Happiest Vacation On Earth

 We started our summer off right and took the kids to Disneyland!! Jeff had a conference at the Disneyland Hotel so we simply could not pass it up. We drove to UT and saw family there first and then stopped in St. George and stayed with our good friends the Peterson's. They knew after the long drive the kids would want to run around so we went to a fun splash park and walked around the temple grounds.

We finally made it to CA and let me just say if you ever have the chance to stay at the Disneyland hotel you better do it! It is AMAZING! The excitement starts the moment you step out of the car and I have to admit if we ever make it back I might not be able to stay any where else! 

 Before we left Aunt Laura challenged the boys to get a picture with Goofy and then he happened to be the first character we saw!!

The first stop after a long car ride? THE POOL! Our kids always love swimming but this was over the top. The boys had so much fun on the water slides while the girls tended to stay in the hot tubs! 

 Our first night there happen to be my birthday so we spent the evening walking around Downtown Disney. We enjoyed a delicious dinner at out new favorite place, Tortilla Jo's!

 Who needs cake when you can have a Mickey Mouse carmel apple? 

Our favorite part of the hotel was the magical stars and firework lights we turned on each night before bed. It played 'When You Wish Upon A Star' as the kids fell asleep. They also enjoyed each night, even the boys, a good night story on the TV from a Princess! Our first night there was almost like Christmas eve the kids could hardly hold still long enough to fall asleep. Our adventures have only just begun!

Disneyland Days

 We had three days to enjoy all of the magic Disneyland has to offer and believe me when I say we used every minute of every day doing just that! I will never forget the look on the kids faces as we entered the gate, it was as if we were entering a whole new world!

 We started out with the classic rides. As you can see on the Autotopia ride they make the more mature person drive!! 

 The kids, okay we all had a ball dancing on the Mark Twain River boat!

The best place to stop for lunch is the Golden Horseshoe Saloon. The foods is average, however, the show is hilarious! I volunteered Jeff to participate which made it even more fun for the kids. They were all so worried dad was going to kiss a man dressed up like a girl. Rest assured he did not!! 

 Trey became a brave man while there and took on all the big rides. His favorites: Splash Mtn., Thunder Mtn., and Indiana Jones!

 Kaden was an inch too short to go on the bigger rides. Bummer! However, he did enjoy Star Tours with the big boys and his favorites are: Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters!

 It took me a full day of trying to talk the boys into going on It's A Small World and then it became the new favorite for all of us. We ended up riding it three times by request!! Avrey was so fun to watch on every ride with how excited she got. Avrey's favorite rides: It's A Small World and visiting every Princess imaginable! 

 You can't go to Disneyland and not get a picture of the boys trying to pull out the Sword in the Stone! 

 With so many little girls / kids wanting to meet the Princesses they have built the Princess Fantasy Faire where the kids were able to meet Belle, Arial and Princess Minnie. 

 The best chance to see characters is at the Main Street Parade. This is where Avrey and Kaden's dreams really came true. Avrey was speechless as all the Princesses came by. On our way to Disneyland we asked all the kids what they really wanted to do while we were there. Kaden's request, to meet Sleeping Beauty and kiss her on the lips. He gets that from his dad!! On our last day there we had yet to see her and Kaden was getting a little flustered. As we walked through the castle he yelled, "Sleeping Beauty where are you? I want a kiss." Luckily we got awesome seats for the parade and as the Princess float approached Kaden could hardly hold still. Their was Sleeping Beauty just a few feet in front of him. She looked right him and blew him the kiss of a life time. Our little man was as happy and as red as could be!! 

 Of course the rides were the highlight of each day but second best was the 4 bags of cotton candy and all the delicious treats we enjoyed!

Each day we thought the kids would get burned out and want to head back to the hotel, yeah not so much. With all the excitement they seemed to have the energy of ten kids combined. Each night around 9 we would find a spot on Main Street to watch the fireworks and the kids would get their last burst of energy. On our last night there Jeff and I did everything we could to take it all in with what little energy we had left in us! 

CA Adventure Day

 We spent 1 day in California Adventure and this was a first for all of us. We had a great day there, although I think the kids enjoyed Disneyland a little more. 

 We loved every chance we got to see the characters. 

 The Toy Story Mania ride was such a fun ride for all of us. The other favorite rides, The Little Mermaid, Soarin' Over CA, and King Tritan's Carousel.

 Trey got to dance with Phineas & Ferb!

I think the highlight of the day was the World Of Color water show that night. It was AMAZING and totally worth the hour + wait.  There was a lot of rides that the kids were too small for so we can't wait to get back and do it all over again!