On Sunday, Feb. 14th--Arizona Statehood Day (for which it will ever be known in the Larson house 'cuz Jason isn't a Valentine's Day fan) we made the rest of the trek to Anaheim. The kids were patient and we just spent the day enjoying each others company. Our hotel was 2 blocks from DL--the furthest we've actually stayed, but it was newly renovated with a cool wood floor that made it seem homey!
Monday brought the most beautiful weather to California--80 degrees, not a cloud in sight, and no crazy winds! Due to it being President's Day and me worrying that Disneyland would be overly crowded for our tastes, we opted for a beach morning and a temple afternoon.
The kids loved Newport Beach--the water and especially the sand! We walked on the pier and admired all the millions of crazy surfers we saw. Then, the kids ventured slowly, but far out into the water and got "drowned" by a wave that came rushing in. Mom should have put them in swim suits, but instead we had two little wet and sandy kids! Oh, well--adds to the fun right?!
This was Travis's first memorable trip to the ocean so Reagan filled him in on all the finer points! I love how she prides herself on being his personal little guide through life these days! I hope she always loves her little brother this much!
We, along with our car, rode the ferry across the bay. The kids thought this was so cool--a car on boat out for a ride!
Next, our travels took us across the city to the Los Angeles Temple. The grounds were beautiful and peaceful. The temple was actually closed due to the holiday so we had the place to ourselves. We posed for pictures, walked, talked, admired the millions of types of flowers, and made friends with some snails (only my kids right?!).
The grass was just too tempting--both kids enjoyed it to the max. Reagan insisted it was perfect for her cartwheels!
Travis became photo shy early this trip!
Families are Forever!
We love the temple!
Travis was fascinated with he rides and loved every minute of them. He hated to not get to go on the big rides with Reagan. But luckily there was still lots for him to ride and do! He started out just a little leery of the characters we saw, but as we saw more and more--the more apprehensive he became. It was cute; he would play shy and just try to hide behind Jason or I. What a kid!
Reagan was fearless as ever and loved all the roller coasters just like last time! Her favorite was Space Mountain-- "because its dark and there are stars and it is SOOOOO scary!" She didn't want to wear a princess dress this year which made me a bit sad but not at all surprised. She's just not the girly girl princess type...although she really wanted the $65 Princess Tiana dress we kept seeing! Daddy and I both resisted letting her buy it.
Reagan hugged Goofy so hard, he almost fell over! It was too funny!
Of course we found the petting zoo--and the kids wanted to stay forever. They loved the friendly little goats!
Thursday was California Adventure Day. It was much less busy than DL, but I think it always is! We enjoyed just walking on most of the rides in the morning, but it got busier as the day went on. The kids both loved the Monsters Inc. ride and all the cute ride in Bugs Life and Reagan even braved the Tower of Terror with me. She didn't like it much; she said it was "just too scary for me" but as soon as we got off, she wanted to go back on it with Daddy--who opted out with "one time on that ride was enough for me" since he rode it on our last trip! Silly Daddy--scary rides are fun! (or so I think!)
We did the Princess lunch for the 3rd time in a row at Ariel's Grotto. This is a bit of a splurge, but totally worth it to us since the food is amazing and you don't have to stand in any line to see all the princesses--they come to you! Reagan loved every minute of it and grinned as each princess complimented her cute hair! Travis played shy and wouldn't go near any of them!
The Pixar Parade was awesome and the kids loved seeing some of their favorite characters come to life and walk (or roll) down the street in front of us! Travis thought it was so cool to see "The Real Mater and Lightening McQueen!"
When we saw these guys, Travis was anxious to get up to them...and as soon as he could, he stuck his hand in Lightening's mouth! Guess he was just double checking to make sure he was real!
We also enjoyed Mickey Mouse Club House Live! This was a hit with Travis who wouldn't take his eyes off the stage!
We also saw the High School Musical performance. Both kids sang and danced along. It was too cute!
By the last day, Travis finally gave in and decided the characters were okay and that he would talk to them and he even hugged Tigger! Quite the improvement over 3 days time!
We spent Thursday just meeting Characters and riding rides we missed intially like Thunder Mtn. Railroad and Indiana Jones and the Rafting Ride at CA Adventure (which Reagan and I literally got soaked to the bone on!). It was fun to just relax, eat pineapple whips and cotton candy. Oh, the good life!
We of course rerode our favorites...you know Pirates, Buzz, and Monsters, Inc. We also made sure to find Reagan's favorite character of all--Minnie! Last but not least, the kids got to pick a Disneyland prize. Travis of course chose a big Mac with lots of Cars inside and Reagan opted for Build-A-Bear which was right on Downtown Disney. She chose a black dog and named her Minnie and dressed her up like she was a DL tourist. Oh, the fun!
Friday we mossied home, taking our time and making a few stops along the way. The kids slept most the way....the were just Disneyland-ed out!
The grass was just too tempting--both kids enjoyed it to the max. Reagan insisted it was perfect for her cartwheels!
Travis became photo shy early this trip!Families are Forever!
We love the temple!
Wednesday began our adventure at Disneyland!! 
*Here is my little disclaimer for our trip: It was almost FREE! I have been saving Disney reward dollars from my Chase Visa for close to 2.5 yrs and we finally had enough to cover most everything! This made enjoying our vacation just that much sweeter...and much more guiltless! (I don't advocate this plan to everyone as you have to be dedicated at paying off your card before it accrues interest, but it works great for us! A few other Chase Disney perks were a private meet'n greet with a character, preferred parade seating, and a cool Disneyland backpack. Gotta love it!) *
The weather stayed beautiful and the park was much busier than we had ever seen it the off season before...we found out CA decided to have a President's Week instead of Day off this year so we were surrounded by Californians! But with extended park hours and fast passes in hand, and not much of a hurry in our hearts, we took things easy and still managed to ride all the rides we wanted to...and some we rode 3 or 4 times (like Buzz Light Year of course!).
Travis was fascinated with he rides and loved every minute of them. He hated to not get to go on the big rides with Reagan. But luckily there was still lots for him to ride and do! He started out just a little leery of the characters we saw, but as we saw more and more--the more apprehensive he became. It was cute; he would play shy and just try to hide behind Jason or I. What a kid!
Reagan was fearless as ever and loved all the roller coasters just like last time! Her favorite was Space Mountain-- "because its dark and there are stars and it is SOOOOO scary!" She didn't want to wear a princess dress this year which made me a bit sad but not at all surprised. She's just not the girly girl princess type...although she really wanted the $65 Princess Tiana dress we kept seeing! Daddy and I both resisted letting her buy it.
Reagan hugged Goofy so hard, he almost fell over! It was too funny!
Of course we found the petting zoo--and the kids wanted to stay forever. They loved the friendly little goats!
It was a long day and we even stayed later than we normally would so we could catch the parade, which was amazing as usual. We had awesome seats and didn't even have to sit there for hrs to get them (great perk!). Several characters and dancers tried to get Reagan to come out and dance with them, but she wouldn't do it this year. Getting too old and grown up I guess 'cuz she jumped at the chance last time we were there! When I asked her why she didn't go dance with them, she said, "That's too embarrassing Mom!" Oh, what a girl!
Thursday was California Adventure Day. It was much less busy than DL, but I think it always is! We enjoyed just walking on most of the rides in the morning, but it got busier as the day went on. The kids both loved the Monsters Inc. ride and all the cute ride in Bugs Life and Reagan even braved the Tower of Terror with me. She didn't like it much; she said it was "just too scary for me" but as soon as we got off, she wanted to go back on it with Daddy--who opted out with "one time on that ride was enough for me" since he rode it on our last trip! Silly Daddy--scary rides are fun! (or so I think!)
We did the Princess lunch for the 3rd time in a row at Ariel's Grotto. This is a bit of a splurge, but totally worth it to us since the food is amazing and you don't have to stand in any line to see all the princesses--they come to you! Reagan loved every minute of it and grinned as each princess complimented her cute hair! Travis played shy and wouldn't go near any of them!
The Pixar Parade was awesome and the kids loved seeing some of their favorite characters come to life and walk (or roll) down the street in front of us! Travis thought it was so cool to see "The Real Mater and Lightening McQueen!"
When we saw these guys, Travis was anxious to get up to them...and as soon as he could, he stuck his hand in Lightening's mouth! Guess he was just double checking to make sure he was real!
We also enjoyed Mickey Mouse Club House Live! This was a hit with Travis who wouldn't take his eyes off the stage!
We also saw the High School Musical performance. Both kids sang and danced along. It was too cute!
By the last day, Travis finally gave in and decided the characters were okay and that he would talk to them and he even hugged Tigger! Quite the improvement over 3 days time!
We spent Thursday just meeting Characters and riding rides we missed intially like Thunder Mtn. Railroad and Indiana Jones and the Rafting Ride at CA Adventure (which Reagan and I literally got soaked to the bone on!). It was fun to just relax, eat pineapple whips and cotton candy. Oh, the good life!
We of course rerode our favorites...you know Pirates, Buzz, and Monsters, Inc. We also made sure to find Reagan's favorite character of all--Minnie! Last but not least, the kids got to pick a Disneyland prize. Travis of course chose a big Mac with lots of Cars inside and Reagan opted for Build-A-Bear which was right on Downtown Disney. She chose a black dog and named her Minnie and dressed her up like she was a DL tourist. Oh, the fun!
Friday we mossied home, taking our time and making a few stops along the way. The kids slept most the way....the were just Disneyland-ed out!
It may have been a busy park trip, but it was still great! We all had lots of fun--even Daddy despite the fact he always dreads going. I just loved being there with my cute little family and watching my kids faces light up with excitement over and over again! I love Disneyland and can't wait till our next trip!
4 comments:
Andrew actually called me on the way home from work today & told me to "pack the kids- we're going to Disneyland!" Uh, no. I don't even want to think about how much stuff I would forget.
Maybe we'll try it in a couple of weeks when Emma's off school. I need to make LISTS for a trip like that!
I'm glad you had a great time & wish that I could have an almost free trip to Disney!
What an awesome vacation! And almost free too,that's the best part 'cause Disneyland isn't cheap.
I am so glad you guys got to go. It's something your kids will always remember! I loved all the pictures.
Sounds like you guys had such a great time...so grateful that you take the time (and the money) to make these memories with your family.
The pictures are amazing and it's great to see all the fun stuff...
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