Fall Break
So we started planning this trip secretly, and then just kept it a secret until the morning we left! It was so fun to tell the kids once they were in the car.....

The card said..."You're Invited" on the front and when they opened it, it was a picture of Mickey and Minnie and it said....
"TO DISNEYLAND!"

Riding the little shuttle into Disneyland!

Josie is so excited to see her princesses and Gray and Chloe are ready for the big rides!

It's rainy, but we don't care, the castle in real life is just as magical in the rain!

So we stood in line first thing at the Princess Faire, to see our Princesses. There are 3 at a time and you never know who you are going to see, but Josie's favorite is Ariel the little mermaid. So when it is our turn, we walk around the corner and see beautiful Jasmine.....Josie freaks out, screams and puts her face in my neck to hide. I was not expecting this at all. She didn't want to look at her or talk to her!

Next was Ariel, our favorite, but Josie just squeezed me tighter and said "NO!"

Then there was Minnie Mouse....Josie, looked up, slid off my hip and ran into a full bear hug with Minnie!

She was darling!

So I think I figured it out...Jasmine and Ariel are real people, different from the cartoons that she knows so well....Minnie is exactly what she expected, and she doesn't talk! And as I type this, Josie is dancing around the house in her red and white polka dot Minnie Mouse dress!

Next was the "Singing Castle!" Otherwise known as Small World!

Josie loved it and we went several times!

It was so fun to watch her discover new things and point them out!

We loved the Carousel, Dumbo ride and Peter Pan's Flight! Disneyland at its best!

We met up with the family for a little lunch and then Rock came with us and we hit Autopia!

And the Submarine ride...

Then we met up with Chloe and we all got our faces painted, it made Disneyland very festive!

I couldn't resist, I love a little glitter, I just wish I could figure out a way to get away with having my face painted like this every day!

Rock got this cool snake and he thought it was funny that a few people asked if it was a tattoo, he felt so tough!

Nothing like a carmel apple after a long day of junk at Disneyland! Check out the fun Mickey jack-o-lantern behind Rock! It was so fun to have it all decorated for Halloween!

There is Truman, haven't seen him all day, he and Gray hit all the big rides in Disneyland and California Adventure! He loved it!

Here comes the parade!

A nutritious dinner of massive turkey legs...yikes! They loved them!

The whole gang together at dusk! Josie won't look at the camera if someone else is taking the picture other than me or Hans. Ug!

The Carosel was so pretty at night and Josie hand picked this horse!

The teacup ride was closed (thank heavens), but we were still able to get this cute picture of the darling little girl!

It's 9:00pm and we are still going strong with candy! Waiting for the fireworks! Which were amazing! I have to say, the funnest fireworks I've ever seen! Totally different when they aren't patriotic!We had an amazing day! Thanks Disneyland!

The next day Hans had to work, so we adventured down to San Diego by ourselves! A dear friend and business associate invited us to stay at his beach front condo on Mission Bay! So we settled in and went straight to the beach!

Say no to crack Tru!

Two days at the beach! Pure heaven, no one fought, everyone played happily, and everyone got sun burned! We missed Dad, but it was still great!
Our friend Bob got us tickets for a steam boat ride around Mission Bay. It was fun and it gave Hans a chance to do some funky night pictures!

On the Bahia Belle!

Chloe and Gray doing some light saber dueling on the beach! Tru nerds!

Gray showing his light saber skills!

There was a great boardwalk around the Bay and Chloe and I took a little beach cruiser cruise! It was a little foggy on our last day, but we still played hard and had fun!

Two peas in a pod!

I wanted a family picture at Mission Beach, but the fog was so heavy that you could barely see the water!

This is a block away from the beach at Mission Bay where the water is calm and we walked right down the stairs to the sand, the location was perfect!

Bob had some kayaks and a floating trampoline that he let us play with in the bay! The kids and Hans had a blast!

On our last day at the beach we found some clams! I paid Gray and Tru $5 to eat them after we cooked them. They did and they said it wasn't too bad!

Thanks for an awesome little vacation family! I loved it, every minute!