We are officially back and that means all the laundry is put away and the car is clean. We had an amazing family vacation driving to San Diego, the American Girl Store in the Grove, and Disneyland. My parents met us in Disneyland and then flew home. The girls had such a good time and got along for the entire trip.
San Diego Zoo was our first stop and I have to admit that they have a very nice facility. We enjoyed the food, the sky tram, the bus ride that Emily HAD to take on the double-decker bus, and the seal lion show. If you talk to Will ask him how the Sea lion show was. The elephant exhibit had just been finished and so we got to see the elephants have a snack of raisins and they showed us their teeth. That was nuts!
Then it was off to American Girl and then dinner in their cafe'. Most know that I am not exactly a doll person, but my girls certainly are. This was an awesome memory for our family. The girls could not decide what they wanted to do there. They loved EVERYTHING! We shopped, had their dolls' ear pierced, got the dolls' hair done, got photos taken and placed as a cover for the American Girl Magazine, and then had dinner in the cafe. The Cafe had little high chair seats for the dolls. They started with cinnamon rolls, then chicken fingers, and a fun cookie/ pudding dessert. They also served pink lemonade in pretty glasses. The entire room was black, white, and hot pink and the napkin rings were hair ties the girls' got to keep. When it was time to go, Kaitlyn came up to me, crying, and said, "Thank you so much for bringing us here, Mommy. I will never forget it." Doesn't get much better than that.
Finally it was time for Disneyland. When the weather is in the upper 90's and you are going to be outside you plan accordingly. Therefore, our plan of attack daily was to go to the park early, leave after lunch, go swim, and then head back. The girls were able to stay up much later on this plan. Kaitlyn lasted longer than Emily. Both girls loved all the roller coasters. Emily's favorite ride was Space Mountain, Kaitlyn liked Thunder Mountain Railroad, I enjoyed Splash Mountain, and Will's was Autopia. Go figure the ex-valet liked the car ride.
We also enjoyed meeting all the characters. Emily was over the moon every time we saw one, while Kaitlyn really just liked the ones that were people. She would say repeatedly in whispers to Will and I. "The costume ones have people in them. (wink-wink) But, don't tell Emily." However, explain this one, the seven dwarfs apparently are real.Hmmm... Pixiehollow was a hot spot, we loved looking for Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean, finding all the characters in It's a Small World, and Will and I spotted Club 33. (The secret club in Disneyland that serves alcohol) When we asked the girls what they wanted to do in Disneyland in the actual park, Kaitlyn always picked the name of a ride and Emily would say, " I just want a rainbow lollipop!" I don't know where she gets that from. She eventually said Space Mountain as the trip progressed. They both loved the roller coasters and would put their hands up in the the air to boot! It was hilarious. Will says they take after their mother in amusement parks. Rock on!
California Adventure was a GREAT park. We saw a lot of shows, went on many rides, and had lunch with 5 princesses. If you ever head over there, I highly recommend it. The food was really good and the princesses visit with you while you eat. We saw Ariel, Cinderella, Aurora, Belle, and Snow White.
The trip was great from start to finish and we can't wait to go on another vacation!
We have gone every year the last 5 years and it is so funny how you get a little ritual going of what you do. One particular favorite of ours is golf ball hunting at night. Emily gets VERY excited about the number on the ball. " Daddy, I got a 2!" Kaitlyn asks," "Daddy, is this a good one?" and then there is the typical, "Mommy, will you hold this for me?" I like Will's questions better.
