San Francisco

After enjoying the beach at Santa Cruz we got back in the van and headed up the California Coast to San Francisco.  We would have loved to be able to spend more time in San Francisco, but we will have to do that another time.  We were able to go across the Golden Gate Bridge and then go up to the Marin Headlands and look at the gorgeous view of San Francisco, the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz. 

Pigeon Point Lighthouse in Pescadero California

We love lighthouses

Driving across the Golden Gate Bridge

Driving across the bridge

We liked the rainbow on this tunnel

The family with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background

Another picture!

Alcatraz

The Bay Bridge

San Francisco

California Coast

On February 17th, we left Anaheim and headed up the California coast to Santa Cruz.  On our way to Santa Cruz we passed by Hearst Castle, Carmel and Monte Rey.  In Carmel, we stopped at a darling little general store.  That town is very quaint and cute.  We got to Santa Cruz late and so we just went straight to our hotel.  In the morning, we headed to the Beach Boardwalk at Santa Cruz and saw the amusement park there.  It was closed, but we had a great time soaking in the sun on the beach.

Shaylee came up with all of her poses on her own.  She loves to get her picture taken.

As you can see, Jaron was very excited to get his picture taken!

The amusement park on the beach boardwalk of Santa Cruz.

The kids loved playing in the warm sand.  It was a GORGEOUS day!

Disneyland Day 3

On day three, our day started a bit on the crazy side.  Kenyon was trying to dry his shoes from our wet day the day before and he set them on the heater turned the heater on full blast and then left them and went on his merry way getting ready.  When he went to put his shoes on as we were heading out the door, his shoes had big holes in them!  It took me a minute to realize that the heater had melted the plastic of the shoes.  YIKES!  (and they were expensive Nikes, of course, they couldn't be cheapy shoes).  So, while I headed out the door with the other four kids to Disneyland, Pete and Kenyon headed off to Walmart to buy Kenyon new shoes.  Not a good way to start the day, but Pete was super fast and was able to meet us at our first ride of the day, Peter Pan.  We waited in this line for probably minutes.  It was the longest line we waited in for a ride.  It was worth it because it is a classic.  Pete and Maycee didn't go on it, instead Pete went and got fast passes for another ride (I can't remember which one).  We spent the morning at DL and rode Peter Pan, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, Dumbo, Star Tours, Buzz Lighter Year's Astroblasters (Jaron did not ride this on our first day because he was so sick), Splash Mountain, and Pirate's of the Carribean.  I really wanted to ride Space Mountain, but it was closed.  Pete stood in line for an hour so that Shaylee could go to the Princess Fantasy Faire.  She and Maycee got to see Cinderella, Ariel, and Belle.  While they did that I took the boys to Toon town, since it is right next door.  The older boys rode Gadget's Go Coaster (the said it was lame) and I took Jaron to meet Mickey.  He loved Mickey's house it was so cute.  Luckily while we were waiting to see Mickey Pete and the girls were done at the Princess faire and were able to come and meet us just in time to go in and meet Mickey.  The older boys were so mad when they realized that they missed out on Mickey for "stupid, and very short ride", but such is life.  Before leaving they were able to see Pluto and meet Donald Duck (Jaron's favorite Disney character).  It was now time to head off to California Adventure.

At California Adventure we rode all of our favorite rides again and again and again.  I don't know how many times the boys rode California Screamin', but they loved that ride!  We had a great day and rode until we could ride no more!  Pete and the boys had to go on a few last rides, so I took the three little ones and got a spot for the World of Color.  I love that show, it was so pretty and the kids seemed to enjoy it.  After the park closed we headed out to Downtown Disney and went to the Disney store and bought all of our souvenirs from there.  The kids all got some fun things and we were able to call it a very successful Disney vacation.

On this day the kids ate pretzel hot dogs from a pretzel place in Downtown Disney and Pete and I ate at a burrito place.  It had an outdoor eating area and so we left the kids with Brandon in charge while I went into the burrito place with Pete to decide what I wanted.  I then came back out while he paid and got the food.  When I came outside a lady sitting just a few tables down told me that my kids are the best behaved children she has ever seen.  She couldn't believe how good they were with each other and they all stayed right where we sat them and ate and didn't get up and mess around.  I was a very proud momma!  They got lots of praise for their wonderful behavior.  They were so great the whole trip.  Very little whining and complaining.

Sleeping Beauty's castle

Brandon, Shaylee Kenyon, Steph and Pete (Maycee was sleeping and Jaron was having attitude)

The kids with Alice and the Mad Hatter (Shaylee loves Alice)

Shaylee at the Princess Fantasy Faire

Shaylee and Belle

Cinderella loved Maycee- I adore this picture

 

Cinderella and Shaylee

Ariel and Shaylee (her favorite princess)

Toon Town (the only thing worth doing here is Mickey's house)

Toon Town

Mickey's House

Maycee, Steph, Jaron, Mickey, Shaylee and Pete- Loved this!

Donald and Brandon

Kenyon and Donald

Shaylee and Donald

Donald and Jaron - he was so excited to meet Donald

Pluto

 We had such a great time at Disneyland and we hope to do it again in a few years.  Thanks to all my friends who gave us such great advice on how to work the system to our advantage.  It made a world of difference.

Disneyland Day 2

On day 2, we spent the day at California Adventure.  We got there right when it opened and I headed to the Toy Story ride with the kids while Pete went to get fast passes for Soarin' over California.  When I got to Toy Story the line was already WAY long.  I didn't want to start out the day with a long line, so instead I went to see what else the park had to offer.  Brandon wanted to go on California Screamin' anyway.  Pete met up with us and we realized that the Toy Story ride was broken which is why the line was so long so soon after the park opened.  They made everyone get out of line and closed it temporarily, so I was super happy I hadn't sat in that line for 25 minutes and then had to get out.  We spent the morning going on the Mickey's fun wheel (Pete, Brandon and Kenyon went on this- rated it OK), Ariel's undersea adventure (I rode this three times with the three little ones while the others were on the Ferris Wheel - the little kids liked it), California Screamin' (LOVED it, best ride in the park including DL) and Jumpin' Jellyfish (Shaylee's favorite ride- she laughed the WHOLE time).  Buy this time it was time to go to California Soarin' for our fast passes.  I went with the four oldest and Pete stayed with Maycee.  I convinced Jaron he would love it, but when we actually got in there and he saw the weird seats, he refused to go on it, so Jaron, Shaylee and I all had to leave the ride.  Shaylee was not seven, so she couldn't ride any ride without an adult on with her.  Brandon and Kenyon stayed and rode it alone.  I took Jaron to Pete and then got back in line.  Luckily they gave me a parents pass, so Shaylee and I could go right onto the ride.  After Soarin' Over Ca. the weather took a turn and it started raining.  It was great.  Everyone left the park and it was like a ghost town.  The rest of that day we rode ride after ride after ride most with almost no wait at all.  We did have to wait for Toy Story, but even that was only like a 15 minute wait.  The rest of the rides we rode that day were: Monsters Inc. (cute), Tower of Terror (awesome), King Triton's Carousel (good kid ride), Goofy's Sky School (Brandon and Kenyon loved it and I thought it was fun), Mickey's Silly Swings (Kenyon's favorite), Flik's Flyers, Francis Ladybug Boogy, Heimlich's Chew Chew Train, Tuck and Roll's Drive Em Buggies (all of these rides are great for the little kids).

We also saw the Muppets 3D movie and the Bugs Life Show.  I loved the Bugs Life show.  It was so much fun.  It was such a great day.  We were wet, but we went on so many rides I can't even count them.  It was worth the rain to be able to get off a ride and go and get right back on it.  Brandon, Kenyon and I rode Goofy's Flying School five times in a row.  We got off, back on, off....  It really was so much fun!  We also were able to ride Toy Story Mania three times in a row.  We had so much fun!  This day for dinner we were going to go to the Rain Forest Cafe, but it was so late and the wait was an hour long, so we ate at the McDonald's across the street.  I will say, I was so hungry and that was best McD's I have ever eaten!  YUM! 

Pete and Shaylee

 

Brandon ramming Jaron and me.

Brandon crashing in to Kenyon.  See all the empty bugs!

We rode this one a ton because it was under cover.  The kids loved this one.

Shaylee and I getting rained on.  This ride had the rain streaming off the top of the nut and right onto our heads!

Yep, it's pouring rain and we are riding rides!  That's Kenyon in the green poncho.

Pete thought this was the funniest name for a food stand!

King Triton's Carousel.  They rode this while we were riding California Screamin'

Shaylee's favorite ride!  We rode this like five times!