Memorial Weekend

Matt has been adamant about our Memorial Day Weekend Tradition. Every year, whether it is Saturday, Sunday, or Monday, we always go down to Junction to visit his Granddad's grave. It is the only flowers I buy for graves. But, before we go, the "men" have to check and make sure everything is working properly in the car. Then we head down to Junction, this year, Derek's son Kaden had his birthday party on Saturday, so we figured that we would go to Junction and hit his party on the way back.

Derek is in high spirits with his son's birthday and the arrival of his third child in just two weeks, Angie on the other thinks two weeks can't come fast enough.

Monday we decided to take the kids up to "Jump On It" which is an indoor inflatable park. Adults can jump too. Jeremy and Bailee had a blast with all their cousins.

Matt had Bailee absolutely convinced that the "dragon" was going to eat her. She was completely paralyzed with fear, she just sat there and cried.

Still, everyone had a blast and it was a fun weekend.

The Girl Next Door

Last week a new family moved into Aunt Noni's house (the house east of my parent's). They are a young family with three girls ages 5, 3, and a baby. Names: London, Sydney, and Cairo. Friday, the day they move in, London and Sydney see my kids playing in Mom's backyard. They say hi and both girls take a liking to Bailee (apparently boys have cooties and they want nothing to do with Jeremy). Jeremy sees these new girls and a side I have NEVER seen before comes out. He turns super shy. Mom tries to tell him that it will be fun to play with them and that they will be nice to him; which bolsters his confidence, but he still keeps his distance.

So, Sunday, Matt and I decide to go visit our new neighbors. Both of the kids are excited. They take off in front of us and we walk to the door. No one answers. Then we see them walking from the ball fields. We make our introductions and out of the blue Jeremy takes off screaming and crying and runs into mom's house. He took off 0 to 60 in two seconds. We turn around and he is running through mom's door literally. Honestly, I don't know what has gotten into him. After some deep contemplation, I figure that it is a good thing. He can be scared of girls until after he goes on his mission, and then he can date. Right?

One Year Closer To The Grave

Monday was my birthday. When I was younger I never understood why people got so upset about celebrating their birthday. Now, I understand. I feel old. I know, I know, 28 isn't very old to most people, but it is WAY old to me. I have no intention of aging gracefully. I will pout everytime. Still, my family is very kind to me and treated me like a queen.

Matt got this cake, he told me he had to get a big cake in order to fit all my candles on it. See how sweet he is.

He sent me flowers at work, Lillies are my favorite. I came home from work and set my flowers on the counter and ran to the restroom. By the time I got out, Bailee had loved (crumpled) the front lilly to shreds. So that is the first casualty of my birthday.

Jeremy runs up to me and says: "Guess what, I didn't get you anything for your birthday, but I have a song for you. Here is his masterpiece:

Don't worry, he also gave me the classic version as well.

Matt brought home the best pizza in the world - Fat Jack's from Payson. Love their pizza. So we ate pizza and cake cuddled up in a big comforter and had a NCIS marathon. Afterwards, I hopped into a hot bubble bath to relax. As we were going to bed, Matt massaged my back until I fell asleep. It was a great birthday.

Vacation Day Five: Our Last Day

Sunday was the last day of our fun-filled vacation and our last early entry. Disneyland opened up to the public at 8, so we got the kids up, dressed and at the gate at 6:30 for our early entry at seven. So because everybody runs to Nemo or Space Mountain we sauntered down Main Street USA and stopped for a few pictures. Early Entry is the best time to take pictures because there won't be anyone in the background. It is just you and Sleeping Beauty's Castle. Jeremy did not want to stop and take pictures. He wanted to get to the rides. So we walk through the castle and the first ride we go on is Peter Pan. We boarded our pirate ship and sailed over London. I love to look down and see the tiny little cars make their way around Big Ben. It is so magical. Then we hit Mr Toads, Pinocchio, and Snow White. What else you asked? Yes, Bailee rode the Carousel yet again. Then we hit Dumbo, the Teacups, Alice in Wonderland, and the Matterhorn. Like I said you can get a lot done in that extra hour. So, at 8 when the park opened, Mom realized she hadn't been on Space Mountain yet, so we took Jeremy on a spin, while Matt took Bailee on Buzz. Then we switched and Mom took Bailee on Buzz. As we were meeting up we noticed some lanyards that Bailee was playing with. Mom was reading the side of one. They got "dream" fast passes as they were coming off of Buzz. Disneyland's promotion this year is the year of a million dreams, so they give away a ton of stuff and mom and Bailee got "dreamed." That is what they look like. So Matt and I hung them around our necks feeling all special even though we didn't actually win them, it was still pretty cool. They have plastic tabs that list all the fast pass attractions from both parks. When you get ready to use one of them, you just break the tab off. Pretty cool. So we were stoked and we realized that none of us has been on Star Tours. I love this ride, mostly because I am huge Star Wars Fan. So we boarded our transport to Endor. It was great. Pee Wee Herman is the voice of the droid flying us to Endor. It was great. Jeremy, however, was less than enthused. He sat in his seat with his hand on his cheek, just waiting for it to end. Someday he might appreciate the classics like I do. Oh well. So, knowing this was our last day, we wanted to get all the favorites in. Our first stop? You guessed it, Splash Mountain. So we walked all the way over to Critter Country and discovered that Splash Mountain was down! Oh no! Not my favorite ride! Oh, well, good thing we have gone on it at least half a dozen times. Jeremy probably doubled that because he went on it every time, he didn't have to swap like the adults. So, we consigned ourselves to ride Winnie the Pooh. Bailee was in Heaven!! "Everybody is going on my ride!?! Yeah!" It was great. Jeremy wasn't too happy. He is just a thrill junkie. As we got off Winnie the Pooh, Matt wanted to go on his favorite ride, Haunted Mansion. So as we were exiting that, we saw the raft to Pirate's Lair was approaching for the dock, so we jumped on that and went to explore all the caverns and caves that Pirates Lair had. We saw "the Dead Man's Chest." Ooooh. Then, the kids got to climb around in the "homemade" cages the Pirates were trapped in. Maybe I should get one of these for my backyard. Hmmm. Here is a far away version of this cage. I don't think that the kids realize what they are holding onto.

Then the "kids" decided to pump some water. Matt couldn't let them have all the fun.

Finally we found some caves for the kids to run, jump, and get a bunch of energy out before their nap. It was great, the Island wasn't crowded, and there was a ton of places to explore. The kids had a ball.

We managed to pull Jeremy down off the rocks long enough to take a family picture. Bailee wasn't too happy though.

As we exited the raft sailing back to the "main land" we even saw Captain Jack Sparrow. Jeremy was muttering under his breath and I bent down and asked, What's wrong Jeremy? "I don't have my pirate sword with me." The imaginations that little minds have.

It was getting really hot and we decided to go and have lunch at Red Lobster, so as we gathered our strollers, we decided to hop the train to Main Street. We slowly circled Disneyland, passing Fantasyland, Toontown, and Tomorrowland. We made it back to our hotel in no time. As we were getting ready to head to Red Lobster I searched and searched for my camera bag which had my camcorder and my wallet in it. Suddenly we realized that we had lost it. I was glad that Matt had the camera in his pocket. I would have been really devastated if I had lost all my pictures. I called Wellsfargo and cancelled all my cards. We still had an enjoyable lunch. The Halibut was fresh, and the Cheddar Bay Biscuits were plentiful.

After lunch, we took the kids and headed back to the hotel for a nap. I didn't sleep very well because I was worried about my bag. Matt kept saying, "Someone will turn it in. This is Disneyland, nothing bad happens here." I was starting to doubt that. I was sure some mutant band student (they were having a convention at Disneyland) had taken it. Anyway, after our naps we got up and headed back to the park. There were still some things that I wanted to do before we left. So we headed to go see the show "50 Magical Years" starring Steve Martin who started his career performing magic tricks at the Magic Shop in Disneyland. On the way, Mom got surprised by her favorite character.

Inside the theatre as you are waiting, they have displays about the early attractions and Walt's vision for Disneyland. As we were looking at the displays, Matt found something that hit close to his heart.

It's destiny Richfield clan, we need to go to Disneyland. As you can see, it's calling your name. So after the movie, we decided to try Splash again. It was working this time so we hopped on board. This is great ride. One of my favorites. Here are some shots of the inside of the ride.

After the kids last ride on Splash and Winnie the Pooh, we went over to California Adventure to finish a few things. It was still pretty hot, so we decided to head over to the animation studio. There we went to see Turtle Talk with Crush. This is a great show. Crush interacts with the audience and asks questions and answers a few. The kids were absolutely positive that we were looking at a screen from the ocean. After crush, we went into "The Beasts Library." All you have to do is answer a few questions and they tell you which Disney Character you are most like. Jeremy was Flik from Bugs life. Bailee was Princess Atta from a Bugs life. Mom was Jane from Tarzan. I was Belle from Beauty and the Beast (mostly because all I ever do now is read books), and Matt was - Jafar. Oh yes, he is pure evil. :) It was fun.
Afterward, we headed over to Paradise Pier. The sun was starting to set so we knew that we didn't have much more time. Mom really wanted to use the Fast Passes to ride Muholland Madness. She thought is just a tame little rollercoaster and didn't understand why there was a height requirement. Matt stayed with the kids, and her and I boarded our roller coaster. As we were headed up she said, "See, I don't see why this is so bad." Then the screaming began. When we got to the top it would take you to the edge and then turn you back around. I don't think Mom stopped screaming. Even when we got off the ride. In fact, I think she is still screaming now. Needless to say, she vowed that she would never go on that again. After Mom regained her composure, she realized that she was hungry. The kids hadn't eaten anything since Red Lobster, so we headed over to Taste Pilots Grill for a great big juicy burger with all the fixins'. Matt and I wanted to ride Soarin' one more time, so we scarfed down our food and ran to the ride. We met up with Mom at the Sunshine Plaza. The Main Street Electrical Parade was just starting. Jeremy was begging Matt to go on Tower of Terror one last time, so they ran to that while Mom and I sat with Bailee and watched parts of the parade. Basically the Main Street Electrical Parade are floats of classic characters with thousands of lights on them. They even have Pete's Dragon. It is cute. Toward the end we slowly headed to the exit gate to beat the crowd. As we were walking back to the hotel, the fireworks started. It had cooled down and it was a nice stroll back to the hotel. So we got back to the hotel, Matt and Jeremy met us there. We put the kids (and Mom) to bed, then Matt and I dashed back to Disneyland to spend some time alone doing our favorite things. EVERYTHING was a walk-on. We didn't even need to bring our fast passes. We walked on Indiana Jones, Splash, Haunted Mansion, and Pirates. It was the perfect end to our vacation. We got to do everything that we wanted to do. As we were leaving the Happiest Place on Earth we stopped at the Emporium and did a little shopping. Mostly, we bring Disney themed souvenirs with us to appease the kids, that way we don't pay an arm and a leg for a souvenir they will forget about a week later. I got a few cute items. I got a Mickey Mouse shaped ice mold, and Mickey shaped cookie cutter, and a license plate frame. The park was about to close, so we headed out along with the rest of the crowd. I checked with the lost and found before we left and they told me that they still hadn't received my bag, but they had me fill out a report. They were very positive and told me that people get their things back over 90 percent of the time. I was sure that it wasn't going to be turned in. Matt and I got back to the hotel, hit the sack exhausted but happy. We had a great time and made some awesome family memories. The next day we got up, packed, loaded the car and headed home. We pulled into Primm about 10 am (11 our time) and I called the lost and found. Lo and behold someone did turn in my bag. I was so grateful some honest person found my bag. It even had all the cash in it as well. So we arrived home about 5 that night. The kids were glad to be back in their own beds, but we weren't glad to be back for work. Still, it was a great trip and tons of fun.

Vacation Day Four

Saturday was a lot busier than the previous three days. It was the weekend and I assume that a lot of local families took their kids to Disneyland for the day. But not to worry, we managed just fine, but it was also a lot hotter too. We got the kids up and at the front gate by 7:30. This was an early entry day, so there were lots of families in Fantasyland by the time they opened the gates at 8. We veered left and headed to Adventureland. I was on a mission. I wanted a family picture going down Splash Mountain. Our first day, when Mom took Jeremy on Splash he was terrified. This time, however, he was a veteran and he even put his hands in the air. If you go to Splash right when it opens, you usually get a log all to yourselves. So we ran to Splash, (Mom took Bailee on Winnie the Pooh for the 10th time), and we started our ascent up Chickapin Hill. Here is the result (Matt is a little kid just like his son): Like I said, this was his very first time going down Splash. He wasn't too enthused.

This time, he was ready for the drop.

So after Splash we headed to the Haunted Mansion, Pirates, and the Jungle Cruise. California Adventure opened two hours after Disneyland, so we headed over there to make it by park opening. Matt wanted to take a shot at the Maliboomer before it got too hot. So he and I went on the Maliboomer. There wasn't anybody else there so we went on it about three times. The last time we went, the cast member told us it was even scarier if you look up the entire time. So we did, I was skeptical, but as we were headed up, we couldn't see when we were going to stop. It felt like we were just going to keep going. It was trippy, but awesome. 20 minutes later we meet Mom and the Kids at King Triton's Carousel. Mom and Matt wanted to go on California Screamin' so I stayed with the kids. King Triton's Carousel is right next to Screamin' and the cast members let us stay on and ride it over and over again while we waited for our party to get off Screamin'. Instead of riding horses, you get to ride sea creatures. Our kids were in heaven. They could have stayed on it the whole day. It was about 10:45 and it was already getting hot. After we all took turns riding Screamin', we went over to Pizza Oom Mow Mow and had a pizza. The crust was thick and the sauce was plentiful. Mom got my favorite pasta ever: Chicken Fusilli. I looked at the park schedule and saw that the Aladdin show was going to start at noon. So we decided to head to the Hyperion theatre. Matt had got fast passes for Soarin' Over California, so he grabbed Jeremy and ran to the ride (it was on the way). They were giggling and skipping the whole way. Mom, Me, and Bailee cleaned up lunch and meandered toward Soarin'. As we were waiting we did a little shopping. Mom got a red visor and she found a Soarin' pin that had her name on it, so she bought that too. Soarin' is Mom's favorite ride, the plan was for Matt and Jeremy to go on it, and then Me, Mom, and Jeremy, but we ran out of time and we had to dash to the Aladdin show. This theatre is huge, it has three stories and it is a 40 minute Broadway show. Full costume, awesome music, and you even see Aladdin and Jasmine fly on a carpet above you. It was incredible. Jeremy and Bailee were in awe.

This picture isn't a photoshop job, this is part of the show. It was definitely worth the time, plus it was air conditioned, and it was a really hot day. The perfect break from the heat and the big crowds. After the show we were bushed, so we went back to the hotel for a nap. At this point in the vacation, all of us were napping now, the kids, mom, and the parents. It was awesome. You take a two hour nap and you are totally ready for the rest of the night and everybody is in a good mood.

We were going to see the fireworks tonight. Mom waited a majority of the time when were saving for Fantasmic last night and she wanted to go on Soarin' since we didn't get a chance to earlier, so we headed over to California Adventure with Jeremy in tow, and Matt and Bailee headed to the main hub in front of the Castle to stake out a spot for the fireworks. Matt got a spot right behind the Partners Statue in this picture. It was a perfect place, or so we thought (more on that later).

So Mom, Me, and Jeremy take a spin on Soarin'. That ride is so much fun. The way Disney designed it, you really do think that you are flying over all different California locations. Jeremy even ducks when a golf ball flies right at you. To make the experience even more enjoyable, they spray scents that match certain locations as you are passing them. As you enter the river rafting scene you can smell the pine trees, when you are soarin' over the orange fields, you can smell the oranges. It is a great ride which ends with Christmas fireworks at Disneyland. It is so popular, they even made a Soarin' Over California at Disneyworld in Florida.

After Soarin' we saw that we had a little more time and Jeremy was begging to go on the Tower of Terror. Mom hadn't been on this ride yet, she would always volunteer to stay with Bailee, but after the trauma at the Maliboomer, she figured that she could handle anything. So we took Jeremy on "The Hollywood Tower Hotel" which is what he calls it because there is nothing terrifying about it to him. We survived and as we were exiting the ride I get a text from Matt that said "I am surrounded by 'Charlie' - send reinforcements fast." I called him only to discover that a sweet little old couple was slowing hounding in on his perfectly saved spaces. Mom and I rush over to the hub and meet Matt. Once Mom saw where we were sitting she took off for some alone time (I'm sure she will blog about that herself). I bought the kids some Disney sticker books at Costco before we left, so I pulled them out and then enjoyed playing with them while we waited for the fireworks. We brought their light chasers that they got from previous trips and they had a ball playing and waiting for the fireworks.


These aren't your normal, run-of-the-mill fireworks. These fireworks were awesome. They take parts of the soundtrack to each ride they have ever had and they put it to fireworks with Julie Andrews narrating. It was really cool. During the summer, Disneyland has fireworks every night - EVERY night. Because it was the value season, they only do the fireworks on the Weekends, but still. Can you imagine how much it costs to do fireworks every night. And they are perfectly cued to the music and they never miss a beat. You even get to see Tinkerbell flying across the sky as fireworks are going off all around her. It is crazy! But very, very, cool. Now comes a down fall. As you can see we were laying down right in front of the castle waiting for the Fireworks to start, and right before they start, everyone starts standing up. Suddenly, our perfect view is blocked by balding heads and kids on shoulders. So we grudgingly stand up, but this made it all worth it:
So after the fireworks, Jeremy is begging to go on Splash yet again. So we stroller our way through the thousands of people. There are a lot more people here, but after about 15 minutes we make it over to Critter Country and we go on Splash (Bailee goes on Winnie the Pooh for the 12th time). Jeremy is so brave by now, that he doesn't even want anybody to hold onto him as we head down the hill. But I just couldn't help myself, I had to hold onto him see:
So after we got off Splash we saw that the second showing of Fantasmic was about to end, so we threw the kids in their strollers and we ran out of Critter Country, past the Haunted Mansion, over Pirates of the Caribbean, Behind Tarzans Treehouse, past Indiana Jones and the Jungle Cruise and we slowed to walk just as we were passing the Tiki Room. Phew! We beat the crowd. And we were in bed by 11:00. The park didn't close until midnight, but Sunday was our last early entry, so we decided to get an extra hour of sleep. Up next . . . our last day.