It must be the sign of a fabulous vacation when it takes four days to surface after your return. I finally feel like I have returned to the living!
It was an amazing vacation. Rachel continues to talk about it every day. "I like rides, Mom." "I go on the pirate ship. I see Jack Sparrow, Mom." "I no like the waterfall. Whoosh. Too big for me." "We go to Disneyland tomorrow?"
When we arrived the kids were marvelling at all the foliage. It's funny how you forget how tropical California can be...In-N-Out was a big hit.
Rachel was tall enough to go on nearly everything, except Indiana Jones, and so we took her on nearly everything. Mom drew the line at Tower of Terror since she had already endured so much and Ben nearly would not go. Rachel's favorite rides were Pirates of the Carribean, "the fast train" aka Big Thunder Mountain, and the Tea Cups. Her least favorite was Splash Mountain aka "the waterfall".
Of course the princesses were a huge hit and we're so glad they have a "Princess Faire" to see them if you wait in line. Otherwise we might have missed the best Belle of all time. I think Dave may have a crush on her. She was so sweet and kind. Rachel would not stop hugging her!
Jake and Ben both loved the Tower of Terror, Indiana Jones, and Space Mountain. Although the crowds were at an all-time high for both Dave and I, the lines were not terrible. Disney does a great job of managing the masses. I'm glad we did it but I don't know if I would go again during Spring Break any time soon. My vote is Disney World in January 2010. I'm afraid October will still be too hot in Florida. What do you think of that plan, family?
The cruise was fun and laid back. It was a nice break from Disneyland and we did Sea World on Tuesday. Very fun for everyone in spite of being tired.
In Catalina, the water was FREEZING. Jake got in to swim and was the ONLY person in the water as far as the eye could see. Rachel tried to talk Dave into taking her out to Jake because apparently she is as crazy as Jake about the water. Who thought I would ever see the day that Dave would be coaxing his daughter OUT of the water?! The water was only about 58 degrees. Whoo-ahh!
The boys made a friend at dinner on the cruise. We sat with the same family every night. Andy has promised to keep in touch with emails. As you can see, the dining room was not too formal. Thank goodness!
All in all, it was new and fun and exciting and tiring and downright legendary. Just like all of our family vacations so far.
P.S.--Lest I grow old and look back at these years and think everything was easier and more joyous, let me note that I got seasick the last night of the cruise, Rachel got a rash which we think is a result of an extremely mild case of scarlet fever (we treated her with antibiotics), and Sadie got violent diarrhea at the kennel and a case of depression. Not everything was perfect.
8 comments:
Love the pictures! Way to go Jake--only one in the water..
What a vacation!! you Newton's know how to have fun, great pictures. I'm so glad you have this blog,it's so fun for me to see your lives in action. Rachel has the cutest clothes. She is just a doll, as are the boys. will talk soon. Call when you get your laundry caught up.mom
Looks like you guys had a terrific time! My girls would be jealous if they saw Rachel with Belle (and my husband would definitely be jealous)! We did Catalina about a year and a half ago and loved it--although the water was a lot warmer when we were there!
I hear February is the month to take the kids out of school for the Disney parks if you don't want crowds. I sort of think Disney will always be crowded. It looks like a blast. I'm glad it was fun. I hear you about it taking four days to resurface!
All of you (except the grownups, of course) look so old!!! And intelligent, and darling, and happy, and well-balanced, and blah blah blah... Dave, I'm a little nervous about your relationship with Belle. Here are my concerns: (1) You look much more into her than she is to you and (2) You really don't want to make her husband mad; I hear he's a real beast...
(Kim, maybe you could stir up some blog interest by starting a contest for the best photo captions. I'll bet the Dave and Belle one alone would inspire a commenting frenzy!)
Your vacation looks wonderful! Glad YOU got to go. (Hear the soft sobbing in the background?)
What a fun trip!! That's so awesome that Rachel could go on so many rides. Believe me, in my family, that height thing was always a real bummer! ha!
I can't wait to get to Disney with my pack. We are going to DC in two weeks, but I wish we were going to see Belle in all her glory. I think I could send Hailey's Belle costume to Rachel, if Mom doesn't mind, and Snow White too. You could always hide them and give them to her when she needs a pick me up. Why is it that someone always has to get sick on vacation?! It's always Kayla for us. I'll try to post again soon I have some really cute pics of Trent and his teeth and standing up! Too fast it goes. Love ya.
I LOVE the picture or rachel with the flamingos!! That is the BEST face HA HA. I like your sun burn on your arm Kim looks like it felt good. :) Kurt
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