The Chronicles of Disneylandia ... (Day 4)

We woke up ready and raring to go on Tuesday. We started off with breakfast at the hotel (which I must say was pretty decent - saved us a TON of $ by not having to eat at the park). We were feeling good and ready for some big rides, so we went to California Adventure first thing.

First things first - we got our Fast Passes for the Color Wonder light show thingy ... we were told that was a MUST! Then, we met up with some old friends ... (they couldn't keep their paws off the kids' hair).

And then it was off to the 3D Bugs Life Adventure ... love that little butterfly - I try to get it every time!

And then it was off for some serious riding ... (okay the kid rides first, but the girls were ready for the big stuff - so after hitting every ride in a Bug's Life, we were on the road to bigger and better things). But even if the girls claimed to be a little bored with the kiddie rides - I still caught some smiles on their faces. And the Boys - oh, the boys were in heaven - and you can tell!

They had so much fun that the King (soon to be renamed The Tyrant) just knocked right out. While he slept Bert took the girls on some of the BIG rides, they couldn't get enough of the big coaster and the rapids ride.

We loved soaring over California, and getting an amazing HIGH score at Toy Story Mania, and taking a few more rides on the rapids. And, as it turned out, we shared a raft on the rapids ride with a couple staying at our hotel (as we found out the next morning at breakfast).

Then, we headed over to the Tower of Terror - why? I still don't know. But The Boy enjoyed the army guys who stopped right there to do a little show for the crowd. And that would be the highlight of our venture to that side of the park!

I think I can safely say that this is the WORST RIDE EVER!!!

I don't love this, I don't think I will ever go on this again.

It was simply just horrifying, and all I can remember is holding on to my two precious girls the whole time so that I could make sure they were still in their seats and not floating over DLand.

Free fall things and I just don't mix!

With the disappointment of that horrific ride, the girls just had to go on the big coaster one more time. And since I hadn't been on it yet, I took them. Bert hung out with the boys while we hurried to take in one more ride, as it was getting to be close to sunset and we would want to get dinner before hitting the big water/light show.

Well, we enjoyed the coaster tremendously and got off to find Bert with a very sad little boy. The King had thrown up all he owned all over the midway there by the exit to the roller coaster. And when I say everything, I really do mean EVERYTHING! Poor kid - he was miserable and he couldn't stop - stuff just kept coming up even when it didn't seem that there could be any more. We strolled him to a quiet corner where there weren't many people so that we could get him cleaned up. And while we were getting him more settled I thought I could hear that familiar, awful sound of more vomit. Sure enough, there was The Boy, unloading all he owned right there in our quiet little corner. Holy COW!!! Have you ever seen the Barf-o-rama scene in "Stand By Me"? Seriously disgusting, but one of my favorite movie scenes of all time - I guess that says a lot about me - oh well - I am what I am. Anyhow - that kept playing in my head, which was good, because it helped me kind of step outside of the situation and laugh a little instead of losing my mind, or my lunch!

So now the task was just to get people to stop vomiting long enough to make it back to the hotel. First Bert set out looking for some Customer Service to 1. Let them know about the new piles of "stuff" that would need to be attended to (oh, that has got to be one of the more unfortunate duties - cleaning up vomit at the happiest place on earth), and 2. ask where we could find a taxi.

So, with the vomiting on pause for a bit, we set out to get to a taxi. I am pretty sure we walked just about as far to get the taxi as we would have walked to get to our hotel. But hey, now the kids can add taxi ride to their list of things they have done!

We made it back to the hotel, got the boys bathed and pajamed and the worked on getting those tummies settled for the night. And the good news is that they were ready for bed pretty soon and the vomiting came to a stop ... for them!

Once things were settled, I found a little Italian Restaurant close by and ordered Spaghetti and Meatballs, Salads and bread. I gave the fellow on the phone a bit of a heart attack when he asked for my name, as it very CLOSELY resembles a Hollywood A-lister when said quickly. He stuttered a little, I could feel his blood pressure climbing, and I totally knew what was happening. Then I cleared up the mix-up and let him know that he should not be expecting a visit from her:

Oh, it's never fun to disappoint in that way, but he took it well. And, just for the record, the food was good, much better than we would have had on the park, and for about half the price - YAY for that!

We gobbled it all up, got everyone else ready for bed and just when we thought we were finally getting settled in, hoping that we would be rested and ready for another day at DLand tomorrow, guess who had to join in on the fun ...

The Chronicles of Disneylandia ... (Day 3)

Finally - time to go to the magic Kingdom ... except that Thing 2 was still a bit on the woozy side. In fact, she ate a little breakfast and it didn't feel so good for her. So, we decided to take it easy that morning and not rush off to the park. We also decided that it would be the perfect day for those softer rides.

When we finally got on our way, we stopped to pick up our passes, and the anticipation was just bubbling in the crowd. The lady helping us at the ticket counter was about the nicest person I had ever met - not to mention she had a lovely manicure (which I did mention to her)! And The Boy was already having a fun time riding on the chain links around the ticket counter!

Once inside we headed to the Peter Pan ride - it might be the second best ride ever. (We know which one is first best of all time ... and it is coming up soon.)

No, it's not the carousel - but there was no line so we hopped on for a quick ride as we made our way to the best ride EVER.

And yes ... there it is ... THE BEST RIDE EVER!!!

For whatever reason there was a huge line when we got there. So, of course, we waited. There were hardly any lines that day ... but I wasn't about to walk past my happy place without stopping in for a dose of happy happy happy! Seriously - it is so worth it to stand in a really long line in order to sail "the happiest cruise that ever sailed".

And this is what I mean by a long line:

See - here we are coming out of the ride - those are some seriously happy faces! (even Bert)
 It was worth the wait! (and as a side note, when I was on Casey Jr. later on that day - there was absolutely NO line for Small World - not a bit)

Then it was off to Dumbo - and of course the feathers you hold in line work great for swordfights!

And Finding Nemo was a fun time - we made friends with a family from Canada - it's awesome how easy it is to get to know the people around you at the park - good times!

We ended up over at the Tiki Room before long - and this would be another of the happy highlights of DLand!

Who doesn't love a snarky singing bird?

And sadly night began to fall - we were pretty satisfied with our day, so we said our good nights - we would be back for another day.

And just a little FYI, that shuttle thing they use for the parking lots - it's pretty darn awesome! It didn't get us any closer to our hotel, but it was like squeezing in one more ride just for the heck of it!

The Chronicles of Disneylandia ... (Day 2)

Our second day started with a bit of pain in my neck (and by a bit, I mean that I couldn't move it one way or the other and was walking around like a 90 year old woman). So we ran to the drug store, bought some hot patches and got on the road - we had a lot of driving to do that day!

Our first stop was The Mad Greek - we've passed the signs before, this time we had to stop.

After filling up and taking care of all sorts of necessities - we were on the road again.

And before we knew it, we were seeing marvelous signs!

The unfortunate this is that we didn't grab our road map in our rush out the door, and the signs don't point you to Anaheim. So, before we knew it, we were stopping for gas, a map, and a potty break (ewww) in Whittier - it was interesting to say the least. (Just for the record - it isn't a real road trip for us if we don't end up taking the LONG way to get there - and we stayed true to form!) Thankfully, we made our way to the hotel. As soon as we arrived we bathed and pajamed the kids and were getting ready for bed when Thing 2 started spewing everything out of her. Poor thing. We weren't sure if it was the food at the Mad Greek, or that she was carsick, or just sick. But she couldn't stay away from the toilet - and in the middle of all that, the big Disneyland fireworks show started. Poor Thing 2 was just curled up on the bed or the bathroom floor while the other kids were enjoying the fireworks. And it was quite a show - it kept going and going and going.

And those kids that got to watch it didn't really know what to think - it was a long, big, lovely display. And having it all framed in palm trees - well that was pure delight in my book!

The show ended and we finally settled in and got to sleep. Thankfully Thing 2 was able to sleep through the night without any more trips to the bathroom. We were hoping she would be well enough for a trip to the magic kingdom in the morning!

Let the Chronicles of Disneylandia Begin ... (Day 1)

So our trip was over a month ago ... who's counting? I was all excited to get posting about everything, but that first week back was spent getting my daughters caught up on school work, and then I had a fun little incident with a GIANT kidney stone ... and I'll tell - I just haven't quite got my mojo back, but I can't stand it any longer - these events must be chronicled before I forget any of those insane little details like the debate I had with myself in the bathroom by It's a Small World, or the insane coincidence of the one day the hotel closed the pool! Yes, these little details all need to be recorded, or they will just disappear into some void of the untold - think of all the great material that is just floating around out there - forgotten by those who experienced them and left it at that. Oh, not me, I am a woman of many, many, sometimes way too many, words.

Let's start on Thing 2's birthday. (March 5)

We were supposed to be in San Diego, at the zoo on that day. However, we were in Utah just going about our daily routine. We had been planning a trip to SoCal since Christmas, and our departure date was completely dependent on the schedule provided to us by the IRS. So, when I got online to check our balance and start making all the reservations on Feb. 25, instead of seeing that wonderful sum of money back in my bank account, I instead found a little email from the IRS stating that my return was delayed.

Sheeeeese -

No money - no trip - I am trying to avoid credit like the plague right now.

So, we were told that the money would be in by March 8. I wasn't going to believe it 'til I saw it. So, there would be no definitive planning until the money was actually IN THE BANK. We did, however, try to work out which dates in later March would be best, and unfortunately, none of them were really working with all the other obligations we had. But, we were determined to make it work.

Okay - back to Thing 2's birthday (March 5). It was a Saturday and I was planning on making a Key Lime Pie (per her request) and having a fun b-day dinner that night. However, that morning, while checking up some on-line bill paying, I noticed that the money was there!!! It was in our account - totally and completely OURS! I called Bert (at work) to let him know and asked him what he thought about taking off that very afternoon.

He was game!!!

So the next few hours were spent purchasing Passes and lining up hotels and a dog sitter and calling neighbors and family and the school and anything else I could think of. My brain was completely jumbled ... and I did all this without letting on to the kids that I was doing any of that. So, the house was in a state of disorder, as was my mind, but our trip was magically, and wonderfully ON!

Bert arrived home, we gathered the kids and told them to gather some clothes, a swim suit and shoes to last for a few days and that we were going to Disneyland. Just like that. They were a little bewildered, but the excitement set in pretty quick and they started buzzing around getting their stuff together.

As I was busy packing, I noticed a bit of a pop in my neck that was followed by some pretty intense pain, the kind of pain you have with a crick in your neck - where you can't turn it one way or the other without crying. Yep - that kind of pain. But I just stiffened it up and kept going. I knew that once we were in the car I could whine about it to Bert for the next four hours uninterrupted, if I could just get us packed and in the vehicle.

And, by 4 pm, (thanks to a great deal of help from my sister who stopped by, and the presence of her two wonderful, darling step-daughters) we were on the road.

And sadly, this ended up being one of 2 pictures I got of Thing 2 on her 9th birthday:

(And she isn't even in focus - dah!!!)

Anyhow, we hopped in the car and booked it to St. George where we were going to stay overnight - it is almost half-way. Definitely a great place to take a breather on such a long drive.

We checked in and, just like they always do, the kids went straight to the beds and starting jumping for joy. We told them to get in their suits, we were going swimming, the pool was open for one more hour and heck if we weren't going to get our money's worth!!! ha ha  They willingly obliged us and we took an hour long dip in the pool, and it was lovely. Afterward, we rinsed off and got in our jammies and I was able to sneak in one more photo of the birthday girl:

However, it would not be a true family vacation if it didn't get off to a bit of a rocky start. As we were unloading the minivan, we unfortunately locked our keys in the vehicle. We knew (from previous experience) that it couldn't be broken into by law enforcement, so we looked up a lock smith ... he was there in 20 minutes and had our car open in 30 seconds - seriously! Love that!

So, with key issues resolved, we laid our little heads to rest and got to bed shortly before midnight.

Hey, we're on vacation!!!

A Little Tribute

Do you believe in love at first sight?

How about love at first taste?

That was the case for my love affair with Nutella that began on January 17, 1996!
(Yes, I can remember the date CLEARLY!)

I had just arrived in Spain as a missionary. My sweet companion at the time, AhhhhNette (there's a story behind that), had me taste some while I was getting settled into our apartment. I was a little skeptical, I have to admit ... chocolate on bread? Who could even conceive of the idea? But, I had made a rule for myself before going to Spain that I would try every food item offered to me, at least once. So, kindly, I took a little nibble. And then another, and then another. And then I asked for a second. And then I bought my own jar the next time we went to the store. And then I had Nutella with my breakfast almost every single day I was in Spain.

And then I came home, and Nutella was not as easily accessible here (back in 1997). Thankfully, VERY THANKFULLY, the product has made it's way into our commerce - hallelujah!

Well, today I heard the news that the CEO of Nutella (part of a HUGE family business - Ferraro Rocher anyone - YUM), died yesterday. I think that it is appropriate to pay tribute to him, and his family ... so I whipped up a batch of:

Yes, Nutella Crepes! Not our typical after school snack, but we needed to do something special today.

So, here's to the Famiglia Ferrero ... my heart (and tastebuds) goes out to them.

Bless you all!

Muffin Tin Lunchable

Does anyone else have kids that love Lunchables? Oh, they drive me crazy, but my kids seem to flock to them in the store and beg for them. Ewwwww! I get that it's all cute and stuff - and I guess that's part of the whole muffin tin lunch appeal - so maybe their not soooooo bad!

Anyhow, as we were doing a little shopping this morning, we got the same reaction as always as we passed through the back of the grocery store. I just rolled my eyes and kept walking past.

But then, a little idea popped in my head, I figured a lunchable might make a cute muffin tin lunch, and appease their appetites as well. So, I grabbed some lunch meat and a fun drink and figured I could put together our own little muffin tin version of the Lunchable!

And here it is:

Basically, it's just what you get in a little lunchable ... crackers, lunch meat, cheese, juice and a little treat.

Very well then, we are good on lunchables for a while!
YAY!

Muffin Tin Monday - Grandpa's Birthday

Today is my Dad's birthday ... he would be 72 this year ... hard to believe.

As sad as I am that my kids don't get to bounce on his knee or get whisker burns from him, I think I talk about him enough and share pictures enough that my kids have formed a pretty good idea about who he is. And we'll continue to do so as the years go on.

So, for Muffin Tin Monday, that happened to fall on his birthday - we had a little birthday lunch just for him. And no, none of these are any of his particular favorites, it was just fun party food. But I will say that my mom made those yummy potatoes with bacon, and they are GOOD! Anyhow - here's our eats:

(potato chips, ham & cheese roll, orange soda, cupcake, potatoes, and grapes)

And here are the kids singing happy birthday ... they got to blow out the candles, too!

 Happy Birthday Dad ...

We Love You!