Our Disney Adventure

We were so lucky to be able to go to Disneyland last week with the entire Cook family. We had such a blast. It was a very memorable week.

Since the boys turned two and flights are expensive, we decided to drive to California this time. We had never driven farther than SLC with our kids, so we knew it would be a great adventure. Thanks to Uncle Mike and his family for letting us borrow their portable DVD player. Ellie totally had a "nest" going in the back of the van. She watched her own shows, played her DSi, read books, colored, did a car scavenger hunt, etc... The boys watched their favorite movies (Cars, Toy Story, Madagascar 2, and don't forget Barney) and napped in the front seat. Eric and I listened to a book on CD while I chased "ears" (headphones) and handed out snacks. My good friend Tami came through with the best road trip care package. She brought over a bag full of little sealed paper sacks that the kids could open periodically throughout the ride. What a great idea! They were filled with things like treats, books, a CD, pipe cleaners, and flash cards. It was perfect and saved me a ton of headache. The kids couldn't wait until it was time to open another sack! All in all it was a successful car ride. There were a few times when everyone desperately needed to stretch their legs, but no real meltdowns.

Ready to go!

The first day we drove to Las Vegas and stayed the night at the Excalibur hotel. We were not impressed. Vegas with kids is not fun. I was also mad because our hotel did not have TNT and we missed the Jazz game. To top things off, John threw up in the middle of the night. Luckily, most of it got on his jammies and not our bed. After he threw up he was just fine and was running around our hotel room eating pretzel goldfish at 3:00 in the morning. Kids! Needless to say, Eric and I were exhausted to start the remainder of our drive the next day.

Our hotel in Vegas...pre-throw up.

We arrived at our hotel on Thursday. We stayed at the Embassy Suites. I loved our hotel. The lobby was so pretty. It had a pond filled with koi and turtles. My kids were crazy about it. "I go see fishies, I go see fishies." Our room was awesome. Plenty of space compared to last time.

Bright and early on Friday we headed to Disneyland. ( Sadly, this would be the last day our little family got there bright and early...sorry again Eric.) The park was pretty empty and we got to go on a bunch of our favorite rides like Indiana Jones, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Haunted Mansion, and Splash Mountain before it got too crowded. David and John were such troopers while they waited for their turn to ride their favorites. They love Winnie the Pooh, Small World, and Buzz Blasters. Some of my favorite memories of this trip are David singing Small World throughout the entire ride, and John "makin' honey" while waiting in line for Pooh. Also, this time they were tall enough to ride the Matterhorn. I was nervous to take them on it, but they ended up loving it. David was nuts about the Muppets 3D show. It was so funny to watch him try to grab the 3D images. He cried when it was time to leave. It was so fun to be there with the Cooks. The kids loved riding rides with them and seeing them at the hotel. Ellie stuck to Missy like glue the entire trip.

Ellie's favorite riding companion.

Waiting for Small World with David.

What a cute couple.

The whole crew at Splash Mountain.

Riding the train around Disneyland. I thought it would be a bigger hit. It must've been time to call it quits that day.
Autotopia with Miss

Saturday, we went to California Adventures. Ellie had such a good time. Last time she was a little nervous about riding the Tower of Terror, but not this time! She wanted to ride it over and over. She also loved Soarin' over California, and the Ferris Wheel. The whole family really liked Toy Story Mania. Eric talked me into going on Grizzly River Rapids (by calling me "no fun") even though I am against getting wet at amusement parks. Ellie, Erin, and I just had to "poncho up" and we stayed dry! I laughed so hard at Matt and Eric trying to stay dry during the ride. Eric got soaked! It was awesome.

Riding King Triton's Carousel with cousin Ben. See Ellie peeking out from behind Ben's fish? Carousels are always a big hit.

Matt, Erin and Ben on the Roger Rabbit ride. Longest wait...lamest ride.

The kids outside the Monsters Inc. ride...another favorite.
Things getting a little crazy outside Ellie's favorite ride, The Tower of Terror.

We had tons of character sightings. The boys really loved Buzz, Woody, Winnie the Pooh, Tigger and Handy Manny to name a few. Of course, Ellie loved Mulan and the princesses at Ariel's Grotto. The boys more excited about seeing characters this time. They would walk right up and give them a high 5 or a great big hug. Ellie liked collecting autographs.

Last time we went to Ariel's Grotto we forgot Ellie's princess dress. We weren't about to make that mistake again. We hauled the dress clear from West Point. We were happy that Grandma Teresa could come to lunch with us this time. Snow White told Ellie that it looked like she'd been shopping in her closet.

Meeting Pluto

Everyone's favorite mouse.

Tough guys Bryan and Corey with Mulan.

Ellie was excited to meet Mulan too. She asked Ellie her name and then exclaimed, "Oh, just like my friend Cinder-ellie." That made Ellie smile.

The boys LOVED Pooh Bear. He is so cuddly.

Tigger was also a favorite.

Handy Manny was our 1st character sighting. The boys went right up to him for a high 5.

It was almost impossible to get a picture with Lightning and Mater. John couldn't take his eyes off Lightning McQueen. He is crazy about him.

Buzz Lightyear! Our favorite Space Ranger.

Isn't it funny how there are times on vacation when you think you're going to pull your hair out, but when you get home all that you can remember is all the fun. We definitely enjoyed our Disney adventure and can't wait to go again. Disneyland is so darn magical!