Pioneer Day Picnic

One of the things I love about my friend, Rachel, besides the fact that she's an awesome mom, a great listener, someone who also loves photography, baking, and blogging, is that she's good at making things happen.  While I only daydream about planning fun social activities with our friends, she actually goes the distance and makes it happen!

Take this Pioneer Day picnic at the park...

She made the decision to do it in the first place... 

did all the advertising for it...

and planned all of the activities.   

It turned out to be a great way to celebrate our pioneer ancestors' sacrifices and to be reminded why it's such a blessing to have great friends in our lives.

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Hurrying Time

We've gotten to that  busy end-of-the-school year time when our schedule  goes into overdrive.   It is filled up with  a bunch of  "extra" events that get heaped on in addition to our normal busy life.    This past week, in particular, has made me start  to get really excited for this last month of school to be over so that we can finally get on to the more laid back days of the summertime.  

Here's a small glimpse of a few things we've been up to:

Cupcake Order:

At only seven dozen cupcakes, it was far from being the biggest cupcake order Cami's ever had, but it definitely  was one of the more stressful ones.    The order was due at 8:00am on Saturday morning, but after a full day of school on Friday, then one of her last lacrosse games of the season that evening, she didn't get home until nearly 10:00pm.    The cupcake making didn't even start until I was ready for bed.  I attempted to sleep, but the banging around in the kitchen meant that it was fitful.   She finally finished up around 3:00am and collapsed into bed.    At 5:55am I awakened and realized that Cami hadn't gotten up for her 6:00am babysitting job yet.   Cami jolted awake and ran out the door  unkempt and still in her sweats.    My sleep had been so interrupted, that I attempted once again to go back to bed, but alas I did not really fall soundly back asleep until right as it was time to wake up for my 8:30 YW camp meeting.     

Civil War Days:   

Because my sister's roommate has been in charge of the children's activity tent the past few years, we get the inside scoop about all the fun things they're planning for the Falls Church Civil War Days each year.  Ellie's become quite enamored with the event and it's now something that she looks forward to all year long.    She was an official (costumed) volunteer this year that went  to assist AnnaLisa and her roommate.   We didn't have a whole lot of time, but Adam, Cami, and I  dropped by to say hello and try out some of the activities.   As per usual, their favorite activity was making and dipping their own candles.   Cami brought along the cute little boy she was babysitting, who  really enjoyed himself as well! 

Emma's Spring Voice Recital:   

Emma's been singing for us since she was a small child, but recently has been very interested in developing this talent more.  This school year we decided to sign her up for voice lessons with our favorite 6'3" opera singer that lives in our ward and it's been amazing to watch Emma grow in confidence as the year's gone on!  I love hearing her sing! 

Here are videos of her performances:  

DisneyLand vs. Disney California Adventure Park

A trip to DisneyLand was #1 on my list of things I wanted to do while we were visiting my sister in California.    I went to a DisneyLand as a child, but even with my sister living a mere 20-minutes away, we've never taken our own kids.    Or DisneyWorld for that matter.    It has always  seemed just too out-of-the-way and too expensive to go.  

 But when we got our plane tickets at a mere 20% (or less) of regular price, new doors of possibility opened for us.  And even better, Southern California residents can purchase DL tickets at a reduced rate, which meant that we got two-day passes for just a tad bit more than a one-day pass.   Perfect for Disney newbies like us!   

We explored DisneyLand on a Wednesday and the twin sister park, Disney California Adventure Park the next day.    It turns out that late January right during a measles outbreak is the absolutely perfect time to hit the Disney parks.   We had what we've since discovered is  the extremely unusual experience of having almost zero lines in either park.    In DisneyLand, the longest we ever waited was 10-minutes for any ride.  In California Adventure Park we waited for about 25-minutes for a couple of  the most popular rides,  but for the vast majority of rides in both parks we didn't have to wait at all.  

Didn't know there were two parks?   Here's a little summary about the differences:  

DisneyLand:   

traditional Disney rides, the ones you remember from your childhood

extremely family friendly

an 8-10-year-old could easily ride every ride in the park 

can bring bags/backpacks with you on every ride

mostly families with children in attendance

no alcoholic beverages

extremely friendly workers

our DL favorites:   

Space Mountain

Autopia

Dole whips (delicious dairy free pineapple treats!) 

Buzz LIghtyear Astro Blasters

Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage

Pirate's Lair on Tom Sawyer's Island

Peter Pan's Flight

Star Tours

Disney California Adventure Park:

bigger, scarier rides

still tame, but definitely a little less family oriented

many high school groups and college aged students in crowds

people drinking alcohol everywhere

more theme-y (entire "towns" of rides built around a theme of a Disney movie)

workers kind, but less doting on the kids

fun and creative and interactive rides

our DCAP favorites:   

Radiator Springs Racers

Toy Story Midway Mania

Mickey's Fun Wheel (except for Ellie and Adam)

Aladdin Show

Frozen singalong 

Mater's Junkyard Jamboree

My kids were enraptured by the palm trees everywhere in California!

My kids were quite excited about the bakery tour and afterward really wanted to try to make sourdough bread sometime.  

Frozen singalong….how cool is that?   (haha--pun totally not intended)

This ride was  like a giant air hockey table and the tires would actually hover right above the ground.

We loved the view with the Mickey Mouse ferris wheel in the background. 

Ellie (aka Princess Anna) was one tired little princess by the end of the second day!

The biggest, scariest ride of the whole day! 

Cami posed there and then bragged on social media that she got accepted to her first college choice. 

A little reminder of home in the middle of California Adventure Park

Winding down for the night! 

This Toy Story Midway Adventure was one of our favorites (and was one of the longest lines we waited in the whole time we were there)! 

Adam's inquiry for the day:  If one pair of glasses makes it 3D, does that mean wearing  two pairs makes it 6D?  

A ride I remember from when I was a child, because my younger brother Nate was so petrified he tried to crawl under the front of it

Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage was COOL! 

The underwater effects were very fun and engaging! 

Getting Dramatic!

WE didn't bother with visiting many characters, because they often did have lines, and we didn't care all that much about them.  We did occasionally stop if they were just standing there.  

The very front car of the monorail

Ellie braves throwing her hands in the air! 

Ellie was doted on all day at DisneyLand with her Princess Anna costume on.   One worker even asked for her autograph, a fact which tickled her greatly.   In California Adventure Park, no one said a word.   

The famously delicious Dole whips!   

It was the only food we bought in DisneyLand.

AFter two whole days, we were VERY tired, especially Ellie! 

It really was a great time!   

The only bummers we experienced  for the time we spent at Disney, was the fact that "It's a Small World" and the "Matterhorn" were closed.  Other than that, it was two absolutely fantastic days, which make me never want to go back again…unless it's free.     

 I figure it's better to always remember the fun times and the short lines than to ever go back and have our rosy memories squashed by hordes of people.  

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