Back to Real Life...

I have a few recipes and my daughter's 5th birthday party to share on here, but for now, we are trying to ease back into life after visiting The Happiest Place on Earth.

 

We are feeling the vacation hangover big time today. There is something so wonderful about no computer, no emails, and no laundry or dishes that makes vacation so wonderful. So, when I am back at the grocery store grind tomorrow, I'll imagine myself in this spot to get me through:

 

Getting Away: Disneyland

I still haven't shared about our Disneyland vacation back in September! I'm not shy about my love for Disney and this vacation (although it had many ups and downs) was still magical:)

 

We always stay in a cheap hotel across the street and what it lacks in amenities...it makes up for with a fireworks view!

 

 

 Baby boy's first time in the ocean:

 

Sandy baby toes:

Jack dumped all his goldfish crackers on the blanket and made a lot of bird friends within a few minutes. They were hoping he might share;)

 

 

The next day was Disneyland...I was almost too excited to sleep!

 

 

The princesses were our first stop and they did not disappoint! Mulan was our favorite:

 

 

 Cinderella + kitschy cuteness = perfection:

 

 

 Hello Minnie...nice to see you again!

 

 

Relaxing on a boat tour:

 

The parade is always the perfect ending to a perfect day. And yes...that would be Cinderella waving at MY daughter! She couldn't contain herself.

 

Counting down the days until we get to visit again!

Getting Away: Syracuse, Utah

I took a break from Arizona life and took the kids to visit our friends in Utah last week.

 

Utah was beautiful, and getting in some retail (and diet coke) therapy with a best friend was pretty awesome too. Oh...and I finally understand all the ado over Cafe' Rio. Please tell me they will open a chain in Phoenix?

 

(UPDATE: Some lovely readers informed me that there IS a Cafe' Rio here is Phoenix! How did I not know this? Oh...and we ate there tonight.)

 

The plane ride home was bittersweet, but we can't wait to visit again. I think we will have to bring Daddy along for the fun next time. As my daughter said while the plane was taking off, "See you soon, Utah!!".

 

I think we will:)

 



Traveling to Missouri

We got extremely sad news a couple of weeks ago that my husband's great grandfather had passed away. At first, my husband was going to fly to Missouri for the service but then we decided to just throw ourselves in the car and drive!

Yeah...the reality of that idea hit about 30 minutes later when I realized I had less than 24 hours to pack us all up and prepare myself for two days of driving with two kids.

But, we chose to be naive about what could happen and I think it worked to our benefit!

So, the next morning we were in our car and ready for our first day of driving from Arizona to Amarillo, TX!

We started the trip off with donuts...because that's how every road trip should start, right?

Driving through New Mexico: 

This was my view from the back seat while I fed baby boy and watched Cinderella with my daughter:

Got some of the best truck stop pizza ever in Albuquerque:

No pictures of us in Amarillo. We were on a super tight schedule and it was dark by the time we got there. We basically grabbed a quick bite to eat, slept, and were on the road by the next morning! We made the drive from Arizona to Amarillo in 11 hours. Not too bad with two kids!

The next day...entering Oklahoma!:

I slept through our entering Missouri, but we were all so glad to get out of the car and catch up with family!

This baby was so good in his carseat:

He even got a new hairdo while at the hotel pool:

We took one day to head south to Springfield:

We did some shopping at the vintage shops downtown, including the Red Velvet shop. My husband is just glad I didn't find a couch to tow home across 4 states.

Before we left, I had to experience Steak N' Shake for the first time. Their guacamole chicken did NOT disappoint:

Oh, and neither did their shakes:

After four whole days with family, it was time to leave.  Leaving was bittersweet, but it was sure nice to see the southwestern sunset welcoming us back home:

I wish we had more time to stop in each state along to way to see the best of what each had to offer. It made me really interested in traveling more across our country.

We are very sad at the loss of his great grandfather, but grateful for wonderful memories with him and the peace that he is in Heaven.



Back from California

Our 2011 California vacation is over:( It was awesome, tiring, and full of great memories!

We got in to Anaheim (we always stay in Stanton since the rooms are much cheaper) on Thursday afternoon and after a quick nap...we hit Downtown Disney. Although we didn't get to go to the actual park this time...this was a pretty good substitute for me:)

After getting to bed way too late, we headed over to The Original Pancake House in downtown Anaheim.

It did NOT disappoint! By far the best pancakes we have ever had.

After the pancake house we headed over to Huntington Beach. The hubs and the Princess made sand castles and waded in the water while I just sat on my lovely vintage blanket:)

My two favorite people:

Next year there will be 4 hands in the sand!

After the beach we decided to get dinner at the McDonald's across the street from Disneyland to eat outside and wait for the fireworks show from the park to start. By the time we finished our dessert (chocolate dipped cones)...we heard the music and watched the whole show! It was a little bit of Disney magic for free:)

Saturday morning started with me tracking down a large fabric store in Anaheim. What...did you expect me to go to California and not look for a fabric/craft store?? This place was awesome! As soon as we walked in...my husband walked right back out to get some magazines at the Walgreen's across the street. I love him because he knows me so well:)

I actually found about 3/4 yd of this print at Goodwill a few weeks ago. I got it for $1.99 and wanted to make a nursing cover out of it. Apparently I got a good deal because it's Alexander Henry fabric that goes for $10 a yard.

After my husband dragged me out of the fabric store...we headed into LA to try a famous Pink's Hot Dog. I know...SO touristy:)

The wait in line was only 20 minutes and it was SO worth it. We kicked ourselves for not getting a third hot dog to share! Mine was the BBQ and onion ring one and my husband got their pastrami Reuben dog.

We looked around Hollywood a little more before meeting up with my brother who lives in North Hollywood.

We took our time driving back to Stanton and got ready for our last day in California.

Sunday morning started with ANOTHER trip the The Original Pancake House (per the husband's request) and I didn't argue too much. How have I gone 25 years without putting hot sauce on my eggs?? It's amazing!

We ran off our pancakes at a local park:

Drove by the city I was born in (no time to stop this trip):

...and continued on our way back home. Our daughter slept for most of the trip back so it was like a nice little mini date for my husband and I! We laughed and sang songs and tried to drag out the last little bit of our trip so that it wasn't over too soon.

We even caught a few rainbows on the way home:

It was the best 4 days that I have had in a long time and I spent it with my favorite people! I feel so blessed that we were able to get away from the craziness of our life and create some memories as a family of three before we become four in a few months!

OK...now time to get to work with that fabric that I bought in Anaheim...:)