the Golden Coast

We surprised the kids at Christmas by telling them we had a Disney trip planned in January!  This was the most fun we've had as a family - EVER!  It was fantastic in every way possible.  We spent 3 days on the beach and 4 days in Disneyland, or as Beckham calls it, "Disleyland." As soon as we got off the plane in Long Beach, Bex exclaimed, "We're in paradise!" Ty said he wanted to go climb a palm tree, pronto. While we were waiting for our baggage, a tree he found!  I was in awe over the weather, it warmed me through and through and made me so happy.

We went to Long Beach, Huntington Beach and Crystal Cove. Crystal Cove was our favorite. We almost had the beach to ourselves. We had lots of fun playing frisbee, building sand creations, looking for shells and creatures, and just being in the sun. The temperature was amazing - high 70's and low 80's the whole trip. The few moments we were at the resort, the boys were in the pool. They slept hard at night and woke up with sheer excitement every day. 

Disneyland was a dream. We spent all day there, took a short dinner break and then headed back in the evenings. Our legs were sore (well, all but Beckham's) from walking all day.  In 3 days, we were able to ride every single ride, and on the fourth day we chose our favorites to ride.  Some of our favorites include: Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, the Buzz Lightyear ride, Jedi training, Tom Sawyer's Island, Pirates of the Carribean, the Ferris Wheel, and Tower of Terror. The boys loved seeing the characters - especially Mickey. Bex wore a googley-eyed Mammoth shirt two different days, and Mickey recognized him the second day it was worn. It was pretty cute.

Coming home was pretty depressing. We loved California, it was just what we needed. - Matthias contemplated applying for the California bar as soon as we were home. It would be amazing to live there!  Sniffle. It's amazing what a week of sunshine can do for the soul!