On the 29th of this month is our 10 year anniversary. We knew we wanted to do something big this year, so instead of paying off debt and fixing cars with our yearly tax return, it was time to make some memories, and that's exactly what we did.
We wanted to surprise the kids so we packed and loaded the car the day before. I woke them up early on April 23rd and told them that dad's car had broken down and we had to go pick him up (he had worked the night before), we met Russ at his mom's house and told them. Their reaction was not what I had expected, they just smiled suspiciously and went along with it. Taevin told me later that they thought we we're kidding. They got more excited once we arrived at the airport.
Because we fly standby we had to fly into San Diego and then to LAX. Given the number of kids we have and how young they are, I'm sure everyone who saw us at the airport was hoping that we weren't on their flight but for the most part the kids did well. We took a shuttle to our hotel and checked in around 3:00. All the kids wanted to do was swim at the hotel pool so we agreed to let them after dinner.
We walked to Downtown Disney and had a mediocre meal at a way overpriced restaurant, the girls were fussy and it had gotten cold so we grabbed a to-go box and headed back (probably should've just ordered a pizza). We let the kids swim then got to bed early.
We woke up bright and early Wednesday morning, had breakfast and headed to the park. We decided to go to Disney's California Adventure park first. As soon as we got in we got in the crazy long line to get a fast pass for the new Cars ride, once that was out of the way we hit the first ride we saw, which happened to be The Little Mermaid ride, we were all impressed, especially Zoey!We spent the entire day there and even though we lost Zoey for a minute by the Toy Story ride, it was a little chilly and we hadn't brought the car seat making naps a challenge, we had a great time. We tried to stay for The World of Color but everyone was exhausted so about half way through we gave up and headed back.
On Thursday morning we hit Disneyland, we had decided to do the character dining breakfast at the park so the kids could meet some characters and get autographs. The breakfast was amazing and we got to meet Minnie, Chip & Dale, Hook, Eeyore (I just googled that to figure out how to spell it), Tigger, Pluto and Pooh. When we met Winnie the Pooh the boys hugged him and got an autograph, Zoey screamed and said "I don't like poop!" She wasn't as thrilled about the characters as the rest of us.
We spent the rest of the day riding rides and enjoying a highly recommended "Dole Whip", the weather was gorgeous making it a perfect day.
Friday was our last day at the parks so we started off at California Adventure and got to meet Mickey Mouse himself! We finished off the day at Disneyland trying to do everything we might have missed. After we had dinner we found a spot and settled in to watch Fantasmic. As we sat we were approached by a quirky but sweet old man who asked us where we were from and offered us a seat right up front for the show, we graciously accepted and he took us to our seat then left again to find more random families to fill his reserved spots. Turns out he's retired, loves Disneyland, and does this almost every night. What a cool way to spent retirement! Anyway, the show was amazing! Probably one of my favorite parts of the whole trip. As we were leaving the park, Main St. USA was packed with people watching the fireworks above the castle, it was, as cheesy as this may sound, magical!
I'm generally not an amusement park kind of girl but Disneyland really is the happiest place on earth! It is a place where people smile at each other in line even when the lines are long, they are pleasant and courteous if you accidentally run into their stroller, dads are carrying around princess backpacks and kids don't seem to be as whiny as usual. The music and smells make you giddy inside and the atmosphere will make you feel like a kid again. We will definitely be going back!
On Saturday we checked out of our hotel around ten and picked up our rental car. Although I would've been fine to skip Universal Studios, Russ was dying to ride the new Transformers ride so off we went. Upon arrival we went straight for the ride and I stayed with the girls while Russ waited in the hour long line with the boys. The ride attendant saw me waiting and gave me a fast pass so I could go next. I didn't care too much so I let Russ go again with Taevin. After that the boys went on the Jurassic park ride then Ryler insisted that I go on it with him again. We were in the gift shop after the ride and as Russ turned to hand me his wallet, Ryler wandered off. We had panicked a little when we lost Zoey at Disneyland but I was even more concerned this time because this was a very different park, there wasn't nearly as many kids and families here. I immediately told an employee who called security and I sent Russ off to look. He was only gone for about 5 minutes when we found him. He had told an employee that he was lost so they found me quickly, phew! After that I was done so we left and began our 2 1/2 hour drive to San Diego.
We arrived and checked into our hotel around 10pm. The next day was Sunday so we slept in and decided to make it a rest day. After breakfast we got ready and headed to the beach for a relaxing day in the sun (and wind). The kids searched for seashells and played in the water while I sat on the sand with Aspen. After dinner we relaxed at the hotel for the evening.
Monday morning we headed to Sea World. We got there right when it opened so we could see all of the shows. We saw the sea lion show first which was hilarious, next we saw the penguin exhibit while waiting for the pet show which was also fun. We had lunch then sprinted with the rest of the crowd to the big Shamu show, it was amazing and inspiring and I'll never understand how they can train whales! Next was the dolphin show, it was a whimsical kind of show with exotic birds and fun costumes. After that we saw the rest of the exhibits and rode a couple of rides and headed back. We ordered room service for dinner and packed our bags.
The flight from San Diego to SLC was full so we drove back to Orange county and hopped on our flight home. We had such a great time but I was glad to be back.
Russ didn't have to be back to work until Saturday night so we enjoyed 4 more days together. It was amazing to feel like a normal family! We ate dinner together, said prayers before bed, and read a book and talked after the kids fell asleep. We had so desperately needed this family time and were so grateful to have it, it was so hard to send Russ back to work on Saturday but life must go on.
To anyone wondering if it was worth the money, I say YES!!! This is a trip we will never forget and I can't wait to go back!
We wanted to surprise the kids so we packed and loaded the car the day before. I woke them up early on April 23rd and told them that dad's car had broken down and we had to go pick him up (he had worked the night before), we met Russ at his mom's house and told them. Their reaction was not what I had expected, they just smiled suspiciously and went along with it. Taevin told me later that they thought we we're kidding. They got more excited once we arrived at the airport.Because we fly standby we had to fly into San Diego and then to LAX. Given the number of kids we have and how young they are, I'm sure everyone who saw us at the airport was hoping that we weren't on their flight but for the most part the kids did well. We took a shuttle to our hotel and checked in around 3:00. All the kids wanted to do was swim at the hotel pool so we agreed to let them after dinner.
We walked to Downtown Disney and had a mediocre meal at a way overpriced restaurant, the girls were fussy and it had gotten cold so we grabbed a to-go box and headed back (probably should've just ordered a pizza). We let the kids swim then got to bed early.
We woke up bright and early Wednesday morning, had breakfast and headed to the park. We decided to go to Disney's California Adventure park first. As soon as we got in we got in the crazy long line to get a fast pass for the new Cars ride, once that was out of the way we hit the first ride we saw, which happened to be The Little Mermaid ride, we were all impressed, especially Zoey!We spent the entire day there and even though we lost Zoey for a minute by the Toy Story ride, it was a little chilly and we hadn't brought the car seat making naps a challenge, we had a great time. We tried to stay for The World of Color but everyone was exhausted so about half way through we gave up and headed back.
On Thursday morning we hit Disneyland, we had decided to do the character dining breakfast at the park so the kids could meet some characters and get autographs. The breakfast was amazing and we got to meet Minnie, Chip & Dale, Hook, Eeyore (I just googled that to figure out how to spell it), Tigger, Pluto and Pooh. When we met Winnie the Pooh the boys hugged him and got an autograph, Zoey screamed and said "I don't like poop!" She wasn't as thrilled about the characters as the rest of us.
We spent the rest of the day riding rides and enjoying a highly recommended "Dole Whip", the weather was gorgeous making it a perfect day.
Friday was our last day at the parks so we started off at California Adventure and got to meet Mickey Mouse himself! We finished off the day at Disneyland trying to do everything we might have missed. After we had dinner we found a spot and settled in to watch Fantasmic. As we sat we were approached by a quirky but sweet old man who asked us where we were from and offered us a seat right up front for the show, we graciously accepted and he took us to our seat then left again to find more random families to fill his reserved spots. Turns out he's retired, loves Disneyland, and does this almost every night. What a cool way to spent retirement! Anyway, the show was amazing! Probably one of my favorite parts of the whole trip. As we were leaving the park, Main St. USA was packed with people watching the fireworks above the castle, it was, as cheesy as this may sound, magical!
I'm generally not an amusement park kind of girl but Disneyland really is the happiest place on earth! It is a place where people smile at each other in line even when the lines are long, they are pleasant and courteous if you accidentally run into their stroller, dads are carrying around princess backpacks and kids don't seem to be as whiny as usual. The music and smells make you giddy inside and the atmosphere will make you feel like a kid again. We will definitely be going back!
On Saturday we checked out of our hotel around ten and picked up our rental car. Although I would've been fine to skip Universal Studios, Russ was dying to ride the new Transformers ride so off we went. Upon arrival we went straight for the ride and I stayed with the girls while Russ waited in the hour long line with the boys. The ride attendant saw me waiting and gave me a fast pass so I could go next. I didn't care too much so I let Russ go again with Taevin. After that the boys went on the Jurassic park ride then Ryler insisted that I go on it with him again. We were in the gift shop after the ride and as Russ turned to hand me his wallet, Ryler wandered off. We had panicked a little when we lost Zoey at Disneyland but I was even more concerned this time because this was a very different park, there wasn't nearly as many kids and families here. I immediately told an employee who called security and I sent Russ off to look. He was only gone for about 5 minutes when we found him. He had told an employee that he was lost so they found me quickly, phew! After that I was done so we left and began our 2 1/2 hour drive to San Diego.
We arrived and checked into our hotel around 10pm. The next day was Sunday so we slept in and decided to make it a rest day. After breakfast we got ready and headed to the beach for a relaxing day in the sun (and wind). The kids searched for seashells and played in the water while I sat on the sand with Aspen. After dinner we relaxed at the hotel for the evening.
Monday morning we headed to Sea World. We got there right when it opened so we could see all of the shows. We saw the sea lion show first which was hilarious, next we saw the penguin exhibit while waiting for the pet show which was also fun. We had lunch then sprinted with the rest of the crowd to the big Shamu show, it was amazing and inspiring and I'll never understand how they can train whales! Next was the dolphin show, it was a whimsical kind of show with exotic birds and fun costumes. After that we saw the rest of the exhibits and rode a couple of rides and headed back. We ordered room service for dinner and packed our bags.
The flight from San Diego to SLC was full so we drove back to Orange county and hopped on our flight home. We had such a great time but I was glad to be back.
Russ didn't have to be back to work until Saturday night so we enjoyed 4 more days together. It was amazing to feel like a normal family! We ate dinner together, said prayers before bed, and read a book and talked after the kids fell asleep. We had so desperately needed this family time and were so grateful to have it, it was so hard to send Russ back to work on Saturday but life must go on.
To anyone wondering if it was worth the money, I say YES!!! This is a trip we will never forget and I can't wait to go back!
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