Oh! This year was a fun one. We kept the trip a surprise from the boys for months, which was much harder than anticipated. Then, the day before we were supposed to leave, I made up a little scavenger hunt for them with clues. At the end were their backpacks, all ready to go, with snacks and goodies, activities, and the big announcement that we were going to Disneyland!
Beck's reaction was an instantaneous and very enthusiastic, "We're going to DISNEY LAND! We're going to DISNEYLAND!" As he bounced all over the room. Asher's response, on the other hand was slightly delayed and he didn't really catch on to what we were doing until he started asking about flying somewhere. Silly boy. There is no Disneyland where we live. Then, he smiled big and started getting really excited, and soon asked if we'd be going to a Laker's game too. Um, no.
We flew out that evening and got into LAX laaaaaate. Whew, was it late. The boys were troopers and amazing little fliers, so it wasn't so bad, except for my ears not popping until the next morning because of an oncoming sinus infection. Ouch. We stayed at The Candy Cane Inn, which made us really nervous...any place with a cheesy name like that sounds a little suspect, but on website after website, it was recommended as being wonderful for location, families, etc. When we checked in, we soon realized that it really was great, and you can't beat the location. Yay for the Candy Cane Inn, !
The next morning we were up and on our way to California Adventure, a first for our family. I was really excited to see what it was like, and it did not disappoint! I thought it was fantastic. Especially Cars Land. Our biggest folly of the trip was made the second we chose which ride to go on first. Corey and I have been on the Tower of Terror before, and knew what it was about. Asher, we knew would love it, and we (stupidly) figured Beck would be fine with it too. He was a little apprehensive while we waited a few minutes to get on. What a mistake. He hated it. Woops. The poor kid just turned four...what were we thinking?! We spent the rest of the day just hoping he'd forget it. You know it's bad when he says, "I wasn't even scared that time!" following every ride the rest of the day. Ah, regrets:( But, the day was still fun. And, of course, Asher claims his fave ride to be the Hollywood Tower of Terror. I personally loved the new Cars ride and Soarin...Corey's faves too, I think.
We spent the following two days at the big D (what we started calling Disneyland so we could discuss things in front of the kids while planning this surprise trip). Love, loved it. I seriously love Disneyland. We had a great time, saw tons of characters(the boys even line danced with Mickey and Minnie), never waited more than 20 minutes for a ride, and made some fun memories. Asher loved Space Mountain, and Beck actually loved Splash Mountain, believe it or not. The crowds weren't bad at all until our last day there, which was a Saturday, and even then, it was no biggie. We came home with a couple of Mickey swords/light sabers and a few new songs to shake out of our heads (Beck has been singing 'It's a small world' and 'A Pirate's Life for Me' a LOT).
Oh, and on our last day, we tried to hit the 'Padowan Training' show where they pick a bunch of kiddos from the audience and train them to be little Jedis. Beck loved this idea and was elated when he was chosen. He took his training very seriously...listening to every word of their instruction and doing exactly as they said. When it was his turn to fight Darth Vader, Darth said to Beck, "I find your lack of faith disturbing", and then the combat began. He was SO darn cute up there and has been telling anyone who cares (or doesn't care) that he fought Darth Vader. It was great.
After our busy and exhausting days at Disney, we high-tailed it to Seal Beach for a few lazy days. Our rental was great, right on the beach, so we just walked out and played. We really didn't leave the house/beach except to go to In -N-Out (Corey was really excited), and dinner out the night before we left. The weather was nice, but still a little cool, so our sweatshirts became a sort-of uniform throughout the trip. What a quaint little beach town! We walked around main street, played at the little beach park, made sandcastles, combed the beach for shells, played frisbee, watched boats, took naps, watched movies and just relaxed. What a nice little spot for a family trip:) The night before we left, we explored the area a bit and ended up checking out the Newport Temple on a whim. Gorgeous. That whole area is absolutely gorgeous.
We had a fantastic time, ate, played, rested and had fun. We all enjoyed this trip to the fullest (except for our annoying colds...well, Corey wasn't sick at all at least!) This was for sure one of the best family trips we've ever done. I'd do it again anytime! Next week maybe?
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