Disneyland 2008, Day 2

The kids were DYING to ride on teh Rocket Ships, so we headed there first. Again, the park was relatively quiet and uncrowded, so they got on right away. This year Riley got to ride by himself. I wonder if he enjoyed it?
Violet loved her ride, too.

When we got to these benches, Violet said, "Mom! Take a picture of me RIGHT HERE." hee

This was the morning of our Character Breakfast - Minnie and Friends! First we got a visit from Rafiki...

Then Tigger came to visit Dad since he didn't get to see him yesterday...

And our hostess, Minnie, joined us!

Chip was there, too...

And Captain Hook!
Poor Eeyore was so sad... we were sad too!

And Max came over to mess around with Riley!
After breakfast, it was back to California Adventure to ride the rides. We did all sorts of fun ones, including Riley's first ever ride on the "Orange Peeler," as Violet calls it...

Of course she was on there, too... swinging around!

This was a great year for our kids at the parks. Riley was exactly 46 inches tall, which meant that he could ride on almost everything! It was a whole new world for him. :)

And Violet was finally tall enough for the Maliboomer. We let her ride that one (which, as you can see, comes conveniently with barf splash guards) all by herself.

And of course, what's a day at Disney without a chocolate covered Mickey head?

Probably a little less messy. ;)

Finally, the kids capped off the evening with a visit to Build a Bear Workshop and dinner at the Rainforest Cafe. Poor Riley was pooped! After we were finally seated (TWO HOURS after we arrived at the restaurant!!), Riley didn't stay awake to enjoy his meal - or the birthday ice cream they were going to bring him! Poor guy. He's had a long couple of days, though. :)

Disneyland 2008, Day 1

Once again we went to Disneyland for Riley's annual Birthday Trip. This year we stayed at the Fairfield Marriott right across the street from the park. I think it was an even shorter walk for us than last year when we were actually ON PROPERTY at the Paradise Pier!

Before going in, I made the R Boys pose with their letter.

Our first ride was Indiana Jones (Riley was finally tall enough!!!) He was sooooo excited right until the moment of getting on the jeeps. Then he was terrified! He made it through the ride and decided it was way too scary. HAHA. But he survived! After that we did a few, tamer rides... like the Jungle Cruise, Tarzan, and of course... Pirates!

Why, hello Johnny Depp!

After Pirates, it was off to Splash Mountain - which we ended up riding TWICE in a ROW!! Gotta love no lines at Disneyland on a Thursday morning! This was right before we all got soaked.

The boys had to go to the potty while Violet and I stopped to see Tigger.

And the two of us took some silly pictures while we waited for them. :)

And, of course, a trip to Disney always requires a Chocolate Covered Mickey Head.

It was so fun this year letting the kids do a couple things on their own. Riley and Violet rode the teacups while Rick and I ate churros and watched.

The kids wanted to go on the merry go round - and this time, Riley rode on one all by himself!

Violet apparently got a wild horse...

And no one really knows what Rick is doing...

In honor of Festivus, the kids performed Feats of Strength...

and Violet practiced her Telekinetic Driving Skills. As you can see it was quite terrifying.

And the kids enjoyed a new treat - MICKEY HEAD PRETZELS! WOOHOO!!

We stopped by Town Hall so Riley could get a phone call from Goofy, wishing him a happy birthday...

And we even went to California Adventure for some more fun! We met Sully on the way to the Tower of Terror, which Riley also rode for the first time (and also hated. haha).

It was another magical, wonderful trip...

more tomorrow!

Hi.

Right. So I haven't blogged.

Cause it's been Christmas and chaos and stuff.

And today is Riley's 6th birthday. SIX.

I have so much to share and update.... this next week I will be devoting to updates and stuff, including our Disney trip, school celebrations, snowball fights, sledding, Christmas morning, Wii Fit, new cameras, new lenses, Riley's birthday, and much more. Right now I am cleaning the house, getting ready for a party for a SIX year old, who is outside right now riding his BMX bike on his new trick ramp. Don't worry... he's got a helmet on. ;)

Have a wonderful day...

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow...

This was Monday morning, as the snow began to fall. Mo had just finished our landscaping on Sunday and we were thrilled to see it done! I was planning on taking detailed photos of all the work he did, when my plans were slightly thwarted by Mother Nature...
And then Monday afternoon it began to stick... but there wasn't a whole ton that stuck that day, maybe a couple inches when all was said and done. Enough for a little snowman in the backyard, that's it.

Then Wednesday came, and it snowed. And snowed. And snowed, well into the night. This was about 7 pm. If you click on the image you can see more detail... and how the snow even began to collect in the window panes, just like in a storybook! Our neighborhood was completely magical.

Because no one was sure when the snow would actually stop, and there were chances of several more inches dumping throughout the night, the superintendent decided to cancel school on Thursday to be safe. Las Vegas officially had a snow day!! This was our yard on Thursday morning.

The kids took full advantage of the Snow Day and decided to bring the sled to the park. They didn't even want to wait to actually sled on SNOW. haha

And at the park the two of them had a BALL making snowmen, building ramps, throwing snowballs, and playing and playing and playing and playing.

I took all sorts of pictures because I didn't want them to forget this day... a SNOW DAY in Las Vegas. Probably didn't need to be a snow day here (the roads were clear and everything), but I guess in the far southern side of the valley over 8 inches fell and people couldn't drive their card down the road!

Here's to magical memories this holiday season. We are on FAMILY VACATION till the 29th! Rick is off work and I am taking a work break. The kids are off school for a week after that, too. It's going to be GREAT. :)

Christmas Cookies

on Monday night we had our annual Christmas Cookie Decorating Day with Liane and Carl. Much fun was had by all, and many ridiculous cookies were made. This year we kept them all round (thank you, Pillsbury Break & Bake) and just designed the tops. Everyone was quite creative.
Here Violet is designing her Santa cookie...

Liane LOVES TO DECORATE!

Carl, intensely creating a designer white-on-white piece...

and Riley, working on a green stocking design.

It was the perfect way to enjoy an evening! Hot cocoa, homemade cookies, making fun of how ridiculous Heroes has gotten (oh wait, that's mostly just me), and family togetherness. I just love Christmas! :)