Day 6 (last amusement park day)

We set out today to do some of the things that we didn't get to in Disneyland on Monday. We used our early entry (7am, yikes) to get in an extra ride or two. So we headed for Space mountain right away, since it seemed to have the longest wait. We got right on, so it was worth getting up early. 

We then did the Matterhorn, and some of the Fantasyland rides, including "It's a Small World".  They really decked it out!  

We were able to get all the rides in by lunchtime, so the afternoon was spent doing some of our favorites again. Jason did Splash Mountain with Kami and me, and got soaked, so he trekked back to the hotel to change and the girls and I shopped!

Yes, he was taking a selfie as we were going down the falls. 

We ended our last day with a showing of Fantasmic and the Disney fireworks. Sad to see the vacation end, but glad we were able to have this time with the girls before Kylee graduates. Even though two of the girls were sick, and I was dealing with back and knee issues, I can honestly say that this vacation was a success. 

Day 5

We went to California Adventure on the 5th day. Since we had been watching wait times, we knew we needed to get to the new Cars ride as soon as possible, before the wait for too long. We were lucky and got on within 15 minutes. 

The ride was beautiful!  And very well thought out and designed. There was a bit of something for everybody...started slower, with bright colors and fun little quirks, then ended with a high speed race. Pretty fun. We even went on a second time since it still wasn't busy. 

The rest of the morning was pretty slow in the park, not that many people were there yet.  Among other rides, we went on the Tower of Terror...some bribery was required for the older girls, but they did it. 

Then we got on Califirnia Screaming. It was a hit with everybody. After that, the park was getting a bit busier, so we decided to take in a show to let our feet rest. The kids loved Aladdin, and it was a great break in the day. 

We then went back to the boardwalk, and did a few more rides. One of our favorites was Toy Story Mania, lots of fun, but a long wait. 

We ended the day by watching The World of Color. It was a good show, but the crowds were insane. Overall, another good day. :)

Day ???...umm 4 (I think)

Day 4 was back at Universal Studios. We left early, because we heard that traffic was awful. Boy am I glad we did...it took 2 hours to go 40 miles!  But we got there when the gates opened, and it was fabulous. 

Because of the damp weather, there weren't many park visitors. That meant shorter lines, and an opportunity to go to a couple of shows. We made sure to hit a few of our favorites multiple times, and some of the ride workers even told us to just stay on, rather than walk around and get in line again!

That also meant that finding a dry place to eat was a challenge, but we found one eventually. We also discovered that the portion sizes were HUGE. We had way too much food, thankfully we have a fridge and microwave in our room. 

We all lived the Minion ride, and of course the pics that were available. 

We also went and saw the Waterworld show. Fire and action and lots of fun. Kami really wants to see the movie now. It was a good day!

Day 3

Short post...we did Disneyland, all day. Kami's favorite ride was Autopia, she loved it!  It scared me a bit...or maybe that was just her driving. 

We did Splash Mountain, Buzz Lightyear, Indiana Jones, and lots more. Both Kylee and Kearstin said that Space Mountain was their favorite, though. 

Tomorrow, back to Universal Studios. 

Day 2

On day 2, we drove about 7 hours, stopping to see Ian and Kate on the way. We didn't stay at their place long, just passing through. Then we were off to Universal Studios. 

We only were there for a half day, so we went by the advertised wait times, and started with Jurassic park, since it had the shortest line. 

It was fun, and the kids liked it. We then went over to the Mummy!  They didn't enjoy this one quite as much, as we got stuck in the dark for a couple of minutes in the ride (I don't think it was intentional). 

Then we jumped in line for Transformers. 

According to Kearstin, that was the coolest ride ever!

Then off to see some Grinchmas!

The tree was very cool. It kept changing colors. They did a little "tree lighting" every hour. There was a little skit involving the grinch plugging in the lights, it was pretty cute. After that we were all exhausted, so we drive to our hotel at Disney, and called it a night. 

A little getaway

Day 1- drove as far as Sacramento. We are going to get an early start and see if we can make it to Universal by 1 or 2 this afternoon. Then on to Disney!!

These were some really cool lights under the freeway overpass just down the street from our hotel. Festive. :)

Christmas

Haven't posted much, but here it goes...