Neat Lunar Eclipse this morning...
Tuesday, August 28, 2007
Sunday, August 26, 2007
Disneyland
Holy Moley did we have a FULL day at Disneyland yesterday...
Nana had come down earlier in the week to spend some quality time with the kids and celebrate their birthdays. Nana showered them with attention (and gifts) leading up to a couple days in Anaheim and a visit to Disneyland. We got to our favorite low-budget hotel, the posh Howard Johnson's, and checked in early Friday morning. We then headed over to Downtown Disney for some shopping and grub.
Nana had promised the kids each a present; for Katie a Build a Bear, and for Andy a Lego set from the Lego store. Both kids were fully excited by this and were literally jumping up and down throughout the experience. Andy walked around open mouthed until he finally settled on a new Star Wars Hoth Rebel Base Lego Set.
Katie was heart-struck as she brought a pink bunny to life, scrubbed her clean, and (in true Katie fashion) spent a good 30 minutes just picking out the clothes.
We then headed to Paradise Cafe for some lunch. We sat next to a big gorilla that wailed and grunted regularly as we chowed down on a variety of stuff. We finished the meal with a birthday land-slide sundae that everyone devoured. Yummy.
After lunch we headed back to the hotel and suddenly Nana, Jen and I were all feeling serious rumbly tummies. Yes something was hidden in that Paradise Cafe food and I don't want to know what it was. I won't gross you out with the details, but needless to say, we all spent a good amount of time in the bathroom, followed by some naps!
Once that ordeal was over, we were feeling much better and decided to head to the pool for a little dip. The kids were showing off their stuff and really having a great time in the kiddie pool and the fountain play area. Katie was bombing people with her Cannon Balls, and Andy was trying in vain to plug the fountains from shooting water. In one of these plugging attempts, the water totally stopped (as it does randomly on each of them.) Andy then bent over to look in the hole to see what had happened, and with perfect slapstick timing, the fountain turns back on and just royally beans him right int he face, full stream. I was surprised at his recovery, a quick Curly-style face wipe and he was back in action.
The next morning we got up early and left for the park just before 8:00am. I was pumped on coffee and driving everyone batty as I was practically running, zooming the stroller, and setting an impossible pace right out of the gate. We rode Star Tours first. Andy was in shock as we walked in. He had never seen anything like it. Life size C-3P0 was talking to him... We had to drag him through the queue. He squealed the whole time, calling out each character as he saw them. For those of you who may not know, Mr. Andrew is a serious Star Wars fanatic.
We then hit Buzz Light Year's Astro Blasters. Nana and Mommy were shootin' it up!
Then we treaded further into Tomorrow Land and jumped on Autotopia. The kids really had a great time driving their own cars. It was a pretty bumpy ride with the level of experience at the wheels, but we managed to avoid any disasters.
We then decided to hit the new Nemo ride. I was concerned that the line would be long (keep in mind that it is only 9am at this point) but the line was already TWO HOURS LONG!!! Well, forget that! Too bad, wanted to see the new subs in action, but we weren't about to sacrifice that much of our day.
So we decided to hit Space Mountain. We were a bit concerned about this one as we knew it was fast and scary, but against better judgement, we decided to go in. Andrew is now 40.5" tall, a full half-inch over the required height for most of these big rides. Well, we sure broke him in on a doozy. The ride was soooo flipping out of control scary fast, pitch black, LOUD, and we must have been pulling 3Gs half the time. All I can recall is Andy sitting next to me, screaming crying yelling, "TOO WOBBOWY DADDY, TOO WOBBOWY!" (Too Wobbly) His little head was whipping around like a teather-ball so badly that I had to use every part of my body to try and hold in him place. I was really concerned. Nana had the same concerns, as she was using a Micheal Jordan-style dunk grip on Katie's head from behind the seat, trying to keep her little dome in place as we whipped through the ride. Jen was yelling, "It's all going to be OK, this is fun, WEEEE!" in a totally non-convincing tone through the ride. his is one where the picture tells a thousand words, check out or Disney-Photo of the experience to see each persons role in the ordeal. Needless to say, we won't be going on Space Mountain again for quite a few years.
After the terror train, we headed to Fantasyland, and Andy rode Dumbo with me, while Katie and Jen did the carousel. Andy is sitting on my lap right now saying, "I like Dumbo daddy!" (I'm talking to him as I type.) We did Pinocchio, the Story-Train, and the Castle before heading back to Tomorrowland to try and catch the new Star Wars Jedi Training Academy show.
Talk about your unexpected surprises. The Jedi show was an action packed experience, and Andy got to get up-close and personal with Darth Vader, Darth Maul, Stormtroopers, and Jedis! It was really pretty cool. He was too little to get chosen to come on stage a fight Darth, but he sure jumped up and down trying to get picked!
We then headed to the Princess Fantasy Faire and Katie got to have her time, getting autographs and signings with Sleeping Beauty, Pocahontas, and Snow White. We also watched the Princess Ball show, where Katie got to practice her courtesy and dancing. While waiting in line for the signings, Katie made some new friends. She did this so often throughout the trip, that one group actually referred to her as "The Ambassador of Disneyland." She would tell people what rides were best, offer to show them pictures, correct them on any mis-information.
We had a few snacks, rested up and then rode It's a Small World. It never ceased to amaze me how that ride, which can be so repetitive, can have such a powerful effect on the kids. They really loved it. After Small World, we trekked across to Frontierland, and got on Pirates of the Caribbean. Then the Disneyland Railroad, then Tom Sawyer's Island. After exploring a few caves, we settled down and listened to a cool folk band "The Bootstrap Pirates", followed by the new Jack Sparrow show. By this time, Andy was beat. He told me "I'm going to take a nap daddy" and promptly went to sleep in my lap in the hot sun.
We finished the show and rode the ferry back across, put Andy in the stroller, and Nana, Katie and me headed to Splash Mountain to cool off. Our Fast Passes were rockin as we waited for less than 10 minutes to get on. The ride was great. The final plunge was fearsome, and Katie was screaming as she lead the log in the front seat. When we emerged from the tidal-wave at the bottom, Katie was drenched from her shoulders to her head (that's all that sticks up from the log for her!) I tell ya, the grin on her face after that ride was ear to ear. I think nana was just glad it was all over...
We then rode Winnie the Pooh, got a fly-by from Eeore and started to head out of the park. We were so tired at this point and it was nearing five o'clock. We stopped for a fun show at the Tiki Room, which was nice and air conditioned. Then we did some shopping for souvenirs. Katie picked out some princess stuff, and Andy got himself a new Darth Vader costume which I have GOT to post a picture of (compliments of Nana.) He looks so great in it that he was getting people stopping and giggling at him from that point on. When he was choosing the outfit, I asked him, "Don't you want to be a Jedi?", he just looked at me seriously and said, "No daddy, I want to be Darth Vader." Again, I'm a little worried about his obsession with the dark side of the force...
As we were walking out, Nana scored some awesome seats on Main Street and we decided to hang-in for the Parade of Dreams. It was a good call and a great way to end the day. We got to see all the characters and wrap up an action packed day at the park.
Later Andy and I played some Legos while I struggled to maintain consciousness. For some reason we stayed up late enough to watch the fireworks, which we get a great view of from our hotel -- we can even hear the music from the park as they boom overhead. Andy, who had never seen fireworks before was entranced.
Ahh the Magic of Disneyland.
Now stick a fork in me, I'm done.
Nana had come down earlier in the week to spend some quality time with the kids and celebrate their birthdays. Nana showered them with attention (and gifts) leading up to a couple days in Anaheim and a visit to Disneyland. We got to our favorite low-budget hotel, the posh Howard Johnson's, and checked in early Friday morning. We then headed over to Downtown Disney for some shopping and grub.
Nana had promised the kids each a present; for Katie a Build a Bear, and for Andy a Lego set from the Lego store. Both kids were fully excited by this and were literally jumping up and down throughout the experience. Andy walked around open mouthed until he finally settled on a new Star Wars Hoth Rebel Base Lego Set.
Katie was heart-struck as she brought a pink bunny to life, scrubbed her clean, and (in true Katie fashion) spent a good 30 minutes just picking out the clothes.
We then headed to Paradise Cafe for some lunch. We sat next to a big gorilla that wailed and grunted regularly as we chowed down on a variety of stuff. We finished the meal with a birthday land-slide sundae that everyone devoured. Yummy.
After lunch we headed back to the hotel and suddenly Nana, Jen and I were all feeling serious rumbly tummies. Yes something was hidden in that Paradise Cafe food and I don't want to know what it was. I won't gross you out with the details, but needless to say, we all spent a good amount of time in the bathroom, followed by some naps!
Once that ordeal was over, we were feeling much better and decided to head to the pool for a little dip. The kids were showing off their stuff and really having a great time in the kiddie pool and the fountain play area. Katie was bombing people with her Cannon Balls, and Andy was trying in vain to plug the fountains from shooting water. In one of these plugging attempts, the water totally stopped (as it does randomly on each of them.) Andy then bent over to look in the hole to see what had happened, and with perfect slapstick timing, the fountain turns back on and just royally beans him right int he face, full stream. I was surprised at his recovery, a quick Curly-style face wipe and he was back in action.
The next morning we got up early and left for the park just before 8:00am. I was pumped on coffee and driving everyone batty as I was practically running, zooming the stroller, and setting an impossible pace right out of the gate. We rode Star Tours first. Andy was in shock as we walked in. He had never seen anything like it. Life size C-3P0 was talking to him... We had to drag him through the queue. He squealed the whole time, calling out each character as he saw them. For those of you who may not know, Mr. Andrew is a serious Star Wars fanatic.
We then hit Buzz Light Year's Astro Blasters. Nana and Mommy were shootin' it up!
Then we treaded further into Tomorrow Land and jumped on Autotopia. The kids really had a great time driving their own cars. It was a pretty bumpy ride with the level of experience at the wheels, but we managed to avoid any disasters.
We then decided to hit the new Nemo ride. I was concerned that the line would be long (keep in mind that it is only 9am at this point) but the line was already TWO HOURS LONG!!! Well, forget that! Too bad, wanted to see the new subs in action, but we weren't about to sacrifice that much of our day.
So we decided to hit Space Mountain. We were a bit concerned about this one as we knew it was fast and scary, but against better judgement, we decided to go in. Andrew is now 40.5" tall, a full half-inch over the required height for most of these big rides. Well, we sure broke him in on a doozy. The ride was soooo flipping out of control scary fast, pitch black, LOUD, and we must have been pulling 3Gs half the time. All I can recall is Andy sitting next to me, screaming crying yelling, "TOO WOBBOWY DADDY, TOO WOBBOWY!" (Too Wobbly) His little head was whipping around like a teather-ball so badly that I had to use every part of my body to try and hold in him place. I was really concerned. Nana had the same concerns, as she was using a Micheal Jordan-style dunk grip on Katie's head from behind the seat, trying to keep her little dome in place as we whipped through the ride. Jen was yelling, "It's all going to be OK, this is fun, WEEEE!" in a totally non-convincing tone through the ride. his is one where the picture tells a thousand words, check out or Disney-Photo of the experience to see each persons role in the ordeal. Needless to say, we won't be going on Space Mountain again for quite a few years.
After the terror train, we headed to Fantasyland, and Andy rode Dumbo with me, while Katie and Jen did the carousel. Andy is sitting on my lap right now saying, "I like Dumbo daddy!" (I'm talking to him as I type.) We did Pinocchio, the Story-Train, and the Castle before heading back to Tomorrowland to try and catch the new Star Wars Jedi Training Academy show.
Talk about your unexpected surprises. The Jedi show was an action packed experience, and Andy got to get up-close and personal with Darth Vader, Darth Maul, Stormtroopers, and Jedis! It was really pretty cool. He was too little to get chosen to come on stage a fight Darth, but he sure jumped up and down trying to get picked!
We then headed to the Princess Fantasy Faire and Katie got to have her time, getting autographs and signings with Sleeping Beauty, Pocahontas, and Snow White. We also watched the Princess Ball show, where Katie got to practice her courtesy and dancing. While waiting in line for the signings, Katie made some new friends. She did this so often throughout the trip, that one group actually referred to her as "The Ambassador of Disneyland." She would tell people what rides were best, offer to show them pictures, correct them on any mis-information.
We had a few snacks, rested up and then rode It's a Small World. It never ceased to amaze me how that ride, which can be so repetitive, can have such a powerful effect on the kids. They really loved it. After Small World, we trekked across to Frontierland, and got on Pirates of the Caribbean. Then the Disneyland Railroad, then Tom Sawyer's Island. After exploring a few caves, we settled down and listened to a cool folk band "The Bootstrap Pirates", followed by the new Jack Sparrow show. By this time, Andy was beat. He told me "I'm going to take a nap daddy" and promptly went to sleep in my lap in the hot sun.
We finished the show and rode the ferry back across, put Andy in the stroller, and Nana, Katie and me headed to Splash Mountain to cool off. Our Fast Passes were rockin as we waited for less than 10 minutes to get on. The ride was great. The final plunge was fearsome, and Katie was screaming as she lead the log in the front seat. When we emerged from the tidal-wave at the bottom, Katie was drenched from her shoulders to her head (that's all that sticks up from the log for her!) I tell ya, the grin on her face after that ride was ear to ear. I think nana was just glad it was all over...
We then rode Winnie the Pooh, got a fly-by from Eeore and started to head out of the park. We were so tired at this point and it was nearing five o'clock. We stopped for a fun show at the Tiki Room, which was nice and air conditioned. Then we did some shopping for souvenirs. Katie picked out some princess stuff, and Andy got himself a new Darth Vader costume which I have GOT to post a picture of (compliments of Nana.) He looks so great in it that he was getting people stopping and giggling at him from that point on. When he was choosing the outfit, I asked him, "Don't you want to be a Jedi?", he just looked at me seriously and said, "No daddy, I want to be Darth Vader." Again, I'm a little worried about his obsession with the dark side of the force...
As we were walking out, Nana scored some awesome seats on Main Street and we decided to hang-in for the Parade of Dreams. It was a good call and a great way to end the day. We got to see all the characters and wrap up an action packed day at the park.
Later Andy and I played some Legos while I struggled to maintain consciousness. For some reason we stayed up late enough to watch the fireworks, which we get a great view of from our hotel -- we can even hear the music from the park as they boom overhead. Andy, who had never seen fireworks before was entranced.
Ahh the Magic of Disneyland.
Now stick a fork in me, I'm done.
Tuesday, August 21, 2007
Ow-enge Kwuks
Andy picked up a pair of orange Crocs recently. He digs em. Wears them everywhere. They are great for summer and one of the few pieces of footwear he can actually put on and off himself. In true Andy fashion, he calls them "Ow-enge Kwuks" and likes to refer to them as such, never neglecting to include the chromatic adjective.
I must say when he first got them I was a bit startled by the intensity and obnoxiousness of the color. Jen called me and asked what color to get, giving me choices of baby-blue, turquoise, and orange. Being the macho guy that I am, I called for the orange (of course!)... But I must say, they have a definite statement about them. I guess it's like saying: "Hey check out my feet!" The more I think about it, the more I think, I should always dress my kids in Hunter Safety Orange...
Thursday, August 16, 2007
3 & 5
Back to back birthdays are really the way to go. It's a lot of work (for Jen mostly) but it's great having everything all lined up in one shot. Themes were Barbie and Star Wars. Gifts were similar. We kept the parties to just the family, cupcakes and dinners that were chosen by the kids. Katie wanted In-&-Out Burgers for her birthday (truly her daddy's girl!), and Andrew chose Pizza and Pancakes... Some funny dialog that came with this special event:
Andrew: "Daddy, you like Pea-za?"
Me: "Yes Andy. You want Pizza for your Birthday?"
Andy: "Yeah." (Pause)
Andy: *Excited* "Daddy, you like Peppa-rowni?"
Me: "I do!, do you like Pepperoni?"
Andy: *Serious* "....no."
(Now keep in mind this exchange happened about 15 times in the 3 days before his birthday, he was totally stoaked that he was going to be allowed to choose his meal.)
And for Katie:
Katie: "Daddy, I don't want to eat my cupcake."
Me: "Why not Katie?"
Katie: "Cause my teacher said it's junk."
Me: "Junk? You mean Junk food?"
Katie: "Yes, Junk food is bad for you, I'm NEVER going to eat junk food."
Me: "Umm, OK Katie, but you know that all sweets, candies, ice creams... are all junk food. It's OK to eat them, you just shouldn't eat them all the time."
Katie: "OK, then I'll only eat junk food on special occasions."
Monday, August 13, 2007
San Clemente Camping
We did a quickie camping trip this weekend at San Mateo Campground in San Clemente. Our friends the Loys joined us as well. It was hot, but we were able to get down to the beach to cool off and have some fun in the sand.
I actually dusted off the old longboard and Tim and I hit the surf to catch some modest summer waves at one of California's premiere surf spots -- Trestles. It's been a while since I've been on a board and my muscles were reminding me how out of shape I am... Thankfully the surf was forgiving, the water was warm, and I survived without too much damage to this old bag of bones.
Monday, August 06, 2007
Breck
Well, we are back from our awesome trip to Colorado! Was really great to see all the family out there. Jen and the kids spent some extended time out there while I headed back to SD to work. Many many highlights from the trip while I was there. We visited Breckenridge and stayed in a very comfortable cabin in town with my sister and her family. I always love hanging with them, with kids the same age it is always entertaining to see the interactions.
Top moments for me:
Alpine Slide!!!
For those of you who dont know what an Alpine Slide is, well, its like a super long waterslide, except you sit on this sled/skateboard. Each of us grabbed a kid, a sled, and rode the chairlift at Breck to the top of the slide. Tanya and Zoe rode on a sled in front of Andy and me. When we started out, I gave TL and Zoe a good 30 second head start figuring Andy and I would catch up to them. I assumed Andy would want to go full blast... I was right about the full blast part at least. I quickly had us going at top speed and feeling in control (barely)... Andy was yelling "Faster Faster", so we did everything we could to barrel down the hill... to my amazement, my sister and Zoe had probaboly clocked the same speed as we didnt even see them all the way down. Jen and Katie (behind us) arrived shortly after us, and we could hear Katie screaming with delight as they approached (see pic)
Ice Cream in Breck
So, I have taken it upon myself to make sure I treat everyone to ice cream whenever we get family together. I really want to make that a tradition. I also like this tradition because it reminds me so fondly of my dad, his love of all things sweet, and how he used to take my sister an I to ice cream when we were kids. -- I especially enjoyed this one in Breck becuse Andy chose a cone (all the other kids had cups). After everyone else was gone and running off in stores, I sat there with Andy and watched him as he patiently worked on that cone. We went though about a thousand napkins, but his persistance and silent enjoyment of that treat was truly a magical thing to watch. He would lick, lick, lick, then look up and smile at me with ice cream all over his face... then he would go back to licking some more. I can only hope that my life will have more moments like that.
The crazy dice game -- Woody summed it up on thier blog. Here's the link: Megzo
Dancing in the park
Isn't dancing in the park always a good thing? Something about open spaces, good music, and the freedom to shake your body, resonates with everyone. The kids were tearing it up, laughing. I always wish those times would last just a little bit longer.
Great trip, thanks Andersons for having us!
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