the fast passes by then. So we got out of line and hit Luigi's Flying tires. (Which was the lamest ride ever!)

 Mater's Junkyard Jamboree, on the other hand, was a lot of fun for everyone!

 Lexi especially loved it!

I especially love this guy!

 The attention to detail around the ride was pretty cool too.


Next stop: Bugs Land

 

We still had a little bit of time before our Fast Pass was valid, so we took a break from rides and watched Disney Junior Live on stage. The kids seemed to enjoy it quite a bit. They especially liked the part with Jake & The Neverland Pirates and, of course, Captain Hook.

 

Then back to Radiator Springs.

Brayden had asked earlier if we could get snacks from the Cozy Cone Motel. Since everyone was hot and tired when we got off the last ride, I thought now would be a good time to get some ice cream there. While we were in line he started to have a meltdown because he didn't want ice cream. What child throws a fit because he DOESN'T want ice cream? A tired one. Of course I couldn't get out of line because Makenzie really did want ice cream and I couldn't punish her. It got so bad that the lady in front of me told me to go ahead of her. Sigh. Time to find Andy & Lexi and head back to the condo. Naps for everyone!

When everyone woke up we headed back to Disneyland. Did I mention I loved all of their Halloween Decorations?

 This time we hit Adventure Land and hit the Jungle Cruise, played in Tarzan's Treehouse and went on Pirates of the Caribbean again. Brayden linked arms with Andy & I to ride it this time around.

 We then made our way over to Tomorrowland and rode the Astro Orbiter, Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters and Autopia. This time we stayed away from the crowds on Main Street and watched the fireworks from the backside. Not too shabby.

 Lexi got tired of the noise, though.

After that we hit Space Mountain Ghost Galaxy. Andy & Makenzie went first while me, Brayden & Lexi took a ride on the Finding Nemo Submarines. Then Andy took the girls back to the condo and Brayden & I rode Space Mountain. That kid was totally pumped when we got off and declared that he wanted to stay up until midnight, which he practically did!

Monday, October 1
Our last day of vacation was dedicated to California Adventure. Again, we got there early to stand in line for fast passes. I got Radiator Springs and Andy went and got World of Color Passes. Then we went over to the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail where the kids earned an explorer badge by completing various obstacles such as the zip line, rock climbing wall, etc.

 After that, Lexi and I waited while the others did the Grizzly River Run. Makenzie was worried about her hair getting wet and not looking pretty for the Princesses later that day, so Andy put his hat on her head to keep it dry.

 Then we made our way to Paradise Pier and Ariel's Undersea Adventure, Golden Zephyr, Jumpin' Jellyfish.

Just as we were getting off the Golden Zephyr, the green army men from Toy Story pulled up and put on a very fun, interactive show for the kids. Take a look.

Back to Cars Land for a "wheely" fun ride on Radiator Springs.

 Ka-Chow!

 This girl had more fun on Mater's Junkyard Jamboree.

Then back across the park for lunch at Ariel's Grotto where we met Ariel (of course), Sleeping Beauty, Belle, Snow White and Cinderella. As it turned out, it was a good thing that we waited 40 minutes to see Rapunzel as she was absent from this event for some reason. Makenzie would've been heartbroken if she didn't get to meet her.

The desert was delish! See that sea shell on the back of the tray? It's made entirely of white chocolate. Yum yum!

 There was virtually no wait on California Screamin' so I went on that while the others got in line for Toy Story Midway Mania. I met them in line when I was done. After Toy Story, Andy went on California Screamin' while the kids and I rode King Triton's Carousel.

 After that we played a few games on the boardwalk and rode Goofy's Sky School (aka the Wild Mouse). Even though it was on the opposite end of the park, we went and rode Monster's Inc. because we hadn't done that yet.

Then back to Paradise pier where we had to ride Ariel's Undersea Adventure one more time before we lined up for World of Color. Kenzie is proudly showing off her prizes while we sat and waited.

It was totally worth the wait! World of Color did not disappoint! This video only shows a few minutes of a 27 minute long show!

Unfortunately, Brayden fell asleep on Andy's back again after only a few minutes of the show. we plopped him in the stroller and he stayed there until we got to the tram.

On the way out, we stopped at Route 66; Cars Land looked pretty cool all lit up.

Tuesday, October 2
We packed up and headed for home. It was a long journey. . .we stopped in Vegas to visit with some friends and didn't roll into Ogden until 2 am (technically on Wednesday). We all had a lot of fun on our vacation, but it was good to be home!