Question: How do you reset a 6 year old that has been traumatized at Legoland?
Answer: Head to the Happiest Place on Earth!
We woke up early this morning and drove North to Anaheim. Traffic was light, but the fog was heavy. We parked at our hotel and headed into the park.
We arrived right at opening and set our sights on Fantasyland. Jman was nervous as we waited for the first ride - Snow White. "Does it go fast?" he asked. But once he finished the ride he declared, "I remember that ride!" He rode Pinocchio, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, the Teacups, Dumbo, and Casey Jr. Circus train. With each passing ride in Fantasyland, you could see him relaxing. Of course at the same time, Supergirl was getting more and more anxious to ride a roller coaster. By this time about 2 hours had passed and the park was getting more and more full. We started avoiding the popular rides, opting to use FastPass to get tickets to return to things later. We continued to ride the rides that were Jman-speed.
As we were headed to a ride, we passed a Jedi Training Session, a show that trains kids to be Star Wars Jedis. Jman was lucky enough to be picked to be one of those kids that is trained. He got to wear the cape and use a practice light saber. The highlight was his battle with Darth Maul (you can see it in the attached video). Jman was floating through the park on a Jedi-high after the show.
By lunch, you could see the sheer joy returning to Jman. Supergirl was super-patient and was content to ride the rides with Jman.
While we were waiting in line to go into Small World, Jman whispered, "Mommy, wishes really do come true! Yesterday, I wished for a good day at Disneyland, and I got it today!" Awwwwww!
In the afternoon, we decided to use Jman's Fastpass to Indiana Jones that he received 2 years ago when he was too short to ride. Jman was excited to be tall enough to ride the ride. He boarded the ride happily and left the ride in about the same state he was in after that first roller coaster in Legoland. Yikes! He blamed us for lying to him when we told him the ride wasn't fast. (Honestly, the ride isn't fast like a roller coaster, it is just really bumpy.) Jman wouldn't listen to our reason for the misinterpretation of the ride. He was on guard again. Talk about two steps back! Then, we took a ride on the Winnie the Pooh ride and all was right again in the world.
Supergirl rocked on all of the rides. It is so much fun to have her at the age where she rides EVERYTHING! She was really happy to be tall enough to drive the Autotopia cars by herself. I rode as her passenger and I am thinking that I am not going to let her get her license until at least 20. The ride was just a little jerky and bumpy.
Two fun things about Disneyland during the holidays:
1) Small World has a holiday theme with really cool holiday decorations on all of the scenes AND they sing "Jingle Bells" and "Deck the Halls" along with "It's A Small World" to help your sanity.
2) The Haunted Mansion has the theme of "The Nightmare Before Christmas" and was totally redone. It was lots of fun!
We decided to head out of the park around 5pm and skip the New Year's festivities and opt for sleep. The park is PACKED - people like sardines. It was stressing all of us out. We are hoping that everyone sleeps in tomorrow and that there will be a smaller crowd at the park tomorrow morning.
Click here to see pictures from Day 4
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Link to a Video From a Ride at Legoland
Click here for the video - Jman and I rode the "gentle" setting!
"When I'm Screaming It Means I'm Not Having Fun!"
Question: Can you ruin a 6 year old's day in Legoland with just one ride?
Answer: YES!!!!!!!
We started Tuesday with Jman declaring “If I am screaming, then it means I’m not having fun.” That was his warning for us for the day.
We took note and decided to side track for an hour and start the day with a short trip to the beach in Carlsbad, CA. The beach was beautiful. Triguy and I both had forgotten how much we enjoy the beach. The kids had a blast collecting shells. There weren’t many, but the ones that they did find were mainly scallop shells of different colors. There were two places on the beach where rocks had been formed into protective walls and you could climb up onto them. I thought we could get some great photos on them, so we all climbed up. During the exploring and photo-taking, Supergirl pointed out that there were squirrels up there with us. The looked like our little scrawny desert squirrels, but wet. Then, as we looked closer, we saw that one squirrel had a HUGE lower canine tooth sticking up like a sabertoothed tiger. You must go to the daily photos to check out this squirrel. Freaky!
After the wonderful start to our day, we headed to Legoland. The plan was to get there early to we could head straight to the biggest roller coaster in the park before the huge line formed. We did just that. We were the first ones in line. Triguy had put an offer onto the table for Jman. If Jman rode the big roller coaster and the little roller coaster in Legoland, Triguy would buy him a Lego remote control car kit. Jman was hesitant, but decided at the last minute to give the ride a try. 20 seconds of solid screaming later, Jman declared that he was done with rides. Haven’t we learned by now that Jman DOES NOT like fast rides???????? That ride pretty much ruined his whole day at the park. He didn’t want to ride any other rides. He certainly wasn’t going to ride the smaller roller coaster. He wanted that car kit, but not that much! Finally, out of pity and guilt, we told Jman that if he rode the dragon arm thingy ride (I still don’t know the name), that he could get the remote control car kit. He rode the ride – and even liked it. (See video).
After seeing Jman react to the first ride, we thought we should leave the park early. We took an hour to tour the attached aquarium at Legoland. The kids enjoyed the distraction.
We wanted to go back to the beach in the afternoon and try to catch the sunset. We picked La Jolla because we knew how beautiful it was at sunset. We arrived around 3pm and went down to play in the tidal pools. The kids loved playing in the sand. We walked around and looked at the sea lions bathing in the sun. Then suddenly, off to our south, there was a giant storm cloud that was fast approaching. It covered the horizon. Triguy saw it and was concerned a storm was moving in rapidly, so we started to head back to the car. Before we got close to the car, we were engulfed by thick cloud. It wasn't a storm, it was fog rolling in. It was a something we have never seen. The fog obscured the setting sun, so we decided to call it a day.
We headed back towards the hotel to try a new seafood restaurant. The food was AMAZING - I had coconut-crusted Mahi Mahi with a rum-butter sauce. A meal I will not forget. And....we received 2 free desserts - dessert count 3.
Click here for Day 3 Pictures
Answer: YES!!!!!!!
We started Tuesday with Jman declaring “If I am screaming, then it means I’m not having fun.” That was his warning for us for the day.
We took note and decided to side track for an hour and start the day with a short trip to the beach in Carlsbad, CA. The beach was beautiful. Triguy and I both had forgotten how much we enjoy the beach. The kids had a blast collecting shells. There weren’t many, but the ones that they did find were mainly scallop shells of different colors. There were two places on the beach where rocks had been formed into protective walls and you could climb up onto them. I thought we could get some great photos on them, so we all climbed up. During the exploring and photo-taking, Supergirl pointed out that there were squirrels up there with us. The looked like our little scrawny desert squirrels, but wet. Then, as we looked closer, we saw that one squirrel had a HUGE lower canine tooth sticking up like a sabertoothed tiger. You must go to the daily photos to check out this squirrel. Freaky!
After the wonderful start to our day, we headed to Legoland. The plan was to get there early to we could head straight to the biggest roller coaster in the park before the huge line formed. We did just that. We were the first ones in line. Triguy had put an offer onto the table for Jman. If Jman rode the big roller coaster and the little roller coaster in Legoland, Triguy would buy him a Lego remote control car kit. Jman was hesitant, but decided at the last minute to give the ride a try. 20 seconds of solid screaming later, Jman declared that he was done with rides. Haven’t we learned by now that Jman DOES NOT like fast rides???????? That ride pretty much ruined his whole day at the park. He didn’t want to ride any other rides. He certainly wasn’t going to ride the smaller roller coaster. He wanted that car kit, but not that much! Finally, out of pity and guilt, we told Jman that if he rode the dragon arm thingy ride (I still don’t know the name), that he could get the remote control car kit. He rode the ride – and even liked it. (See video).
After seeing Jman react to the first ride, we thought we should leave the park early. We took an hour to tour the attached aquarium at Legoland. The kids enjoyed the distraction.
We wanted to go back to the beach in the afternoon and try to catch the sunset. We picked La Jolla because we knew how beautiful it was at sunset. We arrived around 3pm and went down to play in the tidal pools. The kids loved playing in the sand. We walked around and looked at the sea lions bathing in the sun. Then suddenly, off to our south, there was a giant storm cloud that was fast approaching. It covered the horizon. Triguy saw it and was concerned a storm was moving in rapidly, so we started to head back to the car. Before we got close to the car, we were engulfed by thick cloud. It wasn't a storm, it was fog rolling in. It was a something we have never seen. The fog obscured the setting sun, so we decided to call it a day.
We headed back towards the hotel to try a new seafood restaurant. The food was AMAZING - I had coconut-crusted Mahi Mahi with a rum-butter sauce. A meal I will not forget. And....we received 2 free desserts - dessert count 3.
Click here for Day 3 Pictures
Warning: Adjustments May Occur
Question: Is it possible for a family to forget how to go on a vacation?
Answer: YES!!!!!
Today was our first day in California and we started out quietly with the kids and Tri-guy heading out for breakfast and a grocery run while I stayed in the room for a work conference call.
After my call was over and the kids returned, we jumped in the car to head to Legoland. Things seemed good at first - Jman was amazed by all of the Lego creations. Supergirl was plotting and planning how to get to the roller coasters. but things started crumbling after that. Supergirl was pinging from ride to ride, like a Mexican jumping bean. She was obsessed with getting to the roller coasters, so much so, that she started talking Jman into skipping rides. The park was packed and lines were long. About this time, the kids pulled out every parents worst fear - WHINING!
So, when we stopped for lunch and we realized we were all vibrating from the tension, something had to be done. Time for an adjustment. Supergirl and I left the park and took a break in the car for about 20 minutes to reset. Not at the top of my list of things to do, but it worked. Supergirl was great for the rest of the day.
Jman started repeating "It's not fair!" over and over in protest to the fact that Supergirl gets to ride rides twice in a row when he chooses not to ride them. The whining finally stopped when he was told he would suffer the same car-time-out fate as his sister if things didn't change.
We left the park at closing - around 7pm and rode around the Carlsbad for a half an hour looking for a restaurant. The kids were exhausted and we knew they were going to pass out soon, so we opted to order carry out from a restaurant and eat in our room.
After dinner, the kids passed out in less than a minute each.
It has been almost 2 years since our last vacation, and I think we just had our "Get reaquainted with your family vacation" day.
Oh...and Happy Birthday to me! Free dessert count is still at one because we ate in our room.
Click here to see pics from Day 2
Answer: YES!!!!!
Today was our first day in California and we started out quietly with the kids and Tri-guy heading out for breakfast and a grocery run while I stayed in the room for a work conference call.
After my call was over and the kids returned, we jumped in the car to head to Legoland. Things seemed good at first - Jman was amazed by all of the Lego creations. Supergirl was plotting and planning how to get to the roller coasters. but things started crumbling after that. Supergirl was pinging from ride to ride, like a Mexican jumping bean. She was obsessed with getting to the roller coasters, so much so, that she started talking Jman into skipping rides. The park was packed and lines were long. About this time, the kids pulled out every parents worst fear - WHINING!
So, when we stopped for lunch and we realized we were all vibrating from the tension, something had to be done. Time for an adjustment. Supergirl and I left the park and took a break in the car for about 20 minutes to reset. Not at the top of my list of things to do, but it worked. Supergirl was great for the rest of the day.
Jman started repeating "It's not fair!" over and over in protest to the fact that Supergirl gets to ride rides twice in a row when he chooses not to ride them. The whining finally stopped when he was told he would suffer the same car-time-out fate as his sister if things didn't change.
We left the park at closing - around 7pm and rode around the Carlsbad for a half an hour looking for a restaurant. The kids were exhausted and we knew they were going to pass out soon, so we opted to order carry out from a restaurant and eat in our room.
After dinner, the kids passed out in less than a minute each.
It has been almost 2 years since our last vacation, and I think we just had our "Get reaquainted with your family vacation" day.
Oh...and Happy Birthday to me! Free dessert count is still at one because we ate in our room.
Click here to see pics from Day 2
Monday, December 29, 2008
A LOFTY Beginning with an EXPLOSIVE Ending
Question: How many people does it take to pack for a trip to California?
Answer: One Frazled Mom, One Car-Packing Dad, One "I can't find my socks!" Daughter and One "I have to have pjs for every night because wearing the same pair two days in a row is gross!" Son (even though the son doesn't bathe for days on end.)
We started the day early, but it took us about two hours to pack. We didn't get on the road until about 8am. As we were leaving El Paso, we were greeted by the sight of a beautiful hot air balloon rising up over the Rio Grande River Valley. It was a touch of magic to start our journey.
Eleven hours, 3 pitstops, 3 mountain crossings, and countless miles later, we ended our day watching fireworks from the highway in California on our way to our hotel. A nice magical ending.
In between, the trip was fairly uneventful. Ipods and DS's are the best gifts of peace and quiet to road-tripping families everywhere. The only downside are cries of "Dad, you made me lose this game when you told me to look at that sunset!"
We ate a late dinner at our favorite, not-in-El-Paso restaurant - TGI Fridays. The servers were way too focused on the San Diego Chargers game, so they threw Triguy's birthday ice cream on the table without any big scene. Triguy was happy, but the rest of us were disappointed. We will have to have a do-over later in the week.
My goal is to see if we can milk our two birthdays and get free desert at every dinner for the week. So far, our free desert count is 1.
Here is a link to pictures from the drive
Answer: One Frazled Mom, One Car-Packing Dad, One "I can't find my socks!" Daughter and One "I have to have pjs for every night because wearing the same pair two days in a row is gross!" Son (even though the son doesn't bathe for days on end.)
We started the day early, but it took us about two hours to pack. We didn't get on the road until about 8am. As we were leaving El Paso, we were greeted by the sight of a beautiful hot air balloon rising up over the Rio Grande River Valley. It was a touch of magic to start our journey.
Eleven hours, 3 pitstops, 3 mountain crossings, and countless miles later, we ended our day watching fireworks from the highway in California on our way to our hotel. A nice magical ending.
In between, the trip was fairly uneventful. Ipods and DS's are the best gifts of peace and quiet to road-tripping families everywhere. The only downside are cries of "Dad, you made me lose this game when you told me to look at that sunset!"
We ate a late dinner at our favorite, not-in-El-Paso restaurant - TGI Fridays. The servers were way too focused on the San Diego Chargers game, so they threw Triguy's birthday ice cream on the table without any big scene. Triguy was happy, but the rest of us were disappointed. We will have to have a do-over later in the week.
My goal is to see if we can milk our two birthdays and get free desert at every dinner for the week. So far, our free desert count is 1.
Here is a link to pictures from the drive
Saturday, December 27, 2008
A Lost Item While Packing
So...J-man was getting ready for bed when he casually walked by wiggling his front tooth with his lip. He could pretty much breathe in and out and wiggle it. After much convincing, he let me pull it. A beginning to our trip we won't forget!
The Blog is Back
After a brief hiatus, we are returning to our annual family ritual of vacationing in California. We leave bright and early tomorrow. I have been on a crazy quest to organize the kids' side of the house, so I am still not packed. I will be up extra-early to get it done.
More as we start our adventure tomorrow...
More as we start our adventure tomorrow...
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