Day 2 - California Adventure

The good news about our second day is that I remembered our tickets. I was worried with it being better weather and a Saturday that we would have to fight crowds, but once again, it was wonderful and we had almost zero wait at everything we wanted to do.

We planned on spending a half day there, but enjoyed it so much that we didn't leave until 6 pm and only then because we had to get on the road so we could get home.

Brenna and Ava had little autograph books for the roving Disney characters to sign. I think my favorite was Mr. Incredible, who had to stop periodically to check his reflection in the window behind him and flex his muscles. While signing Brenna's autograph book the pen broke in his hand. He literally crushed it. I started laughing and when he realized what had happened he began flexing and posing once more. We had to borrow a pen from another child in line.

The only princess that Ava got to meet and get an autograph from was Snow White, but I think that was enough. Next time we go we'll spend more time in the princess area at Disneyland. Scott can take Brenna and Nate somewhere else if need be. Brenna declined to take a picture with or get an autograph from Snow White, go figure.

Anyhoo, some favorites of the day were the Playhouse Disney show with Bear in the Big Blue House, Jo Jo's Circus, and Winnie the Pooh, the ferris wheel, the Jumping Jellyfish ride, the Zephyr (Brenna's favorite ride), and taking Ava on another little roller coaster, which she hated this time. It was scarier than the last one.

When we first got to the park we headed for the A Bug's Life area. They had some bumper cars that Nate was too small for, so I stayed with him and watched while Scott took the girls. Unfortunately you could only ride 2 to a car, so Brenna (too young to ride alone) was going to wait her turn with dad until after Ava had gone. To the rescue came a female park employee, who rode with Brenna. Her name? Brenna.

We took the whole family on a ride that was like the teacups ride at Disneyland, except instead of teacups they were spinning ladybugs. Nate was old enough for this one, he just had to keep his bottom on the seat; he couldn't ride in a lap. He was so thrilled before the ride started, but that was short-lived. Nate hated it! He hid his face and clung to me for most of the ride. Poor guy.

We probably could have spent half the day at the forest playground area, which looked like a redwood forest and had all kinds of rock climbing, cave exploring, rope net enclosures, and tire swings.

I think our favorite, though, was the Aladdin muscial extravaganza. We saw it toward the end of the day and we were really just expecting something simple...maybe costumed characters singing a few songs from the movie. Oh my gosh, were we wrong! It was incredible! It was like a 45 minute Broadway production, with a beautiful set, elaborate props, and incredible performances. Ava has been playing "Princess Jasmine" ever since.

To finish the day off we rode the "Under the Sea" carousel and headed out after that. I'm already making plans for our next visit; please join us if you feel inclined this time next year!

Stupid blog!

Arg!!!

I'm still not able to publish new pictures and my last post wouldn't allow me to break up the paragraphs, no matter how many times I went back and tried to put spaces in between them. Oh well. It's not me, I swear. I am by no means computer illiterate.

Anyway, these are some pictures I already had uploaded for an earlier draft. I'll try to get more on tomorrow, especially for all you grandparents out there....

As you can see, Nate quite enjoyed the carousel.











Here he is mesmerized as he watches Bear in the Big Blue House dancing on stage. He got up and danced, then had a couple of toddler fits when we wouldn't let him climb up the steps to the stage. Fortunately the room was full of toddlers and preschoolers, so his behavior was not out of line.







This is him laughing and jabbering about the birds he can see while we're up in the ferris wheel. Nate loves birds, or "peep peeps" as we tend to call them.








I'm still not able to publish more pictures. These are ones I'd already uploaded for an earlier draft, so I'll try again tomorrow, for all you anxious grandparents.

So, Disneyland was fun....

Oh my gosh, we had a blast! The drive down got a little hairy due to winter weather (who knew you had to worry about snowstorms when travelling in SoCal?!). What would have been a 2 hour trip turned into a 4 hour one, but no big deal. The kids handled it well. Portable DVD players are sent from the heavens.


We spent Friday at Disneyland and Saturday at Disney's California Adventure. Not a one of us had ever been to either, so we had no real idea what to expect. The weather was a little chilly (40's-50's) with a few patches of rain, but we were adequately layered and prepped with ponchos and raincoats.

January + rainy forecast = no crowds at Disney.

But first you have to get in the gate. Shortly after we hopped on the shuttle from our hotel to the park I realized I had forgotten our tickets. So Scott rode back to get them and the kids stared longingly through the gate

Scott returned eventually and we were having fun in no time. Much to Brenna's chagrin we headed straight for Cinderella's castle and the princess zone. She managed to enjoy it. We rode the carousel, the Flying Dumbo ride, the teacups, and a number of pretty freaky old-school rides, like Pinnochio's Adventure and Toad's weird car ride. Man, now I remember why I hated Pinnochio so much as a kid. And who was that Toad guy?

We met up with some friends from Lubbock: Ellen, Reagan and Addison Hardy. Their inviting us to join them at Disneyland was the whole impetus for the trip, so we thank them for getting us there sooner rather than later. We really enjoyed seeing them again, although somehow I failed to get a single good picture of the four little girls together.

It wasn't long before Nate needed a beverage and a nap. The stroller was the perfect place to crash out.

Ava got to dance with the Princess's at the coronation ball being held in Princessville, so those dance lessons are already coming in handy. This is a shot of her riding the carousel.

The kids really enjoyed Toon Town, especially meeting Pluto, Goofy and Minnie Mouse. Goofy and Nate had a tough moment, just a second after this photo was taken. While standing up, Goofy clocked Nate in the head, which sent him into tears, poor little guy. So someday when he has a fear of Goofy, Disneyland, or large dogs in general, we may know why.

Everyone who has been to Disneyland knows that one of the big highlights is the parade. We didn't know exactly when it started, so sometime during the late afternoon we wandered around, looking for someone to ask. Sure enough, we stumbled onto it as it was about to begin and some nice people from Montana let us sit right in front of them so the kids could see everything. The floats were pretty, some of the dancing and acrobatics was impressive, but most of all there were princesses and favorite Disney characters just steps from us. Nate got a handshake from Tweedle Dum, if I remember correctly, but the best part was watching Ava's face as the princesses came by. She was a happy little girl. I have to admit that my days as a princess-enamored girl came back to me while there this weekend, and I was every bit as excited to see them as Ava was. Sure, I know they're not real, but just watching Ava and being with her was sweet. Now, Ava's not one to go crazy or get gregarious with princesses she's never met before, but in her quiet, Ava-like way she was thrilled. Mom and Dad got lots of hugs that night.

Other highlights of the day included the Jungle Boat ride, which was Brenna's favorite, complete with water-spraying elephants, unruly monkeys, and hungry piranhas. My personal favorite was the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, which Nate loved as well due to the parrot that thoroughly tickled him at the ride's end. I also loved the little kiddy roller coaster in Toon Town, which Ava rode with me. She found it terrifying, yet she seemed to like it once it was over. At least that's what she told me. Brenna refused to get on the darn thing the second she heard the words "roller coaster".

We discovered a new contrast between Brenna and Ava, in addition to the multitude we already knew about. Brenna scares a lot more easily than Ava. A favorite moment of mine was on the Star Wars simulator ride, when Brenna was a little scared and trying to cover her eyes and ears. I looked over to check on Ava to see if she was scared as well. Staring straight ahead at the action in front of her, big blue eyes wide open, Ava said, "Mom, this is cool!"

We slugged beverages, feasted on amusement park food, and purchased a little Disney-themed merchandise before the day was done. Brenna took home a Pirates playset, complete with light-up sword, eyepatch, pirate flag, scope, and arm-resting parrot. And Ava took home a pair of glass slippers. Nate got nothing, but didn't seem to notice.

If you're still reading, I'll post pictures and stories from California Adventures tomorrow, because day 1 was just the beginning!

Holy delicious waffles!

I've wanted a good waffle maker for years, but have never been motivated enough to bother spending $60 on one. However, 2 months ago I tasted something that gave me the necessary motivation: buttermilk syrup. I swear it is the best thing to happen to breakfast since the waffle itself. So this morning Scott was off for the MLK holiday and we had nowhere to be and nothing to do but eat. Scott had to run to the grocery store for buttermilk, but it was worth the trip. The syrup was amazing. Here's the recipe:

1/2 c. butter
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. buttermilk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking soda

Place butter in a large sauce pan over medium heat. When it is about halfway melted, add the sugar. Stir until the butter melts completely. Add buttermilk and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil for 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and baking soda. Syrup will foam and increase in volume. Serve over waffles or pancakes.


Be careful. This stuff tastes like candy and you may be tempted to drink it....It is not hard to make and is seriously worth a try.