10 Memorable Things About our Trip to So.Cal.

1. I realized after a day at Newport Beach that I am not always tuned in to my mommy radar. My instincts can be downright off! How did I realize this you ask? Because Cooper looked like this for the next 3 days.
I was sure that everyone at Disneyland must have thought he was there because of the Make-a-Wish Foundation. "Look at that little boy with the nasty skin disorder." I now know to apply sunscreen over his whole face not just his nose and cheeks like most of us with normal skin tones. Good news is that it never seemed to bother him. He was a bit annoyed that I applied sunscreen every 2 hours the rest of the trip, though.

2. Coleman is all talk when it comes to roller coasters. He talked for weeks about how excited he was for all the roller coasters but when I asked him to ride with me, he mostly refused. Even on the ones he did ride, he was scared to death the whole ride and only after the ride was over would he talk about how awesome it was. Funny kid.

3. It pays to talk to the locals. Will stopped a guy on the beach to ask him where some good seafood places were and it led us to food like this-

and this-

at The Crab Cooker in Newport Beach. (We ordered pretty much everything on the menu- salmon, scallops, shrimp, crab, raw oysters and clams. We were determined to eat all the seafood we could find since it's hard to find fresh seafood in Utah.) Jay (that's our new friend's name) also led us to our new favorite sushi place called Tommy's in Tustin, CA. I had the poke bowl and it was awesome. I would go back to CA just to get one of those. And Jay gave us his phone # and told us we could call him for recommendations any time we're in town. Nice guy!

4. Seth and Charya! Old friends of ours were visiting So. California (they now live in D.C.) at the same time we were. What a nice coincidence! We were able to get together with them for a couple of meals while we were there. It's always fun to see them. They are that couple that when we all get together, there is tons of laughter. And I mean like the kind of laughing that makes your belly hurt. So much fun!

5. Overall, we had great weather while at Disneyland but the 3rd day it just wouldn't stop raining! It rained pretty much all day long and even poured in spells. We were not letting anything get in our way of having fun, though. And that day turned out being the day we had the most fun. Soggy shoes and all! We kept telling the boys that it was an adventure to be out in the rain. And, believe me, it was!

6. The only time we weren't having fun was when Coleman would get one of his roaring headaches. Twice we ended up at the First Aid building in Disneyland so Coleman could get some Tylenol and lay down. That's gotta be a bad headache if you want to lay down while at Disneyland. He was such a trooper, though. And once his medicine would kick in, he was back to having fun. Here's a snapshot I took while he was resting. Poor guy!

I have to say that the nurses there were really fantastic. It was so great that he could find a quiet spot to rest there. They were really accommodating and sweet to him.

7. The very first ride that we went on was Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. To our surprise, Cooper was big enough to ride so we all went on. That was probably a huge mistake on our part because Cooper refused to ride pretty much everything else after that. Note to self: next time start with It's a Small World.

8. Perks! Before we left, I found out that since we have a Disney Rewards Visa card we would have some perks while at the park. Free stroller rental, cardholders only character meet 'n' greets, discounts and Disney dollars to spend. May not sound like much but after paying $6 for a corn dog, you really start to appreciate the freebies. Oh, and another perk- the guest assistance pass. We told guest services that Coleman can get a bit over-stimulated and may need a quiet place to wait for rides. They handed over a pass that allowed us to go in through the exits on many rides and get right on! Sweet! Although, I have to say we didn't really need to use it that often. The lines were short already so we didn't want to use it unless we really needed to. But it was nice to have and we did use it a few times in Fantasyland. The lines are always long for Peter Pan.

9. I got to run twice in the early mornings while we were there. It was so fun. Maybe the most fun I had on the trip. There is just something invigorating about running in new towns. It's such a fun way to explore.

10. Coleman and Cooper crack me up in pictures. Coleman always does some sort of weird forced smile, if you even want to call it that. And Cooper always makes faces and overposes. Let's see how many pics I can find from our trip to support this.

I wonder where they get it from...I saw children everywhere that knew just how to pose for pictures. Their mom would say "Smile!" and they would smile and the camera would flash, their sweet little faces saved digitally perfect and scrapbook worthy. Not so much when I take a picture. But I have to say I love the things about our family that makes us unique, bad pictures and all. And who likes to scrapbook, anyway?!

So, that's our vacation in a nutshell. Can't wait to go back!