CaLiFoRnIa

I finally have the chance to blog about our trip to California! Our computer was down for over a week and I was going a little bonkers! But it's now fixed and I'm a happy camper! Our trip to California was fun and overwhelming! This was our first time going on a LONG road trip with just our little family. Since it was our first time, I think there are many things I would change for our next trip.

Onto the trip!

We left early on a Thursday morning. We were only going as far as Vegas and so we timed it right so we could stop in Cedar City to meet up with some old friends for lunch at one of our favorite burger joints. It was good catching up with my old boss and his adorable family! It's been too long! I loved working for Shon. It has been by far my most favorite job ever! After a delicious lunch, we decided to take the boys to our favorite park in Cedar to let them burn off some energy, hoping that they would nap the remainder of the trip to Vegas.

This picture makes me laugh!

It worked! The boys napped the rest of the way to Vegas. We checked into our hotel and took the boys for a quick swim in the pool. I couldn't believe how hot it was in Vegas! I thought it would have cooled off a little, but I think it was still 95 degrees at 6pm! After swimming, we headed over to Tracy and Val's (Tracy is Rob's cousin). We were able to visit with them and meet their adorable 3 week old twins! We picked up dinner and Cafe Rio and visited while the boys ran wild! Tracy and Val also have a little boy Beckham, who is almost 3. Wesley and Beckham played great together and we were glad we were able to see them! I'm bummed I didn't take any pictures!

After going to bed pretty late, we all decided to sleep in the next morning. After a quick breakfast we packed up the car and hit the road. The drive to LA went pretty well. We only had a couple of incidents, including dead stopped traffic in the middle of nowhere, due to an accident and life flight landing on the freeway. By the time we got to Rob's grandparents house, the boys were more than ready to get our of the car. We unpacked, visited with Rob's grandparents, and then decided to take the boys out to do something fun. We decided to go to the Santa Monica Promenade and grab some dinner. It was a beautiful night and the boys loved being outside. After dinner we walked around the promenade for awhile. Since it was Friday night, all the street performers were out doing their thing! One of our favorite performers was the Dog Trainer and his dogs. He had a Jack Russell that looked almost identical to She-ra. It was amazing to watch his skateboard! The boys thought it was hilarious!

We spent the next couple of days relaxing, visiting the beach, eating In-n-out, and hanging out with Rob's grandparents. One night we headed over to Westbrook to grab some dinner. After dinner we found a cookie and ice cream place called Diddy Reise. This was not the first time Rob and I have seen this place. Every time we have been to LA, we always drive past this little wonder and noticed that there was always a line out the door. We wondered what was so great about it, so this time we decided to find out for ourselves. Diddy Reise makes DELICIOUS ice cream sandwiches from fresh cookies and delicious ice cream. These sandwiches were huge! And to top it off, they only cost $1.50!!! We scored! I told Rob that Diddy Reise will now be on our list of places to stop whenever we are in LA. I am craving one right now just looking at the pictures!

Rob told me to look seductive in this picture, but I think I look like I'm on drugs!

Sunday was a rough day! The boys were getting restless and I about lost it! Sunday mornings are always a little stressful, but I think the boys were having a hard time being out of their element and being in a new house with nothing to entertain them. We barely made it to church and decided on only staying for Sacrament. After we had lunch we took a much needed 3 hour nap! We all woke up much happier, and after dinner we decided to head down to the Santa Monica Pier to let the boys run around. It was a gorgeous night! We walked around the pier, rode the carousel, and watched the sunset on the beach. It was a perfect way to end a very stressful day!

I know this picture is blurry of Wes, but I thought it was too cute!

Me and my boys on the carousel

I love the pure joy on his face!

The husband and I

Daddy and Beckett on the beach

Monday was finally the big day...Disneyland Day!!! Rob and I were so excited and giddy to take the boys. We would have spent more than one day at Disneyland, but we weren't too sure on how the boys would handle a whole day at the park. They did great at Lagoon earlier this summer, but Disneyland is a whole other story. We contemplated buying a 3 day park hopper pass, but decided not to spend the money since the boys are so young. I think for our next trip we will definitely get the passes! Monday was also Rob's birthday, so he got into Disneyland for free fifty free! It was such a great way to spend his birthday! Seeing the excitement on all three of my boys faces made the trip totally worth it!

The first ride we took the boys on was Pirates of the Carribean. I don't really know if that was such a smart decision on our part, but Rob had been talking up the ride to Wesley on the way into the park and Wesley insisted on going. Wesley did pretty good through most of the ride, but got really spooked towards the end. He reacted that way on most rides, but always wanted to ride them again.

The boys on Pirates

Wesley being a goofball while waiting in line

Nemo Submarine Ride

Of course we couldn't leave Disneyland without a set of Mickey ears for both boys!

The boys loved seeing all the characters! Goofy was a little busy though and wouldn't stop for any pictures.

My boys on King Arthur's Carousel

Beckett and Rob on Dumbo

Wesley on It's a Small World...this was probably his second favorite ride

and my least favorite!

I LOVE this picture of Beckett! Every time there was a little ledge like this while

waiting in line, he always took a little rest. I thought it was ADORABLE!

The boys in Toon Town

Can't go to Disneyland without getting a delicious CHURRO!!!

Playing at Goofy's house

Can you see Wes?

On Donald's boathouse

By far, Wesley's favorite ride was the Buzz Lightyear ride! It is like you are actually in a video game helping Buzz defeat the enemy Zurg. Wesley thought it was cool to shoot the "aliens" and robots. We rode it at the beginning of the day and went back later that night. When we went back, there was hardly any line because everyone was lining up to watch the parade. I think we probably rode the ride 4 or 5 more times. Wesley loved it!!! I wish I would have gotten a picture of him on the ride, but Rob and I were too busy being competitive. We tried to beat the other's high score each time. I think Rob won :(

Reach for the Sky!

We almost forgot to get a picture in front of the park

The boys really did have a lot fun at Disneyland! I think we all did. The boys were sure tuckered out...I think they were asleep before we even got on the freeway. It was a great way to end our trip! The next morning Rob's Aunt and Uncle treated us to breakfast at one of Rob's favorite diners, Norm's. It was nice to visit and catch up! We then packed up the car and hit the road for Vegas! We decided to break up the trip home and spend the night there again. I think next time I would much rather drive straight through! The good thing about stopping was that we were able to get together with Tracy and Val again! We met up on the strip, and took the boys to see the fountain show at the Belagio, and to Caesar's palace to see the huge fish tank.

Beckham and Wesley

Wesley showing off and Beckham wondering what on earth is he doing?
The boys loved this giant stingray! It stuck up on the wall like that forever!

We had another great night with them and their sweet kids! The twins were perfect and slept almost the whole time. The next day we woke up and headed home. I swear it took us 13 hours to get home (ok...maybe I'm exaggerating a little bit) but boy were we happy to be HOME!!! Overall we had a great time and I can't wait to plan our next trip back!