Cole loved it. We especially love the Jaws video-Cole had no idea what to expect-too funny!
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Universal Studios
On Thursday, our last day in Anaheim we had plans to go to Universal Studios. Ellee and Luke were done with all the lines and really needed some down time-plus they'd been begging to go swimming, so Damon and Cole went to Universal Studios for about half the day while the twins and I went swimming and took a much needed nap :)
Cole loved it. We especially love the Jaws video-Cole had no idea what to expect-too funny!
Cole loved it. We especially love the Jaws video-Cole had no idea what to expect-too funny!
Ellee and Daddy's Disneyland Date
Ellee and Damon were able to go on a little date while we were at Disneyland. There is a restaurant over at California Adventure called Ariel's Grotto. When you walk in to the restaurant you immediately see Ariel there. I guess Ellee got really shy and walked up to Ariel but wouldn't talk to her. Throughout the brunch Ellee and Damon were visited by Ariel, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty-Aurora, Cinderella, and Belle. Ellee was in heaven. She loved it and asks to see her princess pictures all the time. We then got to hear about it for the rest of the day-and she insisted that she was a princess too-since she was given a crown while there. We all know she is the princess (or diva-depending on the day) of our family!
Disneyland
I finally got the rest of the Disneyland pictures up! I took way too many pictures. We were so excited when we got to Disneyland. We got the opportunity to teach the kids a little patience right from the start. The kids really struggled with the lines the first day we were there, but by the third day they were great while we waited-sometimes more patient than Mom and Dad. We had so much fun-there's no way I'm going to get everything written down-so I'll just highlight a few things. The first day we were in Anaheim we went to California Adventure. We wanted to save Disneyland for Ellee and Luke's birthday. Luke and Ellee were treated so well on their birthday-they gave them badges that said their name and that it was their birthday so every worker at Disneyland and each character we saw made sure to wish them a Happy Birthday. They didn't realize it was because of their badge and thought everyone just new it was their birthday. It was so fun to watch. Cole's badge said "1st Time at Disneyland" so he was treated just as well. He also loved playing the part of big brother and making sure that everyone knew that not only was it Luke and Ellee's birthday but that they were also twins. He was so proud of them.
It was so fun to walk down Disneyland Main Street and to see the castle and Mickey Mouse statue. The kids were so excited-it was all we could do to keep them with us-they just wanted to run in every direction and to do everything at once.
I hadn't been to Disneyland since I went with my family when I was really young. I didn't remember anything except for Small World and that was the one ride that I really wanted to make sure we went on-and I absolutely loved it this time around as well. We made it there on our last day-we were the very first people on it that morning and got a whole boat for just our family. The kids thought it was fun looking for all the Disney characters hidden throughout the ride. Ellee danced the whole time we were on the ride-and YES, the song was in my head for the rest of the day.
Damon hadn't been since he was younger either but seemed to know his way around better than I did. We got some good advice to make sure we used the stroller pass and fast pass tickets to get through the lines faster. Lucky Cole! He got to go on each ride twice. We really liked the stroller pass-Damon and Cole would wait in line and I would get a ticket to go with Cole after they waited in line-the twins and I would go on different rides while the big boys waited in line and then Damon and I would switch. It worked out pretty well. We even got some stroller passes without having to wait in line :)
We loved Toon Town and all the characters up there. I am still shocked at just how busy everything was. The kids walked around with the biggest eyes all throughout Toon Town-they couldn't believe all the characters we were seeing. Pluto was the first character we ran into-the boys were thrilled-Ellee was a little nervous and wouldn't take her eyes off Pluto. After seeing Pluto that was all Luke would talk about-he even picked a Pluto t-shirt when we let the kids choose a t-shirt the last day. We also ran into Goofy while in Toon Town. We didn't wait in line to see Mickey or Minnie because we knew the kids would see them at the birthday party later.
The two rides the kids enjoyed the most were the Buzz Lightyear Ride and the Finding Nemo ride. Ellee and Luke still tell everyone we see about the Nemo Ride-and they remember it play by play-every little detail. They especially liked when we were eaten by a whale.
We tried to go through the Haunted Mansion-but once they got us in the room right before they closed the doors Cole decided it was too much for him and started crying and bolted out the door-so we followed him out. He was so upset we didn't even bother trying again.
We made it to all the rides that were open there. Damon and I both loved the Pirates of the Caribbean Ride-Ellee was nervous-Luke kind of giggled at some parts but then would get really serious when we would pass the pirates shooting back and forth. Damon and Cole had fun trying to find Jack Sparrow throughout the ride-I still don't know how many they counted.
The Jungle Cruise was so funny. The whole time we were at Sea World Cole kept asking to see Piranhas and we had to keep telling him that there weren't any there. Our guide on the Jungle Cruise was so funny-at one point he said "Say hello to the piranhas." Cole was so excited he leaned forward and right then the piranha's jumped out of the water. His reaction was so funny-I still laugh at how high he jumped and how he covered his face so they wouldn't get him-so cute!
So I can't write about every ride-all I will say is that they were all tons of fun! And the kids remember them all and can still tell us about them.
We went to the fireworks show the last night we were there. It was so cool. They had little mini shows that went along with music for all the different rides, movies, and characters. Tinkerbell flew across the castle and sprinkled fairy dust. Luke was a little nervous during the fireworks. He loved part of it-and hated other parts. Cole and Ellee just loved it-they both got a little scared during the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean fireworks. I am so glad that we decided to stay for the fireworks. It was awesome-a good conclusion to our Disneyland vacation.
It was so fun to walk down Disneyland Main Street and to see the castle and Mickey Mouse statue. The kids were so excited-it was all we could do to keep them with us-they just wanted to run in every direction and to do everything at once.
I hadn't been to Disneyland since I went with my family when I was really young. I didn't remember anything except for Small World and that was the one ride that I really wanted to make sure we went on-and I absolutely loved it this time around as well. We made it there on our last day-we were the very first people on it that morning and got a whole boat for just our family. The kids thought it was fun looking for all the Disney characters hidden throughout the ride. Ellee danced the whole time we were on the ride-and YES, the song was in my head for the rest of the day.
Damon hadn't been since he was younger either but seemed to know his way around better than I did. We got some good advice to make sure we used the stroller pass and fast pass tickets to get through the lines faster. Lucky Cole! He got to go on each ride twice. We really liked the stroller pass-Damon and Cole would wait in line and I would get a ticket to go with Cole after they waited in line-the twins and I would go on different rides while the big boys waited in line and then Damon and I would switch. It worked out pretty well. We even got some stroller passes without having to wait in line :)
We loved Toon Town and all the characters up there. I am still shocked at just how busy everything was. The kids walked around with the biggest eyes all throughout Toon Town-they couldn't believe all the characters we were seeing. Pluto was the first character we ran into-the boys were thrilled-Ellee was a little nervous and wouldn't take her eyes off Pluto. After seeing Pluto that was all Luke would talk about-he even picked a Pluto t-shirt when we let the kids choose a t-shirt the last day. We also ran into Goofy while in Toon Town. We didn't wait in line to see Mickey or Minnie because we knew the kids would see them at the birthday party later.
The two rides the kids enjoyed the most were the Buzz Lightyear Ride and the Finding Nemo ride. Ellee and Luke still tell everyone we see about the Nemo Ride-and they remember it play by play-every little detail. They especially liked when we were eaten by a whale.
We tried to go through the Haunted Mansion-but once they got us in the room right before they closed the doors Cole decided it was too much for him and started crying and bolted out the door-so we followed him out. He was so upset we didn't even bother trying again.
We made it to all the rides that were open there. Damon and I both loved the Pirates of the Caribbean Ride-Ellee was nervous-Luke kind of giggled at some parts but then would get really serious when we would pass the pirates shooting back and forth. Damon and Cole had fun trying to find Jack Sparrow throughout the ride-I still don't know how many they counted.
The Jungle Cruise was so funny. The whole time we were at Sea World Cole kept asking to see Piranhas and we had to keep telling him that there weren't any there. Our guide on the Jungle Cruise was so funny-at one point he said "Say hello to the piranhas." Cole was so excited he leaned forward and right then the piranha's jumped out of the water. His reaction was so funny-I still laugh at how high he jumped and how he covered his face so they wouldn't get him-so cute!
So I can't write about every ride-all I will say is that they were all tons of fun! And the kids remember them all and can still tell us about them.
We went to the fireworks show the last night we were there. It was so cool. They had little mini shows that went along with music for all the different rides, movies, and characters. Tinkerbell flew across the castle and sprinkled fairy dust. Luke was a little nervous during the fireworks. He loved part of it-and hated other parts. Cole and Ellee just loved it-they both got a little scared during the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean fireworks. I am so glad that we decided to stay for the fireworks. It was awesome-a good conclusion to our Disneyland vacation.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Disneyland Birthday
Luke and Ellee were so excited to celebrate their birthday at Disneyland. We found out that you could reserve a spot to go to a birthday party with Mickey and Minnie Mouse-we decided that since we weren't at home and it was their birthday it would be a really fun way to celebrate their birthdays. It was so cute. Patrick A. Cake (Pat-A-Cake) was the host of the party. He sang some songs to everyone that was having a birthday and played games with the kids. 
We each got our own small Mickey Mouse cake to decorate and eat. They had a cake decorating contest and guess what? We all won-because all the cakes were perfect-isn't that amazing? :-)
After we finished decorating cakes we found out that a surprise visitor was coming to see all the birthday kids. The twins were so excited when Mickey and Minnie walked into the party-Damon and I were excited because that meant we wouldn't have to wait in the 45 minute line to get a picture with Mickey and the 30 minute line to get a picture with Minnie! Mickey and Minnie danced and sang songs with the kids and then we all got to get pictures with them. 
Disneyland Street Party
We were able to go to a huge street party and parade that went down main street in Disneyland. It was so fun! We saw all the characters and the kids loved it. It was on Ellee and Luke's birthday so everyone there was making them feel like they were the coolest kids around and Cole had on his "First Time at Disneyland" Badge so he felt equally special. They even pulled all three kids out in the street to dance with them and the characters. It was so fun to watch. Ellee and Cole danced but Luke just played Mr. Cool Guy and walked around with a little smirk on his face. We really had a blast!
I couldn't resist putting Ellee's dancing video in here-she was so funny-every single time she heard music she would start wiggling her hips. She did not want the street party to end.
I couldn't resist putting Ellee's dancing video in here-she was so funny-every single time she heard music she would start wiggling her hips. She did not want the street party to end.
Friday, April 24, 2009
Swimming and California Adventure
Hanging out at the pool :)
It really wasn't all that warm while we were in San Diego-I think it got up in the mid 60's while we were there. But that couldn't stop us. The sun came out in full force and after a day of walking around Sea World we couldn't resist the pool. The kids had a blast and it was nice to relax a little bit.
The kids all slept in the same bed for the trip. The first couple nights were hard because they wanted to play together-but they finally got used to it and loved sleeping sideways on the bed.
So everybody told us that the kids would absolutely LOVE the Bugs' Life area at California adventure. I guess we shouldn't have started with the 3-D movie they have "It's Tough Being a Bug". This is a picture of the kids before the movie-do you see how happy they are?
Here is the picture after we had to leave the movie after about 6 minutes . I guess they were not ready for the 3-D effects. 
They did not like the bugs flying toward them or the spiders coming down from the ceiling or the getting splattered with "acid" as the bugs fought each other. Cole thought it was pretty funny until the spiders looked like they were going to land on his head and then he completely freaked out just like Luke and Ellee. I know Damon and I shouldn't have thought it was funny-our kids being tormented-but we laughed so hard we were crying. I still have a grin on my face thinking about their reactions. It was so funny-Damon and I really enjoyed the first 6 minutes of the movie.
Needless to say, the kids were a little hesitant to try anything after that. We went on some rides in the Bugs' Life area and they finally relaxed and started enjoying themselves.
Another big highlight at California Adventure was finding Lightning McQueen and Mater--the kids were so excited they wouldn't hold still for a picture.
I love this picture-look what a good big brother he is. Luke was in Damon's arms, still a little freaked out by the Bug's Life movie :-)
We were a little hesitant to try the Toy Story ride because it was also 3-D but we decided to brave it and see how the kids would like it. It was a long line but such a fun ride! The kids all loved it and wouldn't stop talking about Mr. Potato Head, Woody, Buzz, and Jesse. Fun, fun, fun!
OK-Cole, Damon, and I all agree that our favorite ride from the vacation was definitely Screamin. It's the big roller coaster. It was awesome! We also loved the one where you fly over all of California-even if it did test my fear of heights a little bit :-)
The kids all slept in the same bed for the trip. The first couple nights were hard because they wanted to play together-but they finally got used to it and loved sleeping sideways on the bed.California Adventure
So everybody told us that the kids would absolutely LOVE the Bugs' Life area at California adventure. I guess we shouldn't have started with the 3-D movie they have "It's Tough Being a Bug". This is a picture of the kids before the movie-do you see how happy they are?
Here is the picture after we had to leave the movie after about 6 minutes . I guess they were not ready for the 3-D effects. 
They did not like the bugs flying toward them or the spiders coming down from the ceiling or the getting splattered with "acid" as the bugs fought each other. Cole thought it was pretty funny until the spiders looked like they were going to land on his head and then he completely freaked out just like Luke and Ellee. I know Damon and I shouldn't have thought it was funny-our kids being tormented-but we laughed so hard we were crying. I still have a grin on my face thinking about their reactions. It was so funny-Damon and I really enjoyed the first 6 minutes of the movie.Needless to say, the kids were a little hesitant to try anything after that. We went on some rides in the Bugs' Life area and they finally relaxed and started enjoying themselves.
Another big highlight at California Adventure was finding Lightning McQueen and Mater--the kids were so excited they wouldn't hold still for a picture. 
I love this picture-look what a good big brother he is. Luke was in Damon's arms, still a little freaked out by the Bug's Life movie :-)
We were a little hesitant to try the Toy Story ride because it was also 3-D but we decided to brave it and see how the kids would like it. It was a long line but such a fun ride! The kids all loved it and wouldn't stop talking about Mr. Potato Head, Woody, Buzz, and Jesse. Fun, fun, fun!
OK-Cole, Damon, and I all agree that our favorite ride from the vacation was definitely Screamin. It's the big roller coaster. It was awesome! We also loved the one where you fly over all of California-even if it did test my fear of heights a little bit :-)
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