California

Wow, what a whirlwind week it has been yet again.  I honestly can’t believe that it is already Thursday!  My complete sense of exhaustion has made the days run together but countless cups of coffee have encouraged me to continue on.  Just one more day, right?

Last Friday we flew to California to visit David’s family.  Due to my work schedule, we were not able to leave until after dinner.  I thought this would be difficult with the kids, but it ended up being the best flights we have had with the littles.  I dressed them both in their pajamas for the flight and even though they were both wired with excitement when we took off (in part due to daddy’s suggestion of feeding them Sour Patch Kids), they slept like angels for the second flight.  We didn’t get to bed until 3:30am (our time) but again, the kids did great.

Great Backdrop, Right?  A Little Templeton Rye...

Saturday morning we ventured to Disneyland along with every other family in California and probably the country.  It was packed!  

I didn’t really know what to expect so the crowds didn’t bug me as much as they did David.  Despite the number of people we managed to get in all the activities we wanted to. 

I Forgot How Much I Loved "It's A Small World"

We even crossed parks to California Adventure.  That was an excellent idea as there were so many kid-friendly activities there.  We actually rode double the amount of rides at this park due to the shorter lines, shorter ride times, and closeness of all the attractions. 

A Little Sunny

Lovin On Her Cousin

Inside Mickey's House

Playground Time

The Carousel Was A Great First Ride

Brady LOVED The Rides

The Grandbabies & The Naughty Kids In Jail

Obsessed With Water

After The Parade - The Girls Were Sleepy

The highlight of the day was seeing Tessa’s face when she first saw her best friend in the whole-wide world…Mickey Mouse.  She was so happy and so excited when he came down the parade route.  We thought about waiting in line at Mickey’s house in Toonland to meet him one-on-one but the wait time was out of this world and we didn’t know how she would be up close with him.  At the end of the night, walking out of the park, Tess mentioned to David how much fun she had but that she wished she could see Mickey again.  It was just our luck that he was standing right outside a shop by the exit.  She wouldn’t get in line for a picture with him, but we were that family who stood as close to him as possible so she could get a view.  She didn’t want to leave and that moment made the whole day completely worth it (it even justified the fact that I carried that girl over ½ the day in the park-talk about a workout)!

Sweet Girl - What A Moment

Her Pal Mic - We Stood There A While ;)

Sunday was a low-key day.  We spent our time visiting with family and swimming in the pool.  I knew Tess loved to swim (as long as her head doesn’t get wet) but I had no idea how Brady would be now that he was older.  Well, he is certainly our little fish.  In fact, he screamed when we took him out of the pool.  Once we got him settled down and dressed, he spent the rest of the day attempting to get back in with his clothes on or begging people to hold him and bring him closer to the water.  It was cute and nerve-racking all at the same time.

Monday was our flight home.  I wish I could say the flights were good but it was awful!  The kids were exhausted from our activities and they never quite adjusted to the time change.  Brady fussed for an hour and a half of the first leg of the trip.  David had to walk up the aisles and stand in the back with him to get him to calm down.  Miss Tess fueled off of Brady’s attitude and tested us as much as she could as well. 

Don't Let This Face Fool Ya - Stinker!

If we would have had extra arms, David and I would have been having cocktails to calm ourselves down.  The second flight was better than the first but it is safe to say we were all totally relieved to land in Iowa.  We didn’t get home until close to midnight and we both had early mornings at work.  I was looking forward to getting home on Tuesday evening and having a great night of sleep.  Mr. Brady had other plans and kept me up until 3am. 

Time Change + Teething Child + No Sleep For Mama (Again) = Bad

Anyway, the trip itself was a great success.  We have spent these last few days dealing with the so-called aftermath but here’s hoping we can have an enjoyable and relaxing weekend to recover.