The Happiest Place On Earth

Aaron meeting Mickey for the first time!

 Well, after talking about it and wishing for it we finally got to take Aaron to Disneyland for the first time!  It wasn't under the exact circumstances we wanted and it was only for one day, but we had a wonderful time!

In the beginning of May Josh got laid off from his job.  We knew it was coming because they are closing their Sacramento location and it was just a matter of time.  So when it finally happened I think there was a mixture of emotions.  After we let it sink in for a few days, I decided to make some lemonade with our lemons and spoke to Josh about going to SoCal for a week.  This was the time if any (besides not having the funds) to go down and visit family, introduce the kids finally, and if we were lucky..... take Aaron on his first Disney adventure!

After talking with family we made our plans and off we went!  We had a really great time visiting with family.  The kids got to meet most of my mom's family for the first time including my grandma GG!  And they got to meet a cousin on my dad's side too.  Aaron had so much fun with his cousins and so many people to pay attention to him he was in heaven!  We took the kids to the beach.  Elizabeth's first time ever!  And even though Aaron has been to Golden Gardens in Seattle, I'd consider this his *real* first trip to the beach.  Elizabeth was so relaxed and Aaron was having so much fun he didn't want to leave!  

Thankfully, I have a wonderful family who were kind enough to let us stay with them (in fact, we got multiple offers) and my aunt Bea was so super awesome to babysit Elizabeth on the day we took Aaron to Disneyland.  AND, since we were newly unemployed (and HOLY CRAP THE PARK HOPPER ONE DAY PASSES ARE RIDICULOUSLY EXPENSIVE) my grandma GG very graciously paid for the 3 of us to get in.  

Now, as a 35 year old California native, I still love Disneyland.  Like, I love it for myself.  I want to go and ride every. single. ride.  I want to visit the parks multiple days in a row.  I want to eat 5 churros a day and eat crappy food at the park for outrages prices.  YES.  I want it all.  I want the Mickey Mouse sweatshirt for $75 (I call that being swindled and pimped) and that neon light stick thingy that swirls so I can wave it around during the light parade.  I want to race around and grab Fast Passes for all the cool rides like Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain (OK -- all the mountains) and then in between ride all the cute nostalgic rides like Peter Pan, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride and the Storybrook Ride.  YEAH.  I know that park like the back of my hand, yo.  I'm excited just writing this damn paragraph.  But I digress.....

Aaron.  We took our son to experience the wonderful world of Disney for the first time.  Before we got there I was thinking to myself... Man, I hope I don't get annoyed that all I'm doing is riding kiddy rides.  But as soon as we got off that freeway I knew it was all for him.  He was so excited to be there!  We never told him we were going so when we got off the freeway I asked him "Hey, do you know where we are right now?" and as he looked around he said "No, BUT THAT WAY IS DISNEYLAND!".  It was so cute.  

We went to California Adventure first because we knew he'd love Radiator Springs and all the Cars rides.  Which he did!  (PS - The main car racing ride.... Definitely a fast pass ride if you can get it).  We actually spent more time in Cars Land than we'd planned to so we went to Disneyland a bit late and didn't get to ride as many rides that I would have liked him to experience but we seemed to get the important things in.  He wanted to met Mickey and we did that successfully in Toon Town.  And he got to see a character parade and he absolutely loved it!  The look on his face was priceless!  

I am so glad (and grateful to my family for helping us make this happen) that we got to take him - just me and Josh - to make this memory.  It's something I'll always remember and I hope he will too.  

Here are all the pictures on our California Adventure:  FLICKR.  

Thanks to all my family for helping us out in all sorts of ways.  Can't wait for our next adventure!  

Mater!

Ch-ch-ch-changes

Aaron, Adriane & Rocky

Well folks, it's official.  The three of us little fishies (plus dog) are moving out of Washington.  We will miss it here.  I will particularly miss the green, the water, the mountains, the clean, the living GREEN, the temperature, the 24 hour supermarkets, the huge seagulls, the sea otters, the ferries, Pike's Market, the farmer's markets, the shopping, the metropolitan yet small city feel, hearing the boats and trains from my condo. I'll miss most of it in fact.

But we're trading it in for other things.  Things that we feel like we need.  Things to help keep us SANE.  Mostly, it's a change we hope will do us some good.


So we just got back from a trip to California to see my family and came back with an apartment leased and waiting for us at the end of this month.  I'm busy with all the details and will have to pack and hope Aaron doesn't pull everything right back out of the box!  

But during our trip Aaron had fun with his grandparents and his tia (aunt) Eva.  For the first day after we go back he went around the house saying "TIA!  Where are you?".  So cute!  He likes his tia's little backyard because it has grass and flowers and cement for chalk and a hose!  


Eva and I took Aaron to South Land Park to see if he'd actually let us put him on the pony rides and he did!  And his pony was named Rocky!  It must have been fate.  (Rocky - Adriane, get it?)  He also went to Funderland which has a bunch of small rides for little kids.  He went on the CHOO-CHOO train and the cars.  He was kind of small for everything else.  The one other ride he could have gone on was a solo ride and he wasn't up for that just yet!  


He's talking so much more now and says new words everyday.  He can count to 10 in both English and Spanish now and he can almost count to 20 in English.  He loves to sing!  He sings to himself all the time.  He also loves to point out buses.  If you're in the car and he sees one he yells at the top of his lungs "BUS! BUS! BUS! BUS! BUS! BUUUUUSSSS!" and doesn't quit!  Somehow he's learned to dance like he's at a hoedown.  I blame that Dance-a-lot Robot on the Disney Channel!  


He still loves to eat but has become a little more picky than he used to be.  Well actually, he used to eat pretty much anything!  Now it changes from day to day, but I can always count on diary and carbs!  If it has bread, pasta or cheese he's gonna eat it!  


He changes and grows everyday.  I still look at him and see part baby, but now it's becoming more little boy.  I love my boy.  


So now on to a new chapter in our lives!  Next time I post it will be from Cali.


Hello Sunshine!


 

The Pumpkin Prowl! (A picture post)

Aaron being very patient, waiting for me to put his costume on.

Costume on, check out his new trick or treat bag.

Welcome to the Woodland Zoo's Pumpkin Prowl!

Josh & Aaron checking out some cool pumpkins.


Aaron checking out the little witches on my headband instead of looking at the pumpkins!


Family photo. Notice Josh & Aaron look spent. Not me - I love Halloween!


Aaron at home on the floor getting all his new found energy out before bed time!


I just had to mention the cool Vans I have. They match Aaron's outfit perfectly!

More Halloween themed photos to come!

World Traveler. Ok, maybe just interstate for now.

My Chubbs! He rode in a plane for the first time! (Don't you just love this picture?!)

SO, our trip started out flying to Sacramento on Alaska Airlines. It was an early flight and we got there just as the plane was boarding. The woman checking everyone in was so nice and so helpful. She moved us to an empty aisle! Aaron and I sat next to the window and Josh next to the aisle. Aaron was perfect on the flight! He only cranked once or twice and only just a little bit at that, but we were able to distract him immediately. And then with the white noise and the bottle, he fell asleep! It was awesome. I had a harder time since I caught a cold the day before we left so my stupid ears wouldn't clear and were blocked the whole trip! UGH!

The day after we arrived mom, dad and Eva threw a party to welcome Aaron to Sacramento and introduce him to the family and friends there. Unfortunately, I think the traveling hit him that day so he was kinda grumpy and most people didn't get to spend a whole lot of time with him.

The rest of the week Aaron spend with his grandparents (my parents) living the good life while Josh, Eva and I went to LA for the Dave concert at the Greek and to visit family. We all had a really good time.

By the end of the week though Eva, Aaron and dad had all caught my cold and so the plane trip back wasn't as pleasant as the plane trip there. Aaron was grumpy and considering this is his very first cold, I could understand why! Josh had to get up at one point and stand in the back and rock him to sleep. After that though, everything was alright. Poor little guy! Not to mention the woman who was checking people in at the Sac airport wasn't as helpful! She was just kind of like, "Oh nope. Sorry, no empty aisles." There was no searching or offer to move single people around so we could get an aisle to ourselves. I there were, in fact, empty seats on the plane. Lame. (You hear that Sacramento Alaska Airlines people!?!)

Overall though it went well and all my worrying went down the drain. It totally helped that my cousin Michelle let me borrow her car seat, high chair, rocking seat and playpen for Aaron so I didn't have to take anything except his stroller! You rock Michelle!

Aaron is now an official traveler! He even got wings on his way back!!!

Where to next?