Back from Disneyland!

We got back at about 2:30 am and I've been taking it easy trying to unpack and get the boys back on some type of schedule since its been willy-nilly for the last week or so....so sit back and enjoy a really, really, reallllly long post!

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Getting to meet my Blogger friend Joanna, her husband Greg, and their twins Kat and Brody at Disneyland was so fun! They are such great people! I only wish they lived closer so we could hang out more often. So here is a recap of our trip.....

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We headed toward So. Cal. later than expected on Tuesday morning....I think we were officially on the road by noon and finally arrived around 7:30 pm....with only about 45 minutes of naps....ugh....thank goodness for the DVD player that Daddy bought for the trip! We got into our room and since the boys were excited to be out of the car, there was no way they were going to bed, so we were right back out the door heading for the park after a quick dinner for the boys. When we met up with Joanna it was almost dark but thankfully it was cooling off since it had been hot and humid during the day from what she said. It was so nice to finally meet her since we've been blogger friends for close to a year now! I felt really comfortable instead of awkward. I guess being at The Happiest Place in the World helped! We decided that we would all head towards Pirates of the Caribbean and it was a good choice since there was no line....we pretty much walked right on! :) Love that!! All the kids did great on the ride....no crying....but it was getting late so Joanna and her family headed back to their hotel and Brian and I headed towards food for ourselves after we agreed on a time to call each other in the morning. Brian and I had dinner and then we headed back to our hotel as well. We had a little bit of a hard time getting the boys to sleep, but it finally worked and we all got some much needed rest.

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Wednesday morning Joanna and I called each other and arranged to meet at the park. After we met up Jesse from Toy Story came walking by and we got a picture with all the kids and her. She kept pointing to Kat's hair since it was red like hers....so cute! Brian and Greg went on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad while Joanna and I watched the kids. We decided to let them out of their strollers so they could stretch their legs. Boy was that fun! Kids going in every direction and us running all over the place! We managed to get them back into their strollers just as the guys got back from the ride and then it was our turn to ride the ride! We had fun, but the guys did not... :( When we got back to them they both looked frazzled and the kids were all upset...especially Zack. It was already getting hot and they had a taste of freedom and then it was taken away. :( Poor kids....and then poor me because Brian had to head back to the hotel to do some work. I stayed at the park to give him some quite time to work but it was hard. Thankfully Joanna and Greg helped me get the boys on and off the Winnie the Pooh ride but then we decided it was time to head back to our rooms to cool off and for naps. From what Joanna tells me, Kat and Brody were great nappers on this trip....I, sadly, cannot say the same. My guys did not nap after about 2 hours of me trying so we gave up, fed them lunch, and since Brian was done working, we headed back to the park to get lunch ourselves. Just as we got into the park, the boys fell asleep in their stroller.....SHEESH!!!!! They only slept for about 30-45 minutes. :( We were at the park for a little while walking around and trying to stay cool but it was just too hot so we headed back to our hotel to check out the pool. The pool was too deep so we decided to fill up the tub in the room and let them cool off in there. They had fun but again, no napping so we headed back to the park and thankfully it was starting to cool off since it was now evening. We met up with Joanna, Greg, and K&B again and did a few rides....took some pictures....and watched the fireworks. Kat really liked them and laughed and squealed....she's so cute! After the fireworks we parted again and agreed to meet up in Downtown Disney the next day.

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We had to check out of our hotel at 11 am on Thursday....officially becoming homeless....and parked the car at the DL parking lot since we were not going to head home until 7:00pm in order for the boys to sleep....*fingers crossed. At 11:30 Joanna and I met another Blogger and Twin Mom Message Board friend Jen who lives close to Disneyland and has identical twin girls Ava and Audrey. We were able to find a little fenced area in Downtown Disney were the kids could all run around pretty safely. PHEW! We still had some escape attempts but we were able to head off any disaster and the kids could run around, stretch their legs, and play a little with each other. It was cute to see all of them together and we got some fun pictures! After Jen headed home with her girls, our homeless crew followed Joanna back to her room and the kids ran around the room and had lunch. Kat enjoyed sharing Mac&Cheese with my boys and Brody enjoyed sharing some PB&J with them. My guys enjoyed K&B's toys and getting to run around. :) We left Joanna, Greg, and K&B to nap and headed to the park to have some adult lunch....still no napping....and still as hot as the surface of the sun. UGH! We headed to California Adventure this time and got the boys some apple juice slushies which they really liked and I think it helped cool them off. After a few hours we gave up on the heat and headed back to Joanna's hotel to sneak into her kiddie pool. I felt like a squatter at the pool since we were not hotel guests but Joanna met us there shortly after so I didn't feel like such a lame. The boys really enjoyed the baby pool that was only 1 foot deep and it felt good to get my feet wet....ahhhh!! After a fun time in the pool it was time to say our goodbyes and head back to the park for dinner and then we would be heading home. I felt sad that our visit was coming to an end but I was so grateful to meet Joanna and so happy that her extended family of 10 allowed us to have some time with Joanna and tag along on their vacation....they were very welcoming and gracious. :) Anyway, we said our goodbyes, snapped a few last pictures and then sulked back to the park....wet....but much cooler! :) Just as we got into the park around 5:45 pm the boys fell asleep in their stroller again....go figure....SHEESH! Brian and I had dinner and since the boys were asleep, we didn't go on anymore rides but instead headed for the car. Right before we exited the park the boys woke up so we got a picture and said goodbye to Disneyland. :( Our plan was to start driving at 7pm and we did pretty good at meeting that timeline....only got on the road 30 minutes later than hoped for! The boys didn't fall asleep easily since they had just napped but again, thank goodness for the DVD player! We only made 1 stop for gas and got home at 2:30 am.....and pretty much went straight to bed.....AAAAHHHHH!

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Well, that's it! I still need to finish unpacking and do laundry but other than the extreme heat and lack of napping it was a great trip and I'll never forget meeting up with Jen and her girls Ava and Audrey, and Joanna, Greg, Kat & Brody! Thanks again guys...we had a great time and hope to do it again someday!! :)

Here's some pictures!!