Jam-Packed Disney - Part Two

The adventures continued at Disneyland for a second and third day.

One of the best parts of our trip was spending it with our good friends Nathan and Alisa from Denver. We were expecting this vacation to be chock-full of late night games after putting the kids to bed, but we were all too exhausted from kid-full Disneyland to do anything but crash. Keeping up with four children ages 4, 3, 2, and 3 months wiped us all out.

Blake had a blast with Carly and asks me every day when we get to see her again. They got into plenty of mischief together.

We were especially smitten with Nathan and Alisa's new baby because they named him Tanner; only the coolest name ever. And, Tanner was born on Nash's birthday, which makes him twice as awesome. He was seriously the best baby being carted around Disneyland day after day.

The boys were at the perfect ages to be equally as excited about the characters as they were about the rides.

We checked out Mickey and Minnie's houses in Toontown.

Blake steered Goofy's ship.

And then Goofy taught him how to make sharp turns.

Nash would have moved into Goofy's backyard if we let him.

Troy was once again the master entertainer/distracter.

We hit about every child-friendly ride that existed (except the new Little Mermaid ride that was closed for refurbishment - still bummed about that). Some of the longest lines were for the classics, but we never had to wait more than 20 minutes. It was a good time of year to go - after spring break but before the end of the school year.

Blake was tall enough this time to go on some of the bigger rides. We finally talked him into the roller coaster in Toontown after several failed attempts. He loved it of course. His favorite ride was Soarin' Over California, a simulated hang-glider flight over California. He took the entire ride so literally. He thought we were really outside flying over mountains and oceans. When the screen got dark he asked me if it was night time. And, at the end when we "flew" over Disneyland, he squinted his eyes in search for his dad (who was waiting outside with Nash). So cute.

One of the biggest highlights was watching Mickey's Soundsational Parade. We staked out the best seats in the house early, and while we were waiting for the parade to begin, Nash absorbed high amounts of sugar.

That made him extra exuberant about the floats and dancing characters.

Probably our favorite moment of Disneyland was during the parade, when Troy asked Nash if he liked Mickey Mouse. He clenched his fists and entire body and screamed in the most ear-piercing pitch, "I LOOOOOOVE MICKEY MOUSE!" I tried to get it on video after the fact, but it didn't do justice to the first time he professed his love.

We cut our trip a day short to get back home in time for Troy's cousin's wedding. We were surprised to find a package waiting for us at our front door after driving all day.

We have wonderful, thoughtful friends. I mean relatives of Mickey Mouse.

Blake spent every spare moment scouring over the park guides. I think he has memorized just about every detail by now because he hasn't let the maps out of his sight since our return home.

Well, folks, in three days we had about as much fun as we could take. Till next time...

Jam-Packed Disney - Part One

I have to admit, I was completely underwhelmed when I drove to Disneyland with a group of friends when I was living in Arizona for a semester during college.

I am a roller-coaster maniac and Disneyland fell short of my thrilling ride expectations.

I felt pretty ho-hum about going to Disneyland again.

That was until we had children.

Now I'm hooked, line and sinker. There is a whole new level of magic and excitement with young children that I had no idea could be brought on with life-size characters and themed rides.

Blake has talked about the minute details of Disneyland ever since we went for the first time a year and a half ago. I really didn't think it was a place we'd go back to again and again, but after all of Blake's anticipation, I think we were even more excited to go this time around.

We were equally excited for Nash to enjoy Disneyland since he was just a baby the last time we went. His enthusiasm did not let us down. He could hardly be contained in the stroller once he spotted the Mickey Mouse ferris wheel.

We spent most of our first day at Disney's California Adventure. We waited at the Paradise Pier gate before the park opened so we could be among the first to go on Toy Story Mania.

Both boys were elated to meet the live versions of some of their favorite characters.

Blake especially liked getting all of their signatures.

The Disney Junior show is always a hit.

Especially now that they've added Jake (and the Neverland Pirates) to the mix. Blake saved his gold coins for Jake, and Jake not only seemed very pleased to receive such a treasure, but he also tucked the coins safely in his boot. 

Troy's official job was to be the master entertainer/distracter while we waited in lines. He was 100% successful.

His other job was to go on the mild rides with the boys in Bug's Land...

...while I got stuck going on the spinning rides. Blake got a kick out of my not-so-young-anymore stomach.

We topped off day one with World of Color.

We missed out on the water show last time since it runs way past bedtime, but we decided to keep the boys up late and give it a go this time around. I stood on a ledge to snap a few shots, and was promptly asked to "get down." It was hard to see from where we were standing in the crowd, but what we did see was spectacular.

One thing about Disneyland is that at the end of the day, everyone is exhausted. Tired enough to fall asleep against a stroller bar on the walk back to the hotel.

Having fun is hard work.

The Hardest Job in the World

I don't have a nice Mother's Day post prepared this year. I was too busy doing that mothering thing and recovering from vacation to even think about Mother's Day. It caught me off guard and aside from talking on Skype with my mom and mom-in-law, I kind of dropped the ball this time around.

But that doesn't mean that I didn't take a few moments to appreciate the endless blessings of being a mom.

I spent most of the day trying to get Nash's burning fever to come down that spiked right as Blake was singing "Mother Dear, I Love You So" with the Primary children at church. 

Even though Nash spent the rest of the day in my arms or on the carpet sleeping, I can't think of a better way to spend Mother's Day than with my babe curled up tight against me.

Blake's handmade gifts and Troy's home cooked dinner were just extra perks.

I am always grateful for the chance to reflect on motherhood and resolve to do better, whether it be on Mother's Day or any other time of the year. 

Because the hardest job in the world

is the best job in the world.

Oh how I always need this reminder:

Venice Beach

We just returned from a trip to Southern California and our first item of business was to meet our new nephew. The boys were enthralled with their first cousin.

We took a Sunday morning stroll to the Venice Beach canals. The only thing that could have possibly made it better was if our nephew was in our arms instead of asleep in his dad's front carrier.

As we were walking I had Siri tell us all about which celebrities lived in some of the gorgeous homes.

The canals led us right to the oceanfront.

If I lived 15 minutes away from the beach I think I would take a Sunday morning stroll before church every single week.

Graduate

I'm so proud of my little brother for completing another chapter in his life.

The weekend before he ended his college career, we attended the film festival that he started as a new annual event at his university. We met a lot of his friends and roommates who thought his film work was pretty stellar. He was involved with the filming of more than half of the short films that were featured.

Since there are only two of us and my college graduation was seven years ago, my parents deemed it important to come out for the event.

Congrats, little bro!