The Happiest Place on Earth!

What a fun vacation!! This is the first real vacation we have taken with all three kids. The last time we went to DisneyWorld I was still pregnant with Taylor. It was fun to be able to ride the rides this time. The kids had such a good time. We totally wore them out every day the entire week. We flew to LA on Sunday and rented a car, and then checked into the hotel and got something to eat. So the first day was somewhat relaxing. Then on Monday we went to Disneyland. We had a blast! We even ran into some friends of ours that were in our ward when my family lived in Houston about 14 years ago. I guess it really is a small world after all! Trevon was tall enough to ride just about everything, and there were only a few rides that Jackson couldn't ride. Trevon's favorite ride at Disneyland was Space Mountain. Jackson's favorite ride was Peter Pan. And Taylor's favorite ride was the merry go round. We had to pry her hands off the horse every time the ride ended, she didn't understand we just going to put her in line to ride again. Jackson was even more daring than I thought he would be. He rode on Space Mountain and Thunder Mountain railroad. He didn't cry, but he didn't want to ride them again. Daddy bought him a Mack Truck from Cars for being so brave. We had a great time at Disneyland.
The next day on Tuesday we spent most of the day at Disney California adventure. But that morning Jackson woke up not feeling good. He threw up about three times that morning before we got to the park. We kept asking him if he wanted one of us to stay at the hotel with him until he felt better, but he insisted on going to the park. So we went and not even 100 feet into the park he threw up again all over himself. We got him washed up and bought him a clean goofy shirt. He then took a little nap in the stroller and when he woke up he felt fine. I guess he just had to get whatever was bothering him out of his system. We were so glad he was feeling better because we went to ride the Tower of Terror and as we were getting off the ride there were about ten Disney employees clapping and congratulating us and telling us that we were winners. They gave us what they called a Disney Dream Fast Pass. This pass gave us priority at all the rides that had the Fast Pass option. Basically we could go to the front on the line on all the cool rides! And it was good at both parks, but only for the one day. It was so awesome! They told us they only give out 30 of these a day, and we happened to be the lucky ones. Needless to say we stayed until the park closed on Tuesday.
On Wednes day we took a break from Disney and went to Universal Studios. Although they didn't have kid rides like at Disney, the kids still enjoyed themselves. They met a lot of characters from Nickelodeon and Marvel Comics. Like Spiderman, wolverine, captian America, Dora and Diego, Shrek, Spongebob, Beetlejuice, and the green goblin. And of course they got to see Jaws.
On Thursday we headed back to Disney. We caught a few more rides in the moring at Disneyland and then spent most of the rest of the day at California adventure, there were less people there. We rode a bunch of rides and had a lot of fun.
On Friday we went to Sea World. The kids had a great time seeing Shamu and the Dolphins. We were able to take a special tour which let us touch a shark and feed the sea turtles. Even Taylor touched the shark she wasn't afraid at all, I must admit I was a little nervous myself.
On Saturday we went to the San Diego Zoo. It was HUGE! I can't belive how many animal they have there. I think you need about three days to be able to see all the sights there. We took the bus tour and got the condensed version of the zoo, and by the end of the week we were pretty tired, so sitting on the bus for an hour was pretty nice. We were able to see the Giant Pandas and a few other animals that we could only see there. So that was pretty neat.
Then on Sunday we took it kind of easy. We took the kids to the beach to see the ocean for the first time. The water was freezing cold so we only stuck our feet in, or at least that was the plan. Both Trevon and Jackson got caught off balance by the waves and they both ended up on their bums and soaking wet. Taylor on the other hand didn't really care for the water, she was too busy chasing the birds on the beach. It was really nice to walk along the beach with my wonderful husband and beautiful kids.
On Monday morning we packed up and headed for the airport. I had a really good time, but I was really looking forward to sleeping in my own bed again. We got on the plane and left the 80 degree weather and stepped on the plane in Salt Lake to about 45 degree weather. What a difference a few hundred miles make.
I feel so fortunate that we were able to spend time with my little family and also my extended family. ( my mom dad and sisters were also with us) It was such a fun trip and I hope to be able to take more fun filled vacations like this in the future!