When the Parents Go Out to Play

When you wish upon a star... Or just have really nice in-laws close by... you get the chance to get a way for a week with the out the kids. Can I just say Aaah-mazing!! Last week we headed out to sunny SoCal for six days of fun. (Warning: Long Post Ahead)

After dropping of our boys Sunday night with Grandma Ann and Grandpa Kevin. We flew out of Salt Lake City Monday morning to San Diego, where we rented a car and drove up to Anaheim. After checking into the hotel, we went straight to Disneyland. I've never been Disneyland before, and there really is something "magical" about that place. (And as you'll see I took a ton of pictures trying to capture it all!... Ben was a good sport about some many pictures ;) ) We enjoyed 3 1/2 days in Disneyland and California Adventure. We rode Indiana Jones, Splash Mountain, and Pirates of the Caribbean the most, but we also enjoyed a lot more. We even tried out some of the smaller rides Ben had never been on. We even splurged and ate at the Blue Bayou Restaurant which has an amazing atmosphere because you're actually inside next to the beginning of the Pirates of the Caribbean ride... it's like you're really in the South next to the bayou having a scrumptious meal... all without the humidity and bugs!

Ben had never been to California Adventure, so we spent one afternoon there. We loved Grizzly River Run and California Screaming. And their "Disney's Aladdin - A Musical Spectacular" was a lot of fun. The Genie was hilarious. CA has more stomach droppers (like the Tower of Terror) than Disneyland, and by the end of the day our heads were starting to swim, but it was so fun!

Tuesday night we went to Medieval Times. It's a dinner and a show. The dinner is Medieval... soup, bread, chicken, a rib, and potato, and turnover for dessert... all eaten with no utensils. We were seated in the yellow section, so our knight for the night was the Yellow Knight. They follow a storyline while showing off the horses, jousting, and fighting in a tournament. Our knight wasn't the victor, but it was still a lot of fun.

Friday morning, we checked out of the hotel, and headed back to San Diego. We made a stop at the San Diego Temple and thoroughly enjoyed the peace and beauty of this special place.

After the temple and before we checked into our hotel for the night we headed to Coronado Island and enjoyed the beach for a few hours. It was so relaxing... I love being at the beach! Though the water is a little too cold for my liking, so we just walked along the shoreline. So if you wonder why I'm wearing a shirt over my swimsuit... let's just say after a week in the sun... two words... farmer's tan.

If you're interested zoom in on these just beach pictures, there are some cool details. I was quite proud of my photo skills... our my luck anyway. ;)

Once we checked into the hotel Friday night, we relaxed and took it easy... checking out Pirates of the Caribbean from the hotel to watch... wonder why we were in the mood for that one! ;) Then Saturday we flew home and drove up to Rexburg to find two happy little boys that were well-behaved for their grandma. It made my week even better to know that boys were well taken care of and that they had a good week. Thanks again to all of Ben's family that helped watch my boys, so I could spend a week with just my handsome hubby. It was a much needed vacation and every minute was enjoyed(including nighttime... with it's uninterrupted sleep)!