Disneyland Trip Round 4

Our second day at Disneyland brought us to California Adventure first thing.

 The Toy Story ride was a hit with everyone.  Max loved seeing Jessie and Woody.

 He actually took his fingers out of his mouth for a couple pictures.

 Hank was anxious to drive Sarah around in the bumper cars.

 Max behind the wheel is a disaster waiting to happen.

 Hank's favorite ride hands down was the Grizzly River Run.  He did some pleading with the men on the trip to join him since you get soaked.

 He wore his wet clothes with pride.

Randy wasn't too hard to convince to join the mayhem.

 He loved being with the guys.  Max was tall enough to ride but he opted for a nap instead.

Disneyland wore Mino out!

 He quickly woke up for his man Sully.  He loved the Monsters Inc. ride.

 Frozone and Mr. Incredible couldn't get him out of his stroller but Jack on the other hand was in love.  He spent nearly 5 minutes hugging them and giving them high 5's.  He discovered a new smile for this picture.

 Mater and Lightning with Hankster.

 We paused for a moment and had a little photo shoot in front of Disneyland.

 Oh my, passionate.  I feel a little weird.

 Max was still trying to wake up from his nap.  The rest of us were in good spirits.

 Hank insisted we stop and see Gepetto and Pinocchio.

 So precious.  I don't know why I have a soft spot in my heart for Pinocchio.

 The boys finally agreed to go on a ride with me.  I'm with Jack though, the Astro Orbiters suck!

 Jack and Max were my two little buddies while everyone else rode Thunder Mountain Railroad a few times.

Hank liked the ride much more sandwiched between Grandma and Grandpa.

 Max was really wanting to squeeze Jack.  Jack was a little nervous.

 Max got a hold of the camera and proceeded to take the following pictures.

Extreme Closeup!!!

Black vest club anyone?

 Daddy

 Brett's face in this picture haunts my dreams.

 Perhaps a bit too much Disneyland?

No way!  This photo shoot kept us entertained while we waited for World of Color.  It was totally worth the wait.  I may have even shed a tear.  

 Hank enjoyed a ride on grandpa's shoulders as our day in the Magic Kingdom came to a close.  Another fantastic day with everyone I love the most.

Disneyland Trip Round 3

 Our first day at Disneyland was perfect.  The kids had a blast, there were no crowds, and the weather was gorgeous.  Hank was anxious to try every ride, even if he was a little scared.  Max just tried to take it all in.  Disneyland can be a bit overwhelming for a 3 year old.  I love this picture of me and my boys.

We arrived to the park bright and early and even though they 

don't show it Hank and Max were beyond excited.  Well, I take that back...Hank was beyond excited, Max was pretty indifferent to the whole experience.

 My kids decided to try out the Astro Orbiters and loved it.

I think it's safe to say, Jack HATED IT!  I couldn't help but laugh at the situation, and take a pic.

Jack needed to take a moment to collect himself after that.

 Hank was happy to cheer him up with a little ride on his shoulders. 

I was more than willing to hold him during pirates, oh and let him chuck his high top into the water!  See Sarah's blog for all the details.  It was one of the funniest things to ever happen to me at Disneyland.

The kids loved the Finding Nemo ride.  I loved seeing Christian Bale as we exited.  I was star struck!

As a mother of all boys we scouted out Darth Vader instead of Cinderella.  Hank couldn't wait for his padawan training and a chance to attack Darth.  I'm actually surprised he didn't choose to join the dark side.

Darth Vader was huge but no match for Hank's light saber skills.

Max was totally freaked out by Darth Maul.

Hank received a certificate for successfully completing his training.

This is a bad picture but if you loo closely you can see my dad and Hank on the teacups.

Max and Randy had a more laid back approach to the teacups.

Hank and the Captain

Max loved Toontown, especially Minnie's house.

Classic picture with Mickey.

No one else in our group wanted to ride Small World so we made it a Griffin love fest.  

Pure Love!   This picture is so fitting for the trip because our boys wanted nothing to do with me most of the time.  It was all about Randy.  

Hank obliged me with a ride or two.

Good thing I had my own mama to cuddle with.

The final picture of the day had to be this one for several reasons.  First, Hank is adorable, second, my dad is really more freaked out by rides than he ever lets on, third, my mom is griping her seat for dear life and last, Sarah.  Words can't even express what is going on with her in this picture.  It's safe to say, this is her happy place.

Disneyland Trip Round 2

 Ahhh the beach.  It soothes my soul and brings instant happiness.  I wonder why I live nowhere near the ocean.  I was so excited to watch the kids have their first experience there. Brett found us the perfect spot in Newport Beach to enjoy.  Good thing Randy was prepared and packed the kids some extra clothes!  Grandma showed Max how to stay dry...it didn't last long!

Hank was willing to sacrifice the comfort of staying dry for some amazing shells.

 Grandpa and Mino

 I told you I was happy to be near the ocean!  

 Max started feeling more confident around the water so he got closer with Randy.

 A little too close!  Poor Max got thrashed by a wave.  

 He got over it pretty quick.

Brett inspired Hank by finding a perfect sand dollar.

 Hank was on a shell finding mission after that.

I was on a Jack squeezing mission.

My little drowned rats!

 

We found a nice spot to dry off and feed some birds before lunch.

 I copied this pic from Sarah.  I wanted to photo shop Kate's face to complete this family portrait.  We really missed the Ross family. 

When you are in Newport, eating at the Crab Cooker is a must!

 Max kept saying, "I want FISH".  Surprising since he doesn't like fish.  

 He was far too interested in his DS to eat.  Once his precious fish arrived he couldn't stand the smell and didn't even try it.

Hank on the other hand ordered calamari on his own and ate it!  First caesar salad, then squid, what's next?  We returned to our hotel and my dad and I did a little grocery shopping while everyone took naps.  We decided to have a home cooked spaghetti dinner in our room instead of going out again.  Everyone went to bed early so we could be ready for DISNEYLAND the next day.

Disneyland Trip Round 1

I finally got my camera cord so I can properly recap our fantastic trip to Disneyland.  It's going to take multiple posts and some dedication but I can't rest until it's properly documented.  

Ever since Hank's hospital stay last year, I vowed this trip would happen as soon as he was well.  It just so happened to fall right on his birthday week.  What a perfect celebration for my Hank-man.  I am grateful everyday he is o.k.  Life is too short to miss out on Disneyland with a 6 year old, that's for sure!  My mom and dad, as well as my sister and her little family all flew into Cali a day later.  The Griffin's opted for a few extra days of road trip action.  We headed for Vegas on the 28th of January with every DVD and DS game we own and enough chocolate milk to soothe the kids for 6 hours.

  I love the perks that come with being married to an insurance agent.  For example, access to an incredible suite in the MGM towers courtesy of the people at Germantown.  The kids were amazed by the TV that came out of the desk.  After getting settled, we were starving and ready to explore the big city

 

 If you happen to be in Vegas with small children, my advise is to keep them close and make sure they look straight ahead.  The streets were filled with pictures of naked escorts and the billboards were certainly not appropriate for my innocent little 6 year old.   The kids were mesmerized by the casinos and the lights.  Hopefully they didn't see anything else.

 A stay in Vegas wouldn't be complete without a shirley temple with extra cherries for Hank.

 Max was amazed to find a lion in the middle of our hotel.  Only in Vegas!

 I kind of felt bad for this beautiful animal trapped in a casino. 

 

 We had to make a stop to the M&M factory.  Nothing like spending twenty bucks on a pound of candy.

 The kids thought it was awesome.

 Hank definitely had more fun playing football with Randy through the store. 

 Yes, I was on this trip, in case you were wondering.

 The kids couldn't wait to get back to the room and relax in the enormous tub.  I told them they could splash as much as they wanted, it's vacation!  That probably wasn't the smartest idea I've ever had.  They loved hearing Randy's crazy stories before they drifted off to sleep.  

After lounging around the room and exploring Vegas a bit more we headed off to Anaheim to meet my family.  The second we arrived at our timeshare, the kids were changing into their swimming suits.  They didn't seem to mind the 60 degree temperatures.  Good thing they have a fun dad to take them to the pool.  Max had an early bedtime while the rest of us headed to Johnny Rockets for dinner.  Hank fell in love with caesar salad on this trip and opted for that instead of a greasy burger and fries.  What a kid!

Stay tuned...more to come!