Until Next Time Mickey....Homeward Bound

Knowing what awaited us, preparing for the drive home was simultaneously excrutiating and relieving.  Excrutiating only because we knew Simon was far away from a nap and relieving because we survived the trip.  The four of us had a blast and I continue to be impressed with how well the boys did.  I saw a lot of my husband in Dominick and Simon and I saw a lot of my boys in Nick.  It's nice and therapeutic to get away from the routine and submerge yourself in fun, magic and imagination. Seeing the sparkle in your children's eyes, hearing the excitement in their voices and being able to share that with them is beyond description.  Many memories were made, many pictures were taken and many laughs were shared during those three days and I will cherish it always.

Needless to say, we made it home safely.  Simon wasn't sure what to make of it all once we arrived, I am pretty sure he thought we moved to the hotel.  When he first saw his room he said "my bed" "my toys", silly kid.  We look forward to our next trip to the Magical Kingdom and in my opinion, it can't come soon enough. 

Below are some additional pics I want to share.  Enjoy.

Mickey Mouse (Day 3)

In full Disney mode we sprang out of bed on day #3 ready to take on California Adventure.  Since CA opens an hour later than Disneyland, I had the opportunity to follow through on a promise I made to my 2 1/2 year old niece, Aryanna.  I vowed to get Tinkerbell's signature and have a picture taken with the fairy.  My boys were not too thrilled about the idea of waiting in line to see Tink and they were less enthusiastic when I told them (Dominick and Simon) that they too would be photographed.  The picture came out adorable, despite the look on the boys' faces and Dominick asked Tinkerbell for her autograph for his adorable cousin.

After our adventure in Fairyland we walked across the way to California Adventure.  CA has a different feel then DL, not as magical but very movie studio-like.  Our first stop was MUPPETS 3D. We all enjoyed the antics of the wild offspring of Jim Henson.  Next we visited Monster's Inc, went on to Bug's Life and then we found what we had all been waiting for...TOY STORY!

 

Toy Story was one of the main appeals of California Adventure. Both boys enjoy all the characters and I was excited for Simon to see the life size versions. Of course, when we are finally able to get up close and personal with "Army Men" as Simon refers to them as and Woody, the kid would not wake up.  So we did the best with what we had to work with.

Our next stop was the giant Carousel. It was a little intimidating to me but I braved it and it was actually kind of cool. We saw the whole park from way up high.

Dominick loved the Hollywood Tower of Terror! He went on it twice, once with me and once with Nick.  At lunch we had some hot dogs at Award Weiners. Stood in a ridiculously long line for the Toy Story Mania ride, but it was worth it.  We finished off the day watching the AMAZINGLY GREAT Pixar parade.  After the parade it was time for the park to close. Both my boys, after three days of shenanigans, were starting to feel the effects. We walked toward the park gates, meandered through Downtown Disney and boarded the shuttle wishing the Disney parks a "see you later".

Mickey Mouse (Day 2)

A caveat:
With this being our first trip away from home with a toddler and a 10 year old, my husband and I were destined to learn a few travelling/lodging lessons. 1) Spend a few bucks more for the family hotel suite, kids in another room. Between Dominick's snoring and sleep talking and Simon's constant shuffling in the porta crib I did not reach my full resting potential, although Nick seemed to do fine. 2) Always stay at the hotel with the free deluxe breakfast, it was a lifesaver. 3) Don't overpack the toys, the more you bring the more you are searching for when it's time to go.

With tickets, camera, diaper bag, stroller and kids in hand we boarded the shuttle bright and early Monday morning and headed for Disneyland.  We weren't the first family at the gates but we were close enough.  Nick and Dominick waited in line and I let Simon run off some post breakfast energy in the Disney plaza.  Our early arrival paid off, the first sight we saw as we passed the gates and walked under the overpass was none other than the big mouse himself. I ran (yes, actually ran) toward MM and we were the first family to get our picture taken with him.

Our next stop was the Disney train, circling us around the park as Dominick picked out the rides we would go on. We stopped for a few more photo opps on our way to Fantasyland to begin our ride riding.

We went through Fantasyland hitting every ride we could. Not one line seemed too long. Dominick waited patiently and Simon did his best.  I was impressed with Simon, he did not get scared by any of the rides and even appeared to enjoy them.

Tomorrowland was next on our list.  Nick and Dominick headed toward Space Mountain while Simon enjoyed a nap in his stroller, a result of standing in the very long "Small World" line.  The two of us sat and enjoyed the sun. I was disappointed when Buzz Lightyear came strolling by since Simon was still asleep and not able to say hi to his favorite space ranger. When the little guy did wake up we made up for missing Buzz by battling Zurg with Buzz in Astroblasters. Afterwards it was lunch time then Toon Town where much fun was had.

After Toon Town it was off to Adventureland. Dominick and I braved Indiana Jones and the four of us visited the Caribbean and saw some pirates (3 times). Simon was not scared but remained wide eyed during the ride.  Nick and Dominick naievely rode Splash Mountain while Simon and I went to Winnie the Pooh's birthday party.  We hit a few more rides and then it was time for the Christmas Parade.  We were a little late to the game so didn't get the prime seating on Main Street but we were able to see the action. A lot of my pictures of the parade didn't turn out so great, here is one of us waiting for it to start.

When the parade was finished we headed toward the gates to make our way back to the hotel. But not before Nick and Dominick visited our 16th President.

And so concluded our Disneyland day. Tired, overwhelmed and excited for the next day we boarded the shuttle and off we went.  The boys slept good that night, and I did a little better as well.  We would do the same thing all over tomorrow, only at a different park.





Mickey Mouse...Here We Come (Day 1)

3:00am is a very quiet and dark time. It is an hour of sleeping and dreaming especially the Sunday after Thanksgiving.  Not many things will get me out of bed at 3:00am, a barking dog or a crying baby make this very short list. But the morning of November 28th, 2010 I was awakened by the alarm clock.  For a split second I wanted to reach over push the OFF button and continue my peaceful slumber and then I realized the reason for this very early wake up call - DISNEYLAND!!! As painful as it was getting up that morning nothing could diminish the excitement I felt knowing that in several short hours myself, my husband and our two boys would be standing ear to big ear with everyone's favorite rodent, Mickey Mouse. As a result of night before packing and preparation the four of us were out the door, in the car and on the road by 4:00am, our target hour.  Both boys were essentially put into the car still asleep and, luckily, so they remained for the next three hours. 

At 7:00am we arrived at our 1/2 way point, Kettleman City, just as Simon was waking up and Dominick was starting to ask when breakfast was.  With our sweatshirts on and Simon still in his pjs we enjoyed a nice McDonald's breakfast before we hit the road for the last leg of our trip.  Traffic and weather cooperated, for the most part.  The Grapevine had me a little on edge since it was raining/snowing as we made our way through.  We arrived at our hotel at 11:00am, 7 hour drive not too shabby. The boys did great. Simon started getting impatient toward the end but he made it.  We spent the afternoon of our first day in Huntington Beach. The beach was beautiful but boy was it windy.  We enjoyed some hot dogs, visited Jack's and had a sundae at Ruby's.  A great afternoon. 

                    





After a few hours in Huntington Beach we headed back to the hotel to check in, unpack and relax for a little bit before we headed to Downtown Disney.  Both boys were doing extremely well.  Simon was getting a little antsy, between the car ride, his stroller and the hotel room he was ready to get down and run around.  Dominick, upon hearing about the Lego Store in Downtown Disney, was equally as eager to get moving.  We loaded ourselves onto the shuttle and made our way over.  With all the Christmas decorations, lights and activity we knew it was just a glimpse into what the parks would offer us the next two days.  We wandered a little bit, made a few purchases and headed back to the hotel for dinner, showers and sleep, after all Disneyland was waiting for us when the sun came up the next day!



Gobble Gobble Turkey Day 2010

For our family, as with many other families, Thanksgiving marks the true start of the holiday season.  It is a day for reflection, worshipping and spending time with loved ones.  Food, football and relaxing are also part of the festivities and help make the day that much better.  Our 2010 Thanksgiving was spent like many other Thanskgivings past.  We went to church Thanksgiving morning.  Went to Nick's parent's for Thanksgiving lunch and then went to my sister's house for some more food and visiting.  We missed our niece, my sister-in-law and brother-in-law this year as they were visiting other family members.  But we enjoyed spending time with Nick's Aunt, Uncle and cousins from Iowa whom we haven't seen since our wedding.  All in all it was a wonderful day.  The only thing that really stands out as ironic/funny this Thanksgiving was the fact that, despite the two elaborate meals we enjoyed and all the sweets and appetizers, Simon decided he was going to eat dried Apple Jacks and a banana for his holiday meal.  I don't know why Simon chose not to partake in our meal time festivities but as time passes and he gets older I understand less and less why he does the things he does.  Oh well, he sure did miss out but Dominick consumed enough for the both of them. 
The next day I went off to work, leaving Nick, Dominick and Simon nice and warm in their beds to enjoy their lazy day together. Thanksgiving weekend was nice especially since we had a trip to Disneyland waiting for us right around the corner.  Details of our trip to the Happiest Place on Earth will be available in my next post!

Gobble Gobble.