Last Saturday (the 17th) we told the kids we were going to take a little trip to St. George. Some of them were happy...one wasn't too thrilled. He(Zach) remembered our time there in August and how fried and hot we all were, and he wasn't wanting to return any time soon! So I told the kids we probably wouldn't be going to St. George because some of us didn't really want to. They weren't very happy. Megan and Gavin started to cry. Then I said, "Why don't we go somewhere, where you can use these?" And I pulled out Disney ears. We videotaped their reaction: 
Highlights from the trip:
Zach hugging me and thanking me several times for taking him.
Zach finally getting to try his quarter in the Esmeralda machine and get his fortune told. That's ALL he asked for on the whole trip. A well spent quarter! 
Gavin riding several rides for the first time such as Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain and Tower of Terror. After he rode each time, he would say, "That was AWE-some!" The child has no fear.
Gavin closing his eyes and grinning as the Teacups went round and round.
Me running to Peter Pan from the Teacups(with the four kids) while Brandon is trying to yell to me he is going to take a sleeping Leah back to the hotel. Keep in mind it was 11:45 pm...I was trying to make it onto the ride before closing time! And, it was our last day. Whoops! What? You mean I have a baby to take care of? I guess I got carried away. You gotta do what ya gotta do to get on Peter Pan! It's always crazy busy.
Staying out until midnight one night with Tanner, Megan and Gavin riding on Matterhorn, Mr. Toad's Wild Ride, Teacups and Dumbo Elephants. It's the best time to get on some of these rides!
Tanner giving up his seat on Triton's Carousel to Leah when there wasn't another one for her, and then a lady giving her spot to Tanner after she saw him. :)
Leah's reaction to the Woody and Jessie characters. She was calling out "Woody" and "Jessie". We had no idea she was such a fan until she saw them. It was so cute.
Zach wore his ears every day, every minute around the parks! He was so faithful and so excited to be there. 
Roz talking to us at the end of the Monsters Inc. ride...One of the things she said was to Zach, "Young man in the third row: Nice ears!"
Using the Fast pass and Ride Switch(for parents) passes. We would get 6 fast-passes, and then also use a ride switch so some kids got to go on rides twice in a row. Once with dad and once with mom. Sometimes it worked out and sometimes there was a little squabble...not naming names but it may have been an issue with these two: 
Zach was chosen to be the rebel spy on Star Tours. They took his picture and he was the rebel spy for the ride they went on. He called out, "I'm not a spy!" and everyone laughed!
Eating Dole Whips in the California sun in December. Megan thought it was a little bit of heaven.
Me going on Tower of Terror twice and wondering why I do it each time because I am a bit afraid of heights. I have to admit, even I end up liking it. :) Gavin is less afraid than me. He said on his last ride, "Mom, I am not going to say goodbye to the real world." Because they say that on the ride right before you "disappear". He ended up saying goodbye and waving anyway! LOL In the second picture below, I am on the middle row on the far right. Yep, that's what I look like when the doors open to reveal how high we are. Yes, I do admit I am a spaz!
On our second night, the kids and I went on Splash Mountain over and over again after 9 pm! No line whatsoever. It was a blast. We did it again the next night.
We loved the Haunted Mansion Holiday. I liked it better than the regular Haunted Mansion. We love The Nightmare Before Christmas.
We loved Small World decked out for the holiday. Leah was thrilled since it was her first visit. I couldn't believe how wonderful it all was. 
The hotel had Santa Claus visiting in the lobby. Gotta love Disneyland during Christmas time!
Tanner, Megan and I went and saw "Great Moments With Mr. Lincoln". It is great, and I was sorry Brandon didn't see it this trip. Next time for sure.
Tanner held my hand at times throughout the parks. I cherished this, because he is getting so big and acting all teenager-ish lately.
Zach didn't want to leave and stopped in the gate on the last night and said, "I can't do it! I just can't leave." The kid is a HUGE fan, that's for sure. Thankfully, I convinced him to go, so we only attracted a little bit of attention. Phew!
Stopping by the beach(Corona Del Mar). There is never enough time when we go to the beach. It's too bad we can't plan more time on these trips. It was Leah's first time at the ocean. I hadn't even put the kids in suits because I thought it would be too cold. So they ended up getting their clothes wet! It was actually pretty nice considering it was December.
Zach said a prayer just before we started to drive home. He covered all the bases: Thankful for the great trip, thankful for keeping us safe, please keep us safe on the way home etc.
He said it well.
The guys wanted to stop by here:
Which was not a problem, but then here too:
Yes, Pasadena is a bit out of the way, but we managed to get there throughout all the CA traffic so that Tanner could see the Rose Bowl. We got into St. George at about 2:30 am. Ouch. It was still a great trip. Great Christmas surprise for the kids.
4 days ago
