Epic Family Vacation - Day 6

Friday was our final day in the parks.  In fact, the rest of the AZ family was already driving back so it was just us and the Falseys.  As soon as we entered the park Stevie made a beeline for the Frozen line where he stood for 40 minutes.  During this time, the girls and I met Donald Duck, Chip and Dale, took pictures in front of the castle, and rode a couple rides (including Alice in Wonderland for 10th-ish time!)  Then we met up with the Falseys for some more rides and at 10:50am, our assigned return time, got back in the Frozen line.  Where the 4 of us waiting, some more patiently than others, for another 70 minutes.  Yep - 70.  By far, the longest line we stood in.  But it was all worth it when the girls got to meet Anna and Elsa for about 2 minutes and take some pictures.

Friday night California Adventure got really busy because Disneyland closed early, but we made it until about 10 pm then headed back to the hotel and crashed.  

That was the end of the epic family vacation.  There will be a future post coming with some professional shots but otherwise, I think it's time to start planning the next one, right?!?

Epic Family Vacation - Day 5

On Thursday we went back to Disneyland and used our Magic Morning, which gets you into the park 1 hour before opening.  The only problem: it also gets 1 million of your closest Disney-loving friends in an hour early and they only open Tomorrowland and Fantasy Land.  Yikes!  To say it was crowded would be an understatement.  Our plan was to get over to the Frozen Encounter early but, unfortunately, we weren't the only ones with that plan.  This was our second (failed) attempt, but more on that in the next post.

In other words - we will not be using our Magic Morning again.  It was a total waste of getting up early and it would have been more beneficial to enjoy and leisurely breakfast or sleep-in before hitting the parks.

But, that aside, it was a great day nonetheless.  

Two quick notes about Thursday:

• Harper's look when she saw Alice was priceless and I will never forget it.
• Harper became obsessed with the Frozen miniatures she bought and (as the last picture shows) it was all she wanted to do first thing in the morning and right before going to sleep.

Epic Family Vacation - Day 4

We spent Wednesday in California Adventure!  There are lots of great rides there and Shyla even announced that she likes CA Adventure better than Disneyland.  Some of our favorites include: Soarin', all of Bugs Land (but especially Heimlich), Toy Story Mania, and (of course) Cars Land.

Epic Family Vacation - Day 3

Tuesday was our first day in the park!  We arrived right on time and were super excited to get the fun started!  We met up with the Woods, had Jerry take this family picture, and we were off!

We went straight for the Frozen Encounter but realized very quickly that we'd have to make a new plan for that attraction (more about that on Friday's post).

There were hardly any crowds, the girls spent their money right away, and we got on lots of rides.  Harper walked around the park holding hands with Joey - which was great because she had definitely been feeling a little left out from being the littlest cousin.

Disneyland is always exhausting but so filled with happy memories!

Epic Family Vacation - Day 2

After leaving Palm Springs we grabbed a yummy lunch and headed to Anaheim.  It only took about 2 hours and the girls slept the whole way there!  We got checked into our hotel and, after Shyla tried to run through the {really clean} sliding glass door to the balcony because she saw the Tower of Terror, we hung out and waited for Grandma and Grandpa to arrive.  Once they got settled we walked to Downtown Disney and had dinner at the House of Blues.  The walk from our hotel to Disneyland was 0.8 miles and we did it 16 times over the course of the 5 days!

What a clan!  Somehow we managed to get everyone to look at the camera!  The vacation was off to a great start!

Epic Family Vacation - Day 1

We just got back from a truly epic family vacation to Disneyland.  And when I say family …. I mean F•A•M•I•L•Y!  This vacation included the 4 of us, Chelsea's 4, Mom & Dad (2), the Falsey 4, and our friends the Woods (4).  Wow - that's 18 people ready for fun!

We broke the trip up by stopping in Palm Springs for the night with Chelsea's family.  I'm glad we did it that way - it was good bonding time and was actually pretty low-key.  We spent a lot of time at the pool, had a really healthy dinner, and got a good night's sleep before heading off to Anaheim the next day.

Oh, Harper!

So, Harper is a total ham.  Here's the proof!

I'm wondering if anyone knows how to stop time so we can enjoy this stage for longer?  Pretty please? it's pretty awesome!

Shyla's Family Birthday Dinner

On her actual birthday we celebrated by having a yummy muffin for breakfast (thanks, Ms. Shari) and then the whole family came over for dinner and dessert.

It was, of course, a great evening that made a little girl feel very special.

It was, also, a giant bummer when she put her fingers in the flame of the candle.

Weekend at Kierland

Kierland Resort with my family is my happy place.  I just love it there and we always get the chance to make so many memories.

Toward the end of May we went up for just a long weekend because Aunt Kirstin, Uncle Jim, and the twins were there for another reason - and we will always take any reason to spend time with them!

I didn't take many pictures and Harper was not being a good girl at night-time, but all-in-all it was a great weekend!

Attempting to get a family picture...

As you are aware, I am always questing after getting a good family picture.  We attempted to get one when the whole family was over at Chelsea and Mike's house.  Not great.  The princess was pouty.

Shyla Turns 5!

Last May, Shyla turned five!  I cannot believe that happened!  We had her party at Get Air Tucson (an indoor trampoline park) and everyone had a great time!

Even Dan and Erin were here (Shyla may or may not have guilted him a little bit - and it also happened to be the same weekend as Nick's wedding!)

It was so nice to see her playing with school friends (Taylor and Gavin) in addition to the friends she gets to see often.  Also, we brought fancy donuts in lieu of cake which turned out to be brilliant!