Sharin' Valentines with M-I-C--K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E

-FORNIA LA-OVE....'Member that '80's song c/o Dr Dre?!:)

Of course Disneyland is always celebratin' something, but this year they left occas up to us:)
So on Happy Hearts Day Uffens girls dedicated their affection to none other than very own daddy Mike who took long weekend break from DDS school to make the trip to Cali-don't worry if Annie is seasoned vet there (#3 venture @ 3 y.o.); Parker Bros' & BPB's clothes whispered sweet nothings into holiday as well--

Kissin' Minnie when her long-time Valentine wasn't watching post- fireworks:), which were fabulous despite fact that somewhat marred by overzealous workers who pushed us along all during show & then wanted to take bench right from under us afterward-ugh!

Cait & I had to fight over M-I-C--See if he'd be mine instead? K-E-Y--Why? Because we love him & were only Shaw girls not taken:) Good thing there were a few versions of him to go around! Luke took while to warm up to main mouse, but can say his name & was sure to wave goodbye after our encounters:)


















Yes, At last! The time had come to fly south toward warm weather & Disneyland...Alas! This ignorant mom didn't properly debrief her boys who assumed stewardess was wrong when she announced our flight was to LAX?! They really thought we'd literally be landing in the happiest place on earth & while we had 5-day pass (thanks Grandpa Gar & Grandma Neecy!), they didn't understand that it was a park you entered/exited daily much like the Puyallup Fair (except 10x size:) Needless to say, they were completely confused by time our entourage loaded up rental vans & got stuck in SoCal rush hour traffic on Fri night only leaving time to check into our hotel & enjoy late dinner @ Bubba's (btw for all those Gump fans: if Anaheim can have one, why can't Seattle??) Anyway they were dying to catch a glimpse of the castle let alone the Matterhorn (which Cole had heard about for whatever reason, but unfortunately was not functioning?!) We were even technically too late to swim in hotel pools, but slipped kids in there for a min anyway figuring we were on vaca eh? Here they are waiting & waiting & waiting for shuttle the next am...
















Obviously my NoWest boys aren't accustomed to the Feb sunshine, but humored Mom with squints in the classic shot from Disneyland below...At ripe ole' age o' 7, Cole was already disenchanted by actual size of castle and fact that you couldn't literally go inside the turrets?! His mental picture was solely based on when it's shown @ beginning in myriad of movies...
Our hotel wasn't far from entrance but realized on another day that t'was asking a bit much of little legs to trek there & back not to mention walking all the way through attractions compounded by the fact that the backpack I intended to assist with lugging Luke was left by curbside checker @ SeaTac airport for 2/3 o' the week?! I figured I'd be toting my youngest around quite a bit since he hasn't had much exposure to strollers:) He did manage to hitch a ride in his cousins' double version...now I'm a believer & he accepted it too:)


















As long as they could cool down daily by pool or relax in hot tub, they were good to go!














I will always remember that my first "ride" was the Tiki Room (which my boys admitted to liking later more than they anticipated), but consensus for this trip was a debut @ Jungle Cruise. Became quick fav so we managed to fit it in twice among others; my boys even got more of the humor than I thought from our trusty guides:)












Dumbo was another one we could all enjoy over & over; promise I didn't make Cole choose the yellow one to match?!:)As far as repeat tours were concerned, I opted for my boys to check out Autopia/Finding Nemo Submarine instead of another go-round through It's A Small World:) Fig you could only make them endure so many dolls although they didn't complain in shade during initial visit.














Their buddies who'd already ventured to SoCal raved re: Jedi Training Academy, so that was another must-see on the first day @ the park & it surpassed their expectations except fact that neither got to test out their new & improved skillz on Darth Mal nor did they think it fair that some lil' dude with sunglasses got to wield a saber vs both?!
CA Adventure hadn't even been built last time I was in the area, so that was all new to me & req couple days to fully take advantage of that side o' park incl Bug's Land, cool Pixar parade and Aladdin show that we thought was seriously Broadway caliber!!
Best part was seeing through boys' eyes for first time...Cole braved all the mountain rides though prob wouldn't do 2 of 'em again (Thunder & Space on first day was a bit much:) Not gonna lie, I did force him to try Splash Mtn in the end, but he quickly realized coolness & chose to go second time on own with diff aunt. Also pic on R is Rach & I in action on CA Screamin'. Highly recomm Soarin' over CA too & did Extreme Scream that always wanted to try @ Puyallup Fair (any ride sponsored by Mtn Dew must be awesome eh?) Can't decide if I pref adrenaline rush going up OR downfall of Tower of Terror?! Hmmm...notice my expression doesn't look like I'm enjoying any of 'em very much:) Cole really is in half, but just have to look closely to spot him--
The souvenir craze was a bit exhausting considering both of 'em found "the one" on first day in first store they entered. I tried to hold fast to them just coming home with single selection, but they ended up with few extra thanks to loving family...Pretty funny to see Aunt Britt trying to sneak Pirates of Caribbean gun through airport security:) Dane stayed true to his multi-colored saber, but wanted to make his own for 3x cost by another fav=old-school Star Tours!



















Took a while for them to even care re: characters, but they were all about autographs and pics with anyone in costume by the last day!

Grandpa Gar was very fair in his itinerary planning:) He made sure they felt tough @ Thunder Mtn BBQ...















before their manhood was questioned a little @ Ariel's Grotto/Princess Luncheon:) They agreed to be in pic with Belle since she was prettiest per their dad?! Cousin Annie, however, was in heaven so made it all worthwhile!! He & Grandma Neecy were quite proud that my boys chose return trip to Balboa/Newport Beach vs day trip to Legoland?! Apparently they were satisfied with just Lego store in Downtown Disney?! I was surprised myself, but am sure it was much more worthwhile considering our later start daily (who wants to set an alarm when outta town?!) & fact that latter had limited hours in addition to meaning more time spent traveling than playing--My dad added adventure of surrey ride that afternoon instead along oceanfront property...
& Aunt Cait bought all nieces/nephews ice cream cones, so they felt rewarded:)Luke adored chasing the birds, had his fill o' sand, which for the record sticks even better to face when combined w snot-ugh! He jumped the waves a bit c/o escort while @ the beach x 3 afternoons! He even found a bubble man that was entertaining:) Dane pref sand to surf; Cole was hard to keep outta the water despite fact that it was tech still winter?! Nice to let 'em just run loose in contrast to crowds @ Disney although latter was def main event.



Other favs of trip incl Mickey-moused shaped everything incl just about every kind o' customized hat imaginable:) Corndogs in bottom R lived up to their recomm as well (@ least that's what I hear after I hunted 'em down in new loc & distrib amongst fam who were willing to sample:) I personally loved the breakfast @ Paradise Pier on our last am...thanks mom & dad for yet another unforgettable week o' quality bonding with the fam!! T'was enough to make anyone believe in Santa Claus & brought to my sons courtesy of generous grandparents far sooner than their parents could afford to give 'em these experiences of a lifetime!!