Disneyland

The first ride was Indiana Jones. They lucked out with only a twenty minute wait. We later saw a 70 minute wait to ride. That is why we loved mornings in Disneyland and got very little sleep. Hailey and I rode Astro Orbiter. She wanted to ride again and again, but we had to deliver the Star Tours and Buzz Light Year Astro Blasters Fast Passes. We decided to ride Pirates of the Caribbean together. It went much more smoothly than ten years ago. It didn't break down once. We basically walked on. It was fun to see the added Jack Sparrow. We rode it again our third day. Collin was fascinated by the digital effects on the Haunted Mansion. I loved the shadow playing the piano.It was 9:45 and time for Star Tours. Next up was The Jungle Cruise. We were hoping to see the addition of The Jungle Book, but that rumor was false. McKell was not prepared for such dry humor.Torrey loves the Tikki Room. And now Emma and Hailey do too. Hailey claimed Jose was her birdie. We were just happy to sit. We tried to ride Snow White, but it broke. Eventually we rode The Finding Nemo Submarine together, but the first time half of us went on the Ride Swap for Indiana Jones. It was time for everyone else to ride Space Mountain. Hailey spotted her horsie. Learning to take turns is painful when you are two. We rode twice before Pinocchio. We met everyone after Splash Mountain. We rode Winnie the Pooh while Daddy took McKell on the ride swap for Star Tours. Then he took the two youngest back to the hotel for naps and pool time. We ate barbecue. Collin napped under a tree. We rode Snow White. We rode Alice and Wonderland. I got 157,000 on Buzz Light Year Astro Blaster. Then Matterhorn.>Our mistake was waiting 80 minutes for Space Mountain, but they refused to give us a ride swap and fast passes were gone.

Crystal Cove

We checked into our hotel before heading to Newport Beach. A storm rolled in. We had to be out before sunset, so it was a race. But definitely worth the $5 entrance fee. Hana is a natural poser. I love McKell's smile in this one. So happy to be out of the car, finally! There is no telling if she is happy to see the water or watch her siblings having fun. McKell created a board for all of her ideas for beach poses, but then it was more fun to chase waves. I hope these three will always be there for each other through all of the storms of life. We were committed to attending 9 A.M. church, but at 9:20 we discovered that the internet address led us nowhere. We eventually found it. Hailey played with magnets on the back of a little boy's chair, so he took her toys. She said, "Don't take me stuff!" He threw a tantrum and eventually his mom took him out. It was uncomfortable. Collin wanted to find a wider (more popular) beach, so we headed to Huntington. We noticed that the air conditioning was blowing warmer and warmer air. We knew we wouldn't survive the return trip through the Mojave desert. We stopped at a couple of repair shops, but they were all booked up. I was nervous about how Hailey would behave at the beach. When McKell was her age, she walked right into the ocean and the waves went right over head, poor thing! Hailey found complete bliss digging in the sand with her bucket to make a castle. Before we left the hotel, Emma proclaimed that she hated the beach. She was only three months old the last time she saw the beach. She doesn't have any of the fears of sharks or crabs that McKell had at that age. We tried to convince her that it was our job as her parents to introduce her to the beauties of the earth. Her foul mood changed as she began collecting sea shells and chasing waves. Phew!>Soon, everyone grew tired of photos and ran for the waves. Collin captured four crabs smaller than a nickel.

Where in the World

The kids have been begging. Hana was 3 months old the last time we went. She says that is not fair. It wasn't a possibility until we sold our house. Then we sold our house. After ten years it was time to return to Disneyland. Anticipation is (more than) half the fun. So we planned our trip (to death). No one wanted to miss school. We didn't want it to be too hot. We missed the last day of school. It was 110 degrees in Vegas. Hailey was completely fearless and completely annoyed that her life jacket was keeping her up. It is hard to be two. Thank goodness for big brothers. Emma could swim about three strokes. But by the end of the night, she swam from one side of the pool to the other. Victory! >Hana had a blast jumping in. We loved the waterfall and palm trees.