Christmas, Christmas Time is Here

I repeatedly reassured the girls:

Santa can find a good girl anywhere.

And he did.

Kate got the Barbie Jet she has consistently asked for since September.

Kiki got the barn she has never once asked for.

I just knew she would love it.

Of course, when she was tearing through the paper opening it, she said (in the happiest voice ever), "It's a...It's a...It's a...I DON"T KNOW WHAT IT IS!"
When assembly was completed, she was thrilled.

We celebrated with the Hatch Clan.
Thanks to my crappy camera here is the one picture that turned out:
James, Tiff, and Hudson, it was YOUR lucky day.

Bruce took the girls out to the desert by his parents' house to show them where he played and played growing up.

It has been a fun holiday- we have spent lots of times with Bruce's siblings and their families, and now we have a few more days to relax until we make the long drive home.

Disneyland. Or, maybe I should say, "Disneyland!"

We braved the rains yesterday and went to Disneyland.

It was actually a really good day- we bundled up and packed a waterproof blanket and a huge umbrella and managed to stay mostly dry and warm all day.

We started on the tame rides in Fantasyland to get started, but soon Kiki was ready for an excitement upgrade.

We went on the Matterhorn and Kiki loved every second.

Kate cried real tears the whole time. You would have thought we had tried to kill her. We made it up to her by waiting for 45 minutes for the Princess Walk.

She was thrilled to meet all the princesses. I was very impressed that every single princess took the time to talk to her for a little minute before taking the picture.

This was her favorite princess. Shamefully, I don't even know which one she is.

Bruce and Kiki went on Splash Mountain.

Not that you can actually see them or anything, but this is their log just prior to the 50 foot drop.

You'd think after being rained on all day a little water from an awesome ride wouldn't bother Kiki in the slightest, but you'd be wrong.

She was seriously peeved.

We went back to the hotel for a little rest, then hit the park again at night. I was happy we went back because Disneyland is a totally different place at night, especially with all of the Christmas lights.

When you enter the park there is a bridge with this plaque on it:

On the opposite side of the bridge is a less frequently photographed plaque that says, "Back to the same old crap."

Today the weather was much better, which also meant things were much MUCH more crowded.

We also went to California Adventure today.

Kate and I hung out while Kiki and Bruce rode Tower of Terror.

That Kiki is brave. Also, she has taunted Kate mercilessly for not riding the roller coasters: "Kate," she said, "You are a big, big chicken."

Here is a moment of brutal honesty: If I were to list places I wanted my children to see with me, Disneyland wouldn't even crack the top 100, and likely not even the top 250. That said, they have had a wonderful experience here- they have loved the characters, the rides, and the shows, and I gladly admit that even though amusement parks are not my thing at all, Disney has done it up right.

Not According To Plan

One can plan all one wants, but one might still find that things don't go to plan despite one's careful planning.

Such has been our California Adventure.

We stayed Sunday night in Las Vegas. The girls were awake before roosters and milk men, and my efforts to work out were thwarted by a $15 fee to use the fitness center. I wasn't aware that there was a hotel in the universe that would charge a paying guest $15 A DAY to use a fitness center. We decided to take a dip in the Jacuzzi instead only to find it shockingly cold. We couldn't get Las Vegas in the rear view mirror quickly enough.

Or so we thought.

Maybe if we had known that THIS:

would be the view from our hotel room we wouldn't have been in such a huge hurry. We had decided to just keep the curtains closed and suck it up, but then the window started leaking. I'm generally not too picky on hotels, but I do have the general expectation that I will be able to walk shoeless in the room and not wind up with wet socks. The maintenance man's solution was to place an industrial grade fan right next to our bed, at which point Bruce was able to convince the hotel management that an upgrade was in order.

Thanks to the torrential rains, we decided to delay Disneyland for one day and spent the morning at a local museum.Notice Bruce in the background- go ahead and print this picture for his "Father of the Year" award.

The museum had a special Christmas display of gingerbread houses- some were really amazing- the Taj Mahal, the Great Wall of China, and a Victorian mansion.

But the Taco Bell was the best in our eyes.

Bruce learned all about the Mars Rover.
He was seriously obsessed- the girls had to drag him away.

Bruce wouldn't let the rain stop us from seeing the ocean.

Kate was frustrated that she couldn't find any "whole shells."

If only her goal was to collect cigarette butts or pieces of plastic or other assorted trash she would have had better luck.

Huntington Beach is shockingly, disgustingly dirty. We have been spoiled by the Oregon coastline.

All in all, we've had a fun day despite the bad weather. The girls are very excited to see Disneyland tomorrow, so we are praying for better weather the next couple of days. They have been very good- our hotel room has a little room with bunk beds and their own TV, and they have really been enjoying it. Tonight at dinner I rewarded them for their good behavior with a package of Silly Bands for each of them, and Kiki told me, "Thanks, Mom! I love you now!"

Seven.

Kate turned 7 on Wednesday.

She seems so grown up sometimes.

She wanted a watch and the new Taylor Swift CD.

Bruce picked out an MP3 player for her.

I took Kate and her friend Taia to Color Me Mine to paint ceramics, then to pizza. They sat on Santa's lap- This is Kate's third Santa, but I suppose she's just covering her bases.

We had cake and ice cream with the family.

It was hard for Kiki to not be the center of attention.

What I want to remember about Kate at this age: She is a little bit shy, but she loves her friends at school and has made several new friends this year. She loves to read and we just finished her first chapter book about Junie B. Jones. She is doing great in school and cut bangs so she could be like her teacher, Mrs. Hatch. She is a little more concerned with her appearance this year- she likes her hair done certain ways and has her own ideas about what constitutes an appropriate outfit. She is a good, good girl who really tries to mind and be respectful. She loves dance and gymnastics. She is a skinny little thing- she's wearing 7 slims and I have to pull the adjustable waists nice and tight. She is so excited to go to Disneyland and Phoenix over Christmas and see everyone. She loves her aunts, uncles, and cousins. She likes to help me cook. She started piano in September and is doing great! I can't believe how fast seven years have gone by.