Sunday, April 29, 2012

The Rest of California!

California part two! Compared to our busy day Friday, yesterday was a relaxed, lazy day! We slept in (much needed after Disneyland), but even then, Carrie was up long before everyone else. So we went down to breakfast by ourselves and enjoyed playing the few arcade games they had in the continental breakfast room.


I think Carrie likes driving games too much. We're going to have our hands full teaching her how to drive, I can tell!

Then we went to lounge by the pool... Enjoying the lovely California weather...

After a few minutes though, we decided just lounging next to the pool wasn't enough, we wanted to get in. So we grabbed our swimsuits (or makeshift tanktop, tshirt, gym shorts "swimsuit" for me) and jumped in.

The water was wonderful! It was Carrie's first time swimming this year and it took her a few minutes to get into again, but within a matter of minutes, she was a little fish!

Aunt Marissa and Cousin Isac were swimming with us too.

Trying to get Carrie to float on her back. She HATES it! This is as much as she would let me "let her go"... Hopefully when swimming lessons start in June she'll be a little braver ;)

After packing up our room, we headed off to Huntington Beach to play for a bit. Finding a parking spot was a joke! We almost gave up, but got lucky at the last minute.

Carrie wanted to go straight for the water.

So we held hands and ventured out

Toward this lovely scene

It was quite a trick trying to take a picture and keep Carrie's clothes dry as a wave broke on the shore!

Uncle Jake found sand crabs and had fun showing Carrie. She refused to hold them (I'd do the same!)

Since we didn't have our swimming suits, we mostly just stood and watched and got our feet wet. Jake, Landon, and Brandon decided they'd ditch their shirts and get in anyways. (Kevin and Kandis on the beach, the three other boys out in the surf)

Carrie just enjoyed playing in the sand and getting extremely dirty. Good thing we had a change of clothes in the car ;)

Boys being crazy boys for their last few minutes of California fun before heading back home!

We went straight from the beach and headed home, not pulling in until almost midnight. It was a long trip and man am I sore!! Being cooped up in a car for 6 hours is not good for my muscles! I'm literally limping today. It was a fun trip though and I'm sure I'll "recover" soon. Until next time California!!

Friday, April 27, 2012

Disneyland!

Get ready for a long post! And even then, our vacation isn't over. I just need to do it in pieces! We left Mesa early Thursday morning and started trekking to California. Justin and my dad are attending a LifeVantage convention (check out LimitlessScience.com to learn more). The trip expanded from there to include the rest of my family going to Disneyland while they were working! (I realized as I started to load pictures on here that I don't have many pictures of the whole family. Brandon, Kevin, Kandis, Jake and Jake's friend Landon all ran off to do the "big kid rides" that we couldn't ride)

The convention started Thursday afternoon, but we weren't planning on Disneyland until Friday, so my mom, Carrie, and I went shopping at a local outlet mall. Carrie had a blast dancing in the dressing room in a super cute cardigan and skinny jeans!


After a few stores though, she was wiped out. Luckily we had her stroller with us!

Daddy and Carrie watching Megamind on the laptop in our hotel room. Carrie got to sleep on a trundle mattress, not the floor! Surprise woohoo!

Riding the bus to Disneyland with Uncle Jake. Think she's excited?

We're almost there!!!

If you thought she looked excited before, think again! THIS is what excited looks like!

 My brothers' first time ever at Disneyland. Think they're a little excited too? ;)

Mommy and Carrie at the front gate. Here we go!

First thing we see as we walk in?.... Mickey Mouse! We immediately stood in line and got his autograph and a picture!

We didn't actually get to stop and see Sleeping Beauty, but as she walked by us really quickly I was able to snap a picture

We DID get to meet Snow White though. Carrie was very excited, which is interesting because I don't think she's ever actually seen the movie..... She was very excited to tell Snow White all about her magic wand though.


Ready to ride King Arthur's Carrousel

Once it actually started moving though, she was in awe! Whoa!! My horsie goes up and down?!

"Driving" in Mickey's Toon Town

Souvenir Minnie Mouse ears! Complete with "Carrie" stitched on the back!

Ready to ride the Mad Hatter's Tea Cups

She was a little less sure about them once we got going, but still had fun!

Checking the windows to see why nobody was answering the door when she knocked at this playhouse in Toon Town

Grandma Lori and Carrie riding Gadget's Go Coaster (they're in the second car back). I wasn't allowed to ride on this one :(

Another chance encounter with a character. Minnie Mouse was on her way to the front of the line to greet people. Carrie was so excited she ran under the rope and right up to her to say hello!


A few minutes later we reached the front of the line and got her autograph and a posed picture with her!

Playing in Minnie's Kitchen. She was having so much fun, it took us 10 minutes to finally coax her to leave to do something else!


Cooling off with a Mickey Mouse ice cream bar. This is what I got when I asked Carrie to "show me her ice cream"... :)

Entering "It's a Small World"

She loved it so much she wouldn't even tear her eyes away for a second to look at the camera!

She started waving at all the dolls as we rode through. It was adorable! I think she could have stayed on that ride all day! (Once is enough for me. It's cute, but 15 straight minutes of that song?....) ;)

Getting ready to fly in the Dumbo ride

We squished all three of us into one Dumbo plane

Now to wait for the parade. Carrie thought it would be a fun game to jump and give me such a big hug that I would tip over. Repeatedly.... Luckily I was sitting right by that pole and could hold on a bit.

Let the parade begin! Mickey's Soundsational Drumline! Very impressive!

Jasmine-esque dancers

The princess float! Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, and Rapunzel on the front

And Cinderella and Belle on the back!

Peter Pan, Captain Hook, and crew

Tinkerbell on top of a float

Peter Pan surprised us and came running back to sit by Carrie. He was yelling up to Tinkerbell on her behalf. Tink blew Carrie a kiss and Peter Pan was off running in the parade again! He startled me, so this is the only picture I could snag before he was gone again!

Amazed at all the cool things to see on the Jungle Cruise

By the end of the night Carrie was getting pretty tired and we had parked her stroller for a bit while we walked around to rides. So she got a piggy back ride from Grandma. Carrie thought it was hilarious, she was grandma's "backpack"!

On Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blaster ride/game, Carrie and I (score on the left) kicked Grandma Lori's booty (score on the right)!

Dancing to a live band in Tomorrowland while we waited in line for the Finding Nemo Submarine ride. (I tried taking pictures on that ride, but it was too dark, none of them turned out)

Again, we were very thankful for the stroller because by then it was almost 9:30 and Carrie was TIRED!




She fell asleep about 5 minutes before the fireworks started


And stayed asleep the whole bus ride back to the hotel. We had a looooong fun day for sure!!