Saturday, March 26, 2011

Are We There Yet?

Final Disneyland Post

I showed you all the photos from Disneyland (from my camera anyhow). If Eric has more photos, I can always share those later, because drawing out the Disneyland experience is fun for everyone!! Right?

As I have mentioned in the last three posts, it was raining on and off all day. By about 4 in the afternoon, it started raining steadily. We got colder and colder. We stood in line to ride Space Mountain, and Hudson gave up. He fell asleep in my arms from exhaustion and being cold. Holding 35 pounds of little boy for 45 minutes made my arms soooooo sore.

It rained the entire time we were in line. Fun. We finally got on the ride, Hudson included, and then when it was over, we decided it was time to start heading for home. It was 6ish by this point.

We had a little last minute shopping to do, we caught the tram back to the car, changed in the car, found a McDonald's, and headed for the freeway.

That's when things got crazy and scary.

We called Eric's dad to let him know we were on the way home, and he informed us that the Grapevine (the big mountain pass) was probably going to close. Um, excuse me? How in the heck were we supposed to get home? We kept on driving through the heavy rain on the L.A. freeways until we were about 15 miles from entering the Grapevine and saw signs about the closure.

I was already in a panic because of the rain. I HATE driving or even riding in the rain. It just scares me. I was pressed up against my window taking deep breaths and whispering Hail Mary's.

We diverted to another freeway to the east. We stopped to get gas, soda, and candy. I needed something to keep from screaming. I was already crying enough silent tears as it was.

As we started driving on Hwy 58 over the Tehachapi Mountains, the rain suddenly turned to snow. It was so pretty, but so freaky. The thing that kept me semi-sane was constantly updating my facebook status. I figured if I died, at least people would know where I was! Okay, okay, I'm being a little dramatic, but I wasn't kidding about being scared.

We managed to keep driving...slowly. Then all traffic came to a halt. And we sat on a snowy, closed-down freeway for about 20-30 minutes. That didn't help my mental state.

Finally we started inching forward. We managed to make it to Bakersfield sometime after 11 p.m. The other side of the freeway had jack-knifed big rigs and stopped traffic for miles. We were lucky they opened our side up.

Once we got to Bakersfield, I was able to breathe a bit easier. We finally got home after 1 a.m, a far cry from getting home between 10 and 11 when we should have.

As frightened as I was, I was just happy to be home safe and sound. It was quite the ordeal that I am not anxious to repeat. Something fell on us the ENTIRE drive whether it was rain, hail, snow or sleet. Crazy California in March.

We got up to go to work on Monday morning, and that wasn't pretty at all! I'm amazed I didn't fall asleep teaching class!

And that is the conclusion of our Disneyland trip. Amazing family time. Horrible weather. God (and Eric!) got us home safely. For all the blessings, I am grateful!

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Disneyland: Part 4

I LOVED the Finding Nemo Submarine Ride! It was so relaxing and pretty.


Eric and Hudson gazing out their windows looking for Nemo.


Look how pretty these underwater shots are!


Pretty pretty!

Once again, I don't have the energy for any more story telling. I'll have to share our crazy ride home another day.

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

Disneyland: Part 3

Next up was a little bit of shopping. We stopped by the Mad Hatter to purchase hats. The kids weren't interested in Mouse Ears. Instead they both decided on these adorable head pieces.


Evan.


Hudson.


Here is a little better view of the Chip and Dale hat.

Eric bought a hat with Grumpy on it that says, "This is my Grumpy Hat." At the end of the day I bought a super cute pink Minnie Mouse Hat.

Remember the Chip and Dale cartoon? My sister and I used to watch it ALL THE TIME! Now I can't remember whether it was Chip or Dale who had the red nose. I don't think my kids even know Chip and Dale. They just liked the hats! I need to find the cartoon on DVD for them.


Here is an accidental artsy shot. This is Hudson's silhouette while riding It's a Small World. Ahhh...another one of my favorite rides. It just never gets old.


Goofy was one of only two characters that we saw all day! We saw Peter Pan from a distance. I guess the rain keeps all the characters inside. That was a bit disappointing. We never even saw Mickey Mouse. I'm not sure if the kids understood that the whole park was Mickey Mouse land.


Evan having fun in Toon Town.


Hudson having fun in Toon Town.

I only have a few more photos left to show. I'll share those tomorrow. I also need to share our harrowing experience in getting home. That was a nightmare.

I've had Disneyland on the brain for three days now. I just want to be back there wrapped in the Disney Bubble of Magic.

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Disneyland: Part 2

Okay, where were we? Oh yes. Eric had gone back to the car to get our Disney Bucks while the kids and I waited by a cool fountain.

I'm not sure who was more impatient, me or the kids! I was so excited to get in the park! I just wanted to see the excitement on their faces as we walked inside.

Eric got back, we went inside and headed for the train. We took it one stop to New Orleans Square so we could hop off and get to Pirates of the Caribbean, which is one of my all time favorite rides.


The boys and me on the train. It was so much fun being with the kids!

Since we got to the park right as it opened, we were able to beat a lot of crowds for the first two hours. Also, it rained off and on all day. Not too bad, but just enough to keep the crowds light. It was great for us, even if we did get slightly wet.

We got to Pirates and literally walked onto a boat without waiting at all. In fact, we were the only ones on our particular boat! Hudson's little face was priceless all day long. He just took it all in with huge saucer eyes.

After Pirates, we headed over to Indiana Jones. This was the only ride Hudson couldn't go on because he was too short. While Eric and Evan rode on that ride, Hudson and I checked out the Jungle Book Treehouse. I didn't like it. It was nothing but stairs!!! Hudson practically raced up the stairs and then back down. I miss the tree being the Swiss Family Robinson Tree. Shows how old I am!


Little Joe Cool at the bottom of the treehouse.


Same shot, just closer.


Hudson and me waiting for E and E to get off their ride.

After we joined back up, we got on the Jungle Boat Cruise. Just as we settled down on our boat, something happened, because they made us all get off and told us that the ride was shutting down. Weird. We ended up going on that ride later in the day, so it worked out.


The boys waiting outside the Tiki Room while Dad was in the bathroom. No, we didn't actually go in the Tiki Room. I love it, but Eric is not such a fan.


Arriving at the castle.


I want to live in this castle! Actually, we saw a show where there are special tours where you can actually go into the castle. How cool would that be?


Tea Cups! All four of us fit in that little cup. Four months ago, it would have been an uncomfortable fit. However, with Eric and me both shrinking, sitting in the cup was manageable.

On a side note, it felt so good to walk around the park without any discomfort. We both had energy, we felt healthier, and there was little pain. Eric has a knee issue that flared up a bit, but it didn't slow him down like it might have in the past. Score for a healthier Mom and Dad! (It's a good thing I'm stronger, because by the end of the day, Hudson was refusing to walk. I carried him everywhere! My arms were pretty sore yesterday.)


We rode on the Dumbo ride. We took turns switching off riding with the kids. Eric and Evan were in the Dumbo ahead of us. Hudson was a crazy flyer, floating us up and down during the ride. It was fun!


I swear he's not stoned! Just a weird camera shot.


Apparently I like Dumbo! And Disneyland itself makes me sooooooo happy!

Okay. That's enough for tonight. I will continue with this tomorrow.

Monday, March 21, 2011

Disneyland!

Yesterday was Evan and Hudson's first ever trip to Disneyland! It was magical. It was perfect. It was raining!

I have a lot of photos and a lot of stories. I'm not sure if I have the energy to post it all tonight. The Disneyland post might have to come in installments.

Let's get started.

A little background on how the trip came to be on this precise weekend. Each year teachers at my school have an opportunity to go to a conference called the L.A. Religious Congress. We spend 2-3 days attending workshops and classes on teaching and/or faith. I think this was my third time to Congress.

The Congress just happens to be held at the Convention Center in Anaheim...which is directly across the street from Disneyland.

Knowing that I was planning to go to Congress this year, we decided to plan a day at Disney for the kids on Sunday. We didn't tell the kids about it, and it was HARD to keep it a secret! Evan knew I was riding down with another teacher on Thursday and that he, brother and dad would come get me on Saturday. He just thought it would be fun to stay in a hotel for a night!

The family arrived right as I finished my last class. Perfect timing! We decided to go to Tony Roma's for dinner. It was a treat for us because that restaurant shut down here in Fresno. The restaurant was right across the street from Disneyland, but Evan still didn't notice!

Kids came into the restaurant wearing mouse ears. Still nothing! Eric and I were dying from trying not to laugh at how oblivious Evan was!

Once we got back into the car after dinner, Evan finally made the statement, "Wow, there sure are a lot of buses in this city!" We absolutely lost it! We were laughing so hard at how unaware Evan can be. FINALLY he looked to the left and saw the Disneyland sign.

"Is that really Disneyland?" he asked in a normal voice.

"Yes," I said.

"Wow. I can't believe I'm at Disneyland."

(Now he was making these statements in a regular voice as if this were an everyday conversation. There was no excitement...yet.)

I told him that Disneyland just happened to be in the same city where my conference was held. He seemed to accept that. We finally got around to telling him that he would actually get to go in the park the next day. Then he was excited! It took a moment to get over the slight disappointment that we wouldn't be going into the park that very moment, but we appeased him with sitting in the spa at the hotel.

We also walked to Downtown Disney to burn off a bit of energy.


Oh the treasures! I splurged on a giant almond and chocolate covered strawberry.


The kids talked us into giant suckers! I think this thing is bigger than Hudson's head!


Yum!


We spent quite a bit of time in the Lego Store. Both boys had fun in there.

After walking back to the hotel and soaking in the hot tub, we tried to get a good night's sleep to be ready for the morning. Hudson, however, was not in much of a mood to sleep. Once we finally got him settled, we all slept.

Morning came, we packed up, and headed for the park. We got on the tram (which the boys thought was an awesome ride!) and got all the way to the entrance only to realize that Eric had forgotten all of our money (Disney Bucks) in the car! I hung out with the boys while Eric stayed on the tram to go get our money!


Waving bye to Dad as he heads back to the car!


While waiting for Dad, Evan enjoyed the fountain.


Hudson wasn't in the mood for photos, so I took a shot of the top of his head. The three boys wore their OLPH Cougar sweatshirts while I sported Fresno State. Have to represent!

Eric got back and in we went!

That is all the energy I have in me for tonight. But I just have to say that we rode on sooooooo many rides. I want to list them so I don't forget! Hudson was able to ride everything except Indiana Jones.

Disneyland Ride List
1. Pirates of the Caribbean
2. Train
3. Haunted Mansion
4. Indiana Jones
5. Jungle Book Treehouse
6. Jungle Cruise
7. Steamboat
8. Dumbo
9. Storybook Boats
10. Casey Jr. Train
11. Teacups
12. It's a Small World
13. Autopia
14. Monorail
15. Finding Nemo Submarine
16. Materhorn
17. Space Mountain
18. Thunder Railroad
19. Roger Rabbit
20. Some coaster in Toon Town

Due to the rain, the lines were pretty short all day! Even though it was wet and cold, we had an amazing time! More to come tomorrow.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

Soon

Evan had his first track meet on Saturday. I promise I will get the pictures and review posted soon. Like in the next two days soon. Eric just needs to upload photos off the camera. So it's not really my fault!

Friday, March 11, 2011

PROUD

PROUD
I am so proud of my husband. He started a new blog about his desire to get into the world of cycling.

Check it out HERE!

There are good, healthy, and active days in our future!


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Once again, I haven't posted here lately. It's just that there were more interesting things going on in my world of Pokey Slow Runner than there were in the world of Peanut and Chicken! Sorry. The kids just weren't that interesting this past week!

Thursday, March 3, 2011

Sick

This kid was sick yesterday.



He started throwing up at 4 a.m. I stayed home with him.

This kid was sick today.



He went to school and wound up in the office at 10:30 with a 101 degree fever. Eric drove home and stayed with him this afternoon.

Hopefully we all get over the germs quickly. It seems like it's been a long week.