The Happiest Place on Earth

Our next vacation was to Disneyland for five luxurious days. Little Man had no idea what was in store for him, but he knew he wanted a big bagel. I have no idea where he got that idea, but none-the-less we were off to the Happiest Place on Earth......

Of course finding transportation to the hotel was an issue because there was four adults and three kids and lots of luggage... so the hotel sent us a limo. Did I mention how much I love vacations? Anyway, Little Man was in rare form on the way to the hotel because he could see himself in the mirror and he was so glad that he found a friend that looked just like him!

Ax on the other hand, was unfazed by the plane trip or the journey to the hotel. He would rather sleep.

So while NaNa and Pa were checking us into the hotel, Little Man, Adam, Ta Ta, and I ventured to Disneyland for a quick sneak peak. They were in the process of "Falltizing" Disneyland and it was incredible... We quickly ventured to Fantasyland and Little Man ran over to Dumbo and loved it because it could control Dumbo moving up and down, this made Adam a little queasy... but that's all part of the fun!

We saw in the distance Mickey and Minnie and Little Man wanted to see them, but we missed them and saw Mary Poppins instead. However, you may notice that Little Man is not in the picture, because it seems that he is scared of people that were dressed up such as Mary Poppins and ANY princess, but loved the characters.

Next on the agenda was California Adventure Park's Pixar Parade with none other than Lightening McQueen. Little Man was so excited and nervous at the same time. He loved seeing McQueen and still talks about it.

After our nap, we decided to go over Toon Town during the Disneyland Parade and it turned out to be a GREAT decision because there were only a few people in Toon Town, so it was like a private party.

Another benefit to being the only ones in Toon Town was when we saw Mickey at his house we could take multiple pictures, get autographs, and Little Man was able to give Mickey knuckles. I think we may have over stayed the welcome because Mickey started walking away and motioned "move along"....

That is only the beginning of our Disneyland vacation, stay tuned for the adventures when some special friends came to visit and the unforgettable Character Breakfast.

And First There Was Napa....

This month has been filled with family visits and vacations, so I have been slacking on the blog updates.... my sincerest apologies, hopefully I will get caught up soon.

First, was our trip to Napa with these great friends. The company, weather, cheese, scenery, and wine were amazing. I had no idea that cheese and wine are the only two food groups in Napa! The first thing on the itinerary was relaxing in the bed and breakfast... it took us a little while to find it because the landmark that Google did not include was the La Tolteca grocery store on the corner. Nevertheless, here's the beautiful Bed and Breakfast. We knew it was going to be a great vacation when we were greeted by Jennifer at the front door by saying, "we've been waiting for you and will have the wine owner stay a while longer so you can have a taste of wine before dinner." Dinner.... who needs dinner????

Next we were off to the Farmer's Market to see Lars make some pancakes... We only had a sighting of Lars in the crowd, so no pancakes. However, we were able to find some gender specific tea to taste... Only in Napa....

A Bocce Ball tournament was underway and Adam was eager to participate, but we were only able to take pictures. I guess you need to know how to play the game before entering the tournament... details details....

The next day we were off to the vineyards to smell the roses and eat some more cheese. We stopped at the Beringer Winery and Adam had his own personal tour because the guide was only making eye contact with him. I wish I could've captured this on film, but you can image.... I may have been preoccupied with eating these grapes off the vine. While we were in Napa it was harvest time and we were able to eat as many grapes as we wanted off the vines, it was fantastic.

Kel, I love the earrings....

Cheers to all everyone who wants to join us on the next trip....

Next was back to the hotel for a nap and then off to a fancy dinner at the Martini House. Someone from Adam's work recommended this restaurant and it was FANCY. I wanted to take pictures of every entree, but only managed to get this one of the pre-appetizer.

The wine tour of a lifetime was next on the agenda.... We started the tour traveling to this vineyard and having a tour with the owner/winemaker, Chris Thorpe. He was like my grandfather and was pretty funny. He had the best tomatoes... I know, I am supposed to pay attention to the wine, but anyone who has green zebra tomatoes deserves a shout out...

And the cellar that he dug in his living room... that was a bit strange..

Next was off to Frasier and a tour would not be complete without a pose by a wine bottle that is just my size.....More breathtaking scenery from the winery Last, but not least some more pictures of us....We knew the tour was coming to an end when we had a wardrobe malfunction..... I know you are thinking Kel's pants, but it was her shoes this time...

And of course next on the agenda was a nap and another piece of cheese. Any takers???

Ax Is Talking....

Well, not exactly, but he loves to tell us he wants more solid foods.

I love you guys and can't wait to get home!!!!!

I LOVE TRAVELLING!!!!

Sorry its a little dark but these new mod hotel rooms don't apparently come with a lot of lighting!! I can't say that this has been the best trip just yet but it should improve. On top of not packing any of my slacks, I also did not pack any socks for running...so I will be running in dress socks. Thats right, dead sexy!

Love you guys and miss you!

Monsoon 2008

First an update on Little Man : His nose is not broken or fractured - Praise God. It is swollen and he has two black and blue eyes, which are beginning to heal. Thank you everyone for your prayers. Now onto the Monsoon 2008 NewsFlash...

So everyone has seen the headlines and heard the "storm chasers", but this video is one that soon will be broadcasted statewide of the wonderful lightening storm we experienced the other night. Some people laugh at the talent, but it takes a lot of skill to capture such a superb video as this... Are you on the edge of your seat just waiting for the best show of your life??? Without further ado... I present "Monsoon 2008" Video of a Lifetime.....

And then there is the evening of a lifetime, which would not be complete without the peanut wars, blue cheese stuffed olives, UFU (unidentified flying underwear), profound questions like "what are your top ten movies of all time", non-stop laughter, and more memories that will last a lifetime.... Mac even joined in the peanut wars :)

The group picture with Mikele pondering what her top 10 movies picks are...and one glass of water to be shared by all of us :)

Sporting some style with a bandanna in the pocket....

And of the course the elevator ride back to the car.... We love you guys and had a great night!

Memories at Chick-Fil-A

One of Little Man's favorite restaurants, second to Pei Wei, is Chick-Fil-A mainly because of the playground and the occasional ice cream. However, the playground seems to be my least favorite thing due the memories that have been created there... such as when Little Man learned the naughty phrase "Damn It"... Let me take you through this one... Little Man was playing in the play area and ran out and sat next to me at the booth, looked me straight in the eyes and said "MaMa Damn It" I looked at him in disbelief and asked him to repeat it, knowing of course he was going to say something different.... "Damn It" he said again. I was in shock and did not respond in the appropriate manner, instead I looked at him and laughed; then turned to my dear friend to ask what Little Man said. She of course told me the truth and said "Damn It".... Fast forward a few weeks and the "damn its" are heard less and less, it has now most recently turned into "Bamn it"

And then there is today when we ventured over to Chick-Fil-A once again and Little Man was playing in the play area and tripped and fell on the first step of the playground. He was crying and I just knew I would see blood... However, no blood just a good size scrape and lots of tears. The manager asked if he was okay and offered Little Man some ice cream and ice. As soon as he saw the ice cream, the tears were history. From this, I thought everything was great until he woke up from his nap with a nose twice the size as it is normally and bruising... YIKES... We called the Doctor and are going in tomorrow, they said it could be broken or just bruised, we will see and then maybe next time it will be a trip through the Drive-Thru.....

Please pray for Little Man :)