I had a huge cut and off we went to the E.R. (thankful to have know where it was due to dad's many trips there while both Audra & I were in college.  We had even made jokes going through on the way South that we were glad to be going by it and not stopping!  ha!!).

A couple hours and 4 stiches later we were on our way to the Hampton for a short overnight stay.  On the road the next morning and home by 2:00.

I'm so thankful for family that took great care of Thomas & I and for the ones at home that happily kept Benjamin a little longer than planned.

Thomas was so excited to get home and share not only a chipmunk with his brother, but his pirate hat and a sword he had picked out and bought just for Benjamin.  Benjamin was thrilled!

Thomas had also picked out suckers for all 3 of them, which were meet with happy faces from all, especially Daddy!

This was such a fun trip!!  I was so happy to have my parents along for the fun. They made so many great memories with Thomas and had so much fun getting to see Disneyland through the eyes of their grandson.  They loved getting to see how the park had changed and remembering all the fun we had had as my sister and I were growing up.  It was great getting to share some of my new favorites, special little memories Jared and I had made over our years going there together.

This was also just a great time for Thomas and I.  We had several hours in the park just the two of us.  I got to just follow him around seeing what he really wanted to do, getting to encourage the little bit of his adventurous side, see that he really is pretty cautious, but loves to have fun.  I saw his sweetness as he picked out things for his brother and rode rides with me out of love! (he rode Little Mermaid with me, which he informed me was too girly!  I told him, in a house full of boys, I do boy things all the time, so every so often he has to do something a little girly with me.  That seemed to make sense to him and he was happy to go.  He even found he really liked it and it wasn't so girly after all!)  It was funny to see just how much he likes to shop, something he liked just as much as the rides.  We have some special memories that I hope he will always remember.  Although, I think unfortunately, it will always be the trip where mommy sliced her hand open!

Characters & CA Adventure

We did manage to catch a few pictures with some Disney friends.  Thomas really wanted a picture with Goofy, that was on his list of things to do and it was accomplished pretty much as soon as we walked into the park.  Later in the day we visited ToonTown and got to meet Mickey.  The park was pretty quiet so we only had to wait about 20 minutes! Then, when we finally got there he didn't want to meet him!!  Without too much convincing, he gave it and then we were off to Chip N' Dale's house.

Wednesday morning, we took our time waking up, but were ready for some more fun as soon as we did.  Grammy treated us to a breakfast at McDonald's and Thomas and I got ready for some swimming.  CA Adventure didn't open until 10, so we had some time to hang out.  The hotel had an awesome pirate themed swim park, which we found out didn't open until 10.  Thomas chose leaving for the park over playing in the water... we did make it over to the big pool though for a little splashing.

 In the park, Thomas wanted to go to Soarin' Over California and the Bugs Life Land to ride on Hermie.  We made it right to Soarin', which thrilled us all!  Then to the Hollywood area for a ride on Monsters, a show for Grammy and Thomas and a ride on Tower of Terror for Papa and I!!  That was so much fun!!!!  It was great to be able to ride it with my dad, threw me back to High School.  Thomas was very curious about this ride he couldn't go on, but was still safe for mommy.  When he saw how high it was, he was just fine to have missed it.  The other thing he missed was meeting Chip N' Dale, he was still in his show.  We got a picture of Papa with them, but unfortunately, that was with Papa's camera.

Another favorite was the Toy Story Mania ride.  Thomas rode it with Jared last time we were there, so I had never been on it.  It was a blast, enjoyed by all four of us.  We rode boys against girls, which thrilled Thomas even more when he was on the winning team.

We caught a couple road shows after that just as we were getting ready to hit the road and head home, the Green Army Men and Phineus & Ferb show.  They were fun and Thomas loved them.  He was ready to go home and looking pretty tired until we found this:

 The little spot where you can get wet from the downhill splash of the water ride!  Thomas loved it.  He managed to trap me in the corner just as a big splash came down.  We both got pretty wet and he was thrilled to have trapped me just in time.  It made the day a little more special.  The water seemed to revive Thomas, making it sad to leave the park.  We found a little adventure camp part he would to have loved to explore, but we were trying to make it home by midnight....

We got a quick picture with the brick Jared bought me 10 years ago, as well as a special "5" shot to remember his special birthday celebration.

We left the park by 5:30, hit some L.A. traffic, but made it to Santa Clarita for some dinner at a favorite restaurant from my college days.  While still in town, we took the time to fill up.  Thomas had bought a Zurg Blaster Gun which he had patiently waited two whole days to open.  I grabbed my dad's pocket knife to get it open for him.  The knife slipped and went right through the back of my hand!!

An Afternoon Full of Disney Fun!

After lunch we made our way over for a Riverboat Cruise.  Thomas loved all the animals and the story we heard as we traveled on the river.  He had all sorts of questions and it was so much fun to see him enjoy all the fun for the imagination that Disneyland has to offer.  Of course, after seeing the adventure awaiting us on Tom Sawyer Island, Thomas and I made our way over their for some exploring.

This was probably my favorite part of the two days.  Thomas dragged me through all the caves, bridges (which I hate!!), we found all the treasure, climbed up to the tree house and looked down every path and I loved every minute off it!!  It was fun to see all the boy in him come out.  He even managed to find some bugs on the island.  I can't wait to return there and see him and Benjamin explore it together.

After our fun exploring time, we found Grammy enjoying a bowl of ice cream which we were quick to join in on.  I found Thomas and I an ice cream sundae at the Golden Horseshoe, which was delicious.

After this we headed up through Tarzan's Treehouse, something Grammy had never seen and I hadn't ventured through since college.  As you can see Chip & Dale joined us and fun was had by all.

After that we headed back to Toontown, then Grammy made her way back to the hotel.  I figured Thomas and I wouldn't be too far behind because he was starting to fade pretty quickly.  I was bummed at the thought of our day ending so early, but after two rides on the tea cups and a yummy dinner, he was ready for more!!  I talked him into an easy ride and then we went straight back to the tea cups for two more rides.  He declared the tea cups his favorite part of Disneyland!!

Here we are enjoying Splash Mountain.  He was not looking forward to the ride at all.  He didn't want to go down the big slide or get wet, but he rode it with many anyways.  No, I didn't bribe him or make him go on it, just asked nicely and told him he really should try it.  He'll tell you he didn't like the slide part, but that he liked seeing all the animals sing and dance and hearing the story.  He did great on the dip, I think he even smiled a bit afterwards!

We stood in line for Dumbo (the longest ride all day - - about 20 minutes), which was his next favorite!  He liked talking about how he had ridden that ride with Timmy.

We ended the day with some Cotton Candy and he told me, in his sweet, happy & excited, slightly surprised voice, that he had gotten everything he wished for that day!  It made my heart so happy!

We then had a short walk back to the hotel, where I was glad to have Grammy & Papa waiting for us!

Disneyland Fun!!

When Thomas turned 3 or so, I decided that for his 5th birthday I was going to take him to Disneyland!  It be a special trip, just the two of us!  Well, 5 got closer, I started getting nervous about going just the two of us.  I got over that.  May was going to be crazy, so I pushed it back.  But as it got closer and closer, I realized this was a great opportunity, one not to be missed!!  So plans were made!

I told him a week before, so he had some time to get excited, earn some spending money and just get all excited!  He was thrilled and couldn't wait.  We left school a little early on Monday and headed for Simi Valley to spend some time with family friends, the Bakkers.  It was great getting to see them and just have fun with friends you've known for forever!  We got up early Tuesday morning to make it to Disneyland when the gates opened.  We had the whole day ahead of us!

Happy 5th Birthday, Thomas!

It was a day full of doing whatever he wanted.  Riding the rides he wanted!

However, I did get one request in... Splash Mountain, where he got assigned seat #5.

Oh wait, who's that!? Yep, Grammy and Papa joined in for the fun!  It was great having them with us and made the trip extra special.  We all got to have fun seeing Disneyland through Thomas' eyes.  Mom and Dad hadn't been there in at least a decade, so it was extra fun for them.

I had to stick this up at the top of the pictures because it's his favorite picture.  He is still talking about this sword.  Just yesterday he asked if anyone could get this sword out and if it was real.  He's determined to get it out someday!

 Thomas knew he had money to spend, so after meeting a few characters on Main Street, he wanted to go shopping. (He cracks me up!!)  He had seen either Chip or Dale in a friends room and told me before going that he wanted to by Chip & Dale as his souvenir.  He found them (and tons of other stuff!) with in minutes in the store.  I recommend he wait and look around.  Papa slipped him some money and the deal was done!  He carried these two guys all around both parks for both days.  They rode the rides with us, slept with him and were almost always under an arm or in a hand.  When we got home, he let his little brother choose which one he wanted so that they would each have one.  Talk about making a mama happy!!! 

We started with Star Tours & Astro Blasters, which were not big hits at all because of the scary guys.  So we went for things that would just be fun: Nemo, the cars, the Carousal, lunch with Billy Hill & the Hillbillies and some more fun I'll share soon!

 & that was just the first half of the day!!

Surprise Trip to Disneyland!!

So Jared and I last minute decided to head down to Disneyland! It was spring break, some friends were going, I'd been dying to go, we had joked about going while J was going to be on government shut down (oh yeah, good idea, go spend money while not making any) and we had just gotten our tax refund. All those together and we decided to go. So I ran around Sunday like a chicken with her head cut off and with the help of Jared we were off!!! So, here it is! Our first family vacation, T's first time experiencing Disneyland that he'll remember and Benjamin's first trip!

I'm starting with the last picture we took (you can tell by t's face and b's reaction) because it's the most memorable. If you look really close you can see that we're sitting by a brick that Jared bought for me 9 years ago (just a few days short of exactly!)! It's amazing what all can happen in just 9 years. We went from dating for a year, to married with 2 kids. God is so good to us and time goes so quickly!

So, now for the first day. We left the house at 6am Monday morning and made it down by 1:15. Our boys are amazing travelers. We went from Suisun City 30 mins into the trip and made it to Santa Clarita at 12 for gas and lunch! They either napped (well, just B) or watched movies (only 1) or played the whole time. They were great!

We figured when we got there we'd stretch our legs, unload the car in to the hotel room and get going. Well, the hotel wouldn't be ready for almost another 2 hours, so we changed really quick in the bathroom, loaded up the stroller and took our long walk across the street and headed straight for California Adventure. Thomas couldn't wait to see Disneyland. Are we there now? was all he could ask as we walked closer and closer!

Our first day was great! Thomas got to see the Playhouse Junior Show, ride a few little rides and then see Aladdin. He loved it all! Benjamin got to do it all to, but his favorite thing was to play with the wheels of his stroller. Good thing he's free!

Thomas thought it was so cool that he got to drive his own car.

Here we are waiting to get into see Aladdin at the end of the day. We took a family photo with Pluto, our first character to meet in Ca. Adventure. Notice how out of it Thomas is! He slept so hard. Also, notice his pirate sword and hook. We bought those Monday night and one was with him and in his hand for most of the rest of the trip.

I recently bought Thomas a few of the Chip and Dale Rescue Ranger Videos, which he immediately fell in love with. He was so excited when we got to meet Chip when we walked into Disneyland. It was a great way to start Tuesday morning!!

ok, so now i'm not sure what blogger did with the pictures, they wont let me type next to the pictures anymore... so i'll just do my best...

We met up with our friends, the Kile Family, at 12 for lunch. It was such fun seeing them there. John's parents went with them and last time we were at Disneyland, it was with all of them as well. We had a lot of fun hanging out for awhile with them. The girls took our boys on the carosal, which was a favorite. While all the big kids went on a big ride, I took Thomas took look at the Pirate Ship and the other big boat. We were right next to the Cotton Candy lady and so I couldn't resist! Thomas loved it!! When looking back through the pictures later, he just started at that picture and announced that it was his favorite so he just wanted to look at it. So funny!! (too bad he wasn't free!!) Then there's the sad picture of Thomas on the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blaster ride. Thomas did actually like the ride, but at this point the ride had stopped. We were just past the big Zerg and T was freaking out. He had to defeat Zerg so that he wouldn't get us. He was slightly freaked out. What made it so funny though was the look of determination and that he wouldn't stop shooting him!

We went back to the room late afternoon for some rest so that the boys would last the whole day. Rest turned into a pirate sword fight between the 3 boys on our big bed. Oh yes, Benjamin was totally into it as well!!

We went back into the park ready to go! We had to get our picture in front of the castle and then rode Nemo. What I haven't told you yet is by this point, Thomas really wasn't a fan of the rides at Disneyland. His first ride, before the Astro Blaster ride, was the spiny space ship one. Too hid and too fast. So much so he wouldn't even go on Dumbo!! We also took him on Pirates of the Carribean (or caravan if you ask Thomas) which we thought would be a big hit because of his new fascination of them. Nope, pretty much hated it.

Then in the afternoon I took him on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, which he will tell you was too fast and he didn't like going upside down. I can't convince him that he didn't. So, I kinda ruined him for the rides. We worked so hard to get him on Nemo and thankfully he enjoyed it. We learned that everything there has a scary part... After Nemo we met back up with the Kiles to see the water/light show at Ca Adventure. Well, sort of. We kinda ditched them when a really nice employee let us into the roped of section for the show. They were on the back side. Sorry guys!! It was a neat show and both boys loved seeing it. We were trying to convince Benjamin to go to sleep during it, but he'd cry if he couldn't see it! He really amazed us at how aware he was and how much he enjoyed everything. So much fun seeing both boys enjoy things in different ways.

ok, now the pictures are back to where I understand them....

So, here the guys are taking a picture again with the pirate ship. He loved watching it, but afraid to go on it with the bad pirates.

We finally found something Thomas really enjoyed, Toon Town!! He loved it! We're at the musical fountain, which he still talks about.

Thomas enjoyed it so much he wanted his picture taken with the sign.

Thankfully we got to see Mickey just before we left. We waited in a long line to see this guy!

The trip wouldn't be complete with out this big scoop of ice cream. Yes, I know you can get mint chip anywhere, but you sure can't eat it on Main Street when ever you want! Thomas loved sitting there sharing the cone with us and listening to the piano guy! Such a good memory!

It was a great trip and I can't wait to go again!! Surprisingly, the park wasn't crazy busy. Monday and Tuesday were pretty crowded, but Wednesday was awesome!! Wish we could have stayed that whole day. We left the park just after noon and were home by 7:30. The trip was two weeks ago and I think we are still recovering!! but so worth it!!

A few things I didn't get in, was Thomas' picture with the ducks. Another one of his favorite parts. while we were waiting for the group on the big roller coasters, Thomas spent his time watching and chasing ducks. The next day he feed one and saw some baby ducklings. Could have found a much less expensive way to do that, but it's a good memory!!

Can't wait to go again!!

Disneyland!!!

Following Graduation, we continued on down the 5 straight to Disneyland!!! What a great trip!
We stayed with some friends at the Anaheim Marriot, nicest hotel we've ever stayed in. Ruth shared some of her travel rewards with us and oh boy did we feel spoiled. Desserts at night and a yummy breakfast in the morning!! We were on the 18th floor and were able to see the fireworks from our balcony (all three of us at 9:30, because Thomas was still up after no nap, early rising and several car drives, yeah, it was great!).

The next two days were spent in both Disneyland and California Adventure. The park wasn't too crowded so we were able to ride everything we wanted to, even Jared and I. We were at the park with the Kile's family and the Truesdells, so that included everyone from Nana and Papa, lots of mom and dads, a bunch of kids and on down to the two 2-year olds. There was always someone to watch Thomas if one of us wanted to ride. It was great to not only spend time the three of us, but to hang out with the whole group! Monday, we did "big kid" rides in the morning, had lunch and then split up into small groups. We spent some time in Fantasyland with Thomas than on Main Street for a nap and some ice cream (Thomas slept for an hour and a half, it was great!). We saw some of the characters, did some shopping, went on Nemo and even had some Jedi Training. After that we met up with the rest of the group for dinner.

On Tuesday, we headed into the California Adventure. We made the first showing of Playhouse Disney, which was a hit. Such fun to watch Thomas sing, dance and clap along with a bunch of disney characters. After that we met up with the group again at the back of the park for California Screamin', and a bunch of the other crazy rides. Thomas had fun trying on sunglasses and watching mommy on the spinning rides. After lunch we had more play time and then headed over to the Bug's Life area and rode a ride and then Thomas and Josie got their fun in the water. Thomas shocked us all and loved it right away (he hates the shower, the sprinklers and any water being splashed in his face), so much he didn't want to leave. We had a little bit of time to play with the "big kids" in the water area,but unfortunately after that we did have to leave. We (or I) took our time walking through the stores and eventually to the car, where Thomas crashed. Fell asleep water bottle and cookie in hand. We made it home just after 11 Tuesday night only to wake up the next morning for birthday preparations! The fun continues...