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.....

Arizona Day 3

On another beautiful Arizona day, we climbed into the truck and headed to Oatman, Arizona.

What does Oatman, Arizona have to offer, you might ask? 

It's a mining town.  With burros.  And you have to drive on Route 66 to get there.

 

Pitstop on Route 66!

How does my son not like sunshine?

I just don't get it.....

 

Once in town, we found a burro almost immediately....about a dozen of them.

They literally walk the streets of this town like they own the place.

So, we decided we would walk the streets of this town like we owned the place.

Three generations.

This had to happen.

So did this.

 

It was a grand adventure.

We were back to the RV park by mid afternoon.

 

More sunshine.

More volcano building.

Met wonderful people.

Fed some few ducks.

I'd like to tell you that seagull in the upper corner ate out of his hand.

I'll let you decide if that is truth or not.

 

And enjoyed a fun razor ride around the park.

 

Another great day in Arizona.

Tomorrow: DISNEYLAND!!

Arizona Day 2

After a morning of swimming, we headed to the Desert Bar for lunch.

 

Oh, the Desert Bar.

 

When I say Desert Bar, I mean DESERT. BAR. 
A bar in the middle of the desert.

Seriously.

 

It was awesome.

 

It may not seem like much. 

Every piece was dragged in by the owner, there is no electricity, and the place takes care of itself. 

Super hippieville.

It was awesome.

 

The day we showed up the place was PACKED.  See those bleachers in the front in the above picture?  That is where we ended up sitting because we couldn't find an open seat at the 100 tables they had set out.

While we baked in the sun, Eric stood in line for multiple beverages (he's the guy on the far left of the bar).

 

There was a live band.  They were from LA and have been performing at the Desert Bar on President's weekend for years.  Just our luck.

 

I loved everything about the sunshine.

Alexander did not.

As long as Eric had a drink in his hand, he tolerated the heat.

 

Well, not really.  We left after about an hour or so.

Alexander and Umma were ready to spend time together.

 

I spent the rest of the afternoon with this view, chasing the sun with my lounge chair.

 

While Alexander spent his afternoon building a volcano and Daddy hung out in the shade.

Cause what else do you do when you are a boy and surrounded with dirt and rocks?

 

It was awesome.