Huntington Beach

Perfect end to a phenomenal vacation!  Our last day we spent at the beach.  Paul and Katy took us to their favorite spot - the waves are not too big, there are tide pools w/ lots of sea life, a great bar on the beach and a yummy cafe.   The weather was perfect and everyone was happy.   We really enjoyed watching all the kids interact.  They all got along so well and became best buddies... wish we all lived closer!

California Adventure

We spent our second full day at California Adventure.  We started when it opened and stayed until almost 9pm.  We made it back just in time to watch the firework show from our hotel room.  The Cars area of California Adventure was our favorite!!!  So darn cute and great rides.   The roller coaster Cars ride was the best.  The kids held hands all over the park - Brody and Wesley always wanted to walk with Elle.  
Brody's favorite rides:  Cars roller coaster, Radiator Springs, Soaring Over California, Turtle Talk, Goofy's roller coaster, and Bumper Cars.  
Wesley's favorite:  He was too small for most of the rides at this park.  He loved turtle talk, Mickey Mouse Club House show, and all the little rides in the kids area.  He enjoyed spending time with Julia and Elle.  
(Several rides at both parks were closed when we were there.  Both boys basically went on every ride they were tall enough to go on and liked them all.  The faster the better for our little dare devils). 

A bugs life... Brody, Gavin, and Wesley were the only little ones that enjoyed this one.  The last picture is the only one we took of our entire crew.  

More rides. 

Wesley and Julia were so cute together!    They even took their nap at the same time... such sweet sleepy faces.   They are only 4 months apart.  

Meeting Jake from the Neverland Pirates was a favorite for Wesley.  He literally squealed with excitement when we saw him.   Wesley wanted to know where Cubby and Izzy (his side kicks) were and kept saying that he needed to give Jake a hug. 

California Adventure Continued

The adults took turns going on the Paradise Pier roller coaster - great end to the perfect day!  All the little ones got to eat ice cream and watch us be kids.  Love the last 2 pictures of the boys and all their kiddos (minus Julia).  

Disneyland

Best.Family.Vacation.EVER!   Disneyland was truly magical watching the boys experience everything.   We were there from when the park opened until well after 9pm.  Paul and Katy who live in Southern California could not join us on Friday so Paul put together a 2 page itinerary with every possible detail you can imagine.   We went on most of the rides, saw lots of characters, BBQ lunch where the boys got on stage to dance, watched the parade and even stayed for the firework show.  Wesley took a long nap in the stroller and Brody enjoyed every second of the fun filled day.  Both boys LOVED the roller coasters and all the rides.  Wesley kept saying "lets do that again" and Brody would scream "whahoooo - ya baby" during the entire ride and then would talk about how awesome and fast they were at the end.  He was the youngest and probably enjoyed the rides the most.   It was perfect going with good friends bc everyone was happy waiting in line hanging out with their buddies.  We were also able to trade off doing other activities while we took turns waiting in line for the group.   
Brody's favorite rides:  Buzz, Matterhorn, Star Wars, Gadget roller coaster, Pirates of the Caribbean, Dumbo.  The fast roller coasters were by far Brody's favorite.   
Wesley's favorite rides: EVERYTHING.  Any ride he was tall enough for he loved and asked if he could do it again.   He especially liked the fast Gadget roller coaster.  
(Here are just a few pictures from our cell phones... more coming soon.  Carie took her camera and all the pictures the first day)

Valentines Day

The boys woke up to Valentines Day surprises and went to sleep to the spectacular Disneyland firework show w/ a love message on the window.  We had a view of the 2 amusement parks from our hotel room.   When we got home there were lots of Valentines in the mail.   LOVE all three of my love-bugs!!!  XOXO 

Medieval Times

The boys were completely entertained by the entire show.   Wesley loved the horses and really wanted our knight to throw him a flower.   He finally did and it made Wesley's entire evening!   Brody loved the jousting and all the action.  Both boys were clapping and cheering for our red team.  Thanks to Paul for setting everything up and leaving us tickets at the hotel.  Such a fun family event.  

Palm Springs

We had the BEST 10 day vacation!!!  We started off in Palm Desert with grandma and grandpa and ended in Orange County with good friends.  
BIG thanks to grandma & grandpa for the wonderful hospitality - hopefully you have recovered from our visit :) 

Palm Desert Pool Fun

The pool was definitely a highlight for the boys!  They have both become very good swimmers with no fear.  Wesley was dunking himself non-stop and Brody was having a blast jumping in and swimming back to the wall all by himself.  We went every day and some days more than once.   There are many different pools to choose from in the community where grandma and grandpa live... the best one for kids has a large pool and a smaller pool that is just under 2 ft deep so they can splash around without it being over their head.