Utahns Escape to Aneheim

During the Fall break, we took our kids to Anaheim. We invited Grandma and Grandpa Reichert to come along with us. This was one of those family vacations that was actually more fun than work, and we really bonded as a family. It was energizing to leave the daily grind of our lives and focus on each other. Our first attraction was Newport Beach. It was the kids' first time playing in the ocean. 

Kathryn struggled the most to get in the water. I finally picked her up--kicking and screaming--and dipped her toes in the bubbly waves. It tickled her feet and made her giggle hysterically. I had to do it again and again and then drag her away--kicking and screaming--when it was time to leave.

Grace spent lots of time looking for seashells for her habitat project in science class.

After swimming, we met cousin Brittany, her two cute kids, and Aunt Susan for dinner at the Spaghetti Factory. We tracked a lot of sand and wet bottoms into the restaurant, but it was worth the little reunion with family. Both mine and Brittany's babies were fussy during dinner, but for some reason, they could only be soothed by Neil. Aunt Susan calls him "The Baby Whisperer." 

 Disneyland is a whole new experience with young children. Every detail is so magical and exciting. When we entered the park, we met Alice and the Madhatter. Christopher stared at them with his sourpuss face. The Madhatter called him a "little hedgehog" and concluded he must have gas.

After standing in some pretty long lines in Fantasyland, we headed over to the Tiki Room. Before we entered the show, Grace spotted Jasmine and Aladdin outside. The line was short enough to be worth waiting in to see them. 

Our whole family got to ride Pirates of the Caribbean together. Kathryn was brave, but she was still pretty nervous about the cannonballs and gunshots. Christopher slept on Neil's shoulder through it.

The babies were too small to go on the fast rides, so the adults took turns. While we waited, there was always a smaller ride or a character to visit. 

While Mom and I were visiting Tigger with the babies, Dad and Neil took the kids on Splash Mountain. Grace says she only needs to do that ride once. She didn't enjoy getting so wet.

Mom and I got to go next with Kade. I was the unfortunate one to sit in the front, and Mom thought it was hysterical how wet I got. It took hours to dry off, and my shoes never did get completely dry. I still rode it three more times in the course of the two days. :)

I think our boat got jammed on It's A Small World--we were on that ride FOREVER!

Dad snapped this photo of us walking toward Space Mountain. It sure was easy to keep track of each other when we dressed in the same shirt.

It's SO fun to have children big enough to ride all the big rides with us. They were surprisingly brave and giggled or screamed the whole time. 

Grace may not have enjoyed Splash Mountain, but she LOVED Space Mountain. She rode again with me after she rode with the boys.

We exited the park through Downtown Disney where the kids were allowed to each choose a souvenir which they had earned money for doing jobs the last couple years. Grace found princess gloves and a purse, Kathryn got a lighted princess wand, and Kade bought a light saber.

We intended to spend our second day of Disney at California Adventure. However, after our first day in Disneyland, we didn't get to do everything we had hoped. Besides, the babies wouldn't have been able to do much and would have sat out a lot of rides.

This was a really fun, yet slower day. The crowd was humongous! And everyone was from Utah. There were BYU, Utah, UVU, Utah State shirts everywhere. We spent more time looking at shops and doing the less busy attractions--some of which Neil nor I had ever been on.

Grace really wanted a pair of these Minnie Mouse ears. After learning they cost $30, she settled for just a picture with them on.

I never knew this Tom Sawyer Island ever existed, but we had a hoot crossing the lake on a raft, exploring caves on the island, and finding this pirate's loot.

When we got back to our hotel after our first day at Disneyland, I surprised the girls with Elsa and Anna dresses. I knew they were dying to buy some here. I also knew the costumes at Disneyland can get pretty pricey for very low quality. So, I bought these from a friend's online dress store months in advance and saved them for this occasion. They felt so beautiful and important in their dresses.

The girls got to meet some pretty important people as we wandered around the "Royal Theater."

After lunch, I canvassed the entire park looking for a fast pass so we could get through a ride faster. The only one left was for the Rodger Rabbit ride in Toon Town.

We were all pretty hammered by the end of the day, and we left the park early. We ordered take-out in our hotel and the kids were asleep by 8:00. Since the park was open until midnight, Neil and I went back while my parents stayed with the kids. The place was packed with people, but we were still able to watch the Fantasmic light show, ride Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Splash Mountain, and Thunder Mountain in just two hours time thanks to fast passes and baby swap passes from earlier in the day. We, however, were walking the park like zombies after all that. We actually had two more passes to use, but we just couldn't muster any more energy. It was so fun to watch the reaction of the families we gave our passes to, saving them at least an hour wait in long lines.

We spent our last day in California visiting Grandma and Grandpa Bowman. They took us to their favorite home-cookin' restaurant, and we played in their backyard for a while. Grandpa still tells all the same jokes from when I was a kid. He still teases our waitress and has his deep thundering laugh. Grandma still lights up whenever Grandkids are around, and I can tell she is so proud of them. Our kids are so lucky to know their great-grandparents, and I hope someday they recognize that as well.