Vacation Day 3....California Adventures!

We started out our day on the Bear Mountain River Run.  The kids and I went first (Kevin had to make a side trip and missed the first run) and boy did we get wet!  All the work on my hair that morning went right out the window, but it was sure fun (and worth it).  We left the ride, found Dad and decided to go again.  Each time Tyson insisted on sitting next to the opening and each time he left the ride dripping wet.  Luckily we had a change of clothes for him in case of accidents and they came in handy.  I went and bought me a scary hair hiding hat to hide my scary hair and to get a bag for the wet clothes.  Within 15 minutes Tyson was dry, my hair was hidden and we were ready to go (the rest of us had to drip dry...thank goodness we did that ride first).

We got to the main street just in time for Phinneas and Ferb to sing to us.  Tyson still didn't like the characters, but he did do a little street dance to their song.  This was the first of about 8 times that we saw them.  They did a little parade about ever 45 minutes or so.  :)

 After their little show (and still wet) Troy went to get fast passes for Goofy's flying school and we got in line to ride the Zeppher (kind of a silly ride).  We got good and dizzy on that one too.  What is it with parks and circles?????  :)

 We got in line to ride the jumping jellyfish (lamest ride ever according to the kids) and Tyson had a cotton candy meltdown...meaning he saw some, he wanted some, and no way was he going without some.  So he and I left the line and found a vendor and a place to sit and eat our yummy sugar.

 Up......down.......up........down.....woohoo.  ;)

 They're on TV!!!  Cute little box that Tyson did not want to get into.  :)

 We told Annie that she had to ride every ride at least once.  If she didn't like them, she didn't have to go again.  We used our fast passes for Goofy's flying school...way fun little coaster and then got more for California Screamin'.  By this time, Tyson had figured out that people scream on these rides, so he started alternating screaming with giggling.  It was so funny to listen to.  Taylor is a regular dare devil and LOVED every single ride.  He even went on California Screamin' again with Troy...they got the front seat which Troy didn't like as much, but they came off smiling.

California Screamin' is an interesting coaster.  You climb in, put your restraint down as tight as you can get it and then you go.  It's very slow and then you stop.  Just when you think you are safe and it isn't going to be that bad, a voice comes on and says, "California Screamin'....are you ready to scream???  Five, Four, Three, Two, One!".  At that point you go from 0 to 80 in about 2 seconds.  It's like being shot out of a cannon and there is no turning back.  Annie and I were in the last car and we were holding on for dear life.  This thing does not slow down.....not for hills, not for curves.  Annie was terrified of going upside down, but she did great.  I was a little wobbly getting off and for a while I said never again, but now that it's been a few days, I'm ready to go back and ride it some more.

While Dad and the boys did their turn on California Screamin', Annie, Tyson and I rode King Triton's Carousel.  Again with the circles.  I should know better by now.  At least we took a full bottle of Dramamine in with us.  It came in handy.   :)

Finally we headed off to redeem our fast passes to Tower of Terror.  Annie was so scared, and I remember thinking...it's just a ride...we can do it.  We didn't have to wait at all and got right in.  Somehow Troy, Tyson and I ended up on the first row and Taylor, Annie and Kevin right behind us.  The whole thing was kind of goofy with the story and not scary at all.  I looked back at Annie and she was holding Kevin's arm, and Tyson was having the time of his life just in this little ride.  They took us partway up and opened the blinds and we saw the ghosts of the past "accident" beckoning at us...no big deal.  There was a little bump that brought a scream out of Annie and made everyone laugh...no big deal.  They we went to the top.  No big deal. They opened the blinds and showed us California.  Being in front I could not only look out, but down. Nice view.  No big deal.  Then they dropped us.  BIG STINKIN' DEAL....VERY BIG STINKIN' DEAL!!!!!!!!!!!!!  Tyson was with me on every ride and I always kept one hand on him to make sure he was doing ok.  This ride, the poor kid was left to his own devices.  All I could do was scream and hope my flimsy little seat belt didn't break.  We stopped and I landed back in my seat (yes, my big butt was hovering....HOVERING!) and I thought, ok...that's done.  Nope.  The turds sent us up again.  They opened the blinds AGAIN, and they dropped us AGAIN!  One would think that being near death once would prepare you for a second time.  One would be wrong.  I could hear Annie screaming behind me and I knew she was terrified, I could hear Kevin, Taylor and Troy hollering but it wasn't a scary thing...they were having fun.  I could hear Tyson giggling (what is wrong with that child?) and I could hear my own voice.  We got to the bottom, and they sent us up a third time...only halfway, but UP is UP!  After being dropped again, they opened the doors and let us out.  My hands were shaking so badly that I couldn't undo my seat belt.  My knees were shaking so badly that I could hardly walk.  Annie was hanging onto Kevin for dear life and in tears and the rest of our party was grinning from ear to ear.  This is one picture I didn't buy...but I can describe it to you.  Dad and all the boys are grinning and having the time of their lives.  Annie has a look of pure terror on her face, is screaming wildly and has a death grip on Kevin's arm.  I'm not doing much better...hanging onto my seat with white knuckles and mouth open wide.  I did get the aftermath of poor Annie, and she and I have decided that the boys are freaks and that we aren't doing that ride again. Ever.

 Taylor LOVED it....all of it.

 After being terrified, and losing at least 10 years of my life, we wandered over to Monster's Inc.  On the way we passed Mater and McQueen.  Tyson thought this was pretty cool (probably because they didn't move or talk) and let us get a picture with them.  He was more interested in seeing what Mater had for lunch than posing, but a picture is a picture.

After Monster's Inc., we decided to ride the Ferris Wheel.  Because we hadn't had enough action that day, we got into the swinging gondola line.  That line is not for wimps, especially wimps coming from Tower of Terror.  That darn thing moved, swung wildly, and there were no seat belts.  A couple of times I had Tyson's jacket to keep him from flying across to the other seat.  Of course, he loved it.  Annie and I...not so much.

By then, it was about 8:00, so we decided to leave the park and find some dinner.  McDonald's was over near our shuttle bus pickup so it was french fries and nuggets for dinner.  A short ride back to the hotel and a hot shower went far to sooth nerves and relax everyone.  No one had any trouble getting to sleep that night...we wore ourselves out completely!  Coming up...day 4, back to Disneyland and the ride home.

Vacation Day 2....Disneyland!

Monday morning came bright and early (and a little chilly from Sunday's storm), and after a wonderful breakfast at our hotel, we were off.  Tyson had insisted that he was just going to sit in the car and "watch" mom have fun.  That changed as soon as we walked into the park.  We hopped the first ride that came into view...the rockets in Tomorrow Land.  After watching the ride, Tyson was more than ready to try it out.

 Love that cute little face...he was so ready to fly!

 Everyone was excited for this first ride....even Troy and Annie.

 Almost there!!!!!

 We finally made it.  Troy and Taylor had one rocket, Annie and Dad the other, and Tyson and I shared ours.  As soon as it started, Tyson did whatever it is you do to make it go up high and we didn't come down until they made us.  Boy was I dizzy after this one.  :)

 Next we went to the Matterhorn.  Annie posing in line...gorgeous!

 One ride down, and Tyson was already hungry.  It turns out that you burn LOTS of calories at Disneyland and we couldn't keep our kids full.  Thankfully, everyone brought snacks, so we didn't go completely broke.

 You know Troy is excited...patience is not one of his virtues, yet's he's smiling and happy to wait his turn.

 We found out that Disneyland brings the goofy out in dad...at least he isn't scowling at the camera.  :)

 After the Matterhorn, we walked all over the place trying to figure out where things were, and what we wanted to do.  We secured some fast passes, and took the time to ride the boat (Tyson LOVED it) and pretend we were pirates.  The best part was firing the cannon off the bow.

 I guess my camera lense was a little dirty, so the picture isn't clear, but this was a good sized ship.  Below deck was a museum that Troy took Tyson to see.

 After the boat ride, we decided Splash Mountain was next. While we were waiting in line, Brer Bear came for a visit and scared the crap out of Tyson.  He didn't appreciate the characters wandering around Disneyland like everyone else.  Annie got a hug and Kevin got a head rub.

 One of Annie's biggest fears were the bigger rides.  She did not think she'd like them.  Here is the sign for Splash Mountain...50 foot PLUNGE?!?!?!?!?!  Bwahahahahahahahaha!

Here is before................                                                            

Here is during................

 I didn't get a picture after, but I can promise that it was a big smile.  In fact, Annie announced that Splash Mountain was a favorite ride.

On the way out, I stopped to buy our picture and we found Eeyore.  He was so cute and I would have loved to get a picture, but again, full size characters freaked Tyson out and we stayed away....FAR AWAY.  Kind of a bummer, we saw Pooh and Tigger as well, but no dice.

 We had fast passes to the Thunder Mountain Railroad (my personal favorite) and we went through so quickly that I didn't get any pictures, but everyone had a blast on that one.  Even miss Annie.  I think after Splash Mountain she decided that Disneyland wasn't so bad after all.

No trip is complete without a ride on Buzz Lightyear.  Tyson LOVED it and I let him "dribe".  He's a scary driver and I got a little dizzy, but I think that helped my score.  Level 3 (is that good???).

 Annie was looking for a way to keep her ears warm and found this adorable hat.  You can't see it, but there is a Mickey pin on the other side.  She looked good in it.

 The boys also got cold once the sun went down.  Tyson found this at the Star Wars store after Star Tours (my no so favorite...I got motion sick big time).

 Troy got Darth Mickey (or Darth Vader).

 Taylor picked Yoda.  Knowing Taylor, there was really no other hat to choose, and he loves it.  He's worn it to school all week.

 After riding all of the bigger rides, we took the chance during the fireworks to split up.  Dad, Troy and Taylor went to Indiana Jones while Tyson, Annie and I went to Winnie the Pooh.  It wasn't busy at all...not one person in line and it was so nice to sit, and Tyson just loved it, so they let us go around several time.  5 times to be exact, then Annie couldn't take it anymore and we went looking for the boys.  We met up at the Haunted Mansion (sorry, but this was a really dumb ride) as our last hoorah of the night.

 One the way out we stopped for some candy (we just didn't have enough sugar in our systems from the cotton candy and pop we'd had all day, and needed more), and a picture at the Christmas tree.  Here is one of the kids....

 And someone was nice enough to get one of our family.  I was wearing Tyson's stormtrooper hat because he was tired of wearing it and didn't want to "wose" it.  I got a lot of weird looks, but hey...keeping my 4 year old happy is much more important that people thinking I was a dork (or maybe I was sexy...hmmmm). :)

We got back to our hotel at 11:30, got showers and put our sore, tired feet and bodies into bed.  Favorites:  Splash Mountain, Matterhorn, Thunder Mountain RR, Space Mountain, Star Tours (for the kids), and Buzz Lightlear.  Not so favorite:  Haunted Mansion, and Nemo's sub (Tyson kind of freaked out during that one and hid under my jacket the entire time).  Rides we did once and that were fun, but once was enough:  Autopia (Tyson drove on that one too...we bounced from side to side the whole trip), the rockets and the boat.  Day 3....California Adventures!

Vacation Day 1....traveling

We decided that we needed a vacation, so we reserved a hotel room, packed the car and the kids, and headed for Disneyland.  Everyone was SO excited!  Troy has been to Disneyland, but I hadn't been since I was 11, and Kevin hadn't been in a while either, and the three younger kids had never been.  The trip over was so long and seemed like it took forever, but since we were all in good spirits it wasn't bad.

Miss Annie has decided that she does not like her picture taken, and she was not looking forward to the roller coasters, so to get her to smile was a fight.  Little stinker.

 Troy was raring to go (he was in the next bed over in the hotel room and wouldn't quit talking), and grinning all the way over.

 Taylor was the cause of this stop and had to "rest" so badly that he didn't take the time to put on his shoes. As a reward, he got a sock full of stickers and spent a few minutes trying to get them all out.

 Tyson did amazingly well on this trip.  Usually he's puking every 10 miles, but we didn't have one problem (thank heavens!).  He like the potty stops so he could get out and stomp in the dirt.

My sexy sweetheart coming back from seeing the monument and ready to get down the road.  I think our stops and starts annoyed him more than anyone.  :)

 I was just as excited as the kids.  When I went, Dustin was 3 and we only spent one day there, so we didn't do anything big and fun...just the little stuff (which was still fun).  I was excited to try some of the roller coasters and rides that I missed before.

 We finally made it.  A storm hit just as we got to Riverside and it poured like crazy.  There was about 5 feet of visibility with the rain and the fog, I couldn't see the lane lines, and those California drivers are flying past me at 70 (can you say NUTS?!?!?!?!?).  Kevin was navigating and encouraging me, but it was pretty scary.  By the time we made it to our hotel, my knees were shaking and my hands hurt from holding the steering wheel so tightly.  It was sure nice to get off the streets and into a nice, safe, parking lot.  :)

We got to meet up with our friends the Rareba's (I used to babysit their little girls) for dinner and had a great time chatting with them and Nia and Nana...we also got to know the newest little one, Lewa.  She's adorable, just like her sisters.  After a quick trip to see their new house, it was back to the hotel for showers, jammies, and down time.  Tyson was so up on down time that he was annoyed I was taking his picture.

 Got a smile out of my girl!  She was glad to be out of the car too.

 Mr. Taylor taking his turn at the computer and down time.  We really scored with our hotel room.  We got a two room suite with 2 big, comfy beds, an "L" shaped couch for Annie and Taylor to share, and a full kitchen....not that we did any cooking, but it was nice to have it there.  Breakfast was served every morning and it was pretty tasty.  I would definitely hit the Homewood Suites again.

 My sweet hubby is a little too excited to be out of the car, don't you think?  What a goof!

We finally got everyone settled in and comfortable, though everyone but Tyson had trouble getting to sleep. Finally, they were all snoozing, which was a good thing, because Monday was a doozy!  :)

Happy Birthday Taylor!!!

Mr. Taylor turns 9 today...can't believe how time flies!  We had his birthday dinner and cake last night with Grandma and Grandpa and it was a lot of fun.  Taylor decided on a Captain America cake, so we made the shield.  The only complaint I got was that the pink is supposed to be red.  Oh, well...can't win them all, right? :)

 Since he was sick with a cold I consider this smile a good thing...poor kid.

Tyson was able to exhibit the right amount of excitement for the cake and has since requested that I make him a cake....on an hourly basis.

Taylor and Grandma visiting...anxiously waiting for the ice cream to soften.

This kid cracks me up....he gets so shy over things.  Tyson on the other hand is completely excited for fire...the little pyro.

 I just missed him blowing out the candles...9 at once, good job Taylor!

Taylor is my sweet, giggly, goofy, adorable little man and we are so thankful he is a part of our family.  Happy Birthday Taylor!

Hair Days

Annie had a party on Saturday and since the gal was turning 12, it was a makeover party.  Miss Annie came home looking super cute with a little makeup, and a new 'do.  Daddy is already looking into boarding schools.  :)

 From the side...I don't know how those curls stayed, but they did.

 On Sunday, I had choir practice, and when I got home, all the boys were laughing and the camera was out.  Annie came to the door in her Mickey's Wizard hat.  I could not figure out what was going on until they took her hat off of her and there was Mater hanging from her head.  


Apparently, she did not learn from the last time this happened and started Mater's wheels a turnin' then ran him through her hair.  Sure enough, just like last time, he got stuck.  She was NOT a happy camper, though it is hard to tell from this picture.

 Such embarrassment!  BUT, it gets worse....

 The men of the house with their infinite amount of intelligence decided the only way to get her hair out was to cut it and they were getting ready to do that before I rescued her.

I had Troy bring me a screwdriver, and I dismantled/broke apart poor Mater...much to Tyson's dismay (sorry buddy...sister's hair is more important).  I got it down to one wheel and the gears and couldn't get her hair out.  So, a quick trip to our wonderful YW president who also happens to be our hairdresser extraordinaire and she was able to get Annie's hair out without too much damage.  Some wisps around her face fixed that.  Sadly, she was having a presidency meeting when we crashed her house, so all of Annie's future YW leaders were witnesses to our little drama.  Oh well...they have to know what's coming right?  ;)