Another basketball season comes to an end

Every few months, we ask Alexander if he wants to play a sport. 

"Want to play soccer?" 

 "No, I don't want to chase other kids around."

"Want to play baseball?" 

 "No, you told me to wait until 1st grade."

"Want to do swim lessons again?" 

"Not really.  I don't want to swim in the deep end."

"Want to play basketball?"

  "YES!  But only if I can be on Addie's team."

 

So, we set him up to be on Addie's team and coached by Addie's dad.

 

Monday nights became family night, as we all attended basketball practice.

Naturally, in order to spend more time with our friends, we drove together.

The first few practices showed us not only how much Alexander loved playing

but also how much work Coach Jeff had ahead of him!

Here's what we learned about Alexander during the basketball season:

He is coachable.

He support his teammates.

And he plays mean defense because

"I stick to them like glue."

 

Not a game passed that we didn't laugh at the antics that this 5/6 year old team brought to the floor.

Thanks for a great season, Alexander.

Disneyland Day 3 and 4

And the fun keeps going!

The final two days of our adventure included early wake ups, standing in long lines, riding awesome rides, afternoon naps back at the hotel, and then back at the park for a few more hours.

Star Tours

Waiting for the Tiki Room

Nap Time.

Pool Time.

Waiting for the gates to open for Saturday's early entry

We moved quickly from ride to ride.

On Saturday night, the little man spent the evening with his grandparents so Mommy and Daddy could enjoy a date night and celebrate their anniversary.

Sixteen years of marriage and Disneyland still remains our favorite vacation site.

We enjoyed dinner at the Blue Bayou and met up with Derrick for the evening.

Derrick is a close family friend working as a Disney intern.

It was fun to enjoy the park from an insiders point of view.

 

Our adventure came to an end early Sunday morning . Umma and Big Papa dropped us off at the airport and headed back to Parker.  They will be home in three weeks and their grandson cannot wait for their return.

 

Here's one final picture from our trip.

Someone is now in love with airplanes. 

Disneyland Day 2

Thursday morning, we were up and at it nice and early in order to beat the crowds.  The group decided California Adventure was today's destination.  Our initial plan was to ride the new Cars ride in Radiator Springs as soon as it opened.  Little did we know the ride would be closed for most of the morning.  So, Mommy stood in line to get Fastpasses for the ride, while the others rode Tower of Terror.  About an hour into waiting, Umma and Mommy tag teamed so Mommy could ride Soarin' Over California. 

Little did Umma know she would end up going on the ride with us!

From there, we hit ride after ride at the park.

Umma, Big Papa and Daddy finally needed a nap.

Alexander and Mommy thought otherwise and kept going!

Two thumbs up for Space Mountain!

Our annual carousel ride.

A sweet treat for a sweet boy.

Alexander and Mommy met up with the others for a little cocktail time and then it was back to the park.

It was time to visit Radiator Springs!

Disney really hit it out of the park with the new Cars ride and the look of Radiator Springs.

It was fantastic.

Another magical day with Disney!!

Disneyland Day 1

It is about a four hour drive from Parker, Arizona to Anaheim, California.  This is the third time we've done this trek, but Eric was around this year to enjoy it with us.  Fortunately, traffic was light and we cruised to our final destination.

 

Before long, we were in the park and ready for some Disney fun!

The magic of walking down Main Street.

How cute are those Mickey Mouse ears?!

 

Autotopia is ALWAYS our first ride.

The kid loves it.

And so does Umma!

From there, we FINALLY convinced the-finally-tall-enough-6 year old to ride Space Mountain.

He tried it.

He loved it.

Game over!

 

The last time we visited Disneyland, Alexander insisted Go-Go Gadget was his all-time favorite ride. 

He insisted he was going to enjoy it just as much this time.

Daddy and Alexander rode it together after Space Mountain.

After which, Alexander declared, "its just a little too slow for me."

He's growing up.

 

So, we headed back over to Space Mountain for another ride.

And then to Star Tours.

Oh, how he LOVED that one!

 

Right across the way was Astro Blasters, which is a fun shooting game. 

Eric and I are SUPER competitive when we play this game.

It's all smiles before we start shooting.

Alexander and his grandparents are a little more about having fun.

And everyone keeps smiling!

 

Another of Alexander's favorite is the monorail.

Daddy asked the train conductor if we could ride in the nose of the train.

 I think the little man lost his mind when the the answer was yes.

 

It's actually pretty cool riding up front as you can see everything coming.

 

After a delightful dinner at Tortilla Joes, we headed back to the park.

Alexander insisted we ride Peter Pan.

I didn't argue because this one is my favorite ride.

The line was fairly long so we took pictures as we waited.

Again, with the ears.

I love them.

 

A few more rides.  A few more lines.

So much fun.

As with all good things, the night came to a close.

Until tomorrow.....