Disneyland Part 2

The last day of Disneyland was going to go out with a bang!  (Literally, with fireworks and all.)  We got there in the morning and spent the first part of the day in Tomorrow Land riding Space Mountain, Stars Tours, seeing the Captain EO show, and others.

 

 

 Carson would usually poop out by 2 or 3 pm and take a power nap in the stroller.  One of our favorite activities we did while at Disney was the Jedi Training Academy.  Austin volunteered to be a young Jedi and to be trained by some Jedi knights.  All the kids chosen from the audience were then given capes and light sabers and trained to fight the dark side.  The coolest part was when Darth Vader and Darth Maul came out to fight all the young Jedis.  Each kid was given the opportunity to "fight" one of the bad guys.  It was so cool.  Austin loved every minute of it!

 

 

 

 

 We ventured to Mickey's Toon Town later in the day but didn't stay long because it was SO crowded.  The lines to take a picture with one of the characters was at least 30-60 min!  No thank you.  (Good thing our kids didn't care about having a picture taken with one of the characters.)

 

 

 Pluto was quite the ladie's "dog" and wouldn't stop to take pictures with kids, but would hug all the ladies!  Too funny.  Would've liked to see the man under that costume! ;)

 

 

 Thunder Mountain was a huge hit with the kids, probably their favorite ride at Disneyland.  We rode it twice and Carson especially liked seeing the rattlesnakes along the rollercoaster ride.

 

 

 

 

 Haunted Mansion was decked out in "The Night Before Christmas" decor, which was really awesome.  The kids weren't even fazed at this ride's attempt to scare you, after going on Tower of Terror the day before.

 

 

 I loved all the Jack-O-lanterns!

 

 

 Later that night, some of us (the non-party poopers ;) stayed for fireworks and snow.  I'll admit, the snow wasn't that cool (maybe for the Californians who had never seen snow), but the fireworks show was spectacular.  So breathtaking with the castle in the forefront all lit up.  The boys enjoyed the show a lot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 We had the best time at Disneyland!  The kids can't wait to go back someday, but I think next time we won't go during Christmas break! ;)  Big thanks to Mom and Dad for making this Christmas so memorable for all of us, it was well spent quality time together!

Disneyland Part 1

 

The happiest place on Earth!

 

 

Luckily for us, we had no rain the entire time we were in Disneyland! We arrived on Wednesday afternoon to beautiful blue skies and fairly warm temps (esp for us Idahoans!).  The kids were so excited.  We chose to go on the Jungle Cruise first (mainly because there was no line), and then ventured onto Indiana Jones next! Maybe not the best idea because that ride scared the kids a bit (being their first big ride of the day). 

 

 

We rode on Pirates of the Carribean (one of my faves), and then headed over to Fantasy Land and rode all the smaller rides like the Tea Cups, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, and Alice and Wonderland. We saw bits and pieces of the parade (which was incredible) and then went over to Small World (all lit up at Christmas time)! 

 



 

 Disneyland is so magical, but during the holidays, it is EXTRA magical.  Small World and Cinderella's castle are breathtaking with all the lights.  The whole park including the lights, the wreaths, the snow, the parades, the music, the characters, and even some of the rides all decked out for Christmas!

 

 

 

 

 

It was CRAZY crowded while we were there (busiest week of the year supposedly), so that meant lines everywhere and hoards of people trying to get somewhere.  We were so nervous about losing a kid, but we had a stern "talking to" to both of the boys about always holding a hand with a grown-up.  And they did the entire time!

 

 

 

The second day was spent at California Adventure.  None of us, other than Jen and Matt, had been to CA Adventure before.  It was pretty cool!  A totally different vibe from Disneyland.  I loved the "old Hollywood" feel down the main street, the trolley bus, and architecture that is typical of CA. 

 

 

 We got there pretty early in the day to get a Fast Pass at the new Cars ride, Radiator Springs Racers.   Cars Land just opened in June, and let's just say, they didn't spare any expense on this new attraction!  As you can tell from the pictures, everything mimics the movie, "Cars" from Main Street in Radiator Springs with Flo's V8 Cafe, the Cozy Cone Hotel, and more.

 

 

 

 

 

 Carson, of course, was in hog heaven in Cars Land, seeing as that is his favorite movie and he is obsessed with cars.  He loved seeing "Big Red" (the fire engine), Tow Mater, and of course, Lightning McQueen!  The main attraction in Cars Land is the Radiator Springs Racers and let me tell you, it is AWESOME!  The ride takes you first for a scenic drive through Ornament Valley (an exact replica of it), then winds through Radiator Springs, where you see the town and all the characters of "Cars".  Last, you get to race another car and that is the coolest part!  You zip over hills, around corners, all through Ornament Valley.  So fun!

 

 

 After hitting up Cars Land, we headed over to Adventure Land, where the boys got to rock climb, go down slides, zip line, and rope climb.  Good for getting energy out! ;)

 

 

 We spent some time in Bugs Land (way cute), saw the Aladdin show (amazing), and then hit the Tower of Terror!  Eric and I went on it first with Jen and Matt, so that we could see if it was a ride that the boys would like.  We decided that Austin would do ok on it, but Carson would be afraid, so we took Austin on it and he loved it!  No fear at all!  Later, when Carson found out that Austin went on it without him, he then wanted to go (and prove everyone wrong that he wouldn't be scared), so later in the evening, we took Carson too.  He also loved it and wanted to go again!  What a couple of little thrill seekers we have on our hands!

 

 

 At the end of the day, our family and Trish stayed and went on some more rides like California Screamin' (a rollercoaster which Austin loved more than any other ride), the Little Mermaid and Toy Story rides, and caught a glimpse of the parade (not as good as Disney's, I have to say). 

 

 

We also got to see a little of the World of Colors show which is spectacular! The Bellagio in Vegas ain't got nothin' on this unique water show!

 

 

We closed out the day with a ride on Radiator Springs Racers again (because Carson loved it so much), and it was even cooler at night time.  Such a fun ride!

 

 

At the end of the first 2 days, the kids were wiped out and fell asleep within minutes of crawling into their beds at the hotel past 11pm!  They were troopers though!

Christmas 2012

Christmas day was special this year because we had the whole White family together.  It's been a few years since we had everyone there at the same time!  We were especially excited to surprise the boys with a trip to Disneyland the day after Christmas!

 

We feel so incredibly blessed this year for so many things--but most of all, our dear families, friends and loved ones, the gospel of Jesus Christ, and our health!  Miracles continue to surround us.

 



 

 

 

Trish made Carson a "Cars" blanket with a little pocket to store cars (or treats).  So cute.  The boys got Leap Pads from Grandma and Grandpa (perfect timing with a long car trip the next day), and both boys enjoyed their Santa gifts--a Hot Wheels track for Carson and a Lego set for Austin.

 

 

We sent the kids on a scavenger hunt with clues to find the last gift, which was a trip to Disneyland, with mouse ears as the final clue.  It was a little anti-climatic though--I'm not sure if it was the fact that they were getting 'just' mouse ears, or that startled them by yelling in unison, "We're going to Disneyland!", but the kids were not as thrilled about the surprise as we all were.  Maybe we should've opened that gift first and then the presents, because all they wanted to do was play with their new toys!

 

Nevertheless, once we told them all about Disneyland (it was their first time going, so they really had no expectations), they started getting pumped about it!

Christmas Festivities

We spent Christmas in CA this year and what a whirlwind it was!  Because I am a picture-taking freak, I'm splitting up our Christmas break into several posts.  We spent 2 weeks between Northern CA at Grandpa and Grandma's house, Southern CA at Disneyland, and UT!  It was a whirlwind trip, but OH, so fun!!

Here is what we did leading up to Christmas with the White family:

 

We made gingerbread houses and sugar cookies with Grandma! Nice apron, Austin! ;)

 

We enjoyed some nice weather and played outside in the backyard.

 

 

We ENDURED the torment of family pictures (as the kids would say), even in the rain, we got a few good shots!

 

 

Christmas Eve, we all went bowling.  Austin even got recruited to be on the Junior team! He's got a wicked arm when he bowls! ;)

 

 

Christmas Eve night, we enjoyed some nice family time eating a delicious dinner prepared with love by Grandma and then we acted out the Nativity and had wassal and warm apple cake!

2nd grade Christmas Program

 

Prospect Elementary has a second and fifth grade special music program for Christmas every year and this year, Austin got to participate!  It was super cute and he did a great job singing the songs with his classmates.

 

(My phone and camera were both dead, so I don't have any great pictures.) 

Santa

At the ward Christmas party, we had a surprise visit from Santa!  The boys were so excited, especially Carson.  Here are som funny moments:

 

Austin:  "Santa, did you get my letter yet?"

 

Santa:  "No, not yet."

 

Austin:  "Well, you better double check!  I'm going to tell you what I want just in case, alright?  I would like a Lego set.  The Alien Conquest Earth Defense one.  Do you know which one that is?

 

Santa:  "Yes, I think so."

 

Austin:  "Ok, don't mess it up!"

 

(HA!!!)

 

Next there was Carson's conversation with Santa:

 

Carson:  "Santa, I would like a Hot Wheels track. A really cool one."

 

Santa:  "Oh yeah?"

 

Carson:  "Yes.  And I've been a good boy."

 

 

Love those little guys of mine!

 

 



Fire dragons!

The Fire Dragons had a terrific season and all of the boys improved greatly on their b-ball skills!  Austin really plays a 'mean' defense, and his dribbling and passing are much better too.  Now we just need to get a hoop so he can get more shooting practice in!

 

We celebrated the end of the season with a win and had a pizza party after the game to celebrate!

Tis' the season

Every year we drive around some neighborhoods close by to look at lights.  This house is in our neighborhood and they always have a line of traffic outside their house!  The music that accompanies the "light show" is especially cool.

 

The boys wrote Santa letters.  Austin asked Santa for a Lego set (no surprise) and Carson asked for a Hot Wheels race track (no surprise on that one either)!

 

 

We always find the best trees at this little Farmers Market lot and they are all only $24 any size!

 

 

 

 The finished decorated tree!  As soon as I got it up, the top lights went out!  I was too lazy to fix them! ;)  Carson was a good helper though and whenever I wasn't looking, he would rearrange the ornaments and put them on the bottom!