Now Warning...this could potentially be a long post, just because we had so much fun that I want to share! I did take somewhere on the order of 200+ pictures, some with a nice camera, and some with a great little slim camera that I could pack everywhere but not so great on quality...so beware of the blur!
Getting There...
We had a direct flight out of our little GJ airport to LAX in the afternoon, leaving plenty of time for a nice evening in CA. Unfortunately our plane was delayed and when we got to LA, it was quite the difficult process to get to the rental location, get the car, and get on the freeway, which then we sat in traffic for 2 hours to the hotel. Welcome to LA! The kids did great, Collin only requested to go home a half-dozen times on the way to the hotel. :) And the kids were both amazed at how green and pretty it was.
Playing Toy Story memory (their fav) at the airport.
Our transportation system. We had so many people comment, laugh, smile etc about how these two rode on their suitcases. One lady even followed us to take a picture, so then I figured I had better take one myself.
Our cool hotel room...a kids suite with bunkbeds. It rocked! (No we didn't sleep on the bottom bunk - ours was separate.)
Magic Kingdom Day!
Waiting for the shuttle
First real bus ride for both!
This was the day we had been waiting for! It was a blast! At the 40" height mark, you can pretty much ride all the rides, and Collin just barely was there, so it made it super fun for all. First stop...Space Mountain! Why not scare the bejeebers out of them right off the bat?! For those who don't know, it's a fast-jerky rollercoaster in the complete pitch black dark with stars (seemingly real) all around. So Mackenzie LOVED it and I rode with her. Tyson was so worried about Collin flying out that he never enjoyed it, but all Collin has talked about since (to the day still) is that he rode in outer space on a roller coaster!
Another huge favorite of the park was Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters. So fun and Collin was in LOVE with it!
This was as close as he got to Buzz, and he was so excited!
Waiting in line for Tinkerbell. This was a super short line that took a super long time. :(
She was actually much cuter than Tinkerbell. :)
And this is what Mackenzie had been waiting for...to go to Disneyland where the princesses live. She wanted to see them so bad. This was the longest line we waited in, a little over an hour, but they spent a good 3-5 minutes at each princess. Collin completely stole the show with Sleeping Beauty, so we held him back so Mackenzie could visit with Belle and Jasmine before Mr. Personality ran in and took over the conversation.
I have to say I was sooo impressed with the princesses and it would seriously be hard work to be one of them...really. It is fascinating just to watch them as they interact with people and kids.
On a little side street of Main Street in Disney, we stumbled upon this comical little display.
This day was certainly fun, but we were beyond exhausted by the end from standing in all the lines to see the princesses and holding and packing kids. Whew, Disney was hard work, but oh so fun! One of my favs...the cotton candy and riding Big Thunder Mountain Railroad!
California Adventure!
We started the day off right by renting a stroller for each of them, and because they were entirely wore out from the day before, they actually rode in the strollers all day. That saved us! This day was quite enjoyable, not so long of lines and incredible rides still!
This was the highlight for me. We actually were standing in line to see the soldier and Jessie, but at 3 people before our turn, they decided to switch Jessie out, and who comes out? None other than Woody! While Mackenzie was very sad, Collin was out of control excited! We had to hold him back so he wouldn't attack Woody before it was our turn. And when we let him go, he ran to Woody and gave him a giant bear hug and wouldn't let go...wouldn't even turn around for a picture. It was adorable! Later that day Mackenzie and Collin both got a hug from Jessie while in their stroller as she was passing us on the street.
Collin really couldn't get enough time to spend with his best friend Lightning!
Cute Little Bugs!
A few of our winnings, Collin included :). We played a bunch of carnival games, and Tyson tried and tried to win Bullseye (the horse), but it was Collin who won it all by himself against 7 other people playing a game similar to skee ball.
Not a bad picture at all from my little photographer girl! This was mine and the kids' favorite ride for sure. If you look closely, the cars on the ferris wheel are all on their own separate track that they roll on. We didn't realize that when we got on, so when our car started moving and was about to roll us off the ferris wheel and dump us in the water, I freaked out! Then we figured it out, and it was so cool! Loved it!
The World of Color water show was quite impressive to top the night off, and right after it, we ran back to Magic Kingdom and watched TinkerBell fly through the sky at the fireworks show! It was definitely a magical place.
San Diego
After we completely wore ourselves out at Disney, we headed to San Diego for some good R&R for a few days. It was actually the plan to go to Sea World, but there was no way our bodies could do another theme park. So we spent our time at the beach, the hotel, the pool, and at the world famous San Diego Zoo.
At La Jolla Cove, there were many sea lions basking in the sun.
This kid was scared of the waves, more like the water touching him and sand sticking to him. He's so particular!
Running from the waves
Ready for our night out at the Fish Market in downtown San Diego!
How we spent Valentine's and Tyson's Birthday...
Enjoying the sweet sunshine!
The San Diego Zoo
The San Diego Zoo was amazing, so tropical and clean. We went on a 35 minute guided bus tour that took us to over 75% of the park. It was absolutely perfect. So with just being there a few hours, we were able to see the whole zoo.
Checking out the momma and baby giraffes at the zoo.
I really failed at taking pictures at the zoo, but I will say I was most impressed with the koala exhibit. It's a rare chance to see koalas at a zoo because of the environment they need, but they had an amazing exhibit with probably 15 koalas. They were very close-up, and just amazing animals to watch.
Happy Birthday to Tyson and what a great vacation!
