Luke's Magical Birthday

We thought and though about the very best way to celebrate our youngest son Luke's 6th birthday, and to show him how much we love him and how much he means to us, out of the goodness of our hearts, we decided to take the whole family out of school and spend the day at Disneyland!

(Yes, I know, any excuse to go to Disneyland, but we figured a birthday was as good excuse as any.)

But it was actually Luke's special day, and that made this visit to Disneyland all the more special.  When you wear one of these birthday buttons at Disney, you get special attention ALL DAY!    Strangers call you by name and tell you happy birthday!  Who wouldn't love that?

Before we left, Grandpa & Grandma gave Luke some birthday cash, and he declared right there what he was going to do with it - buy a Lotso bear at Disneyland.  And as soon as we arrived he would not be happy until he had his furry fuchsia villain from Toy Story 3, who already looked dirty when we bought him and truly smells of strawberries.  Lotso really is a lovable bear - he just needs a little TLC from an adoring 6 year old.  Welcome to the family, Lotso.

It was a gorgeous, gorgeous spring day and the weather was perfect!

We decided to start the day at Disney's California Adventure park.  We LOVE that place!  Always less crowed than Disneyland, though on a day like this it really didn't matter.  We just walked onto all the rides anyway.  Goofy's Sky School is some crazy dizzying fun.

We loved the swings!  Wheeeee!

On the Boardwalk under the sun.

Speaking of Toy Story, we had a great time popping balloons and tossing hoops at Woody's shooting gallery.  That is one great ride/game!

Then they boys and I took a few spins on my very favorite ride - California Screamin'!  I LOVE being shot like a gun, and then being flipped up side down and the rickety roller coaster feel.  Whoo Hoo!

Unfortunately, that is also the only ride in both parks that Luke is still too small for, and while he and Daddy were waiting for us, tragedy struck.  Notice the tears? Daddy got Luke a popsicle, and when he went to take his first lick, it was so cold that the popsicle stuck right to his tongue like the flag plot in A Christmas Story!  Poor kid.  It kind of freaked him out, and it took several bystanders with Dad to help him get it unstuck.  It was traumatic, but didn't require a trip to the ER or anything, and after the popsicle had warmed up a bit, we convinced him to give it another lick.

Popsicles just should not get stuck to little boys' tongues...

not at Disneyland, and especially not on your birthday!

"Hanging out" on Disney's version of Monterey's cannery row.

A sneak peek at the new Cars Town that will be opening up this summer.  It looks awesome!  Wish our passes weren't going to expire before it opens.  Looks a lot like some of the tiny towns we saw on our RV trip along Route 66 this summer.

We saw everything we wanted to see at California Adventure and the day was still young, so we headed over to Disneyland.

The Happiest Place on Earth is even happier if it is your birthday.

Since it was his day, Luke got to pick what we would do first, and what Luke wanted to do was ride the train.  Luke always wants to ride the train, and everybody always says no, because they think it is a waste of time when they can go on the big rides.  So today was the very first time we all rode the train.

Luke loved it!

Luke also always wanted to take the horse-drawn cart, so we did that too.

When we boarded the driver made an official important announcement: that it was Luke's birthday, so we all sang to him.  He got a kick out of that.

King for a day and his castle (for a day).

Looks like Dylan and Derek wanted to be king for a day too, but it just wasn't in the cards for them today.  Sorry fellas.

Everybody's favorite: Space Mountain!  You can't even see little Luke next to Dennis.

Lotso hanging out with the cool kids.

Another Disney Cruise - a Disney Jungle Cruise, that is.  No all-you-can-eat soft serve here.

We ended a fabulous Disney day watching a parade in the birthday boy's honor.  OK, so maybe they didn't throw the parade for Luke, but we could pretend.

While we watched the parade, each of my boys took turns getting their silhouettes cut.  I remember getting mine cut when I was a little girl, and I have always wanted to get them made for my boys, and I figured that this was our last chance.  She was amazing - just used scissors and black paper.  She said she has been doing this here for over 30 years, so she quite possibly was the same lady who cut mine way back when.  I was so excited to have them done.  They look great, and it is not too hard to figure out who is who.  They are already hanging up our family room.

What a great day we had!  So glad Luke had a birthday so we could have an excuse to take the family and head off to Disneyland one last time.  Nothing like a magical birthday at the happiest place on earth.  Happy Birthday Luke!

Lollypoppies!

A sunny spring day, a boy on the front step with a giant lollypop, and some poppies in full bloom.

These are the moments I am glad I have a great camera!

May the rest of your spring be full of lollypoppies!

The Boy with the Long Legs!

In February, Caleb participated in the track meet at his elementary school.  He was in two events, but the first one was his "Event" with a capital "E."  Any guesses what event that was? (Remember the length of his legs when you make your guess, and that he stands a whole head taller than the other 2nd graders!)

Yes, it was the LONG jump! And when we say "LONG" we mean it. Just look at that boy fly!  Seriously!

It looked pretty darn far to me, but when it was over, Caleb told me he lost.  I somehow couldn't believe that, not from where I was standing.  I knew he was messing with me, or just being humble.

Because nobody was surprised when they called Caleb to stand on the center podium to get his gold medal for the 2nd grade boys long jump.

And then they announced his jump - 7 ft. 11in!

Whoa!  That sounds far to me.  I told him that he could have easily jumped over me lengthwise (though we are not really going to try that.)  I heard them announce the winning jumps for some of the higher grades, and they were not as far as Caleb's jump.

Long legs are gold medal legs.

Well, those long legs helped him get pretty far in the 50m run, too.  He won his heat,

but ended up coming in 4th in the final.

But that's ok, because that boy can jump!  And he has the gold medal to prove it.

Great job, Caleb Long Legs!

Cabe is a Cub!

Caleb is a cub scout!  He has been looking forward to it his whole life. 

Cabe loves being a cub!

He is coming right along and has already earned a ton of belt loops.  Above is a poster he made about the flora and fauna we saw on a cub hike at the oasis.

But around here, the most exciting thing about being a cub is the pinewood derby!

Caleb and Dad worked hard on their car, spending many hours in the garage together.  But when it came time for the troop derby in February, let's just say, Caleb's car just had the need for more speed.  It was not a successful, and Caleb took it pretty hard.

This is a conversation Caleb had with Dennis right before the race:

Caleb: Dad, what if we loose?
Dad: Well, then we will be good losers about it.
Caleb (with all seriousness): Dad, I am NOT a good loser! We better win.
He was right, though.  He was not a good loser.

But all was not lost - the stake derby was the very next night, and so Dad and Caleb went back into the garage and went to work - basically rebuilding the whole car.

Whatever they were doing in that garage late into the night paid off, because they got the 2nd place trophy at the stake derby, barely missing 1st by the narrowest of margins.  Whoot Whoot!

But, there was still another shot at greatness - the Date Festival derby.

This time, though, they didn't change a thing about that wining car.

At the Date Festival, Caleb's car not only got first place for Cub Scout division, but against all the winners of the different divisions, he also won Best Overall!

Not bad for a first year cub scout.  

And it's a good thing, considering how Caleb is NOT a good loser.

(Now, if only I could convince them that they should quit while they are ahead and not have to do any more pinewood derby cars, at least not until Luke comes along.  Fat chance.)

Cabe the Cub is the man with the speed!

SHHS Water Polo Tears it Up!

This year, both Alex and Nathan played water polo for Shadow Hills High School this year.

What a fun sport to watch!  I really enjoyed watching them play, and if you are going to be a cheering parent, this is the sport to have your child in.  The games are short, but intense, and the action is fierce.  Playing water polo is tough and tiring - you can't ever touch the bottom or the wall and getting you body up out of the water to throw or catch like that takes real strength.  But it is also pretty rough, and though you can get fouled, what happens under the water that the ref can't see is all fair game.  It's like a rugby match played in the water - and that's why my boys love it!

Here is Alex going for the ball.  He mostly plays defense.

Here are some more action shots of Alex.

Nathan plays more offense.  He does a pretty good job and makes his share of goals.  Don't you love how this guy is pushing Nate's head underwater?  Told you it got rough.  He got the shot off though.

It is often a scramble of arms, legs, water splashing, and a bright yellow ball.

Nathan fighting for a chance to make his shot.

SHHS has a pretty good season.  It is a new school, so they are still building their program, but they are coming along pretty well.  They had some important wins and they even got first place in their league (which means they will probably be moving on to another league next year.)

Nathan and Alex also came a long way this year, and it was fun to see them get better and better as the season went along.

Both Alex and Nathan received Varsity Letters for water polo!  Great job, boys!  Go Knights!

Saying Goodbye to Mickey & Friends

This is it, folks!  The very last Disney Cruise post.

Yay!

But I saved the best for last. Here is why.

You see, on Saturday morning there was an envelope outside our stateroom with our name on it.  I didn't see any other envelopes on any other staterooms, so I was curious what it was.  A bill perhaps?  Nope.  It was an invitation!  Apparently, all of the Disney Characters were going to make one last appearance in the main lobby on Saturday night to sing a farewell song, and we were invited to a meet & greet with all of them for a half hour before in one of the dance clubs on board!  

It was AWESOME!!!!!!!!

All the characters were there on the dance floor, and we could just dance, play, talk, and take pics with them.  No lines.  No formality.  You just turn around and there is another character! There were only about 10 families there, tops.  It was a unique and very rare opportunity, and I have no idea how we got chosen.  Nobody I spoke with had any idea how the families were chosen, if it was a random drawing, or picked by recommendation, or what.  Nobody seemed to know, but I consider ourselves extremely lucky!  

It was really a MAGICAL experience!

I finally got a chance to meet my princesses!  I had glimpsed them in passing all week, but my boys, of course, never had any desire to get in line for a picture, so this was my chance! (Yes, I realize that I am nearly 40, but I am still a little girl at heart, and Cinderella and Belle and my two favorites!  I fit right in with my princess ears, don't you think?)

Stitch was quite the party animal! My boys were having way to much fun with that guy.

Goofy, one of my boys' favorites, had some fun with my kids.  He couldn't get enough of Dylan's gum ball ears, and then stole Nathan's Chipmunk hat to wear on top of his.

Nathan and Goofy are totally BFFs!  Totally!

I think Captain Mickey was a bit jealous of Dylan's ears too.  I mean, Mickey has some pretty fantastic ears, but they don't dispense gum balls, now, do they?

Thanks for having us aboard, Mickey, old pal!  We've had a great time!

Donald stole Luke's pirate hat.  He wanted to see how cool he'd look in dreads.  Pretty darn cool, I'd say.

My boys getting some pretty good attention from a pretty gal.  They loved it!

This was an amazing experience!  Priceless.

Then Captain Hook wanted to plunder Dylan's hat for some booty as well.

The Captain tries to recruit a few boys for his crew.

Me & Goofy.  Goofy & goofy.  LOL

I think Stitch wanted to come home with us, but I don't allow pets.

We had a BLAST hanging out with all of our favorite Disney Characters!!!  It was an unexpected and unforgettable treat for our family!  We must have been downwind of some pixie dust somewhere!  So to whoever it was who decided that our family should get the invite (I think it was Mickey Mouse, actually), THANK YOU!  It was on of the most magical moments of our entire trip.  That's why they call it the Disney Magic, I suppose.

After our meet & greet was over, we stayed up above to watch the characters (and our new BFFs) perform their farewell number.  We had our turn, now it was all of the other thousands of passengers to say good bye. It was only fair.

M-I-C- See you real soon.  

K-E-Y Why? Because we like you!

M-O-U-S-E!  Good-bye everybody!

Finally, all that was left was one more dinner, and a final farewell to Carlo, our favorite Italian magician/waiter, who left us off with one last trick.

And our favorite Jamaican napkin artist on the high seas, Andre!  Thanks guys for making every meal magic!

On Sunday morning, all there was to do was grab some breakfast and disembark.

It was kind of bittersweet to leave what had been our floating home and playground for the last week.

We were all a bit fatter, a bit happier, and bit more loving with each other, and believed just a little bit more... in Magic!