Parker's Last Week of Vacation

If I could just keep Parker home with me every day and the babies not take naps so we could play at the beach or Disneyland or at my mom's or with friends or cousins every day I WOULD!!! But sadly, this is his last week off of school and then he has to go back for 3 more months of 2nd grade. Boo. Of course we want to take advantage of every day and make the most of it! Saturday the 91 was shut down in both directions so we didn't want to go South to the beach or my parents. So we went North to LA! 

When I was little, my mom and Lynda Cooper used to take us kids to Clifton's Cafeteria in Laguna Hills. I loved picking out my own food and sitting in the large, unique dining room. And the best part was getting a treat from the treasure box at the end of our meal! Sadly, Clifton's is no longer in Laguna Hills but the ORIGINAL still stands in downtown LA! It was shut down for a while but we reopened and is super popular. So, we went there for lunch! It was amazing! So cool! The restaurant is 4 stories high with a giant redwood tree growing right through the middle of it! Every table is different, every chair unique, there are stuffed animals everywhere, a water fall, and even a tiny stone castle! This place was spectacular and Parker loved choosing his own food, just like I did! Lunch was fun and I'm so glad we went to Clifton's! I know Tanner gets dragged around (at least he ACTS like he's getting dragged around) on all of my wild ideas for adventures. But it's so fun and I couldn't do it without him.

After lunch we went to the Huntington Library to let the kids run and play. As we were driving up we noticed SO MANY cars parked everywhere! Little did we know they were holding a special Chinese New Year celebration. It was not crowded inside and we enjoyed our day. We ran through the palm garden which was fabulous. Ray attempted to roll down a hill and just couldn't figure it out. I took a video- it was hilarious. That girl marches to her own drummer. She did NOT want us telling her where to go. My little spit fire.

Sunday we had our friends, the Tucker's, stop by for dinner on their way down to Disneyland. We had plans to go to the beach with them and take some pictures but since the freeway was shut down we decided not to. And they were a little late getting to our house due to traffic. But we had a nice visit with them and were thrilled to have them stop by! The kids had a blast running around and playing together. It's so fun seeing friends from long ago. We hadn't seen them in about 5 years but we could pick up right where we left off like no time had passed at all. Amanda is such a sweet, energetic, good person. I admire her in so many ways. They are going to spend the next 5 days at Disneyland! Woo hoo! Here is my table all set and ready for them....

Monday I took Ray to her speech therapy consultation. She did so great! I had to wake Jack up from his nap which broke my heart. But when we got back both babies took a super good long nap. Then Tanner called and said he was coming home early! All the stars aligned and we were able to have such a fun night! The babies slept until 4 so they were rested and ready for an adventure and since Tanner was home I asked him if he wanted to go to Disneyland for dinner. And he DID! Well, he didn't say no. So we went to Pizza Port and split a dish of pasta and then ran over to Winnie the Pooh for a ride and then stopped at the bakery for dessert. Tanner wanted a Dole Whip so we went over there and watched the parade while he ate. A man came up to us and said we'd have to move when the fireworks started and we said, "Oh! No big deal. We are just taking it easy. Just tell us where to go." So he said, "Ok then, follow me." and escorted us right smack dab in the front of the castle to a roped off area with chairs! We sat down front row center for the fire works! It was amazing!!! Once in a lifetime for sure! The sea of people behind us was incredible. The kids were tired and getting fussy but once the show started they were in awe! It was a fantastic way to end the night! VIP treatment at Disneyland is the way to go! ha ha

Ray loved the Mickey rice crispy treat with about 350 M&Ms on it. We sat an ate our treats while the boys ran onto Indiana Jones. Then we climbed Tarzan's Treehouse and looked out over lit up Disneyland! I love it at night!

We waded through a sea of people and met the Tucker's at the front gate and said hi/goodbye. It was fun seeing them again!

The next day I was already planning on taking the kids to CA Adventure so back to Disneyland we went! We literally only stayed for an hour and a half and just played and the Redwood Challenge Course. But it was so cool! I'd never been in there before. Parker got a map and had to earn badges doing different things like a ropes course, rock climbing, and foot print identifying. Then we sat down for a "Pack Meeting" where we saw Russel from the movie "Up" and earned our wilderness explorer badges! It was so fun! But we were hot, tired, and hungry by the end of it! 

A cat!

My name is Doug. And I love you!

My mom came over that afternoon and spent the night so that we could leave first thing the next morning for Utah. She helped me so I could get all packed and ready for the trip and we had tacos for dinner! I love having her in my home!!! And this Disneyland stuff sure is fun! I might enjoy it more than the kids! ;-)