The Happiest Place on Earth

A few years ago Tara and I decided that it was time to start preparing for a major family vacation.  Usually, our trips last a couple of days and we travel within a couple hundred miles from home.  Not this time.  We were getting ready for the big one - we were prepping for a trip to the Happiest Place on Earth.

We set aside some money and started looking into the deals to see what we could find.  I shouldn't say we - Tara was the driving force behind the trip.  She went to several travel sites, made tons of phone calls, and weighed all the different options.  In the end we found a company to help make our dreams of Anaheim come true.

We scheduled our trip for the last week of September, as we hoped that it would be a time where school was just starting and less people would be willing to take a family vacation.  (Ok, so that wasn't the case - I don't think there is a time of the year where Disneyland isn't crowded, but the lines were bearable).  Our road trip to California took us a couple of days - we stopped in New Harmony the first night to spend some time with my parents.

Kennedy, Alex, and Dylan were so excited for the trip they could hardly stand it.  California is the furthest that we've ever gone from home with our little crew, so they didn't have any way to judge the amount of time it would take to get there.  Tara devised a fun way to help pass the time.  She created little travel trip bags with presents that could be opened at strategic locations on the drive.  Even though the presents were small, the kids loved the fact that they could look at the road signs to figure out when the next gift was coming.

We arrived in Anaheim on Sunday night, late enough that we only had time to settle in and get our bearings for the week ahead.  One of the nice things about the package trip was that we could ride the shuttle to and from the park each day (one less thing to worry about).   So early Monday we headed out to the park and we did it all (or tried to anyway).   All in all we spent four days in the two parks.  Wednesday was our marathon day as we stayed late to watch the World of Color and Thursday was our shortest (and last) day in the Magic Kingdom - we were done and just wanted to catch a few favorites one more time.

After four days of lines and rides we wanted to get out and see some wide open spaces, so we packed up and went down to the beach.  This was our first trip to see the Pacific Ocean with our little family and the kids were excited to play in the waves.  The waves were massive, as Dylan quickly learned when the first tide almost took him right out to sea.  Once the initial excitement was over we played around in the water and enjoyed our time in the sand.  The kids totally enjoyed beach time and I think Bear Lake may never hold the same mystique again.

We packed up the van as our time in California came to an end.  The drive home wasn't quite as exciting and the one out of town, but everyone was happy that we had been able to experience all the sights, sounds, and smells of the Happiest Place on Earth.

Highlights of the Trip -

Kennedy -  I think Dede's biggest thrill was collecting the autographs of the various characters in her book.  At first we didn't think she was going to get into meeting the different Disney friends, but once she had purchased her official Disney Autograph book - it was a done deal.  I think her favorite signatures came while we were at the character breakfast as she met several of the princesses.  I think Dede's favorite ride was the California Screamer, since it was the only ride she went on without her brothers.  If you ask her, she would say her favorite ride was the Matterhorn.


Alex - This kid was a ride junkie.  Alex has figured out that being tall enough to go on all the rides is awesome and he certainly didn't want to waste anytime standing around in lines.  I think Alex's favorite rides all came from Tomorrowland.  He loved going on the Buzz Lightyear ride and blasting Emperor Zurg and all the other bad guys.  Another favorite for Alex was Star Tours.  He has really taken to the Star Wars figures and story this year, so seeing many of his new found favorites was a highlight for him.  Another Alex favorite was the chocolate chip cookie sandwich with vanilla ice cream.  That kid must have put one of those away every day in the park.

Dylan -  Big D's only real experience with amusement park rides is the kiddie land at Lagoon, so Disneyland rocked his world.  The height requirement for most of the rides was 40 inches so Dylan went on pretty much everything.  He couldn't get enough.  As one of our true adventure seekers he had a total blast.  I think Dylan's favorite rides included Splash Mountain, Toy Story, and Tower of Terror - in fact Dylan was really our only child that wanted to go on Tower of Terror.  Kennedy went once and vowed 'Never Again' and Alex wouldn't even try it.  D went on it over and over again.  What a kid!  The other D favorite had to be the Redwood Creek Adventure Trail where the kids could run around on all the cool outdoor rope bridges, climbing toys, and more.  He loved it (so did we since it was a confined space to play - the only time we didn't chase D the entire week)!

Jared - Since it's been over 30 years since I last went to Disneyland I really didn't have any expectations.  The only memory I have from my trip before was seeing the Yeti as we went up in the Matterhorn (I was scared to death).  I think my favorite rides included:  Splash Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean (only place to cool off in the park),  California Soaring, and Space Mountain.

I think one of my highlights was watching the World of Color along the pier.  That was an amazing display of lights, water, and magic.  Even though we had to wait hours for that show, it was worth it.  My other favorite memory was looking at the kids faces each time we saw our pics after riding a 'scary one'.  Kennedy always closed her eyes, Alex buried his head, and Dylan grinned from ear to ear.  Classic!

Tara -  Like me Tara hadn't been to Disneyland in over 20 years, so the park was pretty new to her as well.  Some of her favorite rides included:  California Screamer, Star Tours, and Tower of Terror.  I know that running around the park wasn't her favorite thing, but I bet her lasting memory will be experiencing the park with our kids for the first time.  I think taking D on the Tower of Terror and watching his eyes grow large when the ride dropped was something she'll never forget.

The First Day of School

Kennedy was born almost eight years ago.  Since then, I have changed diapers non-stop until this May when Dylan finally decided to potty train.  I have also had a kid at my side without reprieve in those almost eight years.  So the idea that this school year I would have a few hours a week to myself was a little exciting.  All three kids are going to school!  Yes, I will only have a few hours here and there, but it might be kind of nice!

So Kennedy started school first this year.  She is is second grade and has actually been excited to go to school.  As we went to find out who her teacher was and who was in her class, she quickly realized that all of her good friends were in the other class and she was not.  She was pretty disappointed but Kennedy is pretty outgoing, so I wasn't too worried.  She's quick to make friends and I know she will be just fine.  Kennedy's teacher is Miss Waddoups.  She is fairly new to Oakwood, but is a great teacher who likes using technology and is pretty on top of things.  So far, Kennedy loves her and is learning lots of new things.

Alex started next.  He is in Kindergarten this year and was excited to be at Oakwood with his friends.  He really likes his teacher, Mrs. Wray.  She is sweet and caring and does a great job, even with 27 kids in her class.  Alex is making new friends and really likes going to school...most of the time!

So Dylan is finally going to pre-school.  He only goes twice a week, but this gives me a few hours a week to play!  Dylan seems to love school.  He likes his teachers and is doing really well.  I was a little nervous, since Dylan is my stubborn, do whatever I want kid.  But so far, he listens quite well and does what the teachers ask.  His pre-school is at Oakwood so that makes it nice to be all together in the same school.

And those few hours a week that I have to myself...well, I just seem to run around like crazy, trying to get all the errands and chores done before I have to be back at school to pick up the kids.

A Night with Neil

As a child I don't remember a lot of music in our home.  My parents liked different types of music, but they rarely played albums and tapes on our home stereo.  I can recall one artist that both my mom and dad enjoyed listening to:  Neil Diamond.

The Jazz Singer soundtrack was huge in our home in the early 80's.  All the songs were big hits for us:  America, Love on the Rocks, You Don't Bring me Flowers, and more.  I can still remember my older sister having us all play "dress up" to perform some of Neil's greatest hits.

I continued to listen to Diamond's songs as my musical tastes were developing.  I absolutely loved singing along with Sweet Caroline and I'm a Believer.  How many high schools guys knew all the words to Shilo?  I can name one - this guy!

For my birthday earlier this year Tara asked me what was something special I wanted.  I told her that I would like to see Neil Diamond in concert.  I knew that he was coming and I wanted to be there.  She bought the tickets and last night Tara and I were rocking out with Diamond at Rio Tinto Stadium.

It was a great night.  Diamond brought the crowd to their feet and had the grandmas dancing in the aisles.  Tara and I had a lot of fun, singing along as Neil's cranked out hit after hit.

The highlight of the night was signing Sweet Caroline.  Maybe it's because we love the 8th inning version of the song at Fenway Park, but this song always makes me smile.  Neil knows the crowd loves it as well - he sang the chorus 5 times!  It didn't matter though, we could have sang it one more time.  Our date was amazing, the night was perfect, and the concert was so good, so good, so good!

For Your Birthday

Alex,

As we celebrate your birthday this year I want to take a moment to tell you how much I love being your  dad.  I am so proud of all you've accomplished this year and I can see how you're growing into a wonderful person each and every day.

One of your best traits Alex is your unconditional love.  You are such a soft-hearted person, quick to emotion and long on love.  I have never seen a young man so willing to tell his parents how much he loves them.  I know it doesn't seem like a big deal to you, but it is wonderful to have to express your love to me.  Hearing your son say "I love you, Dad" after a long day at work makes everything worth it.

We all know that you're a cautious kid Alex.  Never the first to jump in the pool or to meet a new person.  Still, this year we've seen you try many new things and get out of your comfort zone.  No where was this more evident than school.  Going to a new school is always tough.  You not only survived in you class, you thrived!  It was great to see you make new friends and do so well with your assignments.

Alex, I want to encourage you to always reach beyond yourself.  I know you're the first of my kids to volunteer to help me with anything.  Never lose than willingness to serve others.  I know it's one of things that brings me the most joy in my life.  If you look out for others, you'll always be happy within. This especially goes for your brother and sister.  Look for ways to serve  Kennedy and Dylan and you'll continue to bring peace and harmony to our home.

Happy Birthday Buddy.  I can't tell you how much you mean to me.  You're my guy and I don't know where my life would be without you.  I hope you have a special day because you are a very special boy.  I love you.

Daddy

Alex turns 6!

Alex loves parties, especially when it is for him and he gets lots of presents.  Alex has been counting down to his birthday since the beginning of summer.  About a month before his birthday, he asked me how many days until his birthday.  We figured it out and he made a little countdown calendar with  the numbers one through twenty-six on it.  Every morning he would cross off a number and let me know how many days until his birthday.  He kept telling me all the fun things he wanted to do and gave us a very detailed list of all the presents he wanted.  So we tried to fulfill all those expectations.

We started Alex's birthday with a trip to Chuck E. Cheese.  Alex has been sucked in by all their commercials on TV, so off we went to see Chuckie.  We invited the cousins to come along with us and had lots of fun playing games and riding the rides at Chuck E. Cheese.  We headed back to our house for some pizza, presents, cake and ice cream and a pinata (another of Alex's requests).

Alex couldn't wait to open his presents, so after pizza, we let him go at it.  And boy, did he go.  I've never seen anyone open up presents so fast.  He didn't even see what was in each present before he threw it in the pile and moved on to the next one.  I tried to slow him down, but he was on a mission.  After opening all his loot in less than 2 minutes, he decided to go back and see what he actually received from everyone.

He really did get spoiled, with lots of toys, games and fun stuff.  Later in the evening, he asked my sister Char, "So what did you give me?"  I guess that's what happens when you open presents in record time!

We ended with cake and ice cream and a pinata.  The cake was a dinosaur that turned out so cute.  The pinata was a cool dragon that Alex picked out himself.  Alex had a great birthday and is already counting down the days until Christmas.

Alex, you really are such a sweet boy, with a gentle spirit.  You are so loving and caring for those around you.  I love you so much and am so proud of you as you turn six years old.  Happy birthday, cute boy!