Thursday morning we got up at 5 am. By the time we finished loading the car and getting the kids ready, locked and loaded we pulled out at 6:30 am. We made amazing time only stopping twice. I was way impressed with the kids. My mom and Lyn were kind enough to rent us a mini van so the kids could have extra travel room. We had a DVD player in it so the kids could watch movies.
They got along so well and the girls were both really helpful with Beckham. The ride down went by really fast. We checked into our room about 11:30. We ate lunch there.
On that note I will say that we packed sliced cheese, turkey, chips, premade tuna salad, crackers, poptarts, granola bars, yoguart drinks, mio, bottled water, snack mix, peanuts, and a few other goodies.
After lunch we went down to Newport beach. Sky and I ran out into the ocean and tried out hand at boogie boarding. It was ice cold and the waves sucked, but we were all just happy to be at the ocean. We walked over to Seaside Bakery and got donut holes and they were delicious. We walked around the shops and Q's friend Jim came down and met us.
There was a seal playing at the end of the pier. Once we walked down there we found there were 3 seals. AND Jaxan lost a flip flop. Two times at the pier and two flip flops lost.
We went to dinner with him at Mutt and Lynches. It was really horrible service and they overcharged us a lot. Dinner ended up being over a hundred bucks.
The hotel I booked was on priceline. It wasn't bad. The only complaints were the a/c didn't work and there was no elevator for our loads of things we had to take up. Plus there was only parking on one side of the hotel so we had to walk clear around. Taking 3 or 4 trips makes for a long haul. PLUS Q's back was hurting really bad. The girls shared one bed and Q, Becks and I shared the other. We woke up in the middle of the night to Beckham taking over the bed. Q ended up sleeping on the floor which didn't help his back at all. I ended up moving clear to the other side of the bed just so that I could try and sleep. We were so exhausted when we woke up the next morning it wasn't even funny. The hotel did have free breakfast and that was a bonus.
The next morning we went down to Newport Beach and had breakfast at Seaside Donuts. It was just like when I was young. Sky loved the donuts as much as I do. We walked though the fish market but there was only one guy open. We walked around a little bit and then drove over to the Balboa Ferry. We enjoyed a ride on the ferry and a drive around the island.
We decided to drive down to OB and have lunch at Hodad's. I called my sister to see if she wanted to meet up. She said she would meet us there. On our drive down we stopped at Vista Look Out Point. It was beautiful. There were tons of ground squirrels that would walk right up and eat out of your hand. The girls had a ball with that. Becks thought it was more fun to throw peanuts at them.
Once we were in OB we walked the pier and in a few of the shops while waiting for Jules to show up. We went to Hodads about 11:30 and got right in. I guess that is a miracle because there is always an hour wait. I can see why. The food was amazing. We all split burgers and that was plenty. We ordered frings - french fries and onion rings. After drinks the night before being 3.50 a piece we decided to just do water. I have learned that drinks in Cali are very expensive and they all use fake Diet Coke. It's like cola or shasta or something. Whatever it is is gross and I am tired of paying for it.
We left OB and took the kids to Mission Beach. On the way Becks fell asleep in the car. I sat in the car at Mission and took a nap with him while Q took the girls down to play in the water. They found sandcrabs, they jumped waves, they built sand castles.... all the fun things you do at the beach. I enjoyed my nap.
When they got done we headed north east to Alpine, Q's Dad's house. We got up there and Mary was at work, so Q and I started dinner. The kids had a blast playing on all the property. There was plenty for them to do. They collected chicken eggs., played in the play house, swung on the tire horse swing, and ran all around the property.
When it came time for bed Becks was a nightmare. He wouldn't go to sleep for anything. I was at my wits end. I was so tired and frustrated that I just laid there and cried with him. Finally Q brought in a bottle for him. Mary and Ron had a brand new bottle that had never been used. HORRAY! It saved my sanity and life. We had a queen bed to ourselves because we built Beckham a little bed on the floor. It was perfect!
The next morning we woke up and went to Albertsons for Diet Coke and Julian Pie. (my sister told me they were the best) We got everything picked up and loaded for a day at the San Diego Zoo. We got there just as they opened and the parking lot was 3/4 of the way full. My sister was a little late so Q stood in the membership renewal line. We all had a great time at the zoo except Beckahm. He was hot and tired and just wanted to get out and run around. He hated the stroller. We went out at lunch and sat in the cars and ate sandwiches. After lunch Ron and Mary took Beckham back with them. Amanda left and Nathan stayed with us. We rode the guided tour bus and then went to the skyfari and rode that. We saw most of the zoo. It was a very long, hot, wonderful day. I had blisters on m neck that have sense healed.
We stopped at the gift shop on our way out of the zoo. We got each of the kids something, including Nathan. We headed home and Jax and Nathan passed out. It was perfect. We got back to Ron and Mary's and made steaks. Dinner was amazing. Potatoes, steak, salad.... delicious. We had a much easier time putting Becks to bed too. Q's cousin came over for a bit to chit chat before bed.
On Sunday we got up and drove up to Anaheim. When we stopped for gas we hit Howard's Bakery and got the best donuts EVER!
We had not told the kids but we got tickets to Disneyland. We wanted to keep it a surprise. They thought we were driving up to Anaheim to swim at a pool and just relax, which was true. BUT it was not the only reason. We came to our hotel, Comfort Inn main gait. I would HIGHLY recommend it to anyone staying in the Disney area. The price was awesome. We got a room with 2 queen beds and a separate bedroom that had bunk beds. The staff was very very very kind and considerate when it came to needing help with anything. We wanted to find some good mexian food. The front desk lady told us of a place and she wasn't kidding.... it really was amazing. We loved it. After lunch we went back to the room. The kids found a note saying Jaxan, Skyler and Beckahm SURPRISE we are going to Disneyland tomorrow. They were so excited.
We went swimming for a few hours and when Becks got hungry and cold we called it a night. We decided to go eat dinner. Q found a sizzler and we ventured out there. Then we headed back to put the kiddos to bed. We wanted to make sure they got enough sleep for our Disney Adventure the next day.
We woke up and packed up the car in the morning and had breakfast. I had bought a few things for the kids before we went down to Cali knowing they would want Disney souvenirs. We gave Sky a pair of Mickey MousejJammies, Jaxan got a tinkerbell doll, and Becks got a Mickey Mouse. Then we drove over to pick up our tickets and went and parked the car. Remember the days of the huge parking lot and the monorail and the park? Those days are long gone. There are a million parking structures and the park is so far away you have to take a tram in to Downtown Disney. My sister called and she had turned her alarm off. She had a paper to write for school so she was going to call me if she decided to come up. We decided to go to California Adventure first and then hit Disneyland.
We did Toy Story Mania and that was my very favorite ride. Sky and Q went on California Screamin', while we did King Tritan's Carousel. Then we met up with Mickey Mouse. Sky, Jax and I went on Goofy's Flying Lesson and Becks and Q went on the flying missile. Then the girls went with Q on the Jumpin Jellyfish ride. The girls and I went on the River Rapid ride. I loved all the decorations at California Adventure. Skyler really wanted to do the Tower of Terror. So they fast passed it and came and played at Flick's Fair with us. We had a blast in bug world. Beckham had so much fun. It was on his level and he could do most everything there. He even loved the 3D movie, "Its Tough To Be A Bug" where Jaxan had a melt down when the grasshopper talked.
I had told the kids we may get a churro for a snack. Q was not too happy about that. So every churro stand we saw we would all ask him for a churro. It was hilarious. He caved and bought churros.
In Disneyland we started in Adventureland where we started on the jungle safari and then Sky, Jax and Q went on Indiana Jones. While they were on that ride Becks and I went and walked through Tarzan's Treehouse.
My sister met up with us and moved to New Orleans Square (beignets yum!). We went on Pirates of the Caribbean and then on the Haunted Mansion. While on the Haunted Mansion Becks fell asleep. Q and I walked over and got some beignets for everyone while Moose and the girls went on Splash Mountain. We hung out in Critter Country for a bit and the girls, Q and Moose got fast passes for Big Thunder Mountain. Becks woke up just as we were going into Fantasyland.
We went on Casey Jr and then Jaxan decided to stay with me and Becks and ride Dumbo. While we did Dumbo Q, Moose, and Sky went over to Big Thunder Mountain. We met up and headed to Tomorrowland. Becks and Q went on Nemo and I went on Space Mountain with Jax, Sky, and Moose. I puked after. Q was about up to the front of the line at Autotopia so we all went there and rode. Jaxan drove Moose, Q drove Becks, Sky and I were in our own cars. I puked again and we all changed into warmer clothes. We went on the Buzz Lightyear ride and the girls wanted to do Space Mountain again. Moose got fast passes and we decided to go to Fantasyland again. While she was getting the passes the rest of us went on Peter Pan. I love riding by Jaxan on that ride. She was so excited! The girls each had $20 bucks to spend. Becks and I went over to It's a Small World while they did Space Mountain. He was so cute. He kept saying "look at that" and "what's that". When we came out there was a show going on right at It's a Small World. We found Moose and watched it. We met up with the rest of the clan and then walked through Pixie Hollow. Jaxan was telling us about where every fairy lived and she knocked to see if Tinkerbell was home, but she wasn't. Then it was time to leave the park.
We headed over to the Disney Store. Mickey had stayed with Beckham the whole time... until then. Mickey was missing. So the girls shopped and Becks got a new Mickey. I really wanted to Mouse Ears so Moose gave me a pair of hers. That made my day complete. I was so excited to have them. I wore them most of the time at the park. After our tram ride to the car we said good bye to Moose. We had one teary eyed tired 6 year old, a tired and sore 11 year old, and a sleepy little 2 year old. We got them all in their pjs and stopped at In and Out. After eating turkey and cheese and snacks we had packed into the park we were ready for something different. In and Out french fries hit the spot. We got on Highway 5 - and we missed our exit. Thank goodness Q had me check the GPS and we had to back track about 30 min. We finally got on the right road. The kids and I passed out while Q drove. I wouldn't say I got good sleep, but I did get some sleep. We stopped a few times when Q got tired. The kids slept the whole time. I drove from North Vegas to the middle of the gorge. Q took over there because I was so tired and I couldn't handle it any more. We got home at 7 and slept until 10:30. Becks didn't wake up until after noon. We unpacked and relaxed the rest of the day. My mom and Lyn took us out to dinner and we all went to bed really early.
Sounds awesome! Glad to hear you had such an amazing (yet tiring) trip!
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