M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E!!!

On October 27th we had the great opportunity, or should I say we took the daring chance, to take all three kids on a trip to California. I have a riddle for you: What to you get when you cross an impatient 8 year old, a restless 2 year old, a tired 6 week old all packed into a 5 seater 4Runner? You will probably be able to draw your own conclusion on that one. I think a good answer would be: 2 parents with ulcers and mid-vacation remorse. All I can say is thank goodness for the electronic babysitter: the portable DVD player. (By the way, the first DVD player broke by Fillmore so you can bet that we used some emergency funds to replace it in St George. The trip was way too long to not have it.) We stopped at my grandparents house in St George which i affectionately call the Lundberg Hotel. They always "leave the lights on for us" and are happy to let us use their facilities and borrow a bowl of cereal. The kids love it there. I am so lucky to still have my granparents with me and I am so lucky that my kids can have a little taste of what Grandmas house was like for me as a child.

Next stop...dads house in southern california. This one called the Watson hotel. The Watson Hotel is crowded nowadays but nonetheless available and comfortable. We say "the more, the merrier". And boy is my family ever merry. Final Destination: Disneyland!!! We were all very excited to see the "Disneyland left" sign on higway 57 in Anaheim. Eric and I have taken the kids there 4 times now and will keep on doing it over and over. We both love it and have fond memories of visiting as kids with our families since we are both native Californians. This time of year Disneyland was all decked out for Halloween as you can see in these pics. Paige learned without a doubt what candy corn is and calls pumpkins "punkin patch". "Look at the punkin patch mommy!"

First Stop: Bugs Life Land where Paige could actually ride all the rides. She had a great time on this one where the lady bug spins around and around. Ick. Notice I am not on this ride. Happy to stay off and watch from the sidelines. But boy did they ever enjoy it. There is something awesome about hearing your kids shreik with excitement while being spun around endlessly. Luckily there were no barfing incidents. Whew!

Braiden, being an old pro at the Disneyland thing, was happy to show Paige the ropes. Paige was not too fond of the Jungle Cruise. The animals were just a little too close for comfort for her. Cameron liked this one though. He slept right through the entire ride. (surprise, surprise). We made our way to all the faves: Indiana Jones, The Haunted House, Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, Toon Town, and The Finding Nemo Adventure (very fun, by the way). Sadly, Small World and Alice in Wonderland rides were closed.

The first day we were there, we watched the fireworks show from behind the Sleeping Beauty Castle where they had closed off all the areas surrounding the Peter Pan ride and Snow White ride for danger of falling ashes. We waited right there and when the show was over and they opened the area we walked right on to Peter Pan and then Snow White. That was awesome considering the Peter Pan seems to always have a 45 minute wait.

In Toon Town we went to Mickeys House and waited to get pictures with Mickey. This was especially exciting for Paige since she is a die-hard fan of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. She can name all the Disney Characters. Thats pretty good for a 2 year old. When she saw Mickey, she was in awe. He bent down and kissed her on the head and that was the best moment of her life thus far. She walked out saying "Kissy on the head" and holding her hand on her head. If you ask her even now she will tell you "Micky kissy on the head". She is so cute.

We watched the Parade of Dreams on the second night and Braiden and Paige got some awesome seats. It pays to have a huge stroller and a scary face. Heh! They watched the parade intently and yelled for all their favorite characters to come say hello to them. They had some close encounters with Goofey, the blue fairy, Peter Pan and others.

At the end of the second night, we were all very tired and ready to go but sad, nonetheless to leave the happiest place on earth. The trip home was a ling drive filled with bribery and empty threats but we made it home and everyone was still alive and well. To answer my riddle from the beginning: You get a memorable family vacation that will hopefully be smiled upon years from now at some family reunion.