Miss You

Vacation - Day 4

The park opens early some days so we decided to take advantage of it and see some more of the characters. We still needed some signatures and the kids were on a mission.


Up way earlier that any of us wanted we still managed to be there which turned out to be great. We did get to see Donald and Minnie but Sleeping Beauty alluded us. We also got an early start on all the rides. Peter Pan's Flight began the morning with Alice in Wonderland and Dumbo. The lines were bearable and the rides enjoyable.

We also did It's a Small World and the Matterhorn. The Matterhorn is a roller coaster and Kailei's only comment was, "It's awesome!"


We rode Space Mountain again and again. The first time we went I told Kailei I was a little scared. She simply held my hand and told me, "It's only space Mom."

We played Astro Blaster again, did a little more shopping and tried unsuccessfully to hunt down Sleeping Beauty. Zeb is a little worried. Kailei commented that "Sleeping Beauty might be on a date OR she might be dead." He really doesn't want Kailei thinking Sleeping Beauty is dead so he is now on a mission to find her as well.


We came back for a little afternoon swim. Kailei enjoyed Castaway Cove and Nic and Keara spent time in the big pool.


The boys went out to Disneyland again to ride Indiana Jones but the girls and I decided to call it an evening. I was pooped and I knew the girls could use a few extra zzz's.

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Favorite characters:

• Nic - Donald Duck
• Keara - Jasmine
• Kailei - Ariel
• Christine - Sully
• Zeb - Belle

Favorite rides:

• Nic - couldn't narrow it down to one
• Keara - Space Mountain
• Kailei - Teacup ride
• Christine - Indiana Jones
• Zeb - Splash Mountain

Highlights for Zeb and Chris....

• Kailei fell asleep each day for her nap in Zeb's arms.
• The girls enthusiasm for roller coasters...who knew?!
• Kids eating (and liking) their first churro.
• Nic always forgets at least one thing despite reminding him.
• Our feet still hurt.
• The brownie and ice cream at Mimi's (yummy!)
• Keara riding roller coasters with both hands in the air...yes..Keara.
• Nic - our pin trader.
• Kailei's picture pose.
  

One more day left. My mind will miss it but my body could use some recovery time.

P.S. Kailei just leaned over and whispered to me. "Mommy, Mommy...(a big smile on her face)..I'm thinking about all the rides."


Time for bed.

Our Aching Feet

Vacation - Day 3

Well, since I didn't get to blog yesterday it might all start to blur together but I'll try and remember some of the highlights from yesterday.

We grabbed breakfast at McDonald's again. It's easy and cheap. Kailei said, "Mom we are at McDonald's again.". I said, "Yes we are." And she stated, "It's so unusual." Hmm...not sure where that comment came from but it made me laugh.

The weather was much better yesterday. Back to 70 degrees and sunny.

Spent the day trying to ride things we had not ridden and that didn't required standing in line for more than 30 minutes.

The kids had to do Splash Mountain again (of course). We rode Indiana Jones (which was awesome!) and did Big Thunder Mountain. Again, to our surprise the girls enjoyed it all. The girls and I went through the Haunted House which was fun. We also rode the Carousel and had to get on the Teacup ride since that was one of Kailei's few requests.

Mid-afternoon we headed back to the hotel for a dip in the pool. I'm beginning to think if vacation consisted of nothing but a pool, it would still be great for the kids.

Having enjoyed Indiana Jones, we returned to the park for another round. Unfortunately Chris, Nic and Keara were in line and it broke down. Ugh! We were almost there too. We stayed to see if it would get fixed but after 30 minutes or so, they called it and we were all let out. We did get a fast pass to any ride in the park so all was not lost.

We headed over to Space Mountain and decided to use it there. I thought we only had three passes so I sent Kailei, Zeb and Nic on the ride. Keara and I did a little shopping as we waited. They all came out very excited about it so we knew we would be riding it again.

Because of the delay at Indiana Jones, we ended up being in the park quite late. The fireworks (which we hear nightly from our room) were in full swing and what a spectacular show. Only Disney can do it so well and it was great to watch as we walked out of the park.

Bedtime was late but the beauty is that we all fall asleep in a matter of minutes.

Highlights for Chris and Zeb...

• Kailei and the "fire cracks"
• Stuffing cotton candy in Nic's face
• Nic commenting on rope climbing. "I totally failed that part in gym.", he said.
• Nic and Keara laughing at the corny jokes told on the Jungle Cruise.
• Keara's paralization when it comes to chosing "just one thing" to buy.
• Keara and Kailei attempting to share a bed together. I wouldn't want to sleep with either one of them but Keara really is horrible.
• The smiles on the kids faces.

No Time to Blog But...

Zeb has "forced" us all up early and we are off to Morning Madness. Will have to blog about yesterday later but here are a few more pictures.

Vacation - Day 2

Unfortunately the weather did not cooperate with us today as it was cloudy and a little cool but that did not stop us from having a good time.

We kicked off today with breakfast at Ariel's Gratto. We had a great meal and got to meet many of the princesses. What a treat for the girls! Nic was embarrassed to be there but he hung in there and stated that he got a good breakfast out of it. (This breakfast is highly recommended for those of you traveling in the future. Expensive but worth it.)

Since our character breakfast was in California Adventure we decided to just hang out there for the day. After breakfast we went over to Hollywood and rode the Monster's Inc ride. Again it was crazy busy (even busier than Disney) but we got a fast pass for California Soarin' and simply took our time throughout the day.

Kailei and Keara were disappointed that Sleeping Beauty was the only princess not at breakfast so we tried to hunt her down hearing rumors she was starring in a show. We found the show but it was Cinderella, Woody and Micky that were there. Nic was happy to see Woody so we scored his signature and picture. We also go to see Sully from Monster's Inc but he couldn't sign our books since his claws were too big. Kailei and I settled for a picture.

Keara, Nic and Zeb rode the Roarin' River which was a highlight. Keara got soaked. Kailei was disappointed not to go but she was too small so she had her first churro and we watched High School Musical as we waited for the rest of them.

We ate lunch in the park which was the biggest mistake of the day. I picked the WRONG line to stand in and I must have waited over an hour to order lunch. Luckily Kailei was tired and took a nap during this time. Nic and Keara managed to keep themselves entertained looking a pins and plotting what they were going to buy.

After a very expensive lunch, we went over to the Pier where the Zeb and the kids rode some parachute ride. We looked at riding some others but the wait was quite long so we strolled over to A Bug's Life and managed to get on a ladybug ride that just got fixed so the line wasn't long.

California Soarin' was our fast pass ride and well worth the wait. We all loved it!

We spent the remainder of the day in Bear Country where the kids got to run and jump around. They got a second wind here which allowed us to go a few more hours before dinner.

We headed over to Downtown Disney and a did a little shopping before heading outside of the park to do dinner.

Zeb and I were pooped and cold.

Now the kids are all snoring away as I write this. My feet hurt. My hips hurt. My legs hurt. I need a massage and I feel old. When did I get old?

Anyway....some highlights for us...

• Nic sucked it up and decided to get his sister Princess Ariel's signature. It was the last thing he wanted to do and she was asking him questions to try and make conversation. "Are you a Prince?, she asked. "No, said Nic." "Are you a King?, she asked. "No, said Nic. "Well, what are you?, she asked. "A boy.", said Nic.


• As we were walking around, Kailei stated ever so quietly..."I love this day."


• Keara laughing her great belly laugh as Nic entertained her.


• The kids trading pins.


• Nic's utter embarrassment with the princesses.


• Nic, who despite the fact we told him to triple check his suitcase, still managed to forget his toothbrush and pajamas.


• Keara trying to narrow her souveneir list down to two items. "It's just so hard Mommy!"

Disneyland - Day 1

A blizzard in Denver almost postponed our vacation, but we lucked out and made it out to sunny Anaheim, CA. Almost 80 degrees and sunshine....not a bad way to start our day.


We began the day with breakfast at McDonald's and then headed over to Disneyland. It is an easy walk. Things are very convenient around here.


Kailei's first comment as we entered the park was, "This is awesome!" We immediately saw Goofy upon arrival and the kids wanted to start an autograph book. Who knew that purchase would be such a hit. The kids loved standing in line and getting the signatures. They carried their books with them all in day in hopes of running into a character. Naturally it did not all go smoothly as we forgot to charge the camera battery so Zeb took off back to the hotel and the kids and I headed over to Tomorrowland. While we waited for Zeb to return we rode a rocketship, played the AstroBlaster game/ride and saw the 3d movie, Honey, I Shrunk the Audience. The kids loved it all. When Zeb returned he took them to Star Wars and then we watched the Jedi Master training before heading to lunch


After filling our stomachs we headed over to Toon Town because Kailei was on a mission to see Micky Mouse. We waited in line for over an hour but it was worth it to get his signature and a picture taken. We looked around there for a while and then headed back to the hotel for some


After swimming we went back to McDonald's for dinner and then headed back to the park. Zeb and kids had a mission to ride Splash Mountain. They loved it. Kailei let us know "she was very brave" for riding that. It was the highlight for Nic and Keara.



The crowd really came out tonight. I was amazed but managed to sneak on rides with not much of a wait such as Winnie the Pooh, Pirates of the Caribbean, the train, and back to Toon Town to ride Roger Rabbit.



By 8:00pm I decided we need to head back to the hotel and try and get everyone settled down and in bed.


Our feet are all soar but we survived and had a great time.



Zeb and Chris' memories...

• After Kailei went down the big hill at Splash Mountain she stated.."This is not for me." (later she retracted)
• Zeb and Kailei were watching fireworks from our deck and Kailei said, "Keara and Nic are missing the fireworks. How sad is that."
• Nic and Keara wore their lanyards and disney mouse pin proudly throughout the day.
• Chris and Zeb could barely move at the end of the day. We are getting old.

Sissy, The Teacher

Lately Kailei has taken to calling Keara "Sissy". Unsure where she picked it up from but it seems to have stuck for now.

Last night was one of those rare moments when the girls where getting along so nicely. So nicely that I had to video their interactions so I can remind myself that it does happen (haha). Anyhow, I asked Keara to help Kailei with her letters. She ended up being the perfect teacher. Perhaps one day she will follow in her mom's footsteps (or maybe she will become the nurse that she always talks about). Whatever she becomes, I know she will be great at it.

Sleepover with Sam

Keara started her spring break already (some of us still have another week). To kick things off she invited her friend Sam over for a sleepover. They played hard, watched movies, ate popcorn and today they spent a few hours swimming. I think I'm more tired then they are but they sure had a lot of fun. Sam and Keara are like two peas in a pod and it is fun with they get to spend to spend time together.

Keara Gets Principal's Award Again

For the second time, Keara received the Principal's Award. She is doing very well in school, especially with reading and writing. Her teacher wasn't able to be there and sent her the following email. We are beaming parents once again and appreciate the fact that she is recognized for her efforts.

Hi Keara,

I am so proud of you for making the Principal's Excellence Awards. I am very sorry that I had to miss it this morning. I have one day a month that I am out for meetings and today was it. Anyway, I hope you know how special you are to me!

Hugs.

Mary Whitney

The Traveler

Kailei heard we needed to start packing for Disneyland. Looks like she is ready to go.

The Zoo

Escaped to the zoo on Saturday. It was a beautiful day in Colorado. I love that Spring is on it's way. We all had a great time and then treated ourselves to dinner at Carmine's (my favorite restaurant). Counting the days until spring vacation.