One of the highlights of the trip was our day at Disneyland. We wanted to make the most out of it so we got there when it opened and stayed until it closed at midnight. I really thought that it would be so hard to handle Micah there, especially since he just whined and whined as we had to wait in line for the first couple of rides. But thankfully he figured out how things work at Disneyland very quickly and was amazing the rest of the day. Here are some pictures from the day.

The kids loved spinning the teacup as hard as they could. I of course about puked.

The carousel was a favorite for all three of the kids, so we made sure we went on it several times.



As Rich was waiting for the kids and I to get on the storybook ride, he caught a glimpse of Sayeed from "Lost" who was a few boats ahead of us. This was Rich trying his hand at being a paparazzi. He didn't get close enough if you ask me!

Kaitlin really wanted to go on the canoeing ride. I guess "ride" is not the word to use since WE had to do all the work.







As the evening approached, Disneyland become not as crowded and we were able to go on even more rides. Thank goodness for fast passes. Rich mostly paired up with Nicki and I with Kaitie and we took turns for all of the rides. I think that Big Thunder Railroad was a family favorite since we all went on it three times.

Micah loved going on "It's a Small World". He just kept pointing at things and saying: Look, look mom.



SEA WORLD



These sea lions were so funny. They would make the most loud and obnoxious noises, waiting for people to feed them. The sad part was that there were so many birds hanging around and just waiting for people to throw the little fish to feed the sea lions, and most of the time the birds were able to snatch the fish before the sea lions got to it.



The aquarium was amazing. The kids loved how these huge, ugly fish would get so close to the glass and just hang out there for minutes at a time.

Ah, the beautiful flamingos!


Rich and I remember having our picture taken at this exact spot 10 years ago while on our honeymoon. So we had Kaitie take a picture of us there again a decade later.


We ended the night at Sea World by watching Shamoo perform. After an amazing show we stayed for their 4th of July fireworks and then headed to Del Mar to spend the weekend with Grandpa Lou and Grandma Dot.

Amy and Nate and the kids joined us there on Saturday for the 4th, and we had a fun filled day with them. We went to the pool, played lots of games, ate lots of good food and just talked and talked. The kids immediately paired up with the cousins of their own age and so Kaitlin and Taylor spent their time playing board games (here with Grandma Dot)...

Micah and Elizabeth played together...

While Nicki and Braden decided to spend their time in the back patio, collecting snails and building snail hotels and condos. These two truly had a blast. They spent about 8 hours straight just building homes for the snails, feeding them, and who knows what else! Spencer joined them for part of the fun as well.



This was one of the funnest family vacations we have ever had! We loved going back to our favorite places, spending time relaxing as a family, and seeing so many family and friends. We will definitely be back!!!