This past April we took the kids to Disneyland for a week! Tiff and Seth and the Washburn Clan joined us as did Oma and Opa! We got the California Pass (Disneyland and California Adventure, Sea World, Universal Studios, and the Wild Animal Park) and saw most of southern California in the process.
Highlights:
Spending time with our awesome relatives was so much fun! Don't get me wrong - we woulda had fun without them - but it made it soooooo much more fun with them all there! Most days we broke into two teams - Porter and Conner (aka:the Meatball) on the scary/crazy ride team, and Megan, Jack, Eli, and Dallin on the other more tame ride team. The adults broke up based on who was feeling like they could handle "California Screamin" seven times in a row, or "The Tower of Terror" even once, or who wanted to spend time on "It's a Small World" or in "Bugs Life Town".
Disneyland:
We loved exploring with Jack so wide-eyed and excited for everything! The Buzz Lightyear Astro Blaser ride/game was fun as the fate of the universe was in our hands as we engaged in an intergalactic battle against the Evil Emperor Zurg! We rocked his world!! Space Mountain and Splash Mountain were also big hits and by the second time through we knew where all of the cameras were and made sure to put on our brave faces for them.
Oma and Opa treated us all to a night at Goofy's Kitchen where we got to eat with many of the Disney characters. At one point Goofy came over and started rolling on the ground with laughter at one of his own jokes. Jack saw him on his back thought he wanted to wrestle! He took a running start and while Goofy had his hands over his face, Jack flew through the air and body-slammed him! His knees came crashing down and nailed Goofy square in the goofballs! Goofy just grunted and crawled away...
Sea World
At Sea world we sat in the "Splash Zone" and let Shamu and other killer whales splash us! We watched the animals shows and had fun touching and feeding the sting rays - they were slimy! Seeing the dolphins was also fun.
California Adventure
Besides having the coolest, most scariest rides (like California Screamin' that porter and I went on 7 times in a row and Daddy had to stop because he was getting a little light-headed) it also had the tallest ride at Disney - Mickey's Ferris Wheel (with a view of the whole park). What made this ride different was that the cages slid back and forth while at the same time rotating in a giant clockwise circle. This proved to be a little frightening for Megan who immediate grabbed the sides of the cage and let us know of her discomfort. As our cage began to slide the second time Megan began, "Daddy I don't feel so good - I think I'm going to barf." Thinking quickly I observed my surroundings and tried to distract her when I found the perfect antidote - Uncle Seth. Uncle Seth was sitting across from Megan and me, and he had his legs up on our bench bracing himself. Just as Megan started to moan again I said, "Megan look at Uncle Seth - he has a big hole in his shorts!" She looked down and saw the hole and started to laugh because she could see his Spiderman Underoos!! he quickly covered up, but the damage had been done - Spidey had saved the day and Megan laughed the rest of the ride!
Universal Studios
This was for the most part a disappointment - other than the fact that they had by far the most animated characters for Jack to give hugs to! When he would see one he would run full speed and jump into their arms. In a 20 minute stretch he saw/hugged Curious George, Shreck, Woody Woodpecker, Dora the Explorer, Marty the Lion from Madagascar, the shark from Jaws, Bart and Lisa Simpson, and his favorite - Sponge Bob Square Pants!
Wild Animal Park
Feeding the exotic birds as they would land on our shoulders and arms and eat the nectar out of our hands was very cool. The petting zoo was also a hit as it had reindeer in it. Dad's favorite was the large male lion laying on top of an old truck and staring hungrily at Megan!
In addition to having an overall great time, Porter and the Meatball really bonded - spending as much time together as the could whether on rides, at dinner together, or playing video games in the car. We also loved seeing Eli and Dallin with their awesome expressions as we went from one section of the park to the next! We loved spending time with Oma and Opa and Tiff and Seth too as it allowed for some adult conversations and for games each night! It also meant that we didn't have to eat all of our meals at McDonald's! We can't wait until next time!!
