Category: Uncategorized

We weren’t sure if we were going to spend three days of Disneyland and California Adventure, but after watching your children on the rides, and having fun together as a family, it was enough for me. The boys were having a great time, so we headed back for our last day.

I wasn’t feel stellar, but was excited to be there, and again, thanks to the help of the other 5 adults, I didn’t hardly push a stroller, or lift a child. Making it alot easier to be healthier!

Again, the highlights.
The carousel:

Watching the riders:


While walking around we met some characters:
Frozone:

Incredibles:

Walle: (They were super excited!!! Tucker even decided to be in this one!)

By the way, Toph didn’t shave the whole time we were on vacation, look at that scruff:

Hubbas:

Amy and Tuck:

Love this shot of us all walking:

While the big kids went on the Tower of Terror, mom and the boys and I went to the Playhouse Disney show, and the boys loved it,

we saw Little Einsteins,

Handy Manney,

and Mickey,

It was a fun interactive show, complete with ‘leaves’ falling from the ceiling, bubbles, and a good time!
What’s not to Love about the Bugs Life Section of California Adventure:
Before the movie:


The Heimlich ride:


The bumper bugs:

look at Amy and Erics Funny faces on this one, good laugh:




The twisty teacup lady bugs:

The flying high juicebox ride:

Another one of our favorite rides, was the Buzz Lightyear Shooting ride:
My potato head talks to you:


It was a 3D shooting ride, and lots of fun. Tru and I rocked the house 🙂 :

Another favorite was this soaring ride, so much fun:

There were alot more ‘big kid’ rides at California Adventure, here’s a pic on the Screamer:

With the help of Trumans lifts, he was able to get on all the rides he wanted to go on, besides the Jellyfish one. The man checking height was pretty particular. Tuck and Gramps were able to go though:

The boys, minus Truman, went on this wild ride, not getting as wet as we thought they were going to!

All our days at Disneyland, the boys searched for Wall-E toys, only to be disappointed that the good ones had been totally wiped out. They only had little small yellow plastic wall-e’s and weren’t planning on getting any more or new stuff in until Christmas. What?!?!?!
There was nothing to be found anywhere, so Tucker and Truman had to choose a different toy, Buzz Lightyear, Zurg, their cars, and some of those plastic Wall-E toys. Thanks Grams and Gramps!

The pixar parade was by far one of my favorite moments of our time at Disneyland. And honestly, the funnest parade I have ever seen! So much fun! We saw so many of the characters that the boys love, while they sprayed water at us!! Christopher was behind the camera, but I think I was just as excited as the boys were! I love seeing things they’ll love.

Here’s a video I found on YouTube with the fun Parade:

Yummy, yummy dinner at the Italian Restaurant…

Then all the kids left the park, and my mom and dad stayed to watch the fireworks, and enjoy Disneyland just the two of them.

Hurray for vacation!!

DISNEYLAND DAY TWO!
We weren’t able to see everything in one day, especially with the crowds, a pregnant me, and late starts in the mornings…so we decided to head back!!
So many fun things this day!
As always, these maps are so fun to look at:

Mom and I waited in the forever long Nemo line, while everyone else went to the Maderhorn: (Did I spell the right, I don’t think so)

And Tucker was nervous about seeing the Abominable Snowman:

After the ride, we were still waiting, and I wasn’t feeling super hot, so I was hanging out in the strollers,

But it was worth the wait, as it was one of Trus favorite rides:

Truman was worried about being able to breath in the submarines, but after the lady who drove the ride assured him that it was okay, there was air, he was great!

Fantasy Land:
By SnowWhite’s Castle (I’m holding the poisoned apple)

Pinocchio Ride:

The kids didn’t actually go on the teacups, but they did sit in the one on display:

On the storybook village boat:

Heading to the whale:

inside the whales mouth:

They had the cutest little houses on this ride:

Also on this ride, the lady was telling us about all the houses and whose belonged to whom, when explaing Cinderella’s Castle she said, Do you hear the Clock, and see the pumpkin, Cinderella better hurry, we all know what happens when the clock strikes 12. To which Truman replied on the edge of his seat, “What? What happens?” Cute boy.
We saw the Mad Hatter and Alice too:

And of course the crazy Merlin:

The big kids then left for Space Mountain, and mom I and took the boys on the classic Dumbo Ride. I love this ride!
Tucker and I rode behind Grams and Tru:

Truman didn’t want to get out at the end. And sat mopping while I tried to explain about it being another little kid’s turn. Apparently he loved it too!

I love how they give you the magic feather to hold—

Sweet Tucker and I had a great time flying together. I love this shot!

The carousel is the best carousel I have ever been on, can’t tell you why. Just the memories I think:
Sweet Tru:

And Tuck:

And the cute wave:

Tucker was quite particular about what horse he chose to ride, a fast one, he would say :

At first Truman was sure that he wanted Grams on, then he wanted her off. Good thing Grams is a good sport!

Trying to get the sword out, look at Tucks face:

Of course there was more waiting in line, love this shot of Tru:

Here’s a funny one of Amy trying to get Eric to eat some gum:

Sweet Tuck and Toph:

Tucker also spent time in a few of the lines listening to Wicked. He loves the soundtrack, and sings along with it. One of his new passions:

And a little kiss from my Tru-bee:

Eric and Tru:

At Lunch, Tuck took over Camera Duty, love these shots:



We also went on the Jungle Cruise:
Love Eric’s Face in this shot:

On the boat:

And the train:

After a few other rides, we decided we had hit most of the ones in Disneyland that we had wanted, and decided to head over to California Adventure. Toph took these pictures of us walking across, fun Candid Shot:

Where we started the Muppet 3D movie. The boys know who the muppets are, and I enjoyed the humor in this one too! A cute Show.
Group Shot:

The one constant, was the lines:
Toph and Tuck:

Tru and Eric:

This activity always helped pass the time, the good old scrunching face game:

Sisters:

The Monsters Inc. Ride was lots of fun too:
In line:


Our Monsters pretending to be Monsters:


Getting on:

Hurray for Boo:

Loving it:

At the end this lady talks to you. Here she is talking to Amy and I, we were laughing so hard because she said something to amy and I like, “Hey you two in the back, are you guys twins?” We were surprised and said, No, to which she replied, “Sorry, all you humans look alike.” We thought it was hilarious.


Our first Wall-E Sighting, a poster:

We ended the night, with the good old Classic Electric Parade, I remember it from when I was a kid. We found some good spots,

and I had my evening snack:

Truman fell asleep, like literally two minutes before the parade started,

and we couldn’t get him to wake up!

here’s a video I found on Utube:

A great and happy day.

What a beautiful place to be, and a beautiful temple!
Grams and Gramps:

Our Family:


At Tucker and Trumans Primary, they get to put a sticker on a map, by the temples they have seen. Tucker was so excited to be here, so he could put a sticker on the map!
Truman:

Tucker:

On a side note, we also went to Sam’s Club to get some groceries. And as Amy and I were walking around, we were wondering if we had been transported to the Twilight zone. (I am giggling as I type this…because it was so random) because we had some weird interactions. First as we walked around, there was a man handing out free samples of cookies who yelled at us for trying to take a sample, then a man on a big machine that was washing the floors, practically ran us over–twice, and it just continued. Funny, funny.

Then off to the beach. Crystal Cove was beautiful beach, and the boys loved the tidepools we didn’t know were going to be there, but found there.
See this smile, it was on his face practically the whole time we were there!

Truman loved to just dig his hands in the moist sand:

Here’s our little family on the beach:

Truman wasn’t quite big enough to go into the waves by himself, so someone was constantly keeping an eye on him, or chasing him. This time it was me:

Here are the handsome boys on the beach:

And the beautiful girls:

Tucker saw something on TV awhile ago, about digging a bridge (tunnel) through the sand. He was dying to do it at the beach. They dug a tunnel that Tru and Tuck could fit through.


Eric also built a beachman:
.
And here is Gramps with Truman (the lens on the camera was dirty, but it was such a sweet picture, I had to post):

And now Truman and Grams:

The boys first dip in the ocean:

Truman didn’t really love swimming in the waves, but did like running from them!

Tucker loved this little plastic boat/waverunner toy, much more fun in the ocean, than the pool or bathtub!

I wish I would have taken more pictures of the tidepools themselves, but you can see where they were in those rocks behind Truman. It was so cool to be able to see them! You can see some of the stuff we saw here.
Here they are behind Truman:

The boys in a tide pool:

Me and Tuck:

Truman loved the sea anemones. He kept sticking his fingers in it, and would just laugh when it would suck around it. He went around closing all of them up.
Tucker on the other hand, was anxious to get back to the swimming in the ocean. Who wouldn’t?
What a fun day! Sure wish we lived closer to the ocean! Maybe someday.

So, when you’re up to your eyeballs in mud, installing a sprinkler system, what could be a better idea than just up and leaving it, and going on family vacation, right?
We have been planning and dreaming about this vacation to California for almost a year now, and the sprinkling system didn’t get started on time, and took longer than we were anticipating, so when vacation leaving day was quickly approaching, we had to make a choice. Finish sprinkling system and delay vacation OR leave on time fix it when we get back—
Don’t get me wrong, a majority of the system was finished by the leaving for vacation day, but it was not completely done, there were a few lines that still needed to be buried (Which my father in law came and finished the front for us while we were gone, thanks again dad!) but everything was up and running before we left! It just needed some burying and clean up.
But for me, I have ALWAYS left a clean house for a vacation. Makes it easier to return coming home, instead of dreading coming home….but not this time. I don’t have a lot of strength or energy, and most of it was spend on the sprinkling system over the past few days, so…my house was a mess, I had no energy, and to be honest, I was feeling good that we were all packed, (I did forget a few things) and everyone was alive!
We decided that the things left on the sprinkling system were minor, and a family vacation was more important in a grand perspective of things. But I must admit, this was the first time ever I have left a not spotless home when leaving on a vacation. (let alone a scary looking muddy front yard and a dirty house) There are first for everything.
And do you know what? It was okay when I got home, and I am learning lessons.
But look what I returned to!

A green lawn that wasn’t watered by a hose, (to some of you, who have seen our lawn/flowerbeds previously may think this looks horrible, but to me, it is magnificent!) Usually at this point in the summer our lawn is covered in yellow spots due to my poor watering skills, but I was so pleasantly surprised! We had to tear up the flower beds alot to get the sprinklers in. We’ll have to see what grows back…
Anyways, after the decision was made, we headed out for vacation on Thursday after Toph got home from work, packed his stuff, loaded the car, and we wrangled up the children. But we weren’t in the car long before we stopped for some food, and the best purchase we have made in a long time. A portable DVD Player. This device changed our children from good travelers to excellent travelers. Our boys loved it!

They didn’t watch it the entire travel time, but it was enough to keep the boys attention, and keep them from being so restless!
And then we were really off to our first destination: Vegas.
The traveling was good, the boys fell asleep,

but then we hit traffic–an accident with a car and a semi. Just a few minutes before we hit the traffic, we had pulled off for gas, and had recently been traveling with the car that was in the accident. So although we were frustrated by the extra time the accident caused, when we saw the car, I was filled with gratitude for our safe travels thus far.
Due to our late departure time/traffic/stop for food, we didn’t get to our hotel until 3:00 AM. Which ended up being a good thing, because the only room that ended up being available was a deluxe suite on the top floor of our hotel. We weren’t expecting much for our $33.00 a night room, but this suite was another pleasant surprise. We were exhausted, so after Toph checked in, we carried the boys up to the room. But after walking through the slot machines, in our hotel lobby, up the elevator, to a new room, this is what the boys looked like in their beds.

Wide awake. Luck for us the next morning they slept in.