Disney
This picture pretty much sums up how we feel about Disneyland. Pure delight!
Uncle Ryan recently moved to California so we paid him a visit. He was a gracious host and let 11 of us stay at his newly renovated beach house. The cutest little place ever. With 1930's charm.
The beach was right across the street.
Here is Uncle Ryan {in his James Bond convertible} off to the Long Beach airport to pick up Kyleigh from her flight. She got a kick out of that! We all drove down but Kyleigh we flew so she wouldn't miss too much school and drill practice.
We are so used to conveniently staying in a hotel across the street from Disneyland, so driving from Ryan's place everyday and having to park and ride the shuttle back and forth was a new adventure for us.
It was fun seeing the Halloween decor.
The Jungle Cruise is our first ride. Always!
This kid had some really cute moments and then not so cute. I've never had a kid throw a tantrum in Disneyland. Until Miss Kate. She managed a couple of doozies. You add the heat. The humidity. The crowds. Disneyland the happiest place on earth? uh huh, sure.......
We are pleased that she kept her clothes on the entire time. Because ya know, she would prefer to not have them on.
We are pleased that she kept her clothes on the entire time. Because ya know, she would prefer to not have them on.
Kate had fun hanging with her cousins Daniel and Taylor. In case she had too much unsupervised fun and got lost from us I risked ink poisoning and everyday wrote my contact info on her arm.
One of our favorite Disneyland treats!! We had our fair share. ;)
The parade. Oh golly. I get teary eyed watching that thing. We watched it three times. Two of the nights we had front row view. One of the highlights for sure!! Both nights that we sat up close, Peter Pan came over to my girls and teased them... He was so in character. They were dy'in! One night Aladdin even blew Hannah a kiss!
A bit of Emmsie humor which included pulling Kyleigh out of the wishing well. That wishing well area.... Happens to be one of my favorite spots in the entire park!
Our friends, the Richardsons, happened to be in Disneyland too. The kids were able to ride rides together. Gosh, that was way fun for them!
Brie's friend had tennis shoes on with a 3 inch heel to help her meet the height requirements for some of the rides. {Been there done that with platform boots and a fake hair piece!} The shoes belong to someone in their ward who loans them out to whomever needs a boost of heigth for Disneyland!
Brie is getting baptized next month! We took pictures of her in her baptism dress on the beach. So fun.
We spent quite a bit of time in the car. Their were some funny moments for sure. One time I thought Kyleigh and Emma were going to pee their pants they were laughing so hard. Mostly over Hannah and her plight. She was squeezed in the very back with the luggage. Not much room there. at all.
You should have seen our cars...we were loaded down...A sight to behold. Hannah could tell ya.
11 of us with our luggage crammed in two cars. We even pulled a U-Haul on the way down of Uncle R's things.
I have to admit I have a love hate relationship with travel.
The idea of it sounds so appealing. But the effort it takes to prepare and pack and make sure all loose ends are tied up with non vacation life before we head. Good night! And then I add more fuel to the fire by insisting that we leave a house that is in order. It drives everybody crazy because they are stuck cleaning up to the last possible minute before we leave. haha! But who wants to come home from vacation to a mess on top of the inevitable "trip aftermath" mess? not me.
SO...It just so happened that Kyleigh had a really fun date while she was in Disneyland!! Lucky girl! Her friend Schyler's birthday was a couple of weeks before the trip. Knowing that his family was going to be there the same time that we were she gave him a Disney inspired gift......
Hannah happily helped decorate his birthday box with pirate skull duct tape!
Inside the pirate skull was a certificate good for lunch at the Blue Bayou Restaurant. Ya know the restaurant you see with the twinkling lights off to your right when you are ready to embark on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride? Seriously, how fun is that? We filled the box with Pirate bootie, gold treasure (rolos) and chocolate donuts...
So the day of their lunch date, while they were eating, the waitress brought Schyler this pirate treasure chest and treasure map rolled up in a scroll. It had instructions to unlock the chest to find out who had asked him to the dance! {We spelled out K-Y-L-E-I-G-H on seven different pirate coins}...
He finally found out that she was the mystery girl all along.
Which is another story in and of itself....
Kyleigh had actually asked Schyler to the dance three weeks prior to their Disneyland date... with this note below, a bag of fall leaves, and the help of these neighbor boys.
Reason being...girls from school were already asking guys to this dance that, at the time, was almost two months away {crazy}. She didn't want to risk Schyler being asked by someone else before she had the chance to ask him in Disneyland. So she asked, but had to act like she hadn't, and that some mystery girl had gotten to him first! What a mess.
Poor guy was confused for about three weeks.
Schyler,
Seasons have changed from Summer to Fall…
And from what I hear it’s cause for a Ball…
On Nov. 17th will you be excited too?
Look in the bag to find out with who….
Inside the bag of Fall leaves was this note.....
Actually…I’m “LEAF”ing you no clue….
You must wait until a later date
for my identity to be known
and then you’ll know your fate!
All I know is that I could write a book on the art of high school dance drama, with the foreward written by his mother.
The quotes:
We were standing at the end of this long line for the Matterhorn {one of my favorite rides btw} and this guy comes up to us and asks us if this is the line for the Matterhorn. We said, "yes". All he said was "damn".
"I want a refund!" {the guy behind us walking up the broken escalator of the disney parking garage after a long, hot day at the park}
Overheard a father say to his family, "The sun is going down, now we can all be happy again!" {My sentiments exactly.}
Kate yelling, "Emma this is fun!"
"I was waiting to see dad's orange hat!"{Kyleigh thinking we would be spying on her and Schyler on their date.}
Dad's response to Kyleigh's aspirations to be a Disney Princess. "You have to be able to be different princesses. You could be Sleeping Beauty one day and Aurora the next." {Ummm...dad? they are the same princess.}
The gentlemen we got to know sitting by us at the parade and who actually was sitting by Kyleigh on the plane ride over... {small world} saw how Peter Pan was interacting with us, tapped Dad on the shoulder and asked with all seriousness, "Do you know Peter Pan?"
"I want one of those Disney clips" by Josie Richardson {once she saw our Disney pins she caught the Disney pin trading bug}
Emma trying to explain Fe male = Iron Man {periodic table style} Her non scientific mother asked, "Is that German?"
"I've been calling your name for like 5 minutes!" Hannah said to Emma but Emma couldn't hear her because Hannie was buried in the pillows and blankets in the back of the car.
Kate: "I wanna go"
Mom: "go where?"
Kate: "see Taylor scream"
{there was a lot of Taylor screaming}
Mom: Do you need Ibuprofen?
Other memorable moments:
Surprisingly seeing our friend Nancy from California in Downtown Disney. She screamed, "It's the Coopers!" Everyone in the surrounding area knew our last name.
Hannah asking for leftover pizza right after we left the pizza restaurant.
When we were getting ready in the mornings...Cousin Daniel asking numerous times if we wanted him to leave the bathroom and shut the door.
Eating at the French Market
Kyleigh announcing her bathroom preferences in front of the Richardsons. Can you repeat that Kyleigh? How bout a little louder?
Tim banging on our haunted house seat from behind scaring Emma and I.
Worker letting us on the Matterhorn early.
Brie and I running to the Matterhorn to meet Kyleigh, Emma and Hannah. Brie's first time on that ride. Was in tears before riding it. Loved it after.
the smell of churros
sneaking in lines to ride rides with the Richardsons
Car humor:
Kyleigh: "Your shoes stink Emma!...Move them!"
Mom: "Put them in the back."
Hannah (buried in luggage and blankets): by me?
Kyleigh and Emma learning all the Presidents of the United States to the song "What Makes You Beautiful"..by One Direction
Emma: "I want to live in Yorba Linda" Two hours was tacked on to our already 6 hour drive back to St George due to freeway accident. It seemed we were stuck in Yorba Linda area for quite some time.
Our "if you were not LDS" conversation in the car
I would...
Emma: swear
Kyleigh: be immodest {by our standards anyway}
Hannah: get a tatoo
Dad: break the Sabbath
Mom: drink wine
If you were stuck on a Disney ride overnight, which one would you choose?
Kyleigh: Pirates
Mom and Emma: Storybook Canal Boats
Dad: Tunnel of Love {Mom wants to know where that ride is. haha}
Hannah: Any ride, but probably Splash Mtn.
Good times I tell ya!
