Well, surprise... we're going to be a family of FIVE!
I was supposed to start my period on the trip to California, and I was sooo dreading it. When we returned I secretly took the pee test. At first, I didn't pee enough and I never saw the pee line expand down to where the results show. So I had to go again later. But using the same stick made it a little finicky. The pink line on the right was bold, whereas the line on the left was faded, almost as if it was too old and chemicals got mixed, or like you could see where a line should be, but it wasn't supposed to show. So the next day, when I still didn't start my period, it was weird. Is it from all of this traveling stress? Later that night Aldo told me he thought I should take a test. I confessed I already did. We ended up digging in the trash to retrieve the old false positive. By then both pink lines were BOLD.
Fact: False positives aren't common. Home pregnancy tests are 97% accurate, as early as the day after you miss your period. They look for the hCG hormone in your urine. False negatives are more common because either your hCG hormones aren't high enough or you tested too early. The best time to test is around 6-7 weeks.
This morning I took another test just to be sure. Yes. I am pregnant. I still can't believe it. Both lines showed up right away, almost like they were SUPER BOLD. Was not expecting this. Haha!
What's funny is that Luke said not long ago that he wants a baby brother. Mila is just obsessed with babies. It's strange to think Mila will be a big sister! Wow! I want to tell the kids to see the surprise on their faces, but I also want to wait for... I don't know what... the doctor visits or something? Also, Aldo and I discussed keeping this one a surprise. Aldo made a very good point - "Are you sure with the way you like to plan?" Let's go get some baby stuff!
Looks like I'll be a stay-at-home mom longer than I thought. And looks like we'll be getting a house sooner than I thought (according to Aldo we just don't have room in the apartment).
And now that I think about it... what are the early signs again? Well this time the obvious is no period, but also my teeth have been hurting and tasting metallicy. And second, during our stay in California I had to pee like every night. Having to pee is a sign I didn't know about. Of course in the end of pregnancy, but in the beginning?
Prepare for a whole new pregnancy experience. And this time I have a toddler. 8D
Saturday, August 19, 2017
California Knows How To Party
2 Years Old
My little girl turned two last Thursday. We didn't do anything huge because 1) we already had our California trip coming up and most of our money was going to that 2) personally I was worn out from all of the other birthdays throughout the summer and weddings... I just didn't have the energy to give her a fantastic birthday party 3) I couldn't find the right time or venue that would bring all of her favorite people together at the same time and 4) she's young enough that it isn't as big of a deal to her yet. I WILL throw a big party for you baby girl... just you wait! Seriously thought, I can't wait myself. It's going to be fun and a huge success! So on her birthday, we went to Strouds and she had a lot of packaged crackers and green beans. (She's so weird. I've never met a child who loves vegetables and iced tea and things like that as much as she does.) I was surprised that she ate the cupcake they gave her. It did have a sparkler on it though.
The next morning we set off for our trip to California.
So...
Day 1 - Friday, August 11th
We woke up at about 3 o'clock in the morning (but really it didn't feel like we even slept) and left for the airport at 4:15. Thankfully I had a list of everything I had packed prior in the week and what still needed to be put in the bag as far as toiletries, etc. We got to the airport and check in was so easy. First, we used a valet service. Just so you know, valet is about as much as economy parking except that they drive you to the terminal you need rather than walking and they'll pick you up when you return. My coworkers bragged about it. Was it worth it? Eh.... I don't know. I guess we'll see when we go on our next trip and opt for the cheap "nosebleed" parking.
Mila was awake. That was completely unplanned! We purposely made sure to wear her out the day before and NOT take a nap... but she was wide awake at the airport. She knew something was up. She wanted to carry her monkey bag and sit in her car seat (because it's different having it OUT of the car). Our flight with Delta left at 6 am and flew for 3 hours into LAX. Some things to know about flying these days:
Birthday Girl & Her Cupcake
My little girl turned two last Thursday. We didn't do anything huge because 1) we already had our California trip coming up and most of our money was going to that 2) personally I was worn out from all of the other birthdays throughout the summer and weddings... I just didn't have the energy to give her a fantastic birthday party 3) I couldn't find the right time or venue that would bring all of her favorite people together at the same time and 4) she's young enough that it isn't as big of a deal to her yet. I WILL throw a big party for you baby girl... just you wait! Seriously thought, I can't wait myself. It's going to be fun and a huge success! So on her birthday, we went to Strouds and she had a lot of packaged crackers and green beans. (She's so weird. I've never met a child who loves vegetables and iced tea and things like that as much as she does.) I was surprised that she ate the cupcake they gave her. It did have a sparkler on it though.
The next morning we set off for our trip to California.
So...
Day 1 - Friday, August 11th
We woke up at about 3 o'clock in the morning (but really it didn't feel like we even slept) and left for the airport at 4:15. Thankfully I had a list of everything I had packed prior in the week and what still needed to be put in the bag as far as toiletries, etc. We got to the airport and check in was so easy. First, we used a valet service. Just so you know, valet is about as much as economy parking except that they drive you to the terminal you need rather than walking and they'll pick you up when you return. My coworkers bragged about it. Was it worth it? Eh.... I don't know. I guess we'll see when we go on our next trip and opt for the cheap "nosebleed" parking.
Mila was awake. That was completely unplanned! We purposely made sure to wear her out the day before and NOT take a nap... but she was wide awake at the airport. She knew something was up. She wanted to carry her monkey bag and sit in her car seat (because it's different having it OUT of the car). Our flight with Delta left at 6 am and flew for 3 hours into LAX. Some things to know about flying these days:
- If traveling with children, you can take a car seat and stroller for FREE.
- Every person with a ticket gets one personal bag (diaper bag, purse, etc.) that has the ability to fit under a seat AND one carry-on bag for FREE. Carry-ons have to be a certain size though. AND if you are putting your liquids, creams and lotions in there then you have to follow the 3oz. rule in a zip lock bag. Checked bags cost $$$ and if less than 50lb. it's really not that horrible of a price. You can take any amount of liquids in the checked bag.
- Airplanes have wifi now! But you have to download the app. So do that before taking off if possible. That way you're set in the air.
- If you are getting snacks on the flight, get the drink too. Because the snacks make you thirsty. And the cookie snack isn't really a cookie snack. It's a hard European cinnamon cracker. Just be forewarned.
The car rental was fun. We picked our own out. Something we most definitely would do in the future as needed. Aldo said that driving in California was difficult for him because it's so mountain-y and has so many curves and turns, it's hard to figure out the system. Like, are you following the coast? What's the reason for the layout? It's not like Kansas where you can easily figure out where you are if you miss a turn or where you need to go. It's not a grid for sure. So we drove 2 more hours to Oceanside. There, we met up with our friends Zac and Rose, and their son Peter (who's slightly older than Mila), who we would be staying with for the next few days. The rest of the day was spent relaxing and getting ourselves situated. Zac had a cook out he was in charge of at the park, so we spent a couple hours there before napping from exhaustion on their couch.
Excited for the Plane Ride
I should back up real quick. Sorry this is so out of order here. But I have to tell you...
We had been planning this trip for months. And weeks before, Zac and I had talked. He asked me what our plans were for going out there. Well, Aldo and I wanted to go to the beach a lot and also our number one choice of hot spot was the San Diego Zoo. Since we had such a good time in Omaha and the kids would all enjoy it, AND San Diego is ranked #1 in the nation... it was a no brainer. Zac and Rose said they wanted to go to Lego Land too. I was ok with that. Luke would be thrilled and Mila always plays with Luke's legos so I think she would like it too. That's when he announced that they were talking and thought it would be best if they bought the tickets for everyone since he gets a good discount through the military, and that it would be more of a "CityPass" - which gets you tickets into Lego Land, the Zoo, Sea World, and....... Disneyland and California Adventure for 3 days! Say what?! I was so thrown. You got to be joking. But they weren't. I had to Google it... City Passes go for $300+ a person. Thankfully Mila is still free to get into those places, but if you count three people that's about $1000 dropped. I honestly couldn't believe it. What excited me though, was that Aldo, Luke and Mila didn't know. I kept it a secret for about a week and a half. It was so much fun scheming and planning. I searched what the must see places were at Disneyland and looked up all the tips to get the most out of the experience. I bought a My First Disney Pins and Lanyard game. I was ready!
Of course, Aldo ruined it because he called up Zac the day before, on Mila's birthday, and I remember him saying... and I quote... word-for-word, "What's your itinerary?" I knew then, that the secret was coming out. Zac nonchalantly told him the plan. I have pictures of Aldo's reaction. #priceless
So what was a relaxing vacation turned into a very busy, attraction-packed vacation. Thank goodness though, Zac made the executive decision NOT to buy the CityPass. After thinking it over, they thought it would be too much for the kids to do all of those things. (I think he underestimates how much energy they have... but still so happy they made that decision.) Instead, they bought the tickets to just the Zoo and one day at Disneyland. Still, incredible!
Day 2 - Zoo Day
Nothing in Southern California is close. It takes at least 30-45 minutes to get anywhere. And another thing, Zac and Rose are early risers. We, the Alvidrez clan, wake up usually around 10 (except me and at times Luke) and go to sleep late at around 11:30 pm. California is 2 hours difference from Kansas. So if it's 7 am in California, it's 9 am in Kansas. It was the perfect time change. When we had to get up at 7 to get to the Zoo somewhat early because it's about a 45 minute drive... we were only waking up at 9 o'clock. Yesssss.
Here is what I can tell you about the San Diego Zoo. There are a lot of aviaries. No joke. I think we walked through at least five aviaries to get to other places. And, I can't really make a decision on how I liked the zoo because I don't think we started off right (We immediately went to the oversized tortoises. You don't go there first! You go to the animals that are awake and playful, that in the heat of the day are going to go into hiding. Tortoises aren't going anywhere... they can't move that far... you can see them nearly at any time. Bad decision on our part.). And, I don't think it was Peter's best day either. We have become zoo snobs. I have made the ultimate decision (and you think we would have learned from previous experience) that we just need to go to zoos alone. It's my goal to get through a zoo in one day. And we could have done it, I think, even at San Diego. So during our stay this time around, we probably only made it through half of it which consisted of tortoises; snakes (legless, eye-lidless lizards) and other reptiles; birds, birds, and more birds; and kind of monkeys that didn't do much. At the end we took a double-decker (after waiting half an hour in line) to see the regular zoo animals: zebras, elephants, giraffes. Except a lot of them were hard to see, Mila was napping so she didn't get to experience the large-scale animals which I would have liked to see, and Luke also couldn't get a very good snapshot because we were breezing by on the ride. Not the best zoo experience we've had, but I'm not opposed to going to San Diego Zoo again if the chance ever arises. I'm willing to have my mind changed about it. But let me say this... Omaha is a hard one to beat.
Ooh, also during our stay Zac and Rose took us out to a lot of delicious places to eat. One of my favorite spots was Wulan Ramen Tap House in Oceanside. I don't know if it's Japanese or what, but their spicy shrimp appetizer and bbq pork sticky bun things were sooo good. I imagine it is something I would crave and go to if we had one in our area. And the ramen soup or teriyaki rice is incredibly flavorful. They also took us out to In-N-Out Burger the day before (the cool part about here is that they have a secret menu) and to a bubble tea place (the drinks that have the extra large balls of black tapioca in them). <Shakes my head> Zac and Rose and their bubble tea. #noted
Day 3 - The Beach at Oceanside
The plan our hosts came up with was that it would be wise to go back and forth from big day to relax day. That way the day before our flight out wouldn't be extreme. Makes sense.
For our beach day we started out with brunch at Swami's. A little expensive and one of those ... organic, vegan, weirdo hang outs. The smoothie was delicious. But I ordered straight up coffee. Oops. And the eggs and croissant were delicious, and so was Mila's black bean burrito (which she DID eat, but couldn't finish).
The beach was wonderful. The sand was hot until you go to the wet sand, which was cool and smooth on your feet. The water was ice cold, but felt like it came to life when a small wave would hit you, or the broken white of the wave would chase you back to the beach, and the water would slowly creep up more and more to where the towels were because the water changes like that. Aldo and Luke were amazed by the grandioseness. And how salty it was. Mila, surprisingly, was made for the beach too. She loved it just as much. She didn't care if a wave pulled down her britches, or made her running slightly more wobbly. It was fun. It was a game. It was thrilling. I spent a lot of time chasing Mila. Aldo and Luke, along with Zac, spent a lot of time trying to catch waves on the boogie board. Only to find out later that the board (we bought from Walmart) was too small and not enough weight for someone large. You have to be able to ride ON TOP of the wave, otherwise you aren't going very far. But it was perfect for Luke. He had one really sweet wave that I didn't have my phone on me for. After that, he wiped out and went under, and didn't want to get in again. But we convinced him. And he probably had at least four more really nice runs. I got to try too. It's hard because the waves you don't want to catch keep bringing you back in toward shore and carry you a little farther sideways too (if you've been aiming for where the water breaks). And if you go deeper, you can't touch. Must be a good swimmer. And, I wasn't going to "duck dive". I get too many ear infections to do that. And I knew how salty the water was. I imagine salt in my eyes would sting and salt in my ears would be hard to get out. One day, maybe. Maybe on something bigger like an actual surf board.
Zac and Rose left early because Peter and Rose aren't water people. So we spent another 30 or so minutes taking it all in. And then slowly made our way back to the house. For the next beach day, know this: wear clothes and sandals, take beach bags and towels that you don't mind getting sandy. Leave the purse in the car. SAND GETS EVERYWHERE. And it's difficult to get off. And, it can burn too when you're scratching it off.. so don't shave on that day. My legs still hurt from that. Also, don't use spray sunscreen. Or if you do, make sure you get every part of your body. Otherwise you'll end up with an abstract, ink-blot-test on your back. Just take my word for it.
A plus - no sharks in sight.
A quick word on sharks. Before our trip I had a very scary dream where we were attacked by sharks and basically shredded like paper. Afterward I couldn't keep myself from looking up the migration of sharks in California's waters. The latest news said that there have been increased sightings because it's a nursery for great whites. Over 40 shark sightings were logged since May and for a time there was a group of baby great whites that weren't moving along. A lot of beaches closed. I researched shark defense.
I just looked it up using the Dorsal Fin app. There was a great white sighting on August 12th (our zoo day) at Oceanside. About 12 ft in length and 7000 yards from shore. And there were several sightings near Capistrano Beach (which I remember seeing a sign for on our drives) where the shark was 20 yards from shore. How far out were we? Aldo and Zac could have been 30 yards out easily (120 yards is a football field and you've heard of "10 yard lines" where each line is marked). Oy vey.
Remember this: "You're more likely to be bitten by a New Yorker than a shark."
Day 4 - Disneyland
Another early start for us. Finding parking takes quite a bit of time, so some advice would be to show up 30 minutes early for that reason alone. Do you need to do the early morning thing? No, not really. As long as you have a MaxPass on a busy day, you'll have no problem. I think for our stay the crowds were rated as a 6 out of 10. All I know is that there were 70 min. waits for rides, which is ridiculous. But with the MaxPass we could save our spot in line for a ride about every 30-45 minutes and it would give you a time window to show up. In between those windows you could find another ride, most likely a kiddie ride, or eat or shop or meet characters. I wish we took time to meet more characters, but overall we did a good job. Don't waste your money on the button trading. Characters DON'T have buttons. Helpers at the end of the lines have buttons and very few of them are cool. If you purchase a button, it's like $7 alone and a pack is around $30. That's just crazy. Disney is not going broke any time soon. Just saying. Luckily, I had a short list of rides that were "musts" according to various blogs, and I looked up how thrilling they were to see if Luke would ride it or be traumatized by it. Here's what we rode: Storybook Land Canal Boats (total waste of time and boring as all get out), Pirates of the Caribbean, Indiana Jones Adventure, Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters (twice!), Star Tours, Space Mountain, and the train that was more of a way of transportation to get from one "land" to another than a ride. I just realized... we didn't get to see Peter Pan, which was on my list. :( Bummer. And unfortunately the Fantasmic Show didn't have any passes available by the time we could save our spot. We also saw the Electric Parade, but from far away. And we were at just the right spot for the "Dreams Come True" firework display by the castle... only for it to be cancelled due to wind conditions. It really wasn't windy at all.
What I found out was that Disneyland is different from World's of Fun in that the rides are not really focused on as much as getting into the "theme". So while Pirates had a couple of dips, it was more focused on being IN the world of pirates. And fun fact, Pirates was a ride before the making of the Pirates movie. Only after was Jack Sparrow added in.
Two apps I used a lot were: Magic Guide (great for showing wait times and what "lands" the rides are located in) and the Disneyland app (to operate the MaxPass, wait times, where characters are located, and find showtimes). Another handy thing was the $30 battery pack we bought to charge our phones on the go. After all the MaxPass business and taking photos, it drains the phone's battery and we really needed it to find our way back to the house. I hear from a lot of people that you really need to spend at least 2 days exploring, but I think we could have done it in one. I know I said it before, but my only wish was that we got there at opening so we could meet with more characters. And, that we wore our Disney shirts, which I still don't have one, and bought our merch (like the Minnie ears) through Amazon rather than at the park.
This was hands down my favorite day. Nobody had attitudes. I felt like it was a vacation day with my family. Everyone enjoyed it, even Mila, who was able to ride quite a bit actually. And Luke rode all the bigger rides twice with the Rider Switch (where if you have a kid in a stroller, one parent can go with older kid and then immediately after the parents switch and can go to the front of the line). Luke's favorite ride was Buzz Lightyear where you shoot at Zerg and evil aliens. I agree that it was fun because we could all go, all shoot, turn our "cars", and get a score and a picture in the end. I also liked the Pirates but only because Mila wanted to cuddle with me after the two dips. Space Mountain was even too fast for me. And I was surprised that there was nothing more than utter blackness and then some stars, galaxies and time warps thrown in. Space Tours was better. It was like you were riding a ship in the Star Wars movie. It had humor thrown in which I liked. But, Aldo's ride with Luke on Space Tours was different than mine. He wasn't attacked by a giant underwater crocodile-like monster, and an alien didn't throw paint on their windshield in the end. I guess that one needs to be ridden a few times too. By the end of the day, we were all worn out. Mila even fell asleep on my head, when I put her on my shoulders to get a better view of the firework show that we didn't see. Haha!
Day 5 - Trampolines & Rest
Zac and Rose wanted to take us to an indoor trampoline place. Peter was ALL over it. Mila also enjoyed it, but she hasn't figured out how to jump off of both feet yet. She enjoyed racing up and down the long trampoline in the kiddie area and throwing (or I should say "cleaning") the foam blocks back into the pit. Luke got better at his front and back flips. And Aldo and Luke worked on walking across a tight rope type thing. By the end, both of the boys were sweaty, so it must have been a good time.
When we got back, we rested and packed up for an early morning because we had to leave at 4 am. It was a bittersweet goodbye. Peter was finally getting used to having us around (although he and Luke kicked it off right away). And Mila was finally understanding how to treat Dally, their skittish dog. But it was probably the best we could have done anyway.
Day 6 - Back to KC
We could have slept in. We made time on the highway because we used the carpool lane most of the ride and not too many people are awake at 4 am, except in LA. The reason we left so early was because of the 2 hour drive and also, LAX seemed like a busy airport. Check in was right outside the terminal doors and super easy. Security pushed us through as fast as possible. So we were stuck in the waiting area for nearly an hour and a half. Kids. Wide. Awake.
On the airplane back, Mila did sleep for at least an hour, so I took advantage of the time and watched a partial movie. Luke and Aldo watched Harry Potter on the other side. American Airlines didn't let us on first to set up the car seat (which I liked about Delta) and we had a bit of turbulence in KC from storms. Other than that, it was a great flight. Toward the end, you could tell Mila was itching to get out because she wanted to play with the tray on the back of the seat.
My final thoughts: It was a great trip, but in the end... there really is "no place like home". (So timely because I just saw a coworker in the production of The Wizard of Oz and... we're from Kansas and... we took a bunch of KC gear to Zac and Rose.
Probably our last BIG trip for a while, but for sure one for the books.
Day 2 - Zoo Day
Nothing in Southern California is close. It takes at least 30-45 minutes to get anywhere. And another thing, Zac and Rose are early risers. We, the Alvidrez clan, wake up usually around 10 (except me and at times Luke) and go to sleep late at around 11:30 pm. California is 2 hours difference from Kansas. So if it's 7 am in California, it's 9 am in Kansas. It was the perfect time change. When we had to get up at 7 to get to the Zoo somewhat early because it's about a 45 minute drive... we were only waking up at 9 o'clock. Yesssss.
Here is what I can tell you about the San Diego Zoo. There are a lot of aviaries. No joke. I think we walked through at least five aviaries to get to other places. And, I can't really make a decision on how I liked the zoo because I don't think we started off right (We immediately went to the oversized tortoises. You don't go there first! You go to the animals that are awake and playful, that in the heat of the day are going to go into hiding. Tortoises aren't going anywhere... they can't move that far... you can see them nearly at any time. Bad decision on our part.). And, I don't think it was Peter's best day either. We have become zoo snobs. I have made the ultimate decision (and you think we would have learned from previous experience) that we just need to go to zoos alone. It's my goal to get through a zoo in one day. And we could have done it, I think, even at San Diego. So during our stay this time around, we probably only made it through half of it which consisted of tortoises; snakes (legless, eye-lidless lizards) and other reptiles; birds, birds, and more birds; and kind of monkeys that didn't do much. At the end we took a double-decker (after waiting half an hour in line) to see the regular zoo animals: zebras, elephants, giraffes. Except a lot of them were hard to see, Mila was napping so she didn't get to experience the large-scale animals which I would have liked to see, and Luke also couldn't get a very good snapshot because we were breezing by on the ride. Not the best zoo experience we've had, but I'm not opposed to going to San Diego Zoo again if the chance ever arises. I'm willing to have my mind changed about it. But let me say this... Omaha is a hard one to beat.
Turtles & Tortoises
Fun Fact: Back in the day, these giant tortoises were fed dog food. The dog food had so much protein that it made their shells grow too fast and so now some of them can't fully extend their legs out how they're supposed to because the shells don't fall where they're supposed to. (Ok, so NOT "fun" fact.)
<3 They Love Each Other <3
A Long Day at the Zoo
The Delicious Ramen of My Dreams
Day 3 - The Beach at Oceanside
The plan our hosts came up with was that it would be wise to go back and forth from big day to relax day. That way the day before our flight out wouldn't be extreme. Makes sense.
For our beach day we started out with brunch at Swami's. A little expensive and one of those ... organic, vegan, weirdo hang outs. The smoothie was delicious. But I ordered straight up coffee. Oops. And the eggs and croissant were delicious, and so was Mila's black bean burrito (which she DID eat, but couldn't finish).
Our Day at the Beach
~ water so cold and sand so hot ~
Livin' Up Every Moment
Beach Babes
(yes, I got burnt)
Palm Trees
Zac and Rose left early because Peter and Rose aren't water people. So we spent another 30 or so minutes taking it all in. And then slowly made our way back to the house. For the next beach day, know this: wear clothes and sandals, take beach bags and towels that you don't mind getting sandy. Leave the purse in the car. SAND GETS EVERYWHERE. And it's difficult to get off. And, it can burn too when you're scratching it off.. so don't shave on that day. My legs still hurt from that. Also, don't use spray sunscreen. Or if you do, make sure you get every part of your body. Otherwise you'll end up with an abstract, ink-blot-test on your back. Just take my word for it.
A plus - no sharks in sight.
A quick word on sharks. Before our trip I had a very scary dream where we were attacked by sharks and basically shredded like paper. Afterward I couldn't keep myself from looking up the migration of sharks in California's waters. The latest news said that there have been increased sightings because it's a nursery for great whites. Over 40 shark sightings were logged since May and for a time there was a group of baby great whites that weren't moving along. A lot of beaches closed. I researched shark defense.
- Don't look like a seal. On a board? In a boat? Flopping around? You look like a seal. Don't look like a fish either. Bright swim suits and shiny jewelry look like the metallic scales of a fish.
- Don't go swimming when you're bleeding. Duh.
- Swim with a buddy. The more the merrier. Don't swim at night though.
- Avoid areas where sharks are known to be. And also, watch the turtles, fish and birds. If they're freaked out, there's a reason.
- If attacked, go for the nose, eyes or gills.
I just looked it up using the Dorsal Fin app. There was a great white sighting on August 12th (our zoo day) at Oceanside. About 12 ft in length and 7000 yards from shore. And there were several sightings near Capistrano Beach (which I remember seeing a sign for on our drives) where the shark was 20 yards from shore. How far out were we? Aldo and Zac could have been 30 yards out easily (120 yards is a football field and you've heard of "10 yard lines" where each line is marked). Oy vey.
Remember this: "You're more likely to be bitten by a New Yorker than a shark."
Day 4 - Disneyland
"The Happiest Place on Earth"
Pulling the Sword from the Stone
Another early start for us. Finding parking takes quite a bit of time, so some advice would be to show up 30 minutes early for that reason alone. Do you need to do the early morning thing? No, not really. As long as you have a MaxPass on a busy day, you'll have no problem. I think for our stay the crowds were rated as a 6 out of 10. All I know is that there were 70 min. waits for rides, which is ridiculous. But with the MaxPass we could save our spot in line for a ride about every 30-45 minutes and it would give you a time window to show up. In between those windows you could find another ride, most likely a kiddie ride, or eat or shop or meet characters. I wish we took time to meet more characters, but overall we did a good job. Don't waste your money on the button trading. Characters DON'T have buttons. Helpers at the end of the lines have buttons and very few of them are cool. If you purchase a button, it's like $7 alone and a pack is around $30. That's just crazy. Disney is not going broke any time soon. Just saying. Luckily, I had a short list of rides that were "musts" according to various blogs, and I looked up how thrilling they were to see if Luke would ride it or be traumatized by it. Here's what we rode: Storybook Land Canal Boats (total waste of time and boring as all get out), Pirates of the Caribbean, Indiana Jones Adventure, Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters (twice!), Star Tours, Space Mountain, and the train that was more of a way of transportation to get from one "land" to another than a ride. I just realized... we didn't get to see Peter Pan, which was on my list. :( Bummer. And unfortunately the Fantasmic Show didn't have any passes available by the time we could save our spot. We also saw the Electric Parade, but from far away. And we were at just the right spot for the "Dreams Come True" firework display by the castle... only for it to be cancelled due to wind conditions. It really wasn't windy at all.
Waiting in Line for Indiana Jones
Buzz Lightyear Ranking
(Aldo DID NOT get Level 7... more like Level 3)
Two apps I used a lot were: Magic Guide (great for showing wait times and what "lands" the rides are located in) and the Disneyland app (to operate the MaxPass, wait times, where characters are located, and find showtimes). Another handy thing was the $30 battery pack we bought to charge our phones on the go. After all the MaxPass business and taking photos, it drains the phone's battery and we really needed it to find our way back to the house. I hear from a lot of people that you really need to spend at least 2 days exploring, but I think we could have done it in one. I know I said it before, but my only wish was that we got there at opening so we could meet with more characters. And, that we wore our Disney shirts, which I still don't have one, and bought our merch (like the Minnie ears) through Amazon rather than at the park.
This was hands down my favorite day. Nobody had attitudes. I felt like it was a vacation day with my family. Everyone enjoyed it, even Mila, who was able to ride quite a bit actually. And Luke rode all the bigger rides twice with the Rider Switch (where if you have a kid in a stroller, one parent can go with older kid and then immediately after the parents switch and can go to the front of the line). Luke's favorite ride was Buzz Lightyear where you shoot at Zerg and evil aliens. I agree that it was fun because we could all go, all shoot, turn our "cars", and get a score and a picture in the end. I also liked the Pirates but only because Mila wanted to cuddle with me after the two dips. Space Mountain was even too fast for me. And I was surprised that there was nothing more than utter blackness and then some stars, galaxies and time warps thrown in. Space Tours was better. It was like you were riding a ship in the Star Wars movie. It had humor thrown in which I liked. But, Aldo's ride with Luke on Space Tours was different than mine. He wasn't attacked by a giant underwater crocodile-like monster, and an alien didn't throw paint on their windshield in the end. I guess that one needs to be ridden a few times too. By the end of the day, we were all worn out. Mila even fell asleep on my head, when I put her on my shoulders to get a better view of the firework show that we didn't see. Haha!
Disneyland's Famous Castle
A Fun Day with the Fam
Day 5 - Trampolines & Rest
Zac and Rose wanted to take us to an indoor trampoline place. Peter was ALL over it. Mila also enjoyed it, but she hasn't figured out how to jump off of both feet yet. She enjoyed racing up and down the long trampoline in the kiddie area and throwing (or I should say "cleaning") the foam blocks back into the pit. Luke got better at his front and back flips. And Aldo and Luke worked on walking across a tight rope type thing. By the end, both of the boys were sweaty, so it must have been a good time.
When we got back, we rested and packed up for an early morning because we had to leave at 4 am. It was a bittersweet goodbye. Peter was finally getting used to having us around (although he and Luke kicked it off right away). And Mila was finally understanding how to treat Dally, their skittish dog. But it was probably the best we could have done anyway.
Pretending to be "Tired"
Way to Balance, Luke!
Day 6 - Back to KC
We could have slept in. We made time on the highway because we used the carpool lane most of the ride and not too many people are awake at 4 am, except in LA. The reason we left so early was because of the 2 hour drive and also, LAX seemed like a busy airport. Check in was right outside the terminal doors and super easy. Security pushed us through as fast as possible. So we were stuck in the waiting area for nearly an hour and a half. Kids. Wide. Awake.
On the airplane back, Mila did sleep for at least an hour, so I took advantage of the time and watched a partial movie. Luke and Aldo watched Harry Potter on the other side. American Airlines didn't let us on first to set up the car seat (which I liked about Delta) and we had a bit of turbulence in KC from storms. Other than that, it was a great flight. Toward the end, you could tell Mila was itching to get out because she wanted to play with the tray on the back of the seat.
My final thoughts: It was a great trip, but in the end... there really is "no place like home". (So timely because I just saw a coworker in the production of The Wizard of Oz and... we're from Kansas and... we took a bunch of KC gear to Zac and Rose.
Probably our last BIG trip for a while, but for sure one for the books.
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