Our California Adventures

March 1, 2011 After a good night’s sleep we packed it all up and did it again only this time we did it California Adventure style. My brother Ryan’s family made it to town and joined us for the day’s activities. It was so fun to have my cute nephew Hayden and his pip squeek of a baby sister with us. The more kids the merrier, that's my DL philosophy. First on the agenda was Sorin’ over California so we popped by for a fast pass and went and rode some fun kiddie rides while we waited for our return time. The kids loved the rocket ships, the swings and the Jelly Fish drop.
We went back over to Sorin’ and Steve took Alyssa for her debut ride now that she achived her goal of becoming 40 inches tall. She had been SO excited to ride this one for months. Her cousin Hayden a year younger than her was not as fortunate with his height so we had to doctor him up a little. At 39.25 inches he wasn’t quite tall enough to make the cut. Fortunately his clever aunt who has spent a lifetime being too short made it work. I took paper towels out of the bathroom folded them up a million times and stuck it inside his socks inside his shoes. Voila, 40 inches! The true test came when they pulled out the measuring stick....and....he passed! So he got to enjoy all the same rides as Alyssa. He did get measured at each and every ride. He also passed each and every time. We had a great time hauling our large group around the park. Here are some highlights. We took turns with the stroller and fast passes. We ate our lunch and did our best to enjoy it even though it was quite breezy. The weather was nearly perfect. Not hot, at times we felt like we wanted a light jacket, but not most of the time. Toy Story Mania. One pair of glasses is never enough. We had a few stroller races. Despite what it looks like, we won. It's only right. Alyssa was really brave and decided (only because she didn’t know better) to ride the Tower of Terror. Her cousin Hayden wanted to ride too. As you could see, he was a little nervous about it, but really wanted to do it. She was nervous too, but brave until the ride actually began and she cried like a little girl through the whole thing. Here's the photo from on the ride. She wanted to cover her eyes the whole time, but I pulled one of her hands away so she could see the view from the top. After it was over she told me that she wished she had Kiwi and her Yellow Blankie and she knew they would make her feel better. Here's Alyssa and Me'li after being reunited after the scariest ride of their lives. They hugged and comforted eachother and talked about how brave they were. The kids had an interactive Army Guy drill session which was so fun for them. Sunny got to ride the Merry-go-round. Several times in a row. I found a true to life orange tree inside CA adventure. This is the first real orange tree I have ever seen. After all the day's fun, and with plans for more later in the evening, we headed outside the park for a nice relaxing meal at one of our favorite DL neighborhood restaurants, Millies. It was just what we hoped it would be only better. The place was practically empty, the food was great and we had our own table which meant the kids were able to focus and eat their food. Our kids have an attention problem when it comes to food. They could take it or leave it. After our meal and a quick stop over at the Del Sol where Ryan and Penny were staying we headed back into the park to see World of Color show. The kids were getting tired at this point, but we didn't let that stop us. We staked out our spot and had time to ride twice more on the rocket ships. Then back to our spot where we stood for 40 L-O-N-G minutes waiting for the show to start. Let me tell you something, the human body and mind is an amazing thing. Just when you think you can’t do anymore or stand any longer or hold a heavy child in your arms for another instant...Next thing you know, you’ve been standing in the same spot holding a five year old for an hour at the END of a long day at California Adventure. If I can do that I can do anything. Seriously. What an accomplishment. The show was of course spectacular. Everything they do there is spectacular. I thought it was a little…indulgent for Disney. Instead of an original soundtrack or showing something special, it was mainly a 30 minute montage of all the modern Disney Classics. I mean, I’m not complaining, but…I can see those movies anytime. The colors and waters and lights were spectacular though. They really were. Worth seeing. Unfortunately Sunny fell deeply asleep about 4 minutes before the show started. Hayden had fallen asleep about an hour before the show started. After the show we evacuated with the rest of the crowd out of the park where luckily we didn’t have to walk the mile back to the hotel. Our friends (my former mission buddy) Skyler and Elise who live in the OC came, picked us up, and brought us back to the hotel in thier car. What a relief. They also brought chocolate cake shakes. What the?? Never mind they are my athletic inspirations? They are also major foodies and know how to endulge when the time is right. We ate shakes and talked with them for a couple of hours in the hotel room after we'd put the kids to bed. I just love to hear about their lives and they things they do. It’s always very exciting and inspiring for both me and Steve. After they left, we crashed hard and didn't wake up until 9 a.m. the next morning.