The End of an Era

As they say, "All good things must come to an end," and so it is with Disneyland passes.  Booo!  Ours expired on Friday and it was a sad day for us.  But, not too sad, because we got in some of the best Disneyland experiences yet on our last day.

 It started off with a bang!  Ariel, Aurora, and Cinderella were all right there at the entrance as we walked in, ready and waiting to greet us.  Lexi LOVES Ariel (and calls her "Ari"), so we had to see her first.

 Then it was on to Aurora.  Is this pink paradise, or what!?!

 But the most amazing thing was after she chatted with the girls for a bit, she asked if they'd like to walk with her.  Of course, they were more than happy to oblige!

 They got to parade down Main Street with her like no kids I've ever seen before!  It was AMAZING!  Truly, it IS the happiest place on earth!

 One last hug for their best buddy in Princess Paradise!  It was a sight to behold!

 After all that princess-ing, Libby was ready for more, so we headed to Fantasy Land where they got to meet another Ariel....

and another Aurora!  Wow!

 Grammy and Libby on the carousel.

 The fair maiden on her trusty steed!

 We're so grateful Grammy got passes with us!  What great memories!

 Then Brad arrived and we got to take Libby on some "real" rides!  She just reached the 40" mark, making her tall enough for rides like Star Tours, Soaring Over California, and ...you guessed it...Tower of Terror!  Our little princess in line for the "terror" - oh no!!!

 After it was over Libby just said, "Mommy!  I was so frightened!"  but she never screamed, squeezed my hand, or ever indicated she didn't thoroughly enjoy it.  What a champ! 

Proof that she did it!  The face says it all - not overly thrilled, but not hating it either.  She didn't want a second go-around on that one, but couldn't wait to go on Soarin' one more time!

Well, Disneyland, it's been real!  We bid thee adieu with the fondest of feelings.  We've LOVED it and certainly felt like we got our money's worth!  Memories to last a lifetime...and some very happy (and tired!) little girls!

Biking Bliss

Libby got a new helmet from Santa and was so super excited to put it on.

 All set and ready to cruise!

 This picture of Lexi was just too funny not to include!  I love the belly-shirt she's sporting!  I swear, that girl and her gut - what to do????

 And she's off!  Like a herd of turtles, mostly, but still, she's doing it!  All by herself and so proud of her accomplishments!  Yay for Libby!

Garage fun

The post-Christmas garage re-organizing turned out to be a huge hit with the girls.  Brad....not so much!  Amazing what some leis and glasses will do for kids!

 If that doesn't scream COOL, I don't know what does!

 Style epitomized!

Build-A-Bear

My parents' Christmas present for their youngest grandchildren this year was a gift card to Build-A-Bear.  When the Openshaws came down we all headed to the one at Downtown Disney since it's the best - a full 2-story stuffed animal making dream world!  It did not disappoint!

 Grammy with the gang - all geared up and ready to build!

 Lexi and Brad had a great time trying them all out.

 Everyone's made their choice, now it's time for stuffing!

 Lexi was first up and did a great job working the pedal.

 Libby thought the whole thing was pretty darn great!

 Stuffed and ready for dressing.

 Lexi had fun "cleaning" her doggie.

 After a few clothing options, this is what won out: a pink polka-dot bear with a Princess Aurora dress who she lovingly named Minnie Bear.

 Pops likes to tease Libby and call her "Princess Ursula" so he was beyond thrilled that they actually had an Ursula costume for her bear.  Despite his best efforts, Libby remained unconvinced and stuck with her original choice.

 Those are some seriously spoiled kids!

Total success - they loved it!  Minnie Bear and a dog dressed in a Tinkerbell costume - who'd have thought?!

Ronald Reagan Presidential Library

The Openshaws came down for a quick trip and we all hit up the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library in Simi Valley on Friday.  It was a good 2 hour drive each way, and not exactly the most kid-friendly place in the world, but it was a cool thing to do.

 Some of the kids hanging with the Reagans.

 Libby and me with the president.

 Lexi and me in the full-size replica of the Oval Office as it was during his terms.  Some of the items are the originals and some are replicas.

 Air Force One used by 7 US Presidents.  We got to go inside, too.  And they also had a Marine One helicopter, but funny enough, Reagan never rode in that one.  The one he used is still in operation and won't be at this location until it's retired.

 They also had a Christmas tree display with 23 different trees representing different regions of CA.  This one was Ellie's favorite from Lake Tahoe.  Can you see the skier in the tree?  Pretty funny!

 Ronald Reagan was famous for his love of Jelly Bellies and this was a mosaic made entirely of his favorite candy.

 The kids all enjoyed climbing through a tunnel in the replica of the Berlin Wall.

 And no trip to the Reagan library is complete without a horseback ride with Ron!

At the end of the day, I probably didn't learn nearly as much as the rest of the group (due to chasing little rugrats around the whole time), but it was still cool.  And, the mystery of why it's called a "library" when it's really a museum remains unsolved.  Hmmmm....

New Year's Day in Huntington Beach

For our New Year's Day celebration we decided to go for a bike ride along the Huntington Beach boardwalk.  Beach for Christmas, beach for New Year's - makes sense, right?!

 Syd taking the girls for a ride on her new longboard before we took off.

 All strapped in, bikes loaded, and we're ready to go!

 Once we got to the beach it was a bit chilly (not the 80 degrees we enjoyed for Christmas), but the kids had a blast playing in the sand while Brad got Ty's bike fixed.

 Lexi sure loves the sand!

 Syd and Libby are best buds nowadays.  Libby tells us that her "heart is broken when Syd isn't around", but thankfully, she recovers quickly. ;)

 Swinging around on the wet sand.  They tide was out really far that day.

 Brad was the hero of the day and fixed the bike and then came to play with his girls.

 So glad my year can begin with those three - I sure do love them!

 Family photo op!

 Can you tell what this is?  In case not, it's supposed to be 2014, but the girls weren't the most cooperative.  Shocking, I know!

 The fog started rolling in and when we walked out on the pier it was freezing!

Libby got to borrow Syd's sweatshirt (and Grammy went and purchased 3 more for the freezing group) and try out an extra-long longboard. 

What a fun way to start the year.  2014 is shaping up to be a good one!