warning-long descriptions :) I'll put a few of my favorite pictures up soon, but there's a slideshow above until then.
Day 1Most of the first day of our trip was driving. We didn't leave as early as we hoped and hadn't had near enough sleep, but it worked out fine with many stops and me driving most of the way. We pulled out from Salt Lake City in a very snowy environment and about 25 degree weather at about 5 in the morning. The kids were great on the drive. Better than I thought they'd be. The girls were content to watch movies and play with their leap pads. The DVD wasn't in front of Darren, which was a mistake, so he just said, "Mama. Mama. Mama," with increasing intensity until I said, "What?" then he'd say, "Uh." Imagine that for hours and hours. So fun!
We got there about 12 hours later, approximately 4:30 local time and 60 something degree weather. We checked into the hotel and the kids were amazed that there were bunk beds in the room. Carlyn said, "Its amazing!" Annie said, "Its a miracle." Well, we did right on something anyway. :) Then we ordered the worst pizza we've ever eaten. Not on purpose. After that we went swimming in the "heated" pool. Really we just soaked in the hot tub and I soaked my legs as I'm prego. We tried to get to bed early so we could get up early as possible the next day, but we were all a little excited and had trouble settling down. Actually Rick had no trouble, just the kids and I.
Day 2
Our plan was to wake up as early as possible, get ready and go to the park, then take a break for naps/rests and head back to the park again. Well, we woke up a little later than we'd hoped and it took a lot longer to get 3 rugrats ready than we thought. I tried to be really organized and have everything ready, but somehow it still took us over an hour to get to the hot breakfast at our hotel. We really liked that idea because our kids always will eat a good breakfast, if nothing else. There was a long line and it takes them a long time to eat.
Oh well, we finally got to the park about 10:30. Just in time for Darren to want a nap. Sigh. We decided to go on the Nemo Submarine (super fun!) and Autopia (so funny with kids!) first and the lines weren't too long. After that we did a little Jedi Training, but the girls were too shy to volunteer. Next we went on the train which the kids loved, especially the Grand Canyon and Dinosaur scenes. We made it to Its a Small World next and even though the line was long, is went quickly. We LOVED the Christmas theme at the whole park, but this ride was the best. It was so much fun.
After that we took a break for lunch. I think their Lunchables were almost as exciting to them as the rides. We spent some time in Toontown next. I should have taken Darren back to the hotel at this point for a nap, but I really didn't want to leave. Darren was terrified even approaching Roger Rabbit's ride. I should have stayed behind with him, but didn't. One of the things the girls wanted to see most was Mickey's mailbox. I'm not sure why that was more important than Mickey himself but we made a stop there and made their day. Anneliese loved the Gadget Go Coaster but it turned Carlyn off to most of the bigger rides. That was a surprise. Darren fell asleep for awhile while they were going on the little roller coaster. Not long enough though.
We decided to go on Splash Mountain next. It was Carlyn's cousin's favorite ride and she was really excited for it. Until the first drop! Poor thing was terrified and screaming/crying the whole time. I tried to point out the fun of the ride, but she just couldn't understand how it could have been Jordan's favorite. She got soaked, and my behind got really wet. Just in time for it to start getting dark. We thought we would have been going back to the room for naps and didn't have our jackets with us. I had one little blanket with me and Carlyn wore it the rest of the night. Rick took Darren and Annie on Winnie the Pooh while Carlyn and I were on Splash Mountain.
Against our better judgement we kept going on rides. We were all getting cold and hungry but none of us wanted to leave. Rick went on Big Thunder Mountain while the kids had a snack and we stood in line for the Haunted Mansion. It was decorated as the Nightmare Before Christmas and was really great. The kids all liked it, mostly. We also went on Pirates of the Caribbean and decided the kids were done and hungry.
Unfortunately, we hit parade traffic on the way back. Totally PACKED! We found a place and slipped in. I won't go into all the details, but I'll just say it was crazy. The kids did like the parade, but we kept wondering whether it was worth it or not. It was after 7 by then and we headed back to the hotel. As we were walking back the back wheel of our stroller broke and wouldn't stay on. UGH. So Darren rode in the front and Rick held it up as the girls griped about walking. We had some dinner in the room and then soaked our feet in the hot tub. Such a good idea! So we got to bed way too late and woke up too late too!
Day3We could have used our early day on Thursday, but decided it was better not to wake the kids because they are so grumpy when we do. We got to the park later than we wanted again and stood in the long line for strollers and when we got to the front decided that it was more cost effective to buy a new one than rent 2 strollers for 2 days so Rick took Darren and went to Walmart. We let the girls wear their princes dresses that morning so after going on Winnie the Pooh twice and Dumbo, at their insistence, we headed to the Princess Fantasy Faire. Cinderella told a story to them and they put stickers on crowns and then there was a little show where the girls could all dance with Belle, Aurora, & another princess I forget. Carlyn and Anneliese were really funny. I thought they'd be all over that, but they just wanted to sit and watch, but they did do the part with the Maypole.
I don't like that part of Disneyland, where you stand in line to get a picture or autograph of someone in a costume, but that's part of it. We only did it with princesses. It was a long enough line. We did feel bad about not seeing Tinkerbell, but it was always a huge line as her little attraction was fairly new. We got pictures with Aurora, Snow White, & Pocahontas. The girls were disappointed it was only a few, but what can you do? About that time Rick called to say that they were done and would meet us to take us back to the hotel. So we hopped on the train and headed back to Main Street. We had lunch and naps (our original plan, which by the way, was the best plan because the kids were ready for many more hours of fun afterwards.)
We decided to spend a little time at California Adventure after naps. We watched the Muppet Show, went on the Monster's Inc ride (very fun!), saw the Bug's Life show, then caught the Pixar Play parade. It was awesome and I think the kids enjoyed it much more than the Christmas parade. They had bubbles coming from above the lights and Darren loved those as much as anything. We had just enough time to go on most of the rides in a Bugs Land before the park closed. Carlyn, Darren & I went on the little Chew Chew Train about 4 times in a row. They loved when Heimlich would burp at the end. Kids!
We headed back to Disneyland and got stuck in some parade traffic so we decided it was a good time to eat. I have to mention this because we got 3 of the biggest & best corn dogs I've ever had. They were probably triple the size of a normal corn dog and very tasty. Annie fell asleep just before we ate and slept for quite awhile.
Rick took Carlyn and Darren on the astro orbiter. The line said 5 minutes, but it was at least 20. Darren was done with lines at this point. Poor Rick. Annie was still asleep, so Rick got Fast Passes for Buzz Lightyear and took Carlyn on StarTours. She was a little scared, but loved it. I had to keep Darren entertained for quite awhile. After they were done, I took Carlyn and Darren on Buzz Lightyear and had a blast. When we got back Annie was awake and finishing a corn dog. Rick took her on Buzz Lightyear where Rick tried to get a record score shooting Zurg. Silly man. Carlyn was insisting that we go on the Monorail. I'm not so sure why it was so important to her, but it was, so we went there next. It was really cool in the dark because all the Christmas lights were up and it was really pretty, especially Its a Small World, which I should have gotten a picture of.
The fireworks were about to start so we headed back as far as we could and snagged a spot. Annie wanted to lay in the stroller, Rick held Carlyn on his shoulders, and I held Darren. It was really amazing. They had music and really cool fireworks and it maybe the best display I've ever seen. I especially loved when they played Silent Night and at the end they did one that looked like a shooting star. It was beautiful! I took a picture which of course didn't do it justice. After the fireworks we headed back to the hotel thoroughly exhausted and they had foam that looked like snow coming down over main street. It was pretty cool. None of us had any trouble going to sleep that night!
Day 4There were so many things that we still hadn't done, so we felt like we had to go back to Disneyland for awhile, so we got ready, ate, and checked out of our hotel (who kindly let us leave our van til later.) The park was much more crowded that day and it was frustrating. We had hardly been in Fantasyland so we felt like we should hit those rides. We went on the Storybook boats, Rick and the kids went on the teacups, I went with Carlyn and Darren (with a slight technical delay) on Alice in Wonderland (which turned out to be one of Carlyn's favorites), Rick took Annie on Matterhorn and then Carlyn wanted a turn. She was scared but didn't want to be left out. We headed to Mr. Toad's Wild Ride next.
We then went to the Mad Hatter's where we chose mouse hats for the kids. The girls surprised me and Annie got a Princess one while Carlyn got a Minnie one. Totally opposite of what I thought would happen! Darren chose one that was huge for him, but it was a Mickey Sorcerer one and was so cute. They didn't want to leave them on for long, but were all super happy about them. We ate next from the burger place there in Fantasyland. Yuck! At least the lines weren't too long.
We went on the Carousel after that. Twice in a row. It was one of the funnest rides for our whole family too. It was great. We realized we missed tons of rides in Fantasyland, but the kids didn't really like the inside ones that were dark too much anyway, and we were running out of time. Rick ran to Space Mountain and there was a very long wait like every other time he tried to go. Poor Rick, it was the one he really wanted to go on. It wasn't open the last time we went so he really wanted to go. We hit the Jungle Cruise as the last ride.
I almost cried walking back to the hotel. My feet were sore enough to cry, but it just went so fast! We had a great time on almost every ride and it felt like we'd hardly done anything. I was so bummed. Then I started thinking about all the fun we did have and I just convinced myself that that's how it is when you have little kids and go to Disneyland. I have to admit that being home and looking at the pictures, I feel much better about what we did, but at the time...well, I'm pregnant, remember?
Traffic was bad but not terrible getting to my brother's house in Santa Monica. Mostly it was that we had to do so many freeway changes that I was paranoid about getting lost because I was navigating. We got there and the kids just started having a blast together. Jordan is 1 week older than Carlyn and Claire is the same size, if about 9 months younger, than Annie. Darren didn't care that he was the only boy. He was happy to be out of the stroller and car seat and allowed to run free. I sat on the couch most of the time and visited with Katie while Rick played the Wii with Barrett. We enjoyed some very delicious homemade pizza for dinner. We let the kids play way too late because we only had a little time there. They had a hard time settling down, but we finally all made it to sleep. THANK YOU so much Barrett and Katie for hosting our family. I know it wasn't easy, but we had tons of fun!
Day 5The next morning we took it easy for awhile then headed to the Santa Monica Pier, which isn't too far from their house. We were excited to show the kids the beach, but it was pretty cold and windy. It wasn't much fun, but we stopped and got hot chocolate and walked along the pier for awhile.
Darren went nuts over the seagulls. He was saying, "Ba," and pointing to the birds and signing bird. It was so cute. He kept looking at me to make sure I was looking too. Annie sat there saying, "Mine. Mine." (From Nemo, in case you don't know.) We decided to take a couple pictures and eat at the mall instead. The kids played while Katie watched them and Rick, Barrett & I ate. Then Katie took the older girls to Jordan's recital while we finished eating.
I got a chance to go in the Disney store and bought an ornament for our tree. We get a new ornament every year, and I didn't get to look at Disneyland, so I was excited to get it there. We headed back to their apartment where I crashed on the couch and I'm unaware of what else happened until I woke up to go to their ward Christmas party. It was very crowded but the food was good and the primary kids did a cute little program of the Christmas story. Jordan was a shepherd. The cutest one! We headed back and tried to get to sleep for an early start, but again, we visited and let the kids play until way too late.
Day 6We didn't leave until about 9 the next morning, but we felt more rested so that was okay. The drive seemed much longer, even though it still took about 12 hours. The girls were more restless and fought part of the way. Darren was happier because he had a movie screen (he just barely started to be interested in movies, but I was really glad he was!)
I had to go to the bathroom a lot more on the way back, but the kids didn't say anything about needing to go until I'd already stopped. They were holding it and didn't want to tell me because they just wanted to get home too! Poor kids! Carlyn finally asked to go about Provo saying that she just couldn't hold it anymore. She hadn't gone since Cedar City! No wonder they were fighting.
We left CA Sunday morning to about 60 degree weather and got back to 20 degree weather. And several inches of snow. Not a pleasant change. Maybe that's why I'm so grumpy about the snow and cold this year. So we got back at about 10:15 Sunday night and were so happy to be in our own beds, if not happy about the cold. I've been exhausted since and feel like I'll never recover. Some people think we were crazy for taking 3 little kids to Disneyland, but Rick and I were talking last night and still think it was better than any presents we could have gotten for Christmas. We were just so happy to be there together on our little family vacation and those memories will last us a long time. (Hopefully 2 or 3 years until baby #4 is at least Darren's age or older.)
As I was typing this I looked over and saw Annie watching tv with a box on her head looking through the hole in the side. It was so funny I had to take a picture. Darren is often found with a box on his head, but its hard to take a clear picture of him.
As I was typing this I looked over and saw Annie watching tv with a box on her head looking through the hole in the side. It was so funny I had to take a picture. Darren is often found with a box on his head, but its hard to take a clear picture of him.
This paper was Carlyn's first attempt at sounding out words to write them. She knew Carlyn and Annie, but guessed at Darren. In case you can't see it clearly it says "Dirin" in the middle.
On the outside it said, "SPRAS" for surprise. I was totally impressed. I couldn't do that at 5.
Just a cute picture of Carlyn.
And a cute picture of Annie.
Yup! That's my little guy. He always wants to get his hair done when the girls are getting theirs done. I usually put a head band in and he'll pull in off after a couple hours, but I was noticing how long his hair was and I couldn't resist. He looks so much like Carlyn did. 
Darren only recently started watching videos. On the way home from CA, actually. He especially loves Thomas the train. This is him watching it in the waiting room of Carlyn's computer class. He never sits that still otherwise. Doesn't he look big?
I went to check on the girls after they were asleep one night and I found Annie like this. 
Too cute! I couldn't resist this one. Mathew blowing out the candles, while 
The little girls playing the 
The girls got Rick's new shorts and this is what came of it. Too funny!
Carlyn and Annie with their princess pianos from Grandma Linda who came over with Maureen and 
This is Rick sleeping during the family party with Darren trying to get the candy canes off the table. 
Heather swapped out with Marilee to take the picture. Marilee is due in about a month with her first baby, the others happily done having kids. We're coming up on our 15
Monday afternoon we got to go the Draper Temple Open House and it was great! It is so organized and kind of amazing to realize the number of volunteers it takes every day of the open house, which lasts quite a long time. The girls especially loved going inside the temple and seeing how pretty it was. I'm really glad we got to go. First we watched a little movie at a nearby chapel assigned ahead of time. Then we got on buses and they drove us to the temple. The kids thought that was pretty cool. It dropped us off at a covered walkway to the temple. Then we took the tour through the temple. The girls loved that they got their own brochures and checked each picture off as we went through. It was so cute. I could really see that Carlyn was understanding when we said there was a place for baptisms for the dead, and then the place where people got married. They loved the Celestial room too, the chandelier especially, and were excited because on Sunday they'd just learned the Plan of Salvation so they recognized Celestial from that. So cute. Darren just liked how it was so quiet and he could make so much noise when nobody else was. We tried to shush him, but a 17 month old doesn't listen too well. When you leave it takes you on a covered walk again to the chapel next door for water and cookies and a beautiful display and then out to the buses again. Did I mention I was so glad we got to go? :)
I guess I wasn't quite accurate when I said we didn't take any pictures on Thanksgiving. Here are my kids and a couple cousins at Grandma and Grandpa's house.
