We're Back and We Had a Blast!

I always have "vacation let down" when I get home from a vacation, so I had to wait a few days to post or else it could have been kind of gloomy. I always hate getting back into "real life." Maybe I'll just have to work on making every day a vacation! :)

So we headed out on Wednesday and we were going to stop in St. George for the night as we didn't leave until about 6:30/7:00. By the time we got to St. George, the boys were both asleep so we decided to keep on driving. We made it all the way to Primm, Nevada and got a room for $25. We woke up the next morning, grabbed some quick breakfast, and headed to Anaheim. Matt got a little sidetracked and started heading towards San Diego, so we ended up going about 45 minutes out of our way. We got back on track and arrived at the Disneyland Hotel. We checked in and our room wasn't ready so we browsed the gift shop, checked out the pools, drove the motorized boats, and ran into Goofy. Jaxon was not happy about this and was deathly afraid of him (and all of the characters for that matter). We got some pictures with Goofy and they texted us that our room was ready. (What did we ever do without cell phones?)

We dropped off our luggage in the room, grabbed the strollers and some waterbottles, and started our Disneyland Adventure. I loved seeing the boys eyes light up when they walked into the park. It really is magical there. We got to ride the Monorail over and the boys were ecstatic to ride on the "fast train." We went on the Finding Nemo ride first and only waited in line for about 15 minutes. It was great and was pretty much like that the entire rest of the day. We pretty much walked on Small World (Grandma Jo's favorite ride and I think Jaxon's too). We took Carter on Space Mountain and he wasn't a huge fan. After he said, "I don't like that fast, dark ride." Needless to say we didn't take him on that ride again, but he was a trooper and very trusting of us to go on pretty much any ride we took him on. Jaxon loved riding the train around the park and I think he would have rode that all day if he could.

The next morning we woke up and headed to California Adventure. The lines once again weren't very long and our first ride was The Grizzly Adventure. There was NO line for this ride and after we hopped off the ride soaking wet we realized why! :) California Screaming was one of Matt and my favorites. Carter was just a hair too short to go on it and was bummed. Carter, Jaxon, and Grandma were at the start of it counting down and that was fun to see them before we took off. The Toy Story Ride was a hit where you get shoot "virtual" balls at targets, even though that was the longest wait at a whopping 45 minutes! It seemed like FOREVER as the other lines were so short. We were truly spoiled. Carter really liked Soarin' over California and the Tower of Terror (surprisingly). We got to see and take pictures with Minnie, Mickey, Donald, Pluto, Chip and Dale, and Goofy. We ate yummy sour dough bread bowls. One of the highlights for me was the Pixar Parade. We saw, Lightning, Mater, Monsters, Nemo, After all our fun, we headed back to the hotel to watch the fireworks. What a great idea that was, as it started to rain. The boys were beat and feel asleep quickly that night.

The next morning we had Magic Morning from 7 to 8 a.m. (crazy what we wake up early for). This was a great time to take advantage of NO lines, especially in Fantasy Land where most of the kid rides are. We did teacups, carousel, Dumbo, Toad's Wild Ride (the boys did not like that one), Dumbo again, and the Blasters in Tomorrowland. Carter, Matt, and I went on Indiana Jones, Spalsh Mountain, and Big Thunder Railroad all in a few hours. On Splash Mountain we got done and there were no lines so the attendant asked if we wanted to go again. Carter looks at him and says "NO" really loudly. Guess he didn't like that one too much. We ate at Rainforest Cafe which was a fun experience and then we headed home.

It was a quick trip and went by way too fast, but we had such a blast. I think I'm already planning a trip back for next year!

Funny stuff

So I mentioned that we have been trying to potty train Jaxon and it hasn't been going very well. However, we can occasionally get Jaxon to try, especially if Carter is going. So this morning Carter invited Jaxon to go pee with him and he accepted. After Carter had done his business and Jaxon was still "trying," Carter said, "What the..." Then Jaxon chimes in, "Heck?" It was pretty funny. they went on like that for a while with Jaxon completing his sentences. I'm sure they got that from me and it just reminds me that I need to continue to be careful what I say around them. They don't miss a beat!

Also, Carter has been "sneaking" down to the bottom bunk to sleep with Jaxon. Today he says to his friend Tyler, "I sleep on the top bunk when my mom is here and then when she leaves I sleep on the bottom with my brother." What a little sneak!!

Jaxon's must-haves

Carter has always been very particular about things and so I thought surely Jaxon would have to be better and more easy going. Much to my dismay...Jaxon is very, very particular and maybe even worse. I wonder where he gets it from? :) Lately he has been very insistent on picking out his own clothes. He has 2 Nike sweatsuits and if he is so lucky to pick out his outfit for the day, it is usually between one of those. I think he likes to be comfy, but more than that both outfits have pockets in the front which he loads up with cars, random toys, and the sort. Oh yeah...and don't forget his "phone." It is hilarious to watch him. He walks around the house, pulls out his phone, and "talks" to someone (usually grandma or grandpa) and is on his way again. Another thing he is insistent on is sitting on the bathroom counter when he brushes his teeth. He has to get up all by himself and uses the toilet as a stepstool. If the toilet seat and cover are not down, I have to close it while he plugs his ears. He also likes to have his blanket on his lap when he eats breakfast or watches Mickey Mouse in the morning. He has to pick out his spoon for his cereal. He loves to wear his "Run shoes." He loves his "sippy cups," gummies, cheese, and yogurt. He is also getting really good at riding his Razor scooter, which really impresses me as I can barely keep my balance on those things. One other cute thing he did was when I was making a cake for dinner group the other night, Jaxon looks at it and says excitedly, "Happy Birthday to me!" I tried to explain that it wasn't his birthday, but he wouldn't have it by repeating, "Happy Birthday to me." I love this kid!

Oh yeah, and he loves to wears Daddy's shoes around the house (or boots).

So Amazed

Our kids are growing in leaps and bounds and we are really trying to savor every memory and moment. I saw a picture of Carter the other day when he was 2 and I can't believe he is almost 5 and will be going to kindergarten this year. I never thought I would be sad, but as it gets closer and closer, I do get sad. Sad because I no longer have control of all that goes on in his day. Sad because we can't play the "Snake game" any more. Sad because I can't protect him from so-called "bullies." Sad because he can't be the DJ for our cleaning parties. I am excited for him to progress and even more excited because he is ready. I'm amazed at how he has progressed this year so far in preschool. I recently saw how well he wrote his name on a bag from a birthday party he attended and it made me smile.

He also got to be the "spotlight" for preschool and loved every minute of it. He got a sticker, bookmark, necklace and best of all got to bring "Timmy the Tiger" home. We had so much fun showing Timmy all our toys and he even helped shovel some snow. You always year the cliche that kids grow up to fast and I never thought I would think that, but I think I do.