Visiting Friends

Our last California stop was of course the most important! We stopped to see our very good friends the Platts. They lived behind us in West Jordan and moved to Indio (near Palm Desert and Palm Springs) just a few weeks after we moved to Riverton. The girls were so excited to see the boys and asked every 20 min or so if we were there yet. Finally when I saw the windmills I could tell them we were REALLY close. Our kids are all close to the same ages and were really good friends when we lived near them and it was not any different this time.

We invited them over to our condo to go swimming. The kids had a blast! They played and swam for what seemed like forever! There was a HUGE pool, a kid pool and water fountains that come out of the cement. That was just one pool area of the 3 the resort has!

Holly and I were really starting to get hungry so we pulled 7 reluctant children out of the water and we headed to Red Robin for dinner. Once we got there the kids immediately paired off. Katya and Parker, Taylor and Isaac and Brynn and Chloe. The big Red Robin was there. Chloe was not too happy to see him. The rest were though. Although I don't think Parker, Katya and Taylor would admit it.

The 4 oldest got to have a table all to themselves and get waited on like adults. They thought they were the coolest kids ever. It was so cute! We were there nearly all night!

Once home and kids all tucked in Holly and I went out for our habitual late night Wal-mart shopping. We found some fun stuff but mostly it was great just doing what we always did when we lived by each other. We were severely tired but we had fun anyway. Who doesn't have fun when the fitting room is closed so you have to try on clothes OVER your existing clothes?

I am so glad we made the stop. I wish we had been able to stay another day or two but I had to get back to Salt Lake for 2 concerts I had to sing at that weekend. We are hoping to come back out in October when the kids go back off track again.

Disney again!

Today was a special day at Disneyland again! We went to Disneyland with our good friends and neighbors the Rasi-Koskinens. Their daughter Kirsi is Brynn's best friend. How cool is that! Who goes to Disneyland with their best friend at the age of 5?! We also teach their other daughter Kaylee at church. We just LOVE their kids. It was so much fun being with them. We had a great day.




Right off we got to see Suzy Mouse
from Cinderella. We didn't get to
see Cinderella at all! Surprisingly
Brynn wasn't all that upset about it.






Yesterday Brynn REALLY wanted to go on the Dumbo ride but it was SOOOOOO long and not so easy to get Samantha in one of the elephants so we didn't go. I promised her it would be the first ride we went on. Sure enough she remembered and off we went to ride flying elephants.
We did the teacups again.

Then it was off to Pirate Island to find Captain Jack Sparrow. As we docked on the island I realized we left the autograph books in the stroller instead of in the bag I had. RRRRRR! I sent Joe back to get them. The island was SOOOOOOO cool! I wish we had spent more time there. We lost Ry for a bit. There were these caves all over that went everywhere. The kids had a blast! They all had to go potty so we sat out side the rest room waiting for them.

I called Joe to see where he was. He was just getting back so I told him if he finds Captain Jack to call and we'll come running. I ended the call and looked up just as Captain Jack came out of the employee area! How lucky was that?! The kids were SOOOOOOO excited! We got great pictures of him. He was a great Captain Jack. You would almost think it was Johnny Depp. He took Katya's little purse thing and shook it by his ear and kept it and kept walking away. TOO funny! I forgot to get my picture with him. I was sad at the end of the day...



We headed over to California Adventures and stopped for lunch near Bug Land then headed over there to see the bug show. It was really cute! The 3D glasses made you look like you had a bug face. As we ventured further into Bug Land we saw Princess Atta. Brynn and Kirsi were so excited!

We went on the lady bugs and the bumper bugs. The line for the last one said 20 min. We were in line for nearly an hour and it wasn't a very easy line to get back out of so we just stayed. We got to the front and realized we didn't have enough adults to take all the kids on the ride. So Ryan got to ride with a Disney person! He thought he was so cool.

When we came out of the ride we couldn't' find G-ma! We looked all over bug land. No G-ma! I stopped a security officer and gave him her description and our phone numbers. After that Joe went one way and I went another. We were going to miss our Princess dinner if we didn't find her soon. About 10 min later Joe found her. Crazy G-ma! She really thought we had just left and gone on with out her.













We made it on time for our special princess dinner. It was so amazing. The food was crap but to see the kids' faces when they got the special attention from each princess it was awesome! Ryan REALLY liked Belle. He showed her a "neat trick". He did a forward roll on the floor in the middle of the restaurant. He couldn't stop talking to her! It was SO cute!





Joe and I then Joe and Tay went on the California Screamin'. That was a blast. It was Tay's Favorite ride! The kids rode the merry go round and then we headed back to Disneyland. As we left the kids asked for cotton candy so Joe got some. The lady asked Ryan to say "Thanks Scallywag"(he was wearing his pirate ears) He did and she gave him a free cotton candy! He was so proud of that cotton candy!

We wanted to go on Pirates again and see how the line for Indiana Jones was. As we walked in we saw Mickey, Minnie(again), Donald and Goofy(again). Ryan was beside himself. He saw the 2 people he wanted to.

We rode Pirates again and then headed back to the condo. We waved good by to the Happiest Place on Earth. We will go back again soon.

DISNEYLAND!!!!

What a fabulous day! We stayed in Disneyland all day! It was WAY busier and alot more crowded then it was on Saturday! We couldn't believe it!

We got to spend the day with Joe's sister Jackie and her husband Russel and their daughter Samantha. The kids were so excited to see their cousin. With Samantha with us in her wheelchair we got to go to the front of most of the lines! Samantha was born with Spina Bifida. She will never walk.

Our first ride was the Haunted Mansion. I was surprised that Tay was scared but Joe wasn't helping any....

We headed over to the tea cups next. That was fun! It was the only ride Ryan REALLY wanted to go on. He's asked to go on it every day since we got here. We all split up. Joe got the kids, I got Jackie and Russel and Ryan and Grandma just went and joined a strangers tea cup! Too funny!

Next was Alice in Wonderland and then Storybook land.

We headed over to go on Nemo but the line was 2 hours long!!! And there was not a fast pass! We decided to break for lunch and as we were leaving Buzz came! Ryan wanted to meet 2 people. Buzz and Mickey. He was SOOOOOOOO excited! He ran over there so fast he forgot his autograph book!

On our way to the car to eat we saw Gepetto.
Ry got to sit on his knee.












After lunch it was time to go on Buzz Lightyear! What a super fun ride!!! Every one gets a lazer gun and you shoot at targets adn bad guys as you go through the ride! It was so cool! Ry LOVED it. So did Joe he almost had the super high score!












Star tours was next. The kids LOVED it and wanted to go again! Ryan thought we had actually got to outer space!

We headed over to go see Honey I Shrunk the Audience and ran into Minnie Mouse!

Ryan got a big giant kiss from her!

It started to get cold and I thought my jacket was in the stroller but it wasn't so I ran out to the van. While I ran out there every one went on the Jungle Cruise. I like that ride so I was sad I missed it... I came back jacket less! We had left it at the condo somehow. The kids were just coming down from Tarzan's tree house when I got back. In the tree house Tay climbed all the way to the top of the rope!

Pirates was our next stop! Everyone loves this ride and today was no exception. We went again later. As the ride begins they say "no flash photography" I turned off my flash and then took a picture. It flashed! I couldn't believe it! So I turned it off again and took pictures then toward the end it flashed again! Stupid camera....

We went on the Winnie the Pooh Ride. We had to wait for the wheelchair car to come. Once it did the music stopped! So we rode the ride in silence. We went to the shop after and when we came out there was sound again so we went again. Much better with sound.

We got ears for all the kids. They took a long time
deciding which ones they wanted but in the end
they all picked the perfect ones.

It was time to call it a night. We went to the front gate to watch the fireworks show so we could beat the crowd out. We had great seats! I had never seen the new show with all the words and music before. I was in tears because it was so magical and I was so glad that I could give this experience to my kids.

We said good night and good bye to our family and went to IHOP to eat. The kids fell asleep at the table.

It was a very long day but so amazing and full of magic and wonder and happiness.