California Trip - Part 3 (Grandma's 80th Birthday Party)

This big event was the reason for our trip in the first place. My Aunt Jo and Uncle Eric threw Grandma her 80th birthday party at their home in Cali. We really looked forward to seeing all of my dad's side, since we don't get to see them too often. The party definitely didn't disappoint!

The food was absolutely yummy. Uncle Eric is a whiz on the BBQ and there were ribs and chicken galore. Not to mention salads, fruit, desserts and a popcorn machine (that was my favorite part).


They have a pool in their backyard and that was well used by all! The hot tub too!

The Cousins!
Dad with the Birthday Girl!

It was so much fun to hangout with family all day in sunny California. Thank you Jo and Eric for a great party!

California Trip - Part 2 (Disneyland)

Since our trip got delayed a day, we decided to still do two days at Disneyland and skip the beach. We were a little disappointed, but we recovered from that quickly. Once Kinley was inside those gates she had a smile that made the trip and all we had gone through worth it.

With both days we were able to do a little bit of everything. We rode a few rides, met some characters, watched some parades and fireworks and ate lots of ice cream! Our first ride was the Jungle Cruise and Kinley loved riding on the boat.

I have to say our absolute most favortist ride of all though was Buzz Lightyear. We all had a blast (no pun intended). When it was over Kinley kept saying "we shot all the robots all gone".

But I think Kinley's most favorite part was meeting all of the characters. We saw Eeyore, Tigger, Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Goofy, Pluto, Jasmine, Sleeping Beauty, Belle, Pochahontas, Mulan, and two of Kinley's favorites, Pooh and Cinderella. She asked Cinderella about her glass slippers and told her to tell Gus Gus hi.

Then we headed over to California Adventure and rode Monster's Inc. and saw Live on Stage with Mickey Mouse. Kinley really enjoyed that 'cause she got to see the Little Einsteins's too.

And last but not least we had to get Kinley her own set of Mouse Ears!

All in all, our two days of Disneyland put the vacation back on track and we were all smiles once again. But how can you not be at the Happiest Place on Earth?!

California Trip - Part 1 (Las Vegas)

In June we took off for California with my side of the family. We had a whole itinerary planned for the week and Kinley was soooo excited. We would stay overnight in Las Vegas, then once in California go to Disneyland for two days, the beach and my Grandma Sheldon's 80th birthday party. So on the morning of June 10 we left for what we thought was the perfect family vacation. Unfortunately, there was more adventure in store for us than what was on our original itinerary.

On our drive to Vegas Kinley had a wonderful time. She watched her princess movies on her new DVD player and took a nap.

About an hour before we got there our car started to overheat. So we drove the rest of the way without any air conditioning in 106 degrees. Kinley was soon saying "Mommy there is water dripping down my back." I kept spraying her with my water bottle trying to keep her cool. Once in Vegas we settled into our hotel room and played in their pool, which was a welcomed refreshment!

Later that night we met up with my family on Freemont Street for the yummiest dinner ever. . . Tony Romas! Since they closed here in Utah we were all looking forward to some good ribs!

Then we played on Freemont Street for a little while. We saw the coolest artist paint pictures with spray cans, saw LOTS of lights (that was Kinley's favorite part), and took fun photos.

The next morning we were getting ready to check out of the hotel and head to Califonia when catastrophe struck! Adam was running luggage to the car and Kinley and I were in the hotel room. Kinley was sitting on the edge of the bed and stood up. Her foot got caught in the sheets and she fell backwards off the foot of the bed. I ran to her and immediately noticed her elbow was broken. In hysterics I called Adam and he came running back. He called the hotel and told them what had happened and they sent security to help. He also gave her a blessing which calmed her (and me) right down. When security came they called the paramedics for us and they showed up within a few minutes. They had to strap Kinley to a gurney and splint her arm. Amazingly she was calm enough they didn't have to give her any drugs for the pain. I rode with her in the ambulance, which she thought was kind of fun and her bed had wheels! Once in the ER we found out her elbow was severely broken and she would need to have surgery and insert pins. Adam and I were devastated, but Kinley was so brave. Every time I would cry she would say "Mommy don't cry, I'm okay." It is absolutely the most heartbreaking thing to see your child in pain. The orthopedic surgeon showed up that night and she went into surgery at 7:30pm. Her surgery was a success, but we needed to stay overnight for observation.



While we were waiting the day in the ER my dad took our car into the shop and we found out we needed a whole new radiator. So that was kept overnight as well and was fixed by the next morning. Talk about a bad start to the perfect family vacation! Our plans got altered slightly, but Kinley was doing well, still a little groggy, so we decided to still go to California. So off we went. . .