Where should we go, Disneyland maybe?
What's better than three kids under 4 in a van for 12 hours? Well, a lot really. But I'll tell you what's not better is trying to go through security with three kids, two strollers, and a car seat (plus other assorted crap that you have to carry on with you to keep the kids occupied). So, all things considered, driving was better than flying.
The best part was that we didn't tell the kids where we were going, and we were in St. George before either one of them even became curious. JJ told them we were going to a hotel, which seemed to completely appease Cadence. Zack continued to ask where we were going for the next five hours.
When we got to Harbor Blvd it was dark outside, but we could still see a few familiar reminders that we were near the happiest place on earth. I'm pretty sure Zack knew where we were and I could swear I heard him say Disneyland when he saw the entrance. They both said they could see Mickey Mouse, but it didn't seem to turn on any light bulbs for Cadence. So we just went to our hotel and waited until the next morning. We knew for sure she'd instantly recognize her surroundings in the daylight.
Only, she didn't. We stayed right across from the Maingate, so you could see the park as soon as you walked out of our room! Zack knew, and he was saying Disneyland (over and over). So we stood at the corner waiting for the light to cross, and Cadence still didn't notice. We crossed the street. Nothing. We walked under the "Welcome to Disneyland" sign. Finally, a few yards into the entrance she looked up at J.J. and said, "Dad, is this Disneyland?" Success!
Although we were outnumbered by our kids, we got by pretty well! Zack became more selective of when he chose to throw tantrums, substituting instead the most dismal pout I've ever seen. It's okay. I'll take a quiet sulk over a screaming, stiff-bodied, 32-pound toddler any day. He was a good boy and fun to watch. Disneyland sure does seem to bolster his Lightening McQueen fetish.
Cadence only needed half as many napkins in her shoes to reach the 40" mark. Maybe next visit she'll be napkin free! I don't know why I even bothered packing a suitcase for her. She was much happier prancing around the park in her princess dresses than in her boring old clothes.
Carlie seems to be happy with her milieu. She liked being carried around and loved seeing the characters. She got really excited with Pooh and Eyeore. It was so cute! (Don't ever let anyone tell you that your kids are too young to enjoy Disneyland. It's a bunch of hooey.)
Rain and tummyaches limited our time spent in the park to only about 6 hours each of our first three days, but it was actually a nice pace to keep.
The third night of our stay, my mom and dad showed up! It's so wonderful to have Disneyland extremists for parents! Yes, we did okay by ourselves, but having the extra help was like suddenly growing four extra arms! (Or a hot fudge sundae, or something else really really good.) Karen and Alli also joined the party for our last two days. See, it's not my fault that we have this affinity for Disnelyand. Apparantly it's a genetic thing. Maybe a genetic defect, I don't know.
Karen, as always, was very helpful with our brood, and Alli is adorable! She's hilarious too. Karen once told me that Alli plans to rule the world. She's definitely in the running for for the position.
So why did we go? Well, JJ decided to follow two of his bosses to Diversified Investment Advisors. It was a bit sudden, but he was able to take a week off before diving into the new job. By the way, he loves his new job. His manager is great and the work is great. He's a happy boy. The office is right in North Salt Lake, ironically enough, and his commute is only 7 minutes long! But enough about that, let's get to some pictures (if you don't see any pictures, it's because I haven't posted them yet. I'm working on it. This parenthetical statement will be gone tomorrow, so if you're reading it, I hope you enjoy it.)
The best part was that we didn't tell the kids where we were going, and we were in St. George before either one of them even became curious. JJ told them we were going to a hotel, which seemed to completely appease Cadence. Zack continued to ask where we were going for the next five hours.
When we got to Harbor Blvd it was dark outside, but we could still see a few familiar reminders that we were near the happiest place on earth. I'm pretty sure Zack knew where we were and I could swear I heard him say Disneyland when he saw the entrance. They both said they could see Mickey Mouse, but it didn't seem to turn on any light bulbs for Cadence. So we just went to our hotel and waited until the next morning. We knew for sure she'd instantly recognize her surroundings in the daylight.
Only, she didn't. We stayed right across from the Maingate, so you could see the park as soon as you walked out of our room! Zack knew, and he was saying Disneyland (over and over). So we stood at the corner waiting for the light to cross, and Cadence still didn't notice. We crossed the street. Nothing. We walked under the "Welcome to Disneyland" sign. Finally, a few yards into the entrance she looked up at J.J. and said, "Dad, is this Disneyland?" Success!
Although we were outnumbered by our kids, we got by pretty well! Zack became more selective of when he chose to throw tantrums, substituting instead the most dismal pout I've ever seen. It's okay. I'll take a quiet sulk over a screaming, stiff-bodied, 32-pound toddler any day. He was a good boy and fun to watch. Disneyland sure does seem to bolster his Lightening McQueen fetish.
Cadence only needed half as many napkins in her shoes to reach the 40" mark. Maybe next visit she'll be napkin free! I don't know why I even bothered packing a suitcase for her. She was much happier prancing around the park in her princess dresses than in her boring old clothes.
Carlie seems to be happy with her milieu. She liked being carried around and loved seeing the characters. She got really excited with Pooh and Eyeore. It was so cute! (Don't ever let anyone tell you that your kids are too young to enjoy Disneyland. It's a bunch of hooey.)
Rain and tummyaches limited our time spent in the park to only about 6 hours each of our first three days, but it was actually a nice pace to keep.
The third night of our stay, my mom and dad showed up! It's so wonderful to have Disneyland extremists for parents! Yes, we did okay by ourselves, but having the extra help was like suddenly growing four extra arms! (Or a hot fudge sundae, or something else really really good.) Karen and Alli also joined the party for our last two days. See, it's not my fault that we have this affinity for Disnelyand. Apparantly it's a genetic thing. Maybe a genetic defect, I don't know.
Karen, as always, was very helpful with our brood, and Alli is adorable! She's hilarious too. Karen once told me that Alli plans to rule the world. She's definitely in the running for for the position.
So why did we go? Well, JJ decided to follow two of his bosses to Diversified Investment Advisors. It was a bit sudden, but he was able to take a week off before diving into the new job. By the way, he loves his new job. His manager is great and the work is great. He's a happy boy. The office is right in North Salt Lake, ironically enough, and his commute is only 7 minutes long! But enough about that, let's get to some pictures (if you don't see any pictures, it's because I haven't posted them yet. I'm working on it. This parenthetical statement will be gone tomorrow, so if you're reading it, I hope you enjoy it.)
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