Disneyland Vacation Day 3

The day the boys have been looking forward too for such a long time finally arrived.  Actually going to Disneyland.  They have heard so much about Disneyland from their friends, but really had no idea as to the fun they would have there.  

With our 3-Day park hopper passes, it allowed us to go into the park one of the days an hour early to get a jump on the rides.  Tuesday was the best option for our early entry so we met up at 7:15 a.m. and walked into the park (our hotel is so close to the maingate, I love it). 

We got into the park took our family photo,

then realized the Buxton's weren't with us.  What happened?  Dave had gotten a great deal on military tickets and the ticket takers said that his passes didn't include the early option. While I didn't actually witness it, it's reported that Hayden ripped up his map and yelled, "I hate Disneyland!" 

Luckily within minutes Dave spoke to enough people that his family was allowed into the park.

There was no wait to get a picture with Pluto so we seized the moment for a picture.

While Jill went to get "1st time visitor" badges from City Hall, Aaron waited in line for a picture with Mickey.  They had one of the biggest Christmas tree's I have ever seen decorated with so many ornaments, it was amazing.  (by the next day the tree was gone and there were flowers in it's place).

The first ride was the first one we could see.  It's a rocket ride at the entrance to Tomorrow Land.

We've heard about the Buzz Lightyear ride and it happened to be right next to our last ride so we checked it out too.  What a great attraction.  Later Dave read up on how to maximize your score and we did this ride again where Dave scored an amazing 480,000 points! All the boys loved this ride and I'm not just talking about the little ones. 

Alyssa enjoyed the finding Nemo submarine.

So did the boys.

At Disneyland you have to ride the teacups.  Aunt Jenn with the boy cousins. Jill and I got to ride this one together which we thought probably looked a little weird to the onlookers.  We were there with children, they were all together with aunt Jenn.

The Tarzan tree house was a fun walk through adventure.

We aren't exactly sure who hit Grandma up for treats, but she bought treats for the grandkids which they loved!  Here are the boys sharing.  It's the little things that give you hope as a parent that your kids have learned life's important principle's like sharing.

Tom Sawyer's island.

Many of the rides aren't conducive to taking pictures, but we were able to see most everything we wanted to inside Disneyland.  One of the biggest surprises was how adventurous Landon was.  He loved roller-coasters.  It was fun to ride by him and see his eyes so light up with joy and to hear him yell with excitement.  It was also neat to watch Logan try and keep up with his older cousin Hayden, but still be a little bit afraid.  Logan did put his foot down and said he never wants to ride on the Indiana Jones ride ever again.  It was too scary for his taste, although he did love Space Mountain.

In the winter Disneyland closes at 8:00 p.m. We exited even earlier than that to go have dinner and we found the best place.  Mile's Diner was right next to our hotel and they accommodated our group of 15 people with no wait time at all.  We were all able to relax and rest from our fun day at the park. Thanks Grandma Bunkall for the delicious dinner.

After the women and children all went back to the hotel to put kids down and charge the batteries for tomorow's adventures.  The men and boys all went back into the park for another chance to score points on the Buzz Lightyear ride.  Then we still had time to ride the Thunder Mountain rollercoaster.  

The highlight of the day was Logan asking me while waiting in line for a ride, "Dad did you bring us here?" I didn't know if he meant the ride or to Disneyland the park.  He clarified and asked if it was my idea to bring the family to Disneyland.  "Mom and Dad both wanted to bring you to Disneyland" I responded.  He gave me a huge hug and said, "you're the best Daddy in the whole world."  

The trip was worth it.

Disneyland Vacation Day 2

Our Hotel in Vegas was so nice and the breakfast area was amazing.  Probably the best free breakfast area I've ever seen.  The boys feel so grown up when we travel, finding our hotel room, riding the elevator, etc. More on that later. 

We got out of Vegas before 10:00 a.m. and fueled up at Whisky Pete's.  I have fond memories of that exit as a youth.  It was once home to one of the tallest roller coasters in the world.  I'm sure that has been surpassed, but it was pretty cool at the time.  Memo to myself for next time, "Whisky Pete's is overrated and not worth stopping to fuel up when you have to pay 40 cents more per gallon of gas".

From there we stopped in Barstow, another place that brought back memories from my youth.  The McDonalds inside the train station should have been cool.  It wasn't what I had remembered.  Another memo to me, "you don't need to stop in Barstow again."

We did pick up Tanner and had Logan ride with his cousins.  Tanner and Landon fought less than he would have had Logan been in the van, so that was very nice for us.

After 2 days on the road we were all ready to check into our hotel.  Instead we opted to show our boys something they have never seen before, the ocean.  They loved it!  We rolled up our pants and got our feet wet.  The boys loved to challenge the waves and run away from them yelling, "Incoming!".

Mom's hanging back.

Even Dad got in on the action. 

Boys yelling "Incoming!"

They loved the ocean and can't wait to go back.  Luckily for them on Friday all day we are going to the beach/pool at a posh hotel right next to the ocean.

On the drive Aaron pointed out that one of my headlights was burnt out.  I had just replaced the drivers side light the week before.  I guess they typically burn out in 2's.  We found a Pep Boys and within a couple of minutes I had replaced the headlight so we would be legal and safe.  It did however delay us a little bit trying to find a store.  Luckily it's done and we could go check into our hotel

We checked into our Disneyland hotel at the Marriott Fairfield.  It's right across the street from the entrance to Disneyland, and we love this location.  The room is nice, but nothing like what we got in Vegas.  The boys helped me bring things in while Jill unpacked.  In the process I was right behind them to leave the room to go to the elevator and I ran back inside the room to grab a hotel key. When I returned to the elevators the boys were gone.  I scanned the area, and then got on the elevator to go to the lobby to see if they had left without me.  They weren't in the lobby nor out by the van.  I went back up to the room where they had returned.  In fact they had gotten on the elevator went to the lobby, and decided they shouldn't have done that and went back up to our room.  I had passed them on the elevator.  Of course we had the talk of always staying with an adult. Logan felt horrible for leaving kept on saying he was sorry.  It was a bit scary for a brief moment, then when I knew they were safe I wanted to beat them! Okay not really, but we can't stress safety enough to these young boys.

We were all so tired, rather than go out, we opted to go to the Pizza Hut on the 3rd floor of our hotel.  It was so convenient, I thought we may have to eat there every night.

Logan was out like a lamp, but because Landon had a nap in the van, he was wired until 10:30 p.m.  He almost stayed up as late as us!  

Disneyland Vacation Day 1

We've been so excited for the new year because the first week of January the family loaded up the van and headed to Disneyland!  The boys have no idea what would be in store for them.  It took loads of preparation, but we were finally ready to leave.  

The boys were so excited. 

 

This trip would be so much fun because we had the company of the Buxtons,

and the Roundy's. 

We stopped in Cedar City for gas and McDonalds.  We had leftover pizza from the car, but the boys loved playing at the playground.  It was the nicest McD's I'd seen with regards to kids play equipment.  From when I lived in Cedar there has been some major renovations. 

On the drive south, about 30 miles north of Vegas we passed by another mini van that appeared to be a dear friend from the ward where Jill and I met.  What would be the odds that we pass dear friends on the highway in the Nevada dessert?  Well as it turns out they were pretty good.  Damond and Heidi Peterson were traveling home to Phoenix from visiting family in Utah.  We had just exchanged Christmas cards a few weeks ago and here we see them on the road!  What a "small world" (no pun intended considering our final destination).  I called them and we talked on cell phones for about 20 minutes before wishing them well until next year's Christmas card.  

We arrived in Vegas fairly early and Jill had the idea to drive by the Vegas temple.  It was Sunday so the temple was mostly closed down, but we could walk the grounds and the kids were all excited to run around after having been in the car so long. 

With Amy's connection with Marriott we got a very nice hotel. It was one of the nicest Spring Hill Suits I'd ever stayed in.  Our room was very nice, and while we rested for a bit, Alyssa was in a giggling mood.  She laughed and laughed for about 20 minutes straight!  We all laughed along with her.

Like father like sons.  The first thing to do when entering a hotel is to turn on the cable t.v.

The night culminated at Denny's. The food was okay, but considering we were in sin city the environment was kid friendly and the restaurant was quiet for our rowdy children.

After dinner we drove by the Belaggio hotel to see the fountains. They are so beautiful, and the boys were very impressed!

Once we got back to the hotel and got the boys ready for bed, an old friend Jeremy Wood came by for a great visit.  Wood and I knew each other from our time in Ecuador.  Although we were never companions we did a few splits together and were mugged which forever bonded us as friends.  He is very successful working as a podiatrist in Vegas and has a lovely wife and 4 great kids.  I haven't seen Jeremy very often since our days in Ecuador, but each time we get together we seem to pick right up where we left off.  His late visit was so worth it.

Come Together

Each Christmas kids have to get a present that is labeled, "some assembly required".  This year I had assembled the hoop and backboard before Christmas morning.  To finish the project Landon, who loves tools and helping Dad, helped me assemble the pole and base.  Landon is such a good helper with these kinds of projects and his attention span is so much longer than his brothers.  Logan can't wait to play basketball, but doesn't quite have the patience to put together the pieces. 

Each year after Christmas we get a picture of each family member with all of their presents.  It's a way for us to remember who got what, and which year they got it in.  Because of the lack of sleep this Christmas, we didn't have the energy to do it.  The day after Christmas Jill was able to take this picture and document Alyssa's spoils on her first Christmas. 

We've had so much rain this December we weren't sure we'd be able to keep the time honored post Christmas tradition of sledding with the Bunkall's.  Luckily we got a hum dinger of a storm on just before New Years Eve we were all able to go sledding, and Landon was able to try out his new tube. 

Logan on his sled.

After a slight mishap with me falling through some ice and getting soaking wet, I went back to the van early and got this picture of the hill where the kids sled each year.

Of course after sledding everyone is due for some hot chocolate.  Thanks Grandma Bunkall.  You can see Hayden had a collision with a woman on the sledding hill and he nursed his wound, and Logan has cool hat hair.

For New Years Eve we invited the running guys and their families over for an early celebration.  We like to party from 6:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. ish.  This year everyone stayed until almost 11:00 p.m.!  We loved having the Burton's and Vickers over.  The kids all loved playing games and watching movies.  They also ate so much candy, we never would have allowed them to eat that much had it not been New Years Eve.  

2010 will go down as one of the best years for our family.  We have been very blessed with a terrific job and a wonderful baby this year.  We also got into a new home, bought a Snowbird timeshare, and have our health.  We can only hope 2011 can bring as many blessings to our family as did 2010.  

Christmas Day

As Christian people we try and teach our children about the meaning of Christmas.  But on Christmas day it's hard for young boys to focus on the birth of Jesus.  They LOVE Christmas.  

Poor Alyssa had a really rough night and was up many times.  Jill and I were both up with her so much it was a bit rough to function on a day that required so much energy. 

Sure enough Logan woke up at the crack of dawn, it was about 6:15 a.m. and of course he couldn't go back to sleep.  Jill got up to get ready and I had Logan play a new iPad game until 7:00 a.m. 

We finally woke Landon up at 7:00 a.m. and he was a bit groggy. 

He woke up pretty quickly when we told him Santa had come to our house.

Santa wrapped almost all of the presents this year, and the boys could tell what came from Mom and Dad and what came from Santa, by the wrapping paper.

Of course our tired baby Alyssa didn't really understand what was happening.

One of the best gifts the boys got this year were Disneyland t-shirts.  Of course the shirt comes with tickets to the park.  They still don't understand what Disneyland is, but all of their friends have been this year so they have heard that it's a pretty great place.  When we told them that we were going to Disneyland with their Bunkall cousins in one week, Logan said, "we can go to the beach!"

A very tired dad opening a new flash for the camera.  Thanks dear.

Every Christmas you have to get a gift with "some assembly required." This year, it was a basketball hoop.  I spent a little time getting the backboard to this point, and will assemble the remaining parts in the coming days. With Logan in Jr. Jazz  it's my hope he will practice basketball and get in some exercise this winter.

Without a fireplace this year the stockings were "hung on the railing with care. "

By 9:00 a.m. we were to be at the Bunkalls for a delicious Christmas breakfast. Judy always makes pull-a-parts and an egg sausage casserole.

We love all of the family time and the giving of gifts to loved ones on Christmas.  Brett took a break from his usual duct tape wrapped presents, however the green ribbon that adorned his presents could later be used as mint floss (because it was mint floss).

A very tired father and daughter,

and mother and daughter.

We let the children open gifts first and then sent them downstairs to play while the adults all shared.  Everyone was so generous this year.  Thank you Grandma and Grandpa Bunkall.

At 11:00 a.m. we were off to the Bryants' for another strike of the mother lode.

Our best family photo at Grandma Bryant's.

Mom did things a bit different this year.  Everyone received 3 gifts, with one that read "open last."  We started with the youngest and worked up to the oldest.  For the open last gift everyone opened at the same time.  Wow it was very exciting for everyone to tear into the final gift of the day.

Lifetime Products co-sponsored the Bryant Christmas this year.  Dad got a new ATV trailer, and the grandchildren all received a swing set!

After a wonderful visit with the Bryant family, we went to Grandma and Grandpa Bunkall's at 3:00 p.m. We were able to visit with many from the Bunkall family, however most of them had been at Grandma's for a while so by 4:00 p.m. most everyone had cleared out.  As I've already mentioned how exhausted we were, it was nice to be home a bit after 4:00 p.m. to collect our spoils and relax.

Most years we take a picture with each family member with their toys.  This year we let the boys go upstairs and play their new Wii games while we rested.  Mom and Dad Bryant came by and I reconfigured Grandpa Bryant's new iPad.  We went to bed as early as we could, thankful for all of the blessings we have with such a wonderful family.

Christmas night was also a night of no sleep while Alyssa woke up every 20 minutes crying.  Sunday Jill took her to the doctor and sure enough she had, not one ear infection, but two ear infections!  Poor girl was in pain and that's why she was crying so much.  With some medicine she was back to her normal beautiful self and in fact slept the next two nights!