Hooray For Visits To California. HOORAY!

Greetings Friends and Family!



Yesterday we got back from our fabulous trip. I'm glad to know where I'll be putting The Gretch down for a nap. I'm glad to know where I'll be brushing my teeth tonight. But I'm very sad our California family won't be around to pinch, laugh with, and scream at. Sigh.

And now here are 500 obligatory photos of our wonderful, busy, fun time. And you can pretend to be interested.

We started our trip at Grandma Liz's. Photo Credits: Ella.




(I had no idea my hair looked like that in the back.)


Watch as Gretchen transforms from "Crazy Cowgirl".... (seriously, check out the expression on her face as she swings that poor baby doll around!)


...to "Crazy Detroit Fan". Aww. Which one do you like better? NO HATS ARE SAFE AROUND THE GRETCH!


What!?! Gretchen whining? I know, crazy.

Saturday we ditched the Schotts & their friends and went to Auntie Alisa's baby shower. They went to the beach. We pretended not to be jealous.

We surprised Mom with an early birthday present, a DVD of some old home movies. Then we got to watch the awesomeness that was "Christmas with the Robertsons" circa '82 - '88. Seriously mom, what was with the glasses. And the bangs. There's no excuse for those bangs.


Sunday we went to church (which means I sat with Gretchen in the foyer while Uncle Shea looked like a successful polygimist with THREE cute wives & eight cute kids). When we got home the dads set up an easter egg hunt in the jungle backyard.



But Monday, Oh Monday, the trips to Disneyland started. In the PARTY VAN!!!


Ella's first ride of choice was autopia.


Then we met some fairys.



Then hit the teacups.



Then met Goofy.


And Mickey.


Had some lunch.


And Ella rode her first REAL roller-coaster! Big Thunder Mountain! WOO HOO!




She doesn't look too sure about it, does she. When I asked her what she thought, she said, "I didn't like it. It was too scary."
"Was it too fast?"
"No, I didn't like the scary red eyes at the beginning. In the cave."

Yeah, I didn't even REMEMBER the ride having a cave, but it does. And there are red eyes that are supposed to look like bats. And that, my friends, is what scared her. Even when I told her they were just Christmas lights. She wouldn't ride anything after that.

Except Small World. Which, despite always creeping me out, she loved (dolls, especially moving dolls, are super creepy.)



Amy met us for dinner with Julia. DARN BLACK OUT DATES! They didn't get to come inside the park with us. But we had fun for an hour with them.

I let Ella pick out a hat from the "Mad Hatter" shoppe. Any hat she wanted. I fully expected to walk out with a princess monstrosity. But she choose "Pluto". Because it was funny. She is full or surprises.



One last trip on Autopia. Good driving Britton!


Here you see Matia & Ella enjoying the fireworks show. Overwhelmed with excitement.


Thanks to Dad, we got to drive the Jag around town. Here's Ella keeping up appearances. She doesn't even have to try to be this fabulous, it just happens.


Because we are crazy, we went to Disneyland AGAIN on Wednesday. THANKS SCHOTT FAMIY! We loved it. But no one loves Disneyland as much as Uncle Shea. Seriously. He is a die-hard Disneyland fan. Third morning in the Magical Kingdom pictured below. And he's still smiling.





Brandice and "Friend Ella" were super nice kids. Good times had by all.




We took time out for lunch. And naps.

The coolest thing ever? The boys got picked for the Jedi Academy & got to fight Darth Vadar. If we had better seats and a better camera, the footage would look like this:


But instead you get this. Which is still cute.





And, since we don't have enough, Ella took some more self portraits.


Bye folks! This post is finally done!!!