Day 1:
Our plan was to leave by 6 AM, but it was raining pretty good when we woke up so it slowed us down a little bit. It took longer than we expected to get the last of our things in the van, pile everyone in, and get everything covered and tied down on the cargo carrier. I think we ended up leaving just shortly after 6 AM which wasn't too terrible all things considered.
We made a quick stop in Brigham City, and then drove until Fillmore. In Fillmore we took the time to eat lunch, let the kids run around on the small playground, and bought the kids the most random little cymbal clapping monkey toys that came in surprisingly handy at keeping Ella calm during some of her tougher moments in the car.
Starting around St. George Ella decided she was pretty sick of being in the car, and she basically cried all the way until we got to Las Vegas. 2 whole hours. Actually, she fell asleep about 5 minutes before we got to our hotel in Vegas and then she woke up as soon as we stopped...
From the Bellagio we walked the short distance down to the Venetian. Except that it's actually a mile each way, both of our stroller's back tires were apparently flat, and the strip is not the most stroller friendly place.
The main reason we walked to The Venetian was to try Carlos Bakery. It was in construction the last time Taylor and I were in Las Vegas, so we knew we didn't want to miss it this time. It was so good! Expensive, but good. We tried Cannolis and cheesecake. They have a big window where you can watch treats being made which was pretty neat to watch.
Day 2:
We woke up and headed straight to LAX to pick up our two joiners-my mom and my Aunt Beckie (my mom's sister). We arrived at the airport just before Aunt Beckie flew in and an hour or two before my delayed flight mom flew in.
Miraculously we managed to fit all 8 of us and alllll of our luggage and belongings in the van. It was a little bit squishy to say the least..
We stayed at the Castle Inn & Suites and everyone else stayed down the road at the Clarion. They gave Hudson a cute little crown and a poster with Mator on it, so he was in heaven. Our hotel was simple, but it worked out great for us. Close walking distance to Disney's entrance, free parking, and clean rooms. I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a hotel near Disneyland.
After everyone settled and unpacked a bit we headed to Downtown Disney for some dinner and exploring. We ate a famous Disney corn dog for dinner, and then did some shopping. We didn't last too long because the kids were tired from not taking their normal naps, but it was still fun to get some Disney magic in a day early.
We brought a little toddler bed size travel cot for Hudson to sleep on, and it was the best thing ever to have! We didn't have to worry about him rolling off the high hotel bed, and he liked having his own space. Ella was in the pack and play. We threw a hotel comforter over the top of the pack and play to help make it darker for her while we still kept one light on, and it made a huge difference.
Day 3:
We got to the park a little later than we intended which meant that we waited in the longest security line the whole time we were there. Once inside the park we headed to the Plaza Inn for our character breakfast while everyone went off to explore the park.
No surprise that Ella was more interested in her watermelon way more than she was interested in the characters haha.
Taylor in the same chair in Mickey's house many years ago.
Our first day at California Adventure was one of my favorite days. Because the park opened an hour later than Disneyland did, there was enough time to put Ella down for a nap before we even left for the park. Taylor hung out with a sleeping Ella while Hudson and I headed to the park.
I didn't want to take Hudson to Carsland without Taylor, so we headed to A Bug's Land to enjoy the low crowds and wait for Taylor and Ella to get there. We were able to go on every ride in A Bug's Land without having to wait for more than just the waiting for the cycle that was already on the ride. It was so nice! Soon after we finished all of the rides Taylor showed up with Ella so we headed to Carsland. Carsland quickly became Hudson's favorite place ever.
Unfortunately, Ella was too short to ride any of the rides in Carsland, but it gave Hudson time with Taylor. Ella and I had fun exploring and looking at some of the shops while they boys rode the rides.
Hudson dropped his Buzz Lightyear toy right when he went to walk up to Buzz. All of the cast members and Buzz froze for a second because no one knew what to do or say because they toy Buzz's wings broke off when he was dropped. It was hilarious, and Hudson wasn't too terribly heartbroken about it considering a giant Buzz Lightyear was right in front of him. I quickly grabbed the broken wings and sent Hudson on his way to get some high fives and a picture with Buzz.
Unfortunately Buzz's wings haven't been the same since that tragic day, and they fall off all the time now...
We tried the for a few hours to get Ella to nap while we were in the park, but didn't have any luck. We finally gave in and headed to our hotel. About two minutes after we left the gates, Ella fell asleep in my arms. We contemplated just turning around and going back to the park, but decided we all needed naps anyway haha.
After some good naps, we headed back to the park to enjoy the rest of the evening. We ended up back in Cars Land so we could use our fast passes for the Radiator Springs Racers, rode Monster's Inc, and went on most of the rides on Paradise Pier.
Stay tuned for the second half of our trip.... :)
