More Vacation Pictures!

Whew!  What a trip it was  . . .

So, there's no pictures of our visit with K and S, and all of the pictures of our time in Ventura are on Dad's camera.  I also missed taking pictures of my crazy kids chasing the birds.  Oh, well.  There will be more cute / crazy things next time, and I'll have my camera ready.  

Z, with a nice frosty drink, looking at the ocean.

On the bumper cars . . . finally!

Whee!  He had so much fun, I enjoyed just watching him ride around and go in circles!

This just got me.  Really . . . a designated smoking area.  You're outside, and fishing.  Does someone not realize that the air does not stay within this nice little boundary line? 

Grandpa and his boys on the pier . . . this is almost to the end, looking back at the main area.  There are at least five shots, and not one that has everyone looking at the camera.  I take what I can get.  

Yep.  Here's where we were.  . .

J, sleeping in the hotel that night.  This is pretty much how he slept every night of the vacation, though . . . and why he slept alone. 

Z, in bed at the hotel.  Sure looks cute.  But he does take up some room.  Why didn't we get three beds?  Can't sleep with sideways J . . . and trying to share with Z didn't go so well, either.  Rolls over and over, and he's either too close, or he's over a little bit, but shoving and kicking.  Yes, I was very happy to get back to my own bed!

More Disneyland Pictures

I'm never very good at these self-portraits . . . But here we are on the teacups.  It's somewhere around 2 or 3 in the afternoon, and I had been up since 3:15 am.  The boys did great that first day.

Yes, the boys did great that first long day -- up early, driving all day, etc.  No meltdowns at all.  Apparently, though, Z wasn't very in to the parade.  I was diggin' it, and J thought it was cool, but here is Z, not paying attention to a thing . . . sunglasses, cheetos face, and frozen drink.  Can't even tell by looking that it's his first day at Disneyland.  Punk.

J and Z, with Winnie the Pooh.  I feel a little bad that we didn't get more characters, but each time we were either on our way somewhere, or there was a huge line already.  It also wasn't a priority.  Pooh and Tigger were together, then there was Woody and Jessie, and Mickey Mouse, of course.  The sights and the rides (and naptimes) were more important.

J, trying to open the un-openable door in Toontown.

Disneyland, in pictures

I think it's a rule . . . don't you have to take a picture of the Mickey?  I did. 

This is the parade we saw on the first day.  Jut me, dad, and the boys.  They were stopped in front of us, dancing and "Celebrating" for at least 15 minutes.  Great parade!

The parade from the first day . . . Singing, Dancing, and more characters than I've ever seen at one time.  It was awesome! 

Here's Dad and Z, the first time that we went on the Storybook ride.  He was a little nervous about the boat, and wanted to sit with his Grandpa. 

Z and Jessie the Cowgirl.  Toy Story, in case you're confused.

J and Sheriff Woody.

Me, Auntie M, Z, and J . . . Oh, yeah, Tigger, too.  Best picture of the whole vacation!

Oxnard, Ventura, and the long way home . . .

Yep.  Oxnard.  Never been there before, but K and S had just moved there. 

K was the first female friend I had when I moved to San Diego.  We were stationed together at FACSFAC when I was pregnant.  Then she got out, and her hubby stayed in.  And they got new orders and moved away.  Who was excited when orders brought them back to SD again?  Me!  She's one of those people (I have quite a few) who will always be a close family friend.  I can talk to her about anything . . . and even if it's two years until the next time I see her, I'm sure I'll still feel the same. 

Okay, enough history. 

I was a little bit nervous about how the boys would do on this visit.  They got excited in the car, but really . . . two years.  Would they remember her and her kids?  Answer: yes! 

The kids all ran and played, having a great time.  K, S, and I caught up, chatted and visited.  Two hours passed and it seemed like twenty minutes.  But it was time to go.  It wasn't easy rounding up the boys, but after all the goodbyes, we got everyone back in the car.  As we were pulling away, Dad asked me if I had my camera.  Yeah, in my purse, why?  *Gasp*  OMG, we were there two hours and I didn't take a single picture!?  Big regret!  Next time, right?  The kids will be bigger, but we'll do it again. 

Okay, on the road again . . . Next stop:  Ventura.  What's in Ventura?  My aunt and uncle.  They live there, on their boat.  A little bit sad for my dad, I think . . . because it was his dream to live on a boat, too.  But he still enjoys theirs when he can. 

We put lifejackets on the boys, and went over the rules.  No running, no jumping, and don't touch anything!  Okay, let's go.  We had to hang out a bit and wait for Aunt C to get "home" from work so we could have dinner.  When she got back, we got ready for dinner.  In the car, you ask?  Nope.  A tender ride across the harbor.  I'm sure Dad's blood pressure dropped the moment he got out of the car at the marina.  The ride must have put him in heaven.  I know I felt good. 

After dinner, we rode back across the harbor.  It was getting dark, and cold.  But still a great ride.  The boys had a little dessert, and we watched the beginning part of a movie.  Dad took us to a hotel across the parking lot where I settled the boys down. . . and he went back to sleep on the boat.  I got kicked all night, and he probably slept better than he had in weeks.

What a great day!

Okay, so I didn't sleep so well . . . but I was comfy and relaxed, and woke up early enough to shower while the boys were still sleeping.  Then I sat outside the room reading . . . relaxing because I knew that today might not go so well. 

Honestly?  Not as bad as I thought.  We got bored.  We had to stop a few times.  And we ran out of books and toys and had to turn on the DVD player.  But we made it back to M & D's house at last. 

I unloaded the car and got ready to load up mine and go.  I was ready to get to my house.  But in our family, there is always a snag at the end of a vacation.  My car wouldn't start.  Really, not joking.  We figured out that it was the battery.  Nothing was left on, but it was a five year old battery.  It was used to running every day, and sitting for a week just did not agree with it. 

What did we do?  Well, E was at Mom and Dad's house waiting for us to get back.  There was a lot of stress in both of our lives before the vacation, and the separation was tough, so it was good to see him and feel like everything was okay.  So we loaded in to his car and went home.  Vacation:  over. 

Disneyland . . . Over

I was bummed when it was over, but so it goes.  Every vacation must end. 

We cleaned up, packed up, and loaded up.  All checked out and back in the car, we said goodbye to Mom / Grandma.  She got on the airport shuttle and we headed off for another adventure. 

From Anaheim, we went to Santa Monica.  I'm sure glad Dad was driving!  Our stop was at the Santa Monica Pier.  The boys were so excited!  There was a beach, rides, games, and so much to see!

We walked along the pier, looking at the souvenirs and craftspeople.  We walked all the way to the end of the pier.  We saw people fishing . . .  Okay, lame joke time.  Dad said "Somebody kicked the bucket" . . . I'm thinking "OMG, there's a dead person here?  We're leaving" . . . But, no.  There was a bucket floating in the water off the end of the pier. 

I thought it would be fun to ride the Ferris Wheel, but there would be no way that Z would do it.  What's the one kid ride that we didn't get to go on?  The bumper cars.  Once we got out of line because of the age restrictions, then it broke down . . .  So we got tickets to let the boys ride bumper cars on the pier.  When that was over, we decided to play a game, too.  Whack-a-mole it was.  And I did.  I guess it doesn't matter who won, because it was only the three of us playing. . . But there was a big stuffed dog at the end.  What do you do with one stuffed dog and two kids?  Well, someone has a fit, obviously.  But it really wasn't fair, so I gave in and we all played again.  So both boys have a stuffed dog from the Santa Monica pier.  No shot glasses, no magnets.  Just a few pictures and two stuffed dogs. 

One other highlight before we got in the car:  the birds.  No, they didn't sh*t on us . . . but the boys got such a high out of chasing them, it was hilarious.  Like they've never seen a bird before?  Or it's just so exciting to run straight at one until it makes a noise and flies away.  It was time to stop because people were looking at us like weirdos whose kids have never seen a bird before. 

Back in the car.  Next stop:  Oxnard, since it's on the way.  We were going to see K, S, and their kids.  I had wanted to visit some of my San Diego friends, thinking it was perfect.  Disneyland is only three hours away.  We weren't going an extra three hours.  But what timing, that K&S had just moved. 

Janis, do you have directions?  Sure, right here.  Okay, call her and let her know we're on our way.  Um, oops.  Had to get creative with that one. . . . and then tell the boys! 

Disneyland, Day Four

Yes, I know . . . it was three months ago.  I hope you're not still on the edge of your seats. 

Recap?  Okay . . . Day One was driving, Day Two was eaten up by naps and temper tantrums, and Day three - more naps, and then puking at Disneyland.  I was frustrated, and angry.  It was no one's fault, but I felt like "This vacation is taking shots at me, and somewhere, laughing about it."  I chuckle now, going back to what I said late late in that blog on Day three, but it was a tough day.

Day four, much better.  Three months later, I can't give you a play by play, but it got much better.  I was able to get over (most of) the bitterness I was carrying around.  We had pictures taken, finally made it to Toon Town, and did loads of other stuff on my list.  I don't think it was on anyone else's list, but I wanted to go to the Tiki Room.  The boys and I listen to the song all the time, so I think it was exciting for them to get to see it.  The boys still had to take a nap, but I was able to (finally) get on Indiana Jones. 

After the boys' nap, we went back to the park . . . and did our end of vacation shopping.  Jacket, shirt, hat, and a stuffed animal . . . for everyone!  Mom decided to take all of the goodies back to the hotel, and even though I had a bit of an upset stomach, Dad and I stayed with the boys.  No, you don't get all of the details.  It was three months ago.  After we were done, though, we headed to New Orleans.  Earlier in the day, the Pirates of the Carribbean was closed.  Now it was open, with TEN minutes' wait time.  We jumped in line.  I was a little bit nervous for Z, but he sat between dad and I, and did great!  By the time we were done, it was getting darker.  We decided not to stay for the show in New Orleans.  There was just nowhere to be. 

We went, instead, to Fantasyland.  And what a great idea!  I wanted to see the Storybook ride at night.  They told us, in line, that if you're on the boat when the fireworks start, the boat stops and you stay.  Dad and I hesitated.  When we were in the front of the line, we stepped off to the side.  And jumped on the last boat.  We barely pulled away from the loading dock when the fireworks started.  We were sitting down.  There were no crowds, no trees.  A perfect view.  When it was over, we got to finish the ride, which was beautiful at night. 

Time to book it back to the shuttle.  We made it with a few minutes to spare.  What a great night, and a great ending to the vacation!  There were a few things I didn't get to do (like the Haunted Mansion and Space Mountain), a few things we never saw (like California Adventure) . . . but we did a lot in four days, especially considering the naps, tantrums, and bedtimes that we had to schedule around!

Whew!  Time to pack up and head home . . . with a few detours.