Disneyland

Yes, we went back to Disneyland this year. We took my Ballroom team so they could perform and take classes at Disneyland. We had a great time, if not slightly chaotic. It isn't easy travelling with 30 people, much less 18 of them being teenagers. It is fun to visit the park during Halloween. They go all out! The characters are in costume and the haunted house is changed into the Nightmare Before Christmas. The weather was perfect, and it wasn't busy either, which makes it a lot nicer. We took Staley on the Matterhorn this time around. We couldn't believe it that they would allow it, but they did. He and Noah were barely tall enough. We were fluffing up his curls and pulling his neck up to make him appear a tiny bit taller. Yes, I am a strange mom. A guy in line was laughing at me and Amy. Staley sat on Jimmy's lap and didn't say a peep. Then at the end he said, "All done, all done." Jimmy asked him if he wanted to go again and his response was, "no", quite vehemtley. Noah kept saying, "Scary Monster". So years from now, Amy and I will be paying for therapy to reverse the effects of taking them on that ride. Probably The Haunted Mansion and Pirates can be included as well.
Stalely loves any ride that goes in cirlces, and we took him quite a bit. But he mostly loved just running around and playing with the kids. It was fun to go with Jay and Amy and their family. There were a few times where Amy and I about lost it and then there was the night when we got a little slap happy and started quoting ridiculous lines from a book series we are reading,(romance novels...need I say more?) The husbands got a kick out of it. It was quite the adventure!

Passion Meter

Every time we come to Disneyland we got to the Passion Meter, just for kicks. Notice what mine is compared to Jimmy's. Usually it is the other way around, so I had to rub it in to him a little bit.

Bug's Land

Staley loves to run through the water at this park. He would get so lucky and miss the water that would randomly fly out of the ground every time. It was hilarious. Eventually, by the second day his luck ran out and he got soaking wet. He had a great time.

Goofy's Kitchen

We went to a character breakfast one morning. They are kind of pricey, but well worth the money. You get to see lots of characters without waiting in really long lines. The food is good, too. It was nice to eat something beside burgers and fries. Staley really enjoyed himself. We thought he would be scared of the characters and almost didn't go, but he ended up loving them and getting excited whenever they came around.

Here, he was showing Goofy where he hurt his knee. Why, I'm not sure. But he really felt that Goofy needed to know about it.

Staley loved Chip. After he left, he kept asking for him, "Chip! I want Chip!" I'm not even sure he know who Chip and Dale are. He had to settle for a picture with Dale. He may have just been asking for chips. His favorite food. Who knows?

Staley really liked Goofy. He kept touching his face and sitting on his lap. It kind of surprised us.

Goofy's Kitchen

Staley wasn't as in to Jasmine as the other guys were.

Goofy's Kitchen

Staley wasn't quite sure what to make of Goofy

The Final Melt-down of the children

This was me and Amy trying to get a group picture of the kids. It didn't work out like we hoped, but it still made for some great pictures!

Huntington Beach

Staley loved the sand. He wanted Jimmy and I to chase him the whole time while he ran and did sommersaults. One right after another. It was hilarious. He had fun making sand castles and smashing them as well.

Staley loves being on vacation. This is probably due to the fact that I don't monitor what he is eating so much. For example, this was staley's breakfast one morning...Doritos. I'm an awesome mom.

Amy and the girls

Jimmy's dream finally came true. He got to meet Belle. Belle asked him,"May I take your arm?" His answer was more or less, "Heck yes you can". He was so excited to be next to Belle he didn't even know Pocahantos was in the picture with us until we got home.

Jimmy and the Princesses

I think Jimmy had a great time at the party

Jimmy and I couldn't resist dressing up as well!

Mickey's Trick-or-Treat Party

Dylan, Noah, Isabelle, Lexi and Staley

The party was at California Adventures and you had to have a separate ticket to get in to this event. The kids were able to go trick-or-treating at different stations in the park, ride rides and meet different characters. Lots of fun, but lots of money. Not sure if we will do it again!

Dylan and Staley were so tired after a long day of playing hard at the parks. They were best little buddies on the trip.

Staley and Noah

Staley loved playing and riding in Jay and Amy's stroller for some reason. He played in it for a good hour while we took turns riding Splash Mountain

Staley's Bike

He loves to ride his Bike!

Staley and his box

Staley got more use out of this box then he has out of any of his toys. He did all sorts of creative stuff with it.

Zoo Day

In September we went to Hogle Zoo. Staley loved the elephants and the cougars. When he saw the cougars, he said, "BYU, Cougars!" The people standing next to us got a kick out of it.