The last week of September, we loaded up the new Pilot with a double stroller, pack n play and all of the clothes we could imagine needing. Armed with a DVD player and a bag full of food we set out for the long drive to California. We left after work on Friday night and stayed one night in a dive in St. George. It worked for the 8 hours of sleep we were there for but lets just say we won't be staying there again. The next morning we were off to Disneyland caravaning with Ginger and Dale, Scott's siblings. The girls did really well and they loved watching the new DVD players that helped us all survive the trip. Paige kept saying that it was a really long way to Disneyland and I couldn't help but agree with her. But the new vehicle provided room and comfort so we survived the drive in ease. When we arrived in California, we checked in and unpacked then it was off to the hotel pools for some swimming. We were up and ready to go the next morning, and after a short walk to Disneyland, we had arrived. Paige just kept looking around in awe. It was decorated for Halloween and that was really fun. The first ride was Space Mountain (which during Halloween become Ghost Galaxy). Of course there were scary monsters and Paige was terrified exclaiming that she wanted to go home and leave Disneyland. So off to Dumbo to cure her of her fear. The main problem of our trip was the record heat California happened to be experiencing. We thought that going in the end of Sept, we'd have balmy weather. Little did we know. The first day was 109 degrees and when we heard Monday was going to be hotter (114 degrees) we opted for Huntington Beach. It was so much fun just bobbing in the waves. Scott and I could have stayed out there all day but we had to return to our children on the beach. It was such a relaxing and peaceful day but when we returned to the hotel room, the piles of sand left from our bathing suits required a bit of housekeeping. Even though it was quite hot and my hair and makeup had melted by the end of each day, there were water rides and splash pads to keep us and the kids cooled down. We had a 5 day pass so we spent 2 days in California Adventure and 3 days in Disneyland. We were able to ride on everything and see almost everything that we wanted to. Paige told us she hated the scary coaster, the splash coaster and fantasmic (with the bad dreams) but she would go on 3 dumbos. We just laughed because we really spent a lot of time riding Dumbo, the Carousel, Alice in Wonderland and Pooh. We also had lunch with the princesses and Ariel (Paige's favorite because of the red hair). Paige thought that was fun but was pretty engrossed in her coloring to get really involved with the princesses. We loved the World of Color and the fun parades. Disney just knows how to put on a show. The trip was really a magical experience for our family. The kids were troopers with long days and little sleep. Paige and I were buddies riding alot of rides together. We also enjoyed spending the trip with the veterans in Ginger and Eric along with Dale and Cindi. They were terrific guides and helped us with the kids a ton! I wish I could post all 450 pictures but Blogger doesn't like that so here are a few highlights! (Keep in mind the heat contributing to the bad hair and makeup I had)
