"Dizzyland" 2015!! (Longest Post Ever. Ever)

Dan's parents took us to Disneyland and it was awesome!  Guys, I love Disneyland.  And the Bronsons (Excepting Dan's older sister and her family) hadn't been since Dan was little so I was really excited to be there with them.  We drove down the first night to Vegas (or Las Piggus as Atticus called it) and stayed at a hotel there with them.  We drove the strip with Atticus while we waited for everyone else to get to Vegas.  And it was fun to watch Atticus point out everything.  Oh and I rode in the back because that's where I'd been since St. George.  Poor Jonny did fine for a while but then I'd feed her and stick her right back in the carseat and she didn't like it.  She wanted to play and be held and was so bored and confused.  Also, don't tell my dad but we didn't lock the car doors as we drove the strip and we even had the windows open.

Monday we drove the rest of the way and then we went to Huntington Beach with everyone.  I love Huntington Beach.  In high school I wanted to move there, live on the beach, and raise surfer bum babies.  Also, I can't swim.  Just putting that out there.  

Okay picture time.

Atticus was so pleased when I came back and sat between the carseats.  As was Jonny.

 His first trip to the beach.  Also it was freezing cold and windy.  

 He spent most of the time running from the waves and going further and further in until the waves knocked him down and he cried because it was freezing.

 Dan and his dad went body surfing because they're insane.  They were eventually told they had to stay on the beach because the wind was so strong.

 Jonny hating life.  She just snuggled with Nana Nae the whole time.

 A sea monster.

No clue. 

After the beach we went to the pool, and mostly the hot tub, back at the hotel.  Jonny much preferred her time poolside.

Day 1 at the park

Atticus was such a turd.  He wanted to play on Jon's Ipad and was throwing fits about getting ready.  I even gave him a choice to come to Disneyland with us, or stay at the hotel all alone and play games on the tablet.  He chose the tablet....  I finally convinced him to come but he wasn't so excited about it.  He had been talking about "Dizzyland" for months.  What a bum.  He cheered up real quick once we were on our way. 

 All ready to go and eagerly waiting for the shuttle to the park.  At least Atticus was excited by this time.

I was worried this stroller would feel too huge and be a pain to push around the park but it was perfect.  Also, I've never been to Disneyland in May (I usually go in the winter) but the crowds weren't really too terrible.  It was the very first week of May so maybe that's a possibility in the future.  The weather was a lot cooler than we would have thought.  The temps were 65-70 the whole time, but it was perfect.  We wore jackets sometimes but I thought it felt great.

Can't get time both smiling at the same time, of course.

 Both Dan and my cute new sister-in-law, Brandi, had just graduated so Dan's parents took us (and Jonny) to The Blue Bayou for lunch.  I love it there.  The food is awesome, and I love the whole restaurant.  We had the best server named Nancy.  She was just about the most sickeningly sweet person you ever did meet.  Plus light-up ice cubes!  How could you go wrong?  Jonny thought they were great.  I ate so much.  So, so much.

 They were both really excited about their picture being taken.

 So Atticus was way to short to ride Splash Mountain.  Not even close, but we borrowed some cowboy boots and had him pretty boosted up inside there just to see if they would let him on the ride or roll their eyes at us and send us away.  Even with the boots he wasn't tall enough but the lady working the line wasn't really paying attention and as Atticus tripped, he bumped his head on the thing and she said that meant he must be tall enough.  He was still a half an inch from reaching it.  Then for whatever reason, no one else checked his height.  

Atticus was so nervous the whole ride but did enjoy looking at things.  As we started up the big hill, he asked me to cover his eyes.  Apparently he was nervous about water getting in his eyes from the splashing.  Silly boy.  He was trying to smile and not cry in this picture.  I'm a mean mom.  But after the big hill, he was surprised that he only got a couple sprinkles on him.  And then he was happy and excitedly talked about the rest of the ride.

 Bummed you can't see him back there by me but Sheri got soaked.  Oh and Dan was pathetic and begged the lady who got off the ride before us for her plastic rain coat thing.

Jonny loved the Tiki Room.  She was like this for every ride though.  Oh and her love for it paled in comparison to Atticus'.  Obsessed with the Tiki Room that boy is.  This was my first time.  I have now been three times...

 The carousel.  He loves the fish one at California Adventure better but this one works too.  The first ride we went on was Pirates and he cried the whole time in the line because he wanted to go on the fish ride (because remember, we went to Disneyland just over a year ago and I think he rode that thing at least 10 times.) 

Waiting for Mr Toad's.  That ride is messed up.

 Jonny is such a good girl and she kept that up the whole trip.  She was so happy and content and dealt with the fact that I was changing her and feeding her all over the park and taking her on crazy rides and passing her around to different people and she was amazing the whole time.

 I can't get over this picture of Sheri.

 Dan...

So I wasn't around for this picture.  Not really sure what's happening here.

Day 2

Her socks...  I was worried about her legs being cold.

Cousins.

Dan and I were getting everyone fast passes for some other things when this picture was taken, and it makes me so happy.  He is so hardcore.

This is Dan's favorite ride and we only went on it once.

This was Atticus' favorite ride.  (The ferris Wheel)  And luckily Dan took him on it while I fed Jonny.

I think three people had to work on this turkey leg before it was finished.

Finally on the fishy ride!  (This was probably his second or third time on it, actually.)  Uncle A.J. took him this time.

Sleepy Minnie.

Had ourselves a great dance party.

 

And this guy kept turning around in his chair just to stare at us all.

She sure is cute.

This is a weird picture.

I love this picture.  We were walking down the road as we first came to Cars Land and we just happened to catch them trading out Mater and Lightning McQueen.  So here came McQueen driving down the street and Atticus flipped out.  One of my more favorite moments of the trip.

Waiting to meet McQueen while the others rode the new cars ride. (Which is the lamest ride to ever have an insane line.)

She was showing him how to lean against the car and so he copied her except kept his back to us.  It was cute.

Got him turned around.

Dan took him to meet Mater later after they'd switched places again.

Waiting to see Bug's Life.  Atticus likes to talk about this one still.  About the stinky bug tooting on us.  And how scared Lydia was.

Sheri thinks she is Ariel.  This is a lot better than then the picture I tried to take of her.  She was a car ahead of us and she would look back at us with the black lights making faces and seriously look like a demon.  I was worried Atticus would see her and cry.

We went to a class at the animation studios that taught how to draw different characters.  This is him trying his hardest to draw Mortimer Mouse.  I love his tongue out in concentration.

Parade Watching

Waiting for World of Color with Natalie and her boys.

Atticus loved World of Color.  He was fascinated and so happy.  Dan and I loved watching him.  Dan didn't want to stay the whole time so we left with just us four.  So as we left we could talk to him and I asked him which part he liked best and he said "I don't know....Just everything!"  Then the next day he kept asking if we could see it again.

That night after I put my babies to bed, there was a tasting party of the different horrifically flavored sodas Jon had brought with him.  There was sweet corn and beef jerky and more.  Just the smell of them made me sick, so I was a wuss and snuggled with Lydia instead.  Their faces make me happy.  Also, pretty sure Natalie found a tape worm in one of them.  Or what looked just like one and that helped me feel better about my decision to not participate.

 

 

Sweet Corn, Bacon, Pumpkin Pie, Something, Teriyaki Beef Jerky, Buffalo Wing, and some more ginger ale flavors.

Day 3

Daily photo op with Nana Nae.

I just love Lydia in this one.

I wasn't here for this one but I think they're all using the force?  Maybe?  Again, I love Lydia in this one.

We hit up Toon Town on our third morning

Went to meet Mickey Mouse.  Atticus was a lot less scared this time.

I love this picture of him looking at Jonny.  You can tell he's excited for her to see Mickey Mouse.

Jonny was fascinated by him she was grabbing at his face and and trying to eat him.

Mickey Mouse loved her too.  Maybe the girl in the costume was baby hungry.  But when we went to leave he stood up and grabbed Jonny's hands and kept playing with her for another full minute at least, while other people waited for their turn.  By the time we left, Mickey had Jonny's drool running down his face and nose from all the kisses she was giving.

Next we went to see the Star Wars demo.  He's still a little too small, I think, to be picked as a volunteer, but he had fun watching the show anyway.  This was his "scared" face when Darth Vader came out.  I will mention that a month or two ago he told me he wanted to go to Disneyland to hug Darth Vader.

Helping Buzz.

I have questions about this picture...

Jonny got herself a big ol' smushy chocolate kiss on her head from a big brother who loves her.

Back to the Tiki Room for round three.  This was definitely his most favorite thing.  As we sat inside this time waiting for the show to start, he shushed us if we tried to talk to him and even told a babbling Jonny "That's enough, Jonny", lest the show start and he miss any tiny bit.  He reinacts the whole show almost daily now and it's hilarious.  "Okay now the birdies are coming down from the fountain...(sings their song)...Now the flowers....Oh no!  The thunder is coming (Deep voiced screaming)..."

This is my mother-in-law guys, and I love her.

Jonny passed out while Dan and Atticus went on the Buzz ride again.

After some lunch we headed over to California Adventure and Atticus finally lost the fight with naps he'd been waging for three days.  So Dan sat there and and Jonny and I wandered through shops and ran into my cousin Brooke and her cute little boy, William.

Once Atticus woke up he was NOT a happy camper.  The first thing we did was go meet Buzz.  This boy loves Buzz Lightyear.

This is how he felt about it.

Then we took him on the fish carousel to cheer him up...

He eventually lost the grump and while everyone was riding Tower of Terror, I took the kiddos to meet Mater again.

Brandi and AJ were great sports and did switch passes with us and took care of our kids a bunch.  Aren't they adorable.

Renee had us all meet for a big family picture so while we waited, Atticus kept finding money in the bushes and coins around the lamps.  It was just like magic!  (The magician's name was Papa Jon.)

Some random Disney worker was a great sport and took pictures for us while we figured out where to stand etc.

My cute family.

Jon told me this one was his skinny face.

Jon and Renee bought Atticus this bubble gun that he was coveting all over the park for three days.  It's seriously the best thing ever, because he hasn't quite got the hang of blowing bubbles so this thing is perfect.  Except that he goes through so many bubbles now.

As soon as Dan got it out for him he attacked everyone in sight.

 

After that we we took Atticus shopping to spend his Disney money he'd been accumulating for so long.  That was a bit rough.  Poor kid had a hard time once he realized he would have to hand over his money and then changed his mind last minute in the confusion of what that meant.  But afterwards he was still happy with his choice to buy a Lord Zurg (He calls him Darth Vader) to go with his Buzz Lightyear at home.  Then we went on another ride or two and went home.

Next morning started our trip home and it was miserable.  We were only headed as far as St. George and I'm glad we were able to break it up this time.  Atticus is a great road tripper.  I packed him some new and different toys, plus lots of books (some on tape) and he was happy as can be.

Jonny however was even more miserable than the ride to California.  I sat in the back with them almost from the beginning and it still didn't help much.  She'd get so worked up she'd start gagging.  Poor baby.

I did the best I could to calm her down and sometimes it worked.

We stayed at a house in Hurricane for the night and these two got to be silly together before everyone headed home the next morning.

Playing with his new Zurg.  "Come on Buzz, let's tell the truth and fight are-chuther!"  (One of the phrases Zurg says is "It's time you learned the truth, I am your father")

Comforting Buzz after he was defeated.