Disneyland '09

Halloween Time at Disneyland

Traditional Disneyland picture at the park entrance

We had a great Disneyland vacation! There were so many "firsts" for Ellie and the boys. It was their first time on a plane, first time staying in a hotel, and first time to Disneyland and Sea World. We had so many adventures in just one week. It was harder than Eric and I ever imagined, but SO worth it. We started out very very early on Wednesday morning to catch our 7AM flight. Needless to say, the kids were exhausted for the rest of the day, but they powered through. We headed straight to Disneyland and the fun began! It started off a little rocky. I admit I was a little crazy, but things definitely improved! We were so glad to have Matt, Erin, and Ben on vacation with us.

Ellie enjoyed so many rides. We had it worked out to a science with the Fast Passes and the baby swap, so we never had to wait in any long lines. Disneyland makes it so easy for families with kids! Ellie's most favorite rides were Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Railroad. In 5 days we must have ridden these two rides a hundred times. It was so fun to ride with Ellie. Her excitement was contagious! She was brave enough to try everything, but really hated Space Mountain and The Tower of Terror. Space Mountain was too rough and way to scary because of the Halloween theme. I'm glad she tried though! What a trooper. Eric almost lost his lunch! Speaking of being sick, Ellie made me go on the teacups. I did not love it, but I do love Ellie so I went on it and survived. The twins loved the Winnie the Pooh ride and King Arthur's Carousel the best. They were mesmerized.

Trying to stay calm while waiting for the teacups to start.

Riding the Carousel. Every time we passed this ride, John would yell "Moo!" I guess he's a little confused.

Check out those dimples!

Tarzan's Treehouse.

Ellie's favorite... Splash Mountain

Dumbo the Flying Elephant.

Driving the firetruck in Toon Town.

Ellie was also very excited about all the Disney characters. We bought her an autograph book and she just about filled it up.

Mickey Mouse!

Tinkerbell was one of my favorites. She was so sassy. Pixie Hollow was so cute.

One of Tink's friends, Iridessa. She was gorgeous.

Tigger was one of our favorites. Definitely bouncy and fun.

Brer Fox was so wily. He teased Ellie and she did not like it.

This was our first Minnie "sighting." We were so excited!

David loved Winnie the Pooh. At one point he was chasing him to say hello. Serves us right for letting him out of the stroller!

We met Snow White on the California Adventures backlot.

A highlight of the trip for me and Ellie was eating at Ariel's Grotto. It's a restaurant in California Adventures where you can meet the Princesses. We were so star struck. It was so fun to have them come around to our table. It made Ellie feel so special. Also, the food was delicious. Eric got this fancy lobster claw and seafood. It was so good. It was the first time any of us had seen a vegetable in a week, so right away I was happy.

Snow White

Aurora. I love how the boys are gazing at her in awe.

Belle. Ellie says she was her favorite.

Ariel. Ellie was too scared to get her picture alone.

Cinderella.

We bought some fun souvenirs for the kids. Ellie earned quarters by sleeping in her own bed and doing jobs around the house. She spent them on the most beautiful Snow White princess dress. It brings a tear to my eye because it's so pretty. She didn't want to wear it on the rides because she was worried it would get wet on Splash Mountain. She was absolutely crushed when we didn't have it to go to Ariel's Grotto. I didn't realize she wanted it and didn't bring it. It broke my heart. Luckily, she got over it quickly. We got the boys some shirts with Mickey Mouse on them and they love to point him out and announce "Mickey!" They're so proud.

We took a little side trip to Sea World on Friday. We had fun, but it was so HOT. We couldn't really enjoy the Shamu show because of the heat. The boys were in heaven in the Bay of Play. It was Sesame Street themed, and they are crazy about Elmo. However, David was not brave enough to get his picture with Elmo and Zoe. He was so terrified, but couldn't stay away. He kept peeking around the corner and yelling "E-mo! E-mo!"

Ellie and the dolphins.

Family picture by the bat rays. You could reach in and touch them, but there was no way I was doing that!

Elmo and Zoe at the Bay of Play.

Ellie loves having her face painted.

We are already hoping for a Disneyland trip next year.
Main Street U.S.A.

Field Trip to the Fire Station

Ellie and her friends from Rising Star Pre-School

Ellie's pre-school class visited the West Point Fire Station this morning. I'm glad Ellie still thinks the fire trucks are cool considering this is her third trip to the station. She liked climbing on the truck, and thought it was funny when Teacher Trudi tried on the fire fighter's uniform. She had a fun time.

Can we come in yet?

Ellie and Caprice by the firetruck.

1st Day of Nursery

The boys went to Nursery for the first time last Sunday. They thought it was pretty cool...as long as I was in the room too! They looked so handsome in their new church clothes. Sunday was also our ward's Primary Program. Ellie did so good on her part. She had it all memorized and said it just perfect. We were proud of all three of them!

Backyard Fun

David pushed John all around the yard. They were having a great time.

The boys have reached that stage where they want to be outside all the time. They go crazy when it's time to play outside! Here are some cute pictures of the kids playing around one evening while Eric mowed the lawn.

Ellie has a killer smile...and a great mustache from red punch!

Halloween Oreos

David and John have just discovered oreos. They love them, and ask for cookies ("gookies") all the time. The other night David really really enjoyed his orange Halloween oreo right before bed. I told him to say cheese, and he was giving me the best smiles. SO funny!

(Gotta love his tie-dye nightshirt... This was an activity we did with our cousins this summer.)

Pretty Little School Girl

There's a little song that Ellie and I like that starts out, "I am a pretty little school girl. As pretty, as pretty can be..." She certainly was a pretty school girl for her first day of pre-school on Tuesday. Ellie was so ready to start school! She goes to Rising Star Pre-School just down the street. She loves her teachers Trudi and Chaleese. She especially loves playing with the kids in her class and has already made a few new friends. We're so proud of her!

Ellie's 1st Soccer Game

Ellie had her 1st soccer game this morning. She looked so darn cute in her little purple uniform. She was a little nervous because she's never played before. After she got there and made friends with her coach and the other girls on her team she wasn't scared anymore. She had a great time! Her team decided to call themselves the Butterflies. Oh so girly... The highlight was when Ellie scored her 1st goal! The boys had a great time cheering her on from the sidelines. We thought it was so nice of our family to come and support her!

Go Butterflies!