Brian and I love Disneyland. Is that uncool to admit when you're an adult? Anyway, we decided we wanted to go to Disneyland again, and this time, we thought it would be fun to take my parents. So, we rented a condo in Anaheim for the week of spring break. My parents arrived at our house on Thursday, March 30 and patiently waited for us to finish laundry and packing on the 31st before we headed south.
I didn't want screens on the entire drive, so I tried to come up with fun activities that we could do in the car. The favorite was Mad Libs, These are our two favorite ones:
We stopped for lunch in Scipio, made a pit stop in St. George,
and then had dinner with my Aunt Rachelle (dad's sister) in Vegas before hitting the hay at a resort near Lake Las Vegas.
The Hilton we stayed at, thanks to our friend Cole, was amazing! Such a beautiful hotel. It's the first hotel I've stayed at in Vegas that you didn't have to walk through a casino to get to your room. We treated ourselves to their amazing breakfast:
And took some pictures in the courtyard because the hotel was just so gorgeous!
Then, we headed off to Hoover Dam. My parents have never been, and my Great-Grandpa Tyler helped build it. Plus Rachel and Gabe had never been. We had to go.
My grandpa was a high scaler, one of the most dangerous jobs. They have this statue dedicated to the high scalers, so we had to take our picture by it. He died when I was really little, and I only remember him as an old man. It was cool to think about walking where he once walked and standing on something so amazing that he helped build, especially with my mom there (it's her grandpa). She told me a few stories about him, and it made me want to learn more.
And while Mom and I were being sentimental, my kids turned into monkeys:
I insisted on pictures on the state line that runs through the middle of the dam:
After the dam, we did our best to just get to Anaheim without too many stops. We listened to General Conference on the way.
We loved the little condo we stayed in. You could tell the owners just wanted their guests to be happy. There were so many beds in each of the three rooms. Michael was sad that he didn't get to pick which room he got to sleep in, and he didn't like that he had to share. Apparently he's getting spoiled having his own room! We had to be creative about keeping Gabe from falling down the stairs. He kept figuring out our tricks, but I'm happy to report that he didn't fall down the stairs while we were there.
On Sunday morning, we headed to San Diego, once again listening to General Conference on the radio as we went. We got choked up when President Monson announced that there would be a temple in our home town! We fought back tears, especially as texts came pouring in from family to share our excitement. And then, we rounded that corner and there on the left was the San Diego Temple. We felt so blessed and so grateful.
We went to tour the U.S.S. Midway first thing, arriving just as it opened. Michael was really excited since he's really interested in military things. He always wants to look through my dad's navy yearbooks whenever we visit. It was a real treat to be there with my dad.
Since my dad had lived on an aircraft carrier during his service, he served as our tour guide, and it was so awesome! We came here when I was pregnant with Rachel and had to use the headphones for the tour, which made it hard to talk to each other. Plus, it was fun to hear stories about being on ship from my dad. Michael just drank it all up!
My dad worked in the dental lab on ship, so he reenacted an exam with Michael!
I think my kids are so big until they sit in these cockpits!
Here's our best Top Gun pose:
Get it?
They had a new area that wasn't there back in 2012: the command center. (Dad, I know I botched the name on it.)
After the Midway, we went to Old Town for lunch, and then on to the Mormon Battalion Visitors' Center. It was really really crowded and the kids were done. I also wanted to make sure that we got back to Anaheim in time for their normal bedtime so they weren't too tired for the next day. Long story short, we didn't do the full tour, but we did get a few pictures
And the kids panned for gold. I have ancestors on both sides who were in the Mormon Battalion, and one even wrote a book about his experiences (Daniel Tyler).
The one regret of this trip was that we went out for lunch instead of just eating the picnic lunch we packed and then doing the full tour of the Center.
The next morning, we were off to Disneyland. Our condo was about a mile to the main gate, and we decided to walk instead of trying to do parking. By the time we made it to Downtown Disney, Gabe was asleep.
Outside the Lego store:
The first princess we met was Ariel.
Michael even posed with her. He's at the age where he knows they aren't really the characters, and he feels like he should be above posing with them, but he still wants to pose with them, so he always made a funny face with them, like the whole experience is beneath him.
The first ride of the day: Dumbo.
Then Gabe's first character was Captain Hook. He was really impressed.
Gabe loved the Carousels the best.
Autotopia:
Rachel rode with me, and Brian caught this picture of her trying to see them behind us. My parents were kind enough to hang with Gabe for a lot of these rides.
My parents and I watched the Tea Cups from a distance. Too spinny for us!
While Brian, Mom, Dad, and Michael rode Indiana Jones, Rachel, Gabe and I explored Tarzan's Treehouse. I'd never been up there before. Gabe like crawling up the stairs.
The park was super crowded that day, and the line to go see Pirates of the Caribbean was crazy long. But, we really wanted to go on that ride, so while everyone else was waiting in line, Mom and I went back to the stroller and made sandwiches for everyone. We were going as fast as we could, laughing the whole time at the absurdity. Then, we met up with them in line, we all had lunch while we were standing there, and by the time we finished, it was time to get on the ride. It was probably my favorite memory of the day.
A few notes on the rides. We started in Fantasyland, and decided to try our Pinocchio and Snow White, since we've never done them. Both were kind of disturbing, especially Snow White. Rachel really didn't like them because she thought they were scary. She also didn't like Pirates because it was dark and scary. Gabe didn't seem to care much for Pirates either and let me snuggle him, which meant he fell asleep during the ride. The changed Space Mountain to Hyper Space Mountain, and it really added a little something something to that ride. Much more fun!
Dad took Rachel and Gabe to explore some things while the rest of us rode Splash Mountain. This is my favorite ride. When we went to Disneyworld a year ago, I was pregnant and couldn't go, and when we went to Disneyland the year before that, it was closed. It was fun and terrifying to be back. Michael wanted in the front, and we, being the awesome parents that we are, let him, knowing he would get the most wet.
He did. By then the temperature and sun were going down, and he was pretty miserable. My mom and I used Dad and Rachel's fast passes to ride Splash Mountain again, this time making kissy faces for the camera. It was awesome, but since we were in the back, the photo wasn't the best. When we hit the bottom, my tailbone greatly protested, and it was really really hurting for days afterwards, but it was totally worth it! I had so much fun being in Disneyland with my parents! After our second ride, I found some shorts in the gift shop for Michael, and after his change of clothes, he was much happier. By then, it was well past dinner time, so we found a place to eat:
After dinner, Brian and I took Gabe and Michael to the Haunted Mansion and my parents took Rachel to Small World. Gabe was sick of the stroller, so we carried him. Big mistake! We thought we'd be able to meet up with my parents right after, but because of the parade, we couldn't meet up with them. We wanted to ride Big Thunder Railroad, so we did the rider swap with Michael so we could both go. I went first, and then took Gabe to go meet my parents. The problem was that my phone was dead and I couldn't meet them where we had planned because of the parade. Some kind cast members tried helping me, but in all the shuffle and confusion, I missed finding them. Finally, I called Brian and met him outside the gate of the park. By then the fireworks were going off. At first, they freaked Gabe out, but I kept going, "Oooh! So pretty. Wow!" and then he realized that they were really neat. The whole walk to the main gate, he was watching them, and then he started going, "Whoa! O!" He got really upset when we finally met up with everyone else and Rachel and Michael kept blocking his view while trying to hug him. He loved those fireworks!
By the time we were heading back, we were all exhausted. Michael and Rachel both wanted a ride in the sit and stand, but wouldn't share the seat, so we took turns carrying Rachel back, since she was the lightest.
It was a really long walk, but we finally all made it there.
The next morning, we had planned to go to Disney again, but we were all just too tired to do it! So, we switched up our itinerary and switched our tickets for Knott's Berry Farm from Thursday to Tuesday and went there instead. Meanwhile, Gabe had figured out how to pull the pack and play off the stairs, so we had to move the stroller in front of it, with the wheels locked, of course.
When we got there, Brian and Michael wanted to do coasters, so my parents took Rachel and Gabe.
We met up again at lunch, and then I stayed with them the rest of the day. I wasn't digging the coasters that day. My back was making me a little grumpy about them. The park was basically empty, especially compared to Disneyland, and we enjoyed the calmer day.
We decided to do an old timey picture.
Things got a little too serious though:
We're teaching our kids the fine art of posing with statues:
While Michael and Brian rode more coasters, the rest of us went to Camp Snoopy. Rachel hopped on ride after ride and had a blast.
We took a picture on this bench back in 2011, so it was fun that Brian found it again.
2011:
Rachel convinced my mom to ride on the Ferris wheel with her.
Selfie from the top:
Last coaster of the night:
The next day, we went to Newport Beach, after Gabe got a really good nap at the condo, and after we had lunch. At first, Gabe really didn't care for the sand, so we put him on this towel.
We ate lots of cookies and snacks.
Gabe slowly acclimated to the sand.
And then he was good to go. In fact, he started putting sand on our seats when we weren't sitting on them.
First time in the ocean:
Brian and I did some boogie boarding when we first got there, and it was a blast. I was impressed with how much my body has healed since surgery. I was beaten around by some intense waves, and I was able to hold my ground out there. I got tossed around quite a bit, and after getting sucked back in with the undertow and spinning completely around under water, I decided that I was ready to enjoy the shore for a while, but I retired triumphantly!
It was so fun being with my parents at the ocean. I've never been with them before!
We ate at Ruby's diner before heading home. I love this place!
After that R&R at the beach, we were ready for Disney again. This time, we hit up California Adventure:
Rachel wanted to just find the princesses and characters, so I made a rule that she had to know the character before we would wait in a line for one. Sofia made the cut, but Doc McStuffins did not.
We had to see Anna and Elsa though:
And Stitch
While we did the character thing, Brian and Michael waited in line at California Screamin'.
Bug's Life Land:
While we were at Knotts, my dad mentioned that he wanted to go on the go carts. He was almost giddy at the idea, so he joined Brian and the kids in the Go Carts in Bug's Life Land, (He didn't ride too many rides because of his back, so it was fun to see him excited and almost like a little kid about one).
Rachel loved the Little Mermaid Ride. She went on it a lot.
Gabe had to get his naps on the go. Poor guy:
My mom was up for trying California Screamin at least once:
Brian and I waited in a big long line to do the rapids, and it was totally worth it! We got the rider swap so that Mom, Dad, and Michael wouldn't have to wait in the super long line.
My favorite ride in California Adventure is Radiator Springs Racers. I love this picture of my dad on the ride:
We were there on the first day they offered fast passes for Toy Storia Mania, and we took advantage:
I thought these t-shirts were appropriate for my parents.
So, funny story. we decided to bring our umbrella stroller as well as the sit and stand to Disney that day. We parked it by the entrance, intending to use it on the way back when we knew the kids would be really tired again. Well, when we went to retrieve it, we couldn't find it anywhere. We looked for a little bit and even checked guest services. We're pretty sure someone stole it. Oh well, we got our $15 worth out of it with these three kids. This time, Michael and Rachel both squeezed into the stroller.
The next day, we went to Universal Studios. Michael started reading Harry Potter back in October, after his school had Hogwarts night. By December, he was halfway through, so we told him that if he finished the whole series by April, we'd take him to Harry Potter World at Universal Studios. He finished in March. (He's 7 by the way. It blows my mind!) To celebrate this feat, I made us all these matching shirts, and we got so many compliments and comments on them.
Getting there was a little rough, thanks to traffic, and we narrowly missed getting in an accident. I really thought we were going to get in one, and both Brian and I kept saying, "How did we not get in an accident?" after this car merged right in front of us. I think we missed a collision by inches.
The first character we saw at Universal was Curious George, and Michael had no hesitations about taking his picture with him. It was so fun so see him so excited about a character.
We saw the car from Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets:
Walking into Hogsmeade was awesome. It was crowded, but it was so fun being there.
I don't love how they do the rider swap here. Everyone has to wait in line, not just those riding. This was really frustrating for some of those rides that Rachel wasn't tall enough to ride on because she had to wait in line and got none of the benefit of waiting. I also hate how they don't really have rides for kids under 40 inches, at least not enough to justify the price of the ticket. I wished they charged admission based on height instead of age. Rant over. We had fun.
She barely made the cut for Flight of the Hippogriff, and she loved it!
We had lunch in The Three Broomsticks, and of course had to try butterbeer.
Michael had saved up for a wand, so after he bought it from Ollivanders, he played with it in Hogsmeade with Brian while I took Rachel and Gabe to find something that Rachel could do. We ended up in the Despicable Me area, which she loved.
Brian and Michael joined us there later.
For Uncle Shayne:
We went down all those escalators to the lower lot.
Brian and Michael went on a ride while I watched Rachel and Gabe play on a playground. Then, we had dinner, went back up the escalators, and back out to the car. The kids were asleep within minutes.
While we were at Universal, my parents went to go see the Battleship Iowa. My dad got piped aboard because he was a veteran. It's a great honor, and he was touched. Here are their pictures.
We made a decision that night to try to drive all the way from Anaheim to our house the next morning. It was a little rough, but we made it back around 10 p.m. We were really sad to hit winter storm weather for the last 3 hours of the trip. Nothing like coming back from a week in Sunny California to a blizzard at home. It was a little trippy. The next morning, I was looking out my window and saw my neighbor wearing a heavy coat and a beanie, and I thought, she's gotta be so hot in that, and then I remembered that it had been snowing. We were tempted to get back in the car and go back to California!
We had a great trip. Thanks for going with us, Mom and Dad!
