To Disneyland, Legoland, and back. There's NO place like home!

Websters dictionary defines vacation as:

va·ca·tion  noun, often attributive \vā-ˈkā-shən, və-\-"a respite or a time of respite from something" 


Well, I am sure that definition works pretty good when you envision a romantic getaway with your one and only love to a remote island where tiny umbrellas don your margaritas each night. However, how many of us (moms) use that word..."vacation"...when travelling with our family and do not realize how incredibly misleading it really is?!  Respite? That's what the definition says..but really, who are we kidding here...I know there was NO respite to be found in Southern Cali the entire time we "vacationed" there this past week. There was, however;

*several occasions of bribing small children at restaurants so as to appear to have well-mannered kids.

  then hurrying to eat your food before the meltdown occurs.

* about fifty six trips to the various (nasty) roadside restrooms, toting a small child's potty seat in and out

   each time.

* four complete meltdowns, mostly prompted by the words ,"OK, guys, its time to go back now"...

*several bad hair days (for mom-who in the packing process for everyone else always manages to forget the

  important things for herself).

*seven nights of rib-jabs, kicks in the stomach, smacks in the face, and a giant bar across the hide-a-bed that

  somehow lands right on moms back. Why is mom in the hide-a-bed and not the cozy hotel king size bed?

  one word...VACATION!

All that being said, it may sound like this trip was horrid. Actually, it was pretty darn great. Because we parents go in to these family "vacations" fully expecting and knowing that it is for our children, we are (mostly) prepared for what comes our way and know to keep our expectations low, resulting in awesome family moments and memories.

I have to say, modern society has afforded us with some great inventions...and I have to say I really wonder how our parents made these long road trips with us in the back seat. I recall a drive to Disneyland when I was six and me and my older brother, who was 8 1/2 sat in the long back bench seat of whatever huge car my mom had at the time, and we didn't even have seatbelts. And we survived. And so did my mom. Amazing. No DVD's, no Nintendo DS's, and no iPhones to play on. Pure together-ness...whew! That must have been challenging. Glad we are in this decade because as we rolled out of the driveway here is what our car looked like:

Dave recently got me a new minivan and can I just say I LOOOOOOVE it so much! I have had a minvan in the past, then we got a Tahoe, thinking it was bigger and just as roomy. WRONG! After about a week in the Tahoe, I was wanting to get back to my old minivan days again. Two DVD screens, lots of legroom, and way more storage room in the rear....we had a great ride both there and back. I am so grateful for my new wheels...and for my husband who recognized I really did need another car, I wasn't just being picky.

So without further ado, here are some highlights from our trip...our first stop was Legoland in Carlsbad, Ca.
Ethan, being an avid Lego-lover, was probably our most enthused of the bunch, but by the end of the day we all had a really great time there.

You don't say! Legos AND Star Wars...those are two of Ethans all time favorites! But Owen...not so much. Check his face out. This face will reappear throughout our journey as he meets more life size creepy characters.

 So cool...EVERYTHING was made out of Legos...look at the entire cityscape we are in front of. Amazing!

 Ryans all time favorite..Batman himself. (well...in Lego version at least) I love Ryans pose here. Such a fan!

Ethan and Darth...who he said "is the coolest but meanest guy ever."


Legoland also has a few rides...mostly geared for younger ages, which was perfect for our clan. Katie and dad command much respect as they aim to hit the opponents here...

 I love Dave and Ryans faces in the above picture...totally dedicated to soaking the enemy ship.

 All my family on a boat...notice Owen and I stayed back for this wet ride. Gladly, too. :-)

 ...I got in on the fun with Ethan on this ride. Also a bit of a watery ride, but not so bad. We got Katie a few times..hee hee...

                               These kinds of smiles makes the trip worth every cent.
                   
                        Ethan was so pleased...check him out- what a great day at Legoland!

There were not too many rides Owen could go on at the ripe old age of 19 months, so I hung out with him while the others rode rides...and we found this super rad water park, where Owen had an absolute BLAST...

I have no idea how clean or dirty this water is...but he was just so darn cute...

Remember I mentioned meltdowns as part of a "vacation" in our family? Well, when it was time to call it a day...somebody was none too thrilled...I wont mention names here, but

We actually got video of this tantrum. It was THAT good. Aren't we great parents? :-)

After spending two fun filled days at Legoland, we headed up to Los Angeles and Disneyland. We all made it to our next destination safely, the only problem was....so did the rest of the world. THAT PLACE WAS NUTS...super crowded. Spring Break is definitely not the best time to visit Mickey and his pals....yikes. However, thanks to Ryan and his awesome "special pass" due to his disabilities, we were able to bypass much of the lines and we had a great time there.

We have arrived!

 Owen didnt mind Mickey Mouse as much, he even got brave enough to touch his ear....

 Random cute picture of Ethan...excited.

 Katie is always our navigator when we go places. Map in hand, she usually is the one with the plan.

 Random cute picture of Ryan...sporting his Disney shirt he loves so much.

Awww....can this boy get any cuter? Love the big gap in his teeth.
We got to see our LA family too while we were down visiting...I seriously think the kids enjoyed that as much as Disneyland itself...

 While at Disneyland, we stayed at Paradise Pier Hotel, and they host a "breakfast with characters" in the mornings...we had to try that out just once. FUN!

 Katie enjoys her Mickey Mouse waffles....

Minnie comes to the table to  meet Owen!

Ryan loves this photo...he keeps asking to see it. It cracked him up when Pluto "ate" his head.

After all the walking, running, and riding...our nights usually ended up looking  like this....

So...we really did have a great time. In fact, on the LONG drive home, Dave and I remarked that someday when people ask us "what were the best days of your lives?", these days..as hectic and non "vacation-y" as they are, will certainly be among them.

For God's great blessings we give thanks.