The Happiest Place On Earth

We went to Disneyland!

(Warning: This post is extremely long)


So we told Jaden over a year ago, that if he finished 100 reading lessons and could read fairly well at that point that we would take the family to Disneyland. Well, he finished a few months ago, so we went as soon as Charles' schedule would allow--which turned out to be right after school had started. Oops. But it was good, because there were hardly any lines the 2 days we were there. But it was also freakin' hot and humid. Note to self... September is still too hot!

We drove all the way to Anaheim on Tuesday.


Doesn't Jaden look so comfortable when he sleeps?


That night we arrived at our hotel where we stayed for 3 nights. (Holiday Inn Resort)


The hotel was pretty nice. Instead of having 2 queen beds, they took out one of the beds and put in bunk beds, and extra TV and an XBOX. Of course the kids didn't know what the heck that was, we just used it as a DVD player.

The kids went swimming before going to bed. There are actually 3 beds in the confined little area, so both kids slept on the bottom so they could see the TV better. But that night, both Kaleb and Jaden kept falling out of their beds because they are both such crazy sleepers. We ended up putting the suitcase in there to try and block Kaleb from falling. And Bradley slept in the playpen.



The next 2 days we went to Disneyland and California Adventures. The kids went on Peter Pan first, and LOVED it.
They'd never been to an amusement park, or a fair, or a carnival with actual rides, so this was really their first time. The next ride was Snow White. Bad idea. I forgot how scary that ride is for little kids. Then they went on Pinocchio and were scared of Monstro.

Next was Dumbo. Much better.






Teacups. They went on that like 4 times.


Small World! I remember hating that ride as a kid because I thought it was so boring. But as a parent... sitting on a boat in a cool climate for like 15 minutes was HEAVEN. We went on that and Pirates of the Carribean a LOT just to cool down.







Speaking of Pirates... the kids were sacred of that ride, and rightly so! It's amazing how REAL some of them look. And when one gets right in your face with a gun pointed at you and then pulls the trigger... well, I would have nightmares! When we first went on the ride, Kaleb asked me if they were Pirates. I said yes, and he said, "Let's get out of here!" Jaden told me he thought he turned into a cartoon, and that he was feeling really weird and... cartoony.

Did I mention how dang hot it was? We refilled this squirt bottle probably 10 times each day... and it still didn't help because there wasn't much of a breeze. Oh well.


Then we went to Toon Town







Saw Goofy and Pluto


Went on the red roller coaster which even Kaleb loved! (that's Jaden and I in the back)


Then we did Autopia (biggest waste of time in my opinion), Buzz's ride (One of the Kids' favorites) and the Orbitor. We also did the Matterhorn.. Kaleb hated it, Jaden loved it.

Then we went on the Jungle Cruise,


and Tarzan's Treehouse, (Jaden looks like he may have been having a good time)


while Bradley crashed.


Then we met Amber (talk about an amazing aunt, who came all the way from across the country to be there with us! Thanks Ambuler! ), Forrest and Michelle (our Disneyland-Pros), Forrest Jr., Bryan and Katee Jo for dinner. Then we headed to Splash Mountain. Kaleb wasn't tall enough, so Charles took him and Bradley to Winnie the Pooh. I wasn't sure how Jaden would do, but since he liked the Matterhorn, I though he would be okay. Plus he was now with his "Disneyland expert" cousin, Forrest. They held hands in line while Forrest assured and reassured Jaden, that even though it's a little scary, it is also really fun and you get your picture taken. Jaden loved it and it his favorite ride. He was too short to make Space Mountain and Indiana Jones, though.




After a couple rounds of Splash Mountain we all joined Kaleb and Bradley for another ride of Winnie the Pooh (Kaleb's favorite.)




Next we did the Nemo submarines, then watched the Fireworks, then left. Of course the kids passed out pretty quick.




The next day John joined us and at Jaden's request we went straight to Splash Mountain. I got COMPLETELY soaked. Don't ever ride in the front if you don't want to get too wet. Then we met up with the fam again and went to California Adventures. But not before catching Mary Poppins and Bert.


There wasn't all that much for us to do as a family at California Adventures, so we didn't do much. We did Soarin' Over California (which is Charles' favorite ride now), the other Buzz ride which was also really fun, and then all the little kiddie rides at the Bug's Life area.






Then we went and watch the Interactive show with Crush from finding Nemo. It was WAY cool. Crush talked to little Forrest and big Forrest. It was hilarious.

Next we headed back to Disneyland and Kaleb and Bradley pooped out.

So Jaden went on the Teacups and the red rollercoaster.


After that was when we SHOULD have left Disneyland. This was where Disneyland hated us, and we hated our kids. Just kidding... sort of.

So we woke up Kaleb and Bradley so we could all go on the Taxi ride one more time. We get in there, and it's broken.

So we tell Kaleb he has time to choose one more ride. He chooses Winnie the Pooh. We walk all the way over there. Broken.

So we ask the boys what other ride they want to do one last time. They say Buzz. We walk all the way over there. Buzz breaks down while we're on it.

At that point we were supposed to meet Melanie at Downtown Disney for dinner. We walk over the the monorail and guess what? Broken.

So we decided to stay there and eat. The kids were getting cranky and we knew we should have just left. But Disneyland is expensive! We wanted to stay as long as possible! So Charles told the boys that if they didn't knock it off and start being good, that they weren't going to get their toys we bought for them.

So we go to this buffet type place for dinner and get pasta and sauce for the kids. We're not even finished picking out the food when we see the boys having an all out BRAWL on the floor. I mean they were rolling around together punching, and kicking and screaming. I was holding Bradley and Charles was holding the HOT spaghetti sauce. We both went down and reached for a kid... while Bradley reached for the sauce.

Ouch.

The poor little kid stuck his entire little fist inside the bowl and just started screaming. His hand stayed red and tender the rest of the night. Well the boys got an earful and they were both crying and screaming like little girls all through dinner. Charles and I forfeited getting our own dinner.

Since we couldn't meet Melanie for dinner, we just met her outside the entrance for a quick visit. It was so fun having everyone back together. Just missing Chuck and Sherrie.... :(

After that our plan was to stop at the store and get one more souvenier for each kid, ride the train and leave. Instead, the kids all had a greedy, tired, and out of control meltdown. It was sickening. So we just left. An hour before the park closed. We even left poor John. Good thing he's a big boy and can ride the shuttle by himself.

At least by the time we got back to the hotel they had transformed back into happy kids.




Yes, the sound you hear at the end of this video, is what you think. Poor kid. But pretty funny!



The next day we visited Forrest and Michelle at their place, then drove half-way home. We stayed in Mesquite NV at the Falcon Ridge.

There we swam, met someone who grew up in Lancaster, then went to bed. We got smart at this hotel. Instead of trying to get the kids to sleep in beds and STAY in beds, we just put their butts down on the floor. Genius. Why didn't anyone ever suggest this to us before. talk about the BEST night's sleep of the whole trip.



Then we drove home. Can you tell it was a fun car ride?




All in all, it was a good trip. Definitely some things we would change for next time, but hey, you live, you learn.

It's Finally Time :)

The day after Labor Day. A day I have been dreaming about for months and months. This was the day that... Kaleb started Preschool. (*sigh*) The deadline for starting school in Utah is September, and Kaleb was born in October. So technically, he shouldn't start preschool until next year. But... if you know Kaleb, than you KNOW that I would be scouring the city for a place who would bend the rules. I love him to death, but a short break every once in a while would be quite welcome. Well, I was looking for a place in early January. Yes... I was searching that early. And low and behold, I found one. Little Learner's Academy. "Laaaaa!" He goes 2 days a week for 2 hours each day.

Here's Kaleb all dressed up in his "First Day of School" outfit that Charles bought for him that morning on his way home from the night shift. A little last minute... but we're trying to hold off the "need" for an entire new wardrobe at the beginning of each school year. One outfit is all they get for now!


Kaleb was so confused when he saw the new clothes. He's so used to hand-me-downs from Jaden that when he saw that they still had tags on them, he said,

"These Jadna's?"
I said, "No, they're for you!"
He said, "Oh. It's my birthday?"

Here's Kaleb walking from the car to his school...


Walking IN to school...


Not sure about going into his classroom...


We met his 2 teachers: They are the 2 on the left, Miss Starr and Miss Jazzy...


He found where to hang his bag...


At this point the room was filled with about 20 kids and their parents and siblings. Most of them were clinging to their parents. I was so proud of Kaleb as he timidly, began to play with toys. Every once in a while, when he would hear another child scream and yell that they didn't want to stay, he would look at me as if he were about to start clinging and crying, but then he would go back to playing. I was so proud of him! So here he is (with Bradley) playing with the trains.



And here he is after another kid pushed him aside and took the trains. He just looked down, found this freaky looking doll and just held it. I was so mad at that kid. I mean here was Kaleb trying to be so brave, and actually playing with toys instead of bawling his eyes out, and this kid just comes over and pushes him and takes his toys! I started looking around for a parent, but I guess since THAT kid seemed perfectly comfortable being there, his mom or dad had already left.


After a few minutes when Kaleb seemed to be okay, even though no parents had seemed to have left, I told him I was going to leave and that I would be back to pick him up when school was over. He told me he didn't want me to leave. I told him that parents aren't aloud at school. School was for kids. He told me he still didn't want me to go. So I may have told him a small little, white lie. I told him that I would stay, but that I would need to hide so that the teachers didn't kick me out. He seemed satisfied by that compromise, so I gave him a hug, told him I loved him and was proud of him for being so brave, and then I picked up Bradley and left.

I went out and watched him through the one way mirror/window.


After a few minutes the teachers started asking parents to leave. That's when the crap hit the fan. It was CRAZY. All of a sudden it wasn't just kids crying it was parents too! I mean SOBBING! I stayed the next 15 minutes or so till all the parents were out so I could see how Kaleb was handling everything and he was just sitting there quietly watching. One of the teachers started a clapping song, and Kaleb got brave enough to tap his fingers along. After that I left, did some grocery shopping, but made sure I was back a few minutes before Kaleb got out.

Kaleb was a little nervous, but did VERY well. And I think he associates "being good" with not talking. Sad. Like whenever we pick him up from nursery, one of the things we ask him is if he was good for his teachers, and he always says, "I didn't talk." And he doesn't. He is a completely different child in nursery. For me he is wild and loud, but for other teachers he is quiet and... obedient! Well, we told Kaleb that it's okay to talk, but he said he didn't want to. We asked him if he could try and talk "just a little" and he said he would. Here is his report after school:



Kaleb did awesome and we were extremely proud of him. :) Way to go Kiddo!