Spring Break Week 2: Disneyland

The funniest thing happened this week. We were packing our winter gear for Flagstaff when Billy asked me if maybe we should go to Disneyland, too. We looked at driving directions and realized that we'd only add 30 minutes to our drive by leaving from Flagstaff instead of Chandler... so we added some summer clothes to our luggage and made some reservations over the phone as we were driving up north. Spur of the moment is how Billy likes to vacation. Haha.

We didn't stay at a Disneyland Hotel this time, and I don't regret that decision for a minute. We saved at least $150/night by doing so, and a shuttle took us right to the park, which took us just as long as our walk from a Disneyland Hotel.

Day 1: Disney Downtown

We shopped until we dropped (window shopped- 'cause that stuff is expensive, man!), then we went to one of our favorite restaurants in Downtown Disney: The Jazz Kitchen. Mhm-mm! The desserts, especially! Beignets! Banana fosters! I am hungry just thinking about those! We hit the sack early that night because we knew we'd have a full day ahead of us, and we did.

Day 2: Disneyland
Well, we got lucky with the weather, I guess. It literally rained all day, starting 9 am. Sure, we had a wear a poncho. Sure, it was a little cold at times. BUT, on the bright side, the lines were super short! The only people there were the people who have had this trip planned for months, or longer, and couldn't NOT go. Everyone else, like probably people who have an annual pass or live within driving distance, opted not to go. Thank you to those people. Last time we came, we got to go on each ride twice, because of the rider-swap, but by the end of the day, we'd only been on a little more than half of the rides in the park. We were lucky to have 2 days at the park so that we could go on everything. This time, though, it only took us one day to go on everything in the park, and we even got to ride certain things 3-4-5 times!
Also, remember when I said Logan pouted a bunch this whole week? Well, he pouted pretty much every time we went on "a little kid" ride, like Snow White or Peter Pan or It's a Small World. Apparently, he is too old for those rides, but not too old too whine. He also pouted every time we told him he couldn't have a churro or candy apple for a meal. And if you know Logan, you know that he can hold that pout for a looooong time! Like, even if we went on "a big kid" ride right after, he'd still be mad about the last ride. Ugh. It's so hard to make this kid happy.
The rest of us had a great time, though. We tried our best not to let Logan's attitude bring us down (it was hard!) and enjoyed our vacation. The best part were the short lines, the Blue Bayou (yum!), the delicious candy apple, and the rides. So yeah, it was all the best! Including Kendall's poses, the boys' cheesy smiles, and Alexis being scared to death of Minnie.

Billy's pictures:

My pictures:

Day 3: California Adventure
So, the kids totally wussed out on The Guardians of the Galaxy. Well, at least Taylor and Kendall tried it once. But when it was my turn to go with them again, they changed their minds and left the line to go sit with Billy. Haha.
Best part of the day? Those few times Logan wasn't pouting. The banana split. World of Color, where Billy initiated a conversation with the family standing in front of us, and the family realized what a nice family we were so they let us stand in front of them with our little kids so that they could see the show. When the show was over, I said to Billy, "I know what you did there..." to which he answered, "Smooth, right?"

Billy's pictures:

My pictures:

Vacations are fun! But it's also nice to come home to our own stuff, clothes, and home food. One day, we'll probably go to Hawaii, the Virgin Islands, or even Europe. But for now, Disneyland is what the kids enjoy, and I am happy to oblige. Creating some fun Disney memories with our little kids before they get too big.

Spring Break Week 2: Flagstaff

The kids have never skied before, so we thought it'd be a good idea to drive up 3 hours to Flagstaff, rent a cabin, play in the snow, and take some lessons before cruising down the mountain.

Day 1: Flagstaff is so green, and that's a lot to say considering it's March and the ground is covered in snow. I just love the evergreens, the mountains, and the brightness of fresh snow. There wasn't a ton of snow, but there was enough to make a small snowman and enough for Alexis to throw snowballs at her brothers and sister. After exploring the area surrounding the cabin, we drove up the mountain where we'd be skiing the following day. The snow was much deeper up there, which made it hard for Alexis to walk, but oh, so, cute. The sunset was so beautiful from up there that I didn't think to take pictures. I couldn't miss a minute of the beauty of that sunset. We then went back to the cabin for games, pizza ,and s'mores. I guess that's what cabin-life is like and I kinda love it!

 

Day 2: Up early to hit the slopes. The kids took a 2-hour lesson, which made it a lot easier on Billy and I because the instructor told us afterwards that our kids get frustrated very easily. That crap wouldn't have flown with me. Just look at that picture of Logan before the lesson and the one after the lesson. Haha. He said he wiped out and scraped his elbow... thus, the face. I am sad to say I got to see that face A LOT that week. Ugh! They did pretty good, though, all of them. We got all of our equipment by 10 and went down the slopes over and over again until 5, with a 1-hour lunch break. Kendall did the best. She had a positive attitude, and didn't let her falls bring her down; she kept trying and getting better. By the end of the day, she was cruising and could stop herself without falling.

I am so grateful for the opportunity that we had to share one of Billy's passions with the kids. I am also grateful to provide them with opportunities to learn new skills and talents to develop over the years. I hope one day they will look back at these memories and also be grateful for the time spent together as a family. I hope they'll say, "Oh, remember when we used to rent a cabin and go skiing every year? That was fun!"

Spring Break Week 1: Home

Phoenix is the only place we've ever lived where Spring Break isn't just one week, but TWO! Sure, it makes for a shorter Summer, but it spreads out time off from school, and we've really enjoyed that.

We stayed around for the first week and had a lot of fun, but somehow I only managed to get a few pictures: first, we went to Krazy Air with the cousins; second, the boys went to Boy Scouts Camp. We also heated the pool and went swimming a bunch. It was a fun and relaxing week.