Monterey Bay!

My mother and I took the boys and their cousin to Monterey Bay, California. It was a great trip! The boys adored the aquarium! The view was wonderful and the whole trip was quite a treat. Before we arrived we stopped for a tour at the Jelly Belly Factory, it was loads of fun!

 Harrison just woke up from a nap, gotta love the nap-hair!

 Jelly Belly Time!

 The boys were *thrilled* to see the puffins! They remembered them from our homeschool unit on birds!

 Took a break for lunch, Carter couldn't resist trying on Forrest Gump's shoes!

 The kids loved touching all of the interactive aquarium exhibits!

 Sean loved playing with the puppets in the children's area!

 Carter played in the children's area for a few minutes, but preferred being on the balcony (right next to the children's area) and watching the ocean and spotting animals. 

 Harrison merged the worlds- he brought the costume from the children's area outside to join Carter! (He is Nemo, and he is swimming, can't you tell? LOL!)

They loved watching the ocean!

Disneyland Part 4

Our last day!!! We were at the park when it opened, and we were ready to go! We asked the boys to start the day with their favorite rides, and Harrison wanted another ride on Star Tours! Carter wanted to ride on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad! After the rides were complete we made our way to Mickey's Toontown! The kids rode rides and got to tour character homes. What a fun time!!! The highlight of the morning, by far, was when the boys got to meet Mickey Mouse himself. They shocked me by rushing up to him and hugging him happily! Lots of smiles and pictures! We then toured Mickey's house (his washing machine was running, and wouldn't you know it was full of his white gloves, lol!) and then played around some more. This day was super relaxing. We re-rode rides that we loved, rode a few we had not yet tried, and we took it really easy.

Blurry because our boys literally stampeded Mickey!

Of course, train rides were a given. Carter is still obsessed with trains!

We were sure to take a break this time, and we went back to the hotel to swim and splash together. It was such fun! I love the enthusiasm our boys have for play, and their smiles were huge!

Carter was far too busy going down waterslides to stop for a picture- but Harrison cooperated!

We played around and then showered and dressed for dinner. We had dinner at Goofy's Kitchen! This was the first "character dining" experience we ever had, and I don't think I would ever go without doing one again! What a *FUN* experience! The boys *ADORED* seeing so many different characters and getting to talk to them! Carter met his first princess (Hey, don't judge me! Our kids don't *want* to meet princesses so I never got to go meet them myself!) and he was quite taken with her- it was Snow White! After she left Carter sat in quiet thoughtfulness and when I asked what was on his mind he replied, "I like Snow White, but I love Kayla." He smiled and helped himself to his third dessert. LOL! Kids!

(Their dinner choices interested me. Carter picked pizza, Harrison picked broccoli, corn, and cupcake frosting- he avoids the cake but loves icing, lol! The Disney characters would pretend like they wanted to steal food!)

We rode more rides, and then took our place for the fireworks show. We had a spot right in the garden in front of the castle, and the view was amazing. Seeing the fireworks and our kids smiles made the day perfect! The park was busier than I had ever seen it, or even could have imagined, so we hung back when we realized that most people were on their way out. We took the kids shopping and they picked things for themselves (we only buy things the last day there because I do not like hauling things around) and then they picked gifts for their cousin Sean. Our children picked Star Wars toys, lol- of course.

We were going to ride the Monorail back when we saw that the line for the Autopia ride was nearly empty. Carter had wanted to ride it desperately but the long lines and the complications of seating (Carter wanted to drive, but had to have an adult with him. Harrison wanted to drive and needed an adult too- but it recommended pregnant women not ride because of possible bumps and crashing) we had always passed, but this was the time to ride- I felt it! The night was calm and peaceful, the park was emptying, and I wanted to finish the day off perfectly!

We got in line and Kurt worked it out (being the genius he is) that Harrison and I (note to self: don't ever allow Harrison to drive!) would be the very last car in a group so no one would be behind me and bump me, and Kurt positioned himself and Carter in the first car of the next group so that eventually when there were cars behind me it would be Kurt and Carter in the lead, and they wouldn't crash into me. All seemed like a good plan until I snuggled next to Harrison, buckled our shared belt, and heard his little voice ask me, "Mommy? Is this a *real* car?" I thought for a moment- took in the engine, pedals, steering wheel, and I answered, "Yes, it is." Harrison then let out a malicious laugh sounding something like "MMMUUAHAHA!" and started turning the wheel this-way and that with a crazed look in his little eyes. It occurred to me, this is the first time, in his whole life, he ever got to steer or drive anything. Carter always "called" driver position in bumper cars, driving games, and even those grocery carts that look like vehicles and Harrison always went along with Carter's request. Harrison went crazy with glee and took me on quite a ride. I admit, it was a bit frightening, but by the end we couldn't stop laughing- we were having so much fun! Near the end of the track Carter and Kurt had caught up to us (but maintained a safe distance) and I was able to snap pictures.

With smiling faces we left the ride and we piled into the Monorail and went back to the Disneyland Hotel for our last night. Perfect day, perfect sleep, perfect trip.

And then, the next morning, we headed home.

(Yes, I adjusted Harrison's chest buckle before leaving!)

Disneyland! Part 3

Wednesday we were sooooo tired!!! We decided that we needed to "sleep in" and we would start the day at Disney's California Adventure Park when it opened at 10am. It was *so* worth it! We woke refreshed and ready for the day!!!

We walked into the park and Carter asked to stop and take a picture with the airplane on display. So- we did!

We rode a lot of rides that day! But the first ride the boys enjoyed was Grizzly River Run! They really enjoyed it, and they managed not to get too wet!

Kurt is waving, the boys are wearing green shirts and orange hats.

I am not sure of why, but we did not take a whole lot of photos on this day. The boys rode a *lot* of rides- from Goofy's Sky School roller coaster to Monsters Inc- they had to ride it all! Along they way the boys were delighted to see a show by Phineas and Ferb! If that wasn't exciting enough they also saw a Toy Story Green Army Men (our boys call them "hut huts" because of the noise they make when they walk, in the movie) drum corps! We had lunch at a small Greek restaurant, and we enjoyed live music!

We waited longer for the Toy Story ride than any other ride. The reward was not only a great time- but as we were leaving the ride BUZZ LIGHTYEAR walked past us! Harrison looked at us for approval, and upon getting it shot to Buzz's side!!! He *loved* getting to walk next to Buzz!!! Harrison followed Buzz (and we followed Harrison) for about 100 yards, when Buzz was taken to a crowd of people who were lined up to take pictures with him. Buzz was taking over for none other than WOODY! Carter was *so* excited!!! Buzz and Woody stood together for a moment, and one of the Cast Members approached us. He saw our boys' "1st Time!" buttons and asked us about our trip. The boys were speechless, they couldn't take their eyes off of their heroes. We apologized for our children's rudeness and the man smiled- little did we know he was Woody's escort through the park, and when Woody came through the crowd the man arranged for Carter to have a moment with him! Getting to high five their favorite Disney characters was so magical, and they couldn't stop smiling! We did not get pictures of the event- we were too in awe! (*It was *VERY* crowded, and seeing that we allowed Harrison to run ahead of us we needed to keep our eyes on the boys and not on cameras!)

We rode a few more rides before it was time to head over to Disneyland for dinner.

Kurt rode the Bug's Life bumper cars with both children. However, Harrison was... um... less skilled at driving near me so I could snap a photo. So, here is a picture with Kurt and Carter! Kurt was able to ride with Harrison, and then swap children and ride with Carter- so everyone had a turn.

Dinner time! We had reservations at Big Thunder Ranch BBQ. It was *SO* much fun!!! The live entertainment, great food, and gluten-free options (they had gluten-free cake!!!) made it so special for us!!! The entertainers got a huge kick out of our little Harrison- who freely got up to dance with them! His nickname was Hop-along Harrison, and Carter's was Cowboy Carter. It took Carter awhile, but at the end even he couldn't resist dancing- and before we were finished the boys were on stage!

Harrison was so happy to be able to eat cake- because it was gluten-free! Here is also enjoys cocoa! 

Carter enjoyed eating ice cream! (He also needed some cocoa!)

After dinner we headed back over to Disney's California Adventure park and took our places for the World of Color water and light show. What an amazing production! The graphics, lights, and water were so spectacular! We were so sad when the boys insisted they needed yet *another* bathroom break (despite having one less than 20 minutes before) and we missed the last few minutes. However, because we left a bit early we were able to take the boys to the restroom and then ride on the new Little Mermaid ride with ZERO line (this is a big deal, the line is usually at least an hour long!). I was thrilled!!! The boys have never seen The Little Mermaid, but they thought the ride was pretty fun nonetheless- and I was delighted!

Then- time for bed!!! We hobbled back to our beds yet again! This was the only day we didn't take a break at the pool, and we could feel it!

Disneyland! Part 2

Day 3

Tuesday was our Magic Morning at Disneyland Park. Magic Morning is where you go inside the park an hour earlier than the regular park opening. I woke at 5:30 and woke Kurt at 6:00. We had Mickey Mouse call Carter at 6:15 and we were all ready to have breakfast at 6:30. Our breakfast was finished and we were at the park shortly after 7am. Ouch, so early! (Keep in mind Daylight Savings was just a few days before!)

 Kurt is ready for fun!

Carter and Harrison were trying hard to be ready for fun at the park, but it was hard!

During breakfast we picked up a Disneyland map and the boys chose which rides they would like to enjoy first. We planned our morning rides, and then decided that we would catch the first Jedi Training session of the day at 10:30. We started with Carter's request for the flying rockets, and then proceeded to Harrison's request for the Finding Nemo submarine ride. After that Kurt and the boys decided to try Space Mountain. However, once the approached the ride, Carter asked to please go back- it was too frightening. Kurt understood and they all left the line. I do not have pictures of the kids on every ride. This was a difficult day and my morning sickness was getting the better of me, so I focused on my family rather than taking pictures.

 When did he get big enough to ride alone?! They grow so quickly!

I was not feeling well enough to ride this one, so Kurt took my place. He doesn't like rides that spin in a circle, but he was a trooper and did it for Harrison!

I did manage to snap some pictures of us on the Alice in Wonderland and Mad Hatter Tea-Cup rides, as well as the Its a Small World ride (Kurt *HATED* it!)!

 We all loved the Alice in Wonderland ride!

 Kurt's stomach refused to allow him on the tea cups. I did not think I would be okay with them, but the kids really wanted to go so I agreed. I am thrilled to report there is not as much spin to them as I originally thought- so they weren't too difficult =)

 Carter and Harrison didn't mind the Small World!

Kurt and I being silly- pretending to be scared of the dolls. I say we pretended... but he might have actually been scared of them. He requested we never *ever* ride that ride again. I think the song got to him... but that could be because the kids and I sang the song for the rest of the day, lol!

Then it was on to Toad's Wild Ride! We did not have to wait long, but while we were on the ride it broke!!! I snapped a picture of the cast member getting Kurt and Carter- it sort of looks like they were kicked off the ride, lol!

 Harrison and I act really silly while we wait for them to lead us off of the ride.

Love this picture, it looks like they were removed from the ride! The cast member was really nice and very apologetic for the technical difficulties the ride was having and offered us to wait and go first when it started again- but we had bigger plans!

Now that we had experienced rides and fun it was time for (drum roll please...) Jedi Training!!! We arrived at the pavilion early, in fact, our children were the third group to sit down. Kurt and I sat at a table in the cafe that backs up to the crowd (we were only about 10 feet from the children, who were directly in front of us), and we ordered snacks while we waited. We were there 40 minutes before the training was supposed to start, and the boys took their seats on the front line 25 minutes to show time. The kids didn't understand what they were waiting for, but Kurt assured them that their patience would be rewarded. We hoped that our children would be chosen for Jedi Training, but as hundreds of people started to gather our hopes started to dwindle. There were children in full Jedi gear, others in Star Wars apparel, and some families had taken the time to create elaborate banners saying things like, "Pick me!!!" or "The Force is strong with this one!!!" Kurt and I looked around, looked down at our meek and rather mild mannered children (especially compared to the other kids!) and we felt pained. Kurt went down to them, and explained that when the time came it would be okay for them to stand up, cheer, and shout. They both nodded and the event started, Kurt took his place next to me, and we held hands and hoped they would be chosen!

Then... the Jedi Masters and the Padawan came onto the stage. Our children couldn't help but jump up and shout!

That tall set of raised arms are Carter's, and the smaller set to his left are Harrison's. The main Jedi master is on stage. The main Jedi master was a bald African-American, so Carter screamed out, "YEAH! MACE WINDU!!! HOORAY!" The Disney cast didn't seem to mind, thankfully! It made sense to Carter that if people were dressed as Stormtroopers then this man must be trying to be Mace Windu (who is Carter's favorite Star Wars character).

The Jedi master scanned the crowd. He slowly started choosing children. Kurt and I became instantly hopeful when we realized the two children first chosen had been from the first two groups that had sat down before we did- 40 minutes before. With any luck they were picking children who had been waiting the longest!!! We held our breath and then- BOTH of our children were selected together! Kurt and I joined in the crowd of cheers and screams- we were so thrilled! Families around us patted our backs and congratulated us- it was astounding!!!

Bashful little Harrison waves to the crowd!

Carter gets ready! He didn't look at us through the entire Jedi training- he was too absorbed with what was going on.

The boys learned some different Jedi lightsaber techniques and then... out of the blue... STORMTROOPERS ARRIVED!!!! Then something started to come out of the ground!!!

AH! Darth Vader!!!!



AND DARTH MAUL!

The boys finished their Jedi training, received their honorary padawan certificates, and we headed to Disney's California Adventure park. We rode a few rides and went to see the Aladdin play- where we had a ticket for priority seating. We were loving the play and disappointed when the special effects computers broke down- so the play had to stop 1/3 of the way in. The next time we are at Disney we will make a bigger effort to see that neat play!

We decided to break for lunch and grab a fastpass to Soaring over California. We were all pretty tired and irritable, so after we rode Soaring we decided to break and go for a swim. We walked back to the Disneyland Hotel, and we spent hours at the pool. We had so much fun we realized that we were going to miss our dinner reservation, but rather than rush ourselves back into the park, we knew we needed the night off, so we swam some more. We all decided to have dinner at the Rainforest Cafe, as it was pretty close to the hotel, and we were all tired of moving around. We loved our dinner!

After dinner it was after 7pm, so we went back to the hotel. We went to the club and gathered some desserts and picked out a movie. We went to our room, got the kids ready for bed, and before you could say "Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious" the children were sound asleep. Kurt and I stayed up to watch Adventures in Babysitting.

By this time, as you can guess, we knew we had pushed ourselves pretty far. So we decided to "sleep in" until 8:30 and start the next day at Disney's California Adventure park. Good move, and we all slept really well!