Road Trip - California Adventure

Tuesday was another day of Disney fun...this time at California Adventure!  Although it opened in 2001, and Greg and I had visited Grandma and Grandpa since then, we had never made it to this park before.  We were all super excited to see Cars Land, which opened just a few years ago.  But first, we had somewhere special to be... 

 

We had 9 a.m. reservations for Ariel's Disney Princess Celebration, so we quickly walked to Paradise Pier.  Ben wasn't too sure he wanted to go...he thought the princesses would want to marry him.  Ha!  I assured him that all of the princesses had their respective "Prince Charming" and were taken.  :)  Nathalie, again, was a little shy at first, so Ben was happy to jump up and greet the lovely ladies who strolled by while we ate our breakfasts.  Nathalie soon joined in the fun and was grinning from ear to ear!  Absolutely priceless!   

After all that girly fun, we made our way to Cars Land for some boy time!  Although, I think Nathalie and I were just as happy to be transported to Radiator Springs as Ben and Daddy!  It was AWESOME!!  Our first ride was Mater's Junkyard Jamboree, sort of like the spinning tea cups at Disney.  Lots of giggles!  We strolled down Route 66 and even got to meet Lightning McQueen at the Cozy Cone Motel!  I was genuinely blown away at the amount of detail they included in making Cars Land look just like the movie!

We continued on down the road to the Radiator Springs Racers ride.  We had heard it was a fun one, and we didn't want to miss it.  Whoa...the wait was already 2 hours, and all the FASTPASS tickets were gone!  Uh oh!  We knew it would be asking a lot of the kids to wait for 2 hours, so we assured Ben we would come back later and rode Luigi's Flying Tires instead.  It was kind of like bumper cars, but on a huge air hockey table with fans blowing air up through the floor.  Great idea, but it didn't seem to work well, at least in our opinion.  The only disappointing thing about Cars Land...

We walked back near the park's entrance to Buena Vista Street where we enjoyed a Disney Junior show.  Ben got up and down to dance and sing, while Nathalie just sat with her mouth open and eyes glued to the stage.  So cute!

 

After the show, we walked back to Cars Land in hopes of a shorter line for the Racers ride.  It was even longer now!  Oh dear!  We stopped off at Flo's Café for some milkshakes to ease our troubles.  What a beautiful day!  We were able to shed our coats and soak in the warm California sun!  We decided we'd give the ride one more chance in a couple of hours, so we headed to Paradise Pier...
 

We wandered back to Paradise Pier and rode Ariel's Undersea Adventure a few times since there was no line!  After the ride, Phineas and Ferb were parading through the streets with a dance party that we stopped to watch for a bit.  Ben and I rode Goofy's Sky School roller coaster, and then we watched a little of the Latin-themed Christmas fiesta parade.  We bounced up and down on the Jumpin' Jellyfish, and then made our way back to Cars Land for one last hope of riding the Racers without waiting forever...

The sign said 90 minutes wait, and we were sure to have Nathalie's height approved before we ventured on in to stand in line.  The kids waited so well, and it only took about 50 minutes before we were hopping on our Racers.  Yahoo!  One of the best Disney rides ever...so glad we waited!!  You start out slow through the canyons, then relive a bit of the Cars story inside.  All of a sudden, you pull up beside another car, and then you're off and racing!  When we finished, I looked at Nathalie, and her face was frozen.  I couldn't tell if she wanted to laugh or cry...I think she was so surprised by what just happened!  Of course, Ben climbed out and was begging to go again, and so then Nathalie perked up with a "me too!!"  :) 

We thought we would take a break from the rides to watch the Pixar Pals parade, and then made a mad dash back to the Racers ride.  Equally as fun the second time around!!  What a great way to end our rides for the day.

It was definitely time to stop and have some dinner...we were all starving (as we had eaten our way through the snacks during our Racers waits).  After dinner, we bundled up as the temps had dropped once the sun went down and walked back to Paradise Pier to wait for the World of Color fountain show.  Nathalie fell asleep while waiting...who could blame her?  It had been a full 2 days of FUN!  But, Greg, Ben, and I enjoyed the water show full of Christmas songs, Frozen (the movie) songs, and more.  We did a bit of shopping for Nathalie on the way out of the park...a Minnie shirt and some Cinderella characters.  It's hard to believe that our Disney time is over, but we had a truly fantastic few days together!

Road Trip - Disneyland!!

The day had finally arrived!  On Monday, December 9th, we were up early to drive to Disneyland, only about 20 minutes from Grandma's house.  As kids, Stacie and I used to have the route memorized.  :)  The park opened at 9 a.m., but we had early reservations to eat at the Plaza Inn for "Minnie & Friends Character Breakfast".  We assumed Ben would love meeting everyone, but we weren't as sure what Nathalie would think of all the characters "come to life".  She was a little overwhelmed at first, so smiles and hugs were few.  But, it didn't take long to warm up and greet Winnie, Chip & Dale, Minnie, Tigger, Fairy Godmother, and more...in between bites of Mickey-shaped waffles, sausage, and berries.   

 

After breakfast, we backtracked to the front of the park for some pictures of the Christmas tree and decorations.  And, I desperately wanted the kids to get some Mickey ears with their names embroidered on the back.  We stopped in the "Mad Hatter" for a look around...oh my!  I remember there being about 3 options to choose from...now there were dozens!!  Ben picked a Chip & Dale hat...Chip on one side and Dale on the other.  Hence, no room for embroidery, bummer.  But, he was quite happy and that's what mattered.  Nathalie picked a pink princess set of ears, and while we waited for them to embroider her name, Ben walked outside the shop and met Goofy!  I'm not sure what happened, but going through my photos, I realized we didn't get even a single picture at Disney with their "ears" on their heads!  Classic.  Oh well, enjoy this "afterthought" picture. 

We strolled along Main Street and came to Tomorrowland.  I intended for us to keep going to Fantasyland to ride It's A Small World first.  But, as it should be with kids, they wanted to ride the first thing they saw, so we hopped on the Astro Orbitor.  After our flight, we found the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters, where we got to practice our laser blasting skills.  While Nathalie and Greg rode the Blasters a few more times, Ben and I went to ride Space Mountain, one of the rides I was most excited to ride.  Space Mountain was a bit like the beach for me...so many memories of waiting for this ride as a child with such anticipation!  I wasn't sure what Ben would think because he's a little unsure of the dark these days.  Rest assured, he giggled the entire time!!  Tears rolled down my face as we zoomed through "space"...maybe from laughing so hard, maybe again from my heart being so full, or maybe both.  :)

We promised Ben there was plenty more to see outside of Tomorrowland, so we walked through the Castle and rode Peter Pan's flight.  Made our way to It's a Small World, which had just shut down.  UGH!  I was so bummed, although I think Greg was ok with not having that song stuck in his head all day.  :)  We walked into Toontown to see Mickey's house and meet the Mouse himself!  A little playtime in Toontown to unwind after standing in line so long to see Mickey.  I thought coming on a Monday might be a little less busy, but the park was packed!  Understandable...it's truly fantastic to visit at Christmas time!  We wrapped up playtime and Ben was the one who opted for a ride in the stroller as we walked across the park for our dinner reservations.  He fell asleep almost instantly...that NEVER happens!  Ha! 

 

We had 3:40 p.m. reservations at Blue Bayou restaurant in New Orleans Square for dinner...another Holderby/Shipley tradition.  Growing up, I felt so fancy eating at this restaurant, not to mention how cool it is that the lights are low and you can see the Pirates of the Caribbean boats go by.  Enjoyed our meals and the chance to sit and warm up a bit.  The temperature wasn't too bad, probably 60 degrees.  But, the wind was strong, so we felt chilled all day long.

My absolute favorite ride was next...Pirates of the Caribbean!  Yo ho, yo ho, a pirate's life for me!  From there, we went to the Haunted Mansion, which was decorated like "The Nightmare Before Christmas".  Ben was a bit worried about how scary this would be, but we were able to talk him into giving it a try, and I think he did like it...although he said "no thanks" when asked if he wanted to go again.  :)  We walked by Splash Mountain.  Nathalie just barely met the height requirement, and there was no line, so we walked right on.  No surprise right...people were probably not interested in getting wet and cold in the dark.  But, we had the best moments of the day on this ride.  We all got wet, probably Ben the most.  He started belly laughing, and soon we were all laughing like crazy folks.  Our log pulled into the station, and the attendant asked if we wanted to go again.  Before Greg and I could suggest otherwise, Ben and Nathalie were shouting YES!  Ha!  We really are crazy...   

We wandered back towards the castle, expecting to wait a bit for the fireworks to start.  In the meantime, we saw that the line for Star Tours wasn't too long, so we rode that while we waited.  Oops!  We missed the fireworks after all, but I don't think the kids cared too much.  Ben was happy to look around in the Star Wars shop.  He found a Legos set that he liked, and he built a custom light saber.  Nathalie fell asleep, so she'll have to find some souvenir goodies tomorrow.  Ben and I rode the Buzz Blasters one more time, and then we walked back to Main Street.  We picked out some Christmas ornaments for the kids and then made our way back to the car.  Overall, a fantastic day!!  I was surprised how quickly the time went...there were still more things I would have loved for the kids to do and see.  Guess it means we'll just have to come back someday.  :)  Until then, we have more fun planned tomorrow at California Adventure!  Thanks for the magic, Disneyland!

Road Trip - Newport Beach

Friday, December 6th was a relaxing day getting settled and catching up with Grandma.  Late morning, Joe stopped by for a visit.  Joe is a huge help to Grandma...friendship, fixing things around the house, driving her to doctor's appointments, etc.  It was great to finally meet him, and Ben loved being able to have a little chat with him in Spanish.  After Joe left, Grandma took us out for lunch.  We got a car wash since our car was filthy from the long drive, picked up some groceries, and took a walk around the neighborhood in the afternoon.  The temperature was in the mid 60's...not super warm, but much better than the -40 degrees F that Calgary was experiencing.  Brrrr!  We ordered pizza for dinner, and then we curled up to watch a movie (while I multi-tasked and worked on Christmas cards).   

 

Saturday morning was another slow and relaxing one.  The Christmas cards were ready to be mailed, and we had a few items on the shopping "to do" list.  It was a rainy day, so Grandma and I hopped in the car and spent the afternoon running a few errands.  It was so nice to spend time together, just the two of us.  We enjoyed a late lunch, and then made our way back home.  That evening, we had dinner reservations at Orange County Mining Company.  This restaurant sits at the top of a hill in Orange, CA and has been a Holderby tradition since I was little.  It has a beautiful view of the city and a fun atmosphere...drinking from mason jars, eating salad from ice-cold mining pans, etc.  Not to mention, the food is delicious!  We had a great time, and I think the kids will remember their Lil Miner's Sundae for quite a while.  :)

 

On Sunday morning, I took Ben for a walk to a very special place...the "apple fritter" donut shop.  This donut shop sells fritters as big as your head, and I remember taking this walk as a little girl.  We bought some fritters and donuts, stopped by Starbucks for some coffee and Wi-Fi, and then home to enjoy our treats with the rest of the family.  The kids were a little cautious about trying the fritters, but once Ben took a bite, he said, "mmmm, good!"  Great-Grandpa would be proud.  :)  Ben and Grandma played a few rounds of Old Maid, and then it was time to get ready to venture out to the beach! 

It wasn't too warm, probably about 60 degrees, but that didn't stop the "Canadians" from enjoying some play time at Newport Beach.  Wow, what a rush of emotions for me!  I have so many special memories of spending sunny summer days here on vacation with Mom, Dad, Stacie, Grandma, and Grandpa.  And now, to have my own kids running in the sand and splashing in the water...my heart was full to say the least.  Ben rolled up his pants a bit and cautiously dipped his toes in the freezing water.  Before we knew it, he was wet up to his thighs and giggling like crazy.  Nathalie preferred to hang back in the sand, and eventually snuggled up with Daddy for a nap.  Ben and I kept busy collecting shells, writing "oceano" in the sand, and just enjoying the view.  By the time we left, Ben was soaked from the waist down.  We were a bit worried that we've become too Canadian...we brought coats and hats to the beach, but no towel or change of clothes.  Ha!  So, it was back to Grandma's for a quick change, and then back in the car to drive along the coast for a bit.

Nice and dry, we drove down the Pacific Coast Highway along Newport Beach, Corona del Mar, Laguna Beach, and Dana Point.  Simply beautiful.  We stopped a few places for pictures, and marveled at the homes we saw.  The homes themselves were extravagant, but it was even more amazing to imagine waking up to that view of the ocean!  It was early evening once we reached Dana Point, so we circled back and made our way home.  Dinner with Grandma, and then early to bed.  Tomorrow would be a big day...Disneyland, HERE WE COME!!