Let's Take a Little Break to Bust Out In Song

My niece loves to sing, and she makes up her own songs.  This one lasted for close to 10 minutes.  I don't know how Beth keeps a straight face while this is going on, though I know it needs to be that way for Sarah to keep singing.  I'm glad I was around the corner because I couldn't keep it in.

What I Did During My Summer Vacation: Part 3

Disneyland.  It was the reason for the trip.  It took us a few days to get there, but the next two days of the trip were thus spent.  John Stephen came with us the first day.  The kids were told we were going on a hike, and had been told so many times that we WEREN'T going to Disneyland this trip, that when it was finally revealed they (especially Rori) were argumentative as they thought they were being teased.  We brought lots of snack and PB&Js and grazed all day long, eating in line most of the time.  It cut down on our need to get out of any lines and spend more money.  Beth, John and I all downloaded apps that helped us maximize our time, spending less in line and more time on the rides.  It was also nice having one adult per child, a blessing, really, with no whining.  Let me repeat that - NO WHINING.  We had a great, exhausting, fun-filled day.

Day 2 was our first experience visiting California Adventure.  This park has such a different feel, and often felt like I wasn't in a Disney park because of the lack of fairy tales. The rides are a lot more mature - roller coasters, Tower of Terror, Soaring Over California, etc - but it was fun and always a surprise.  I really struggled getting the hang of the layout too, though Beth seemed to get it.  We were still pretty tired from out 10+ miles of walking at Disneyland the day before (thanks FitBit) and we didn't have John Stephen with us, so tempers were shorter and whining picked up a little.  But considering how tired all of us were, it was a great day and the kids were eager.

One of my favorite rides included Cars. We were wisely advised to get a fast pass for this ride before we did anything else.  When we got the the park at about 9, there seemed to be nobody at California Adventure (we went on the rapids ride three times in a row with now wait), but our fast pass time was for around 5 in the afternoon! That part of the park in general is the greatest thing - it looks just like Radiator Springs, and car characters from the movies are driving sporadically around it.  It was delightful!

 I also loved the Little Mermaid ride, Tower of Terror, the rapids, and (not a ride) the Disney animation experience, where a Disney animator teaches you how to draw a character.  While Sarah had an audible meltdown because she couldn't keep up and her pic didn't look like the one the animator was drawing, the animator then came and gave Sarah the drawing she was doing in front of us all after the session was over.  I wish we could have spent more time in that building, exploring the exhibit.

I also had a fun time with Sarah, and one of my favorite parts of the day was just with her.  She is actually quite a little daredevil, wanting to go on all of the wildest rides she could.  Unfortunately, she wasn't tall enough to go on the big roller coaster in the park, despite her wearing her shoes with a wedge heel.  While Beth took Mikey and Rori on the coaster, Sarah and I headed over to the not-as-tame-as-it-looks Ferris wheel.  The cars are on a rolling track, and when the wheel hits 1,2, 4,5, 7,8 10 or 11 o'clock, it will whip down the track, tipping back and forth.  I was nervous.  Sarah squealed with delight.

What I Did During My Summer Vacation: Part 2

After church on Sunday, we parted ways with the Clayton and Haley's family and headed to lovely San Juan Capistrano to visit with John Stephen.  John lives right on the edge of Dana Point, a relatively quiet beach town (at least during the first week of June).  And the beach is just what we did to start this portion of our visit.  Before heading to work, John took us to the Dana Point Harbor's Kiddie Beach so we could try our legs at paddle boarding.

 

That's me - I did it, didn't fall, and loved it!

 

We continued by walking around the harbor and heading to the actual harbor front.  The kids were stunned - there were WAVES!  It was ROUGH!  They had fun chasing and screaming (why?) at the receding waves, and running away as they crashed back on shore.  It was lovely listening to the sounds of the ocean, looking for shells,  and watching the pelicans fly by.  

After seeing the waves, the kids had no interest in returning to the safety of Baby Beach.  While John had to go to work, he showed us how to get to Strands Beach and we spent the rest of the afternoon there.  The kids were in heaven, but so were Beth and I lounging in the sun.  

Strands is a huge beach with a huge free parking lot, but it isn't as well known by tourists.  While school in California hadn't ended yet, we were surprised how few people were at the beach on this perfect day.  To get to the beach, one must actually hike down a lot of steps and in between a few huge beachfront homes, but once there, this clean, soft beach is so worth the hike (even the hike back up the stairs!).

Mikey couldn't be persuaded away from the water and waves.  

This girls is more of a daredevil than one might expect.  I had a lot of fun swinging this girl into the oncoming waves.  I think she liked it too.  

After this beautiful day and the days that followed, Dana Point is my new favorite spot for a California beach vacation.  I had never been to this area before, but am so glad that I know of its existence.  I would highly recommend this are for a beach getaway.