Click your heels three times and you'll get home...oh, wrong story. We know we've had a good time when our girls don't want to go home and sleep in their own beds. They really loved Disneyland! We rode almost every ride in both parks with the exception of the Tower of Terror, California Screamin' and the Grizzly River Run. Both girls loved all the roller coasters with the exception of Space Mountain. I really didn't remember the ride until it started going or I wouldn't have taken them on it. Both were crying by the time we got off (probably because of all my screaming). We hit the pool each afternoon and enjoyed the low 80's sunshine. Several of the nights we were all in bed by 8:30. The girls and I are already planning our next trip...
Monday, September 29, 2008
Sunday, September 28, 2008
Rides!
The girls had lots of fun on the rides, the favorite coaster had to be between Mulholland Madness over at California Adventure and Thunder Mountain in Disneyland. Aud used our little camera to capture a video of Mulholland Madness - by the way, that scream/giggle you hear from Audra at the first big drop is the exact sound she made the entire ride of the Space Mountain coaster. Good Times
Disneyland
We flew down Tuesday morning and hit the park running. By the time it was all said and done we had ridden every ride we wanted to and several more than once, seen just about all the princesses and played in the pool till we were pruned.
There are 51 pictures in this slideshow so go ahead, hit pause and go get yourself something to drink and come back and watch the show.
There are 51 pictures in this slideshow so go ahead, hit pause and go get yourself something to drink and come back and watch the show.
Friday, September 19, 2008
First Day of School
Kati got to ride the Bus! Both girls are really loving school again this year. They can't wait to go each morning. Olivia is a 2nd grader this year and with Kati in 1/2 day Kindergarten Audra was hoping for a moment of respite - but with PTSA's Membership drive she hasn't had much time to herself.
Soccer is in full swing
One of the key reasons I'm so far behind on my blogging is Soccer. Starting just after we got back from the camping trip we've had either practice or a game four nights a week. Olivia's U8 Girls team, the Avalanche, plays on Mondays and Wednesdays and Kati's Team Pugg (that I'm co-coaching) plays every Tuesday and Thursday. While the schedule is a bit stiff, the girls are really enjoying it. We've had a wonderful spell of Indian Summer here the past few weeks that has kept the spirits up (and the players dry). We'll play until the 15th or so of October - since the games start at 6:00pm it will be getting pretty dark by the time the games end.
Lake Wenatchee Camping Trip
Wow - someone stepped on the gas near the middle of August and we haven't had a chance to take a breath since. Luckily we have been taking a few pictures of our activities or I wouldn't have a clue what we did!
The last hot week of summer we took a camping trip to Lake Wenatchee for 3 glorious days. Like our camping trip to Birch Bay earlier in the summer, this trip was with several of the families that we hang out with on a regular basis. As a kid, can you imagine the fun that results in going camping with ALL your friends? The girls were on their bikes at sun-up, in the lake as soon as the morning mountain air warmed up and exploring the woods in between. We cleaned their filthy faces and they collapsed into bed each night with grins so wide you'd think it was Christmas Eve.
A couple of the dads notched a small downed tree between two trees which wedged itself into a perfect natural teeter totter. The Ranger was quite impressed by the ingenuity - but I tend to think other kids must have tried it - they just didn't have the sheer mass of 5-12 year olds required to move the thing. Of course it turned into a battle - who could get the most weight on their side.
There is a small lake at the south western tip of Lake Wenatchee that requires a short hike of about 1/3 of a mile. 2 years ago this hike took quite a while - we were hiking with a 3 and 5 year old - but this year we were at the top and in the lake in about 10 minutes. This lake was considerably cooler than Lake Wenatchee and gave me fond memories of the cold, clear and deep waters of Spirit lake outside of Rathdrum in northern Idaho. The cold water felt good, the hike was short but the temps were touching the mid 90's. These waters held a tremendous number of small fish - I suppose they were baby trout - that would nibble at just about anything that came there way. A piece of bread from a lightly touched PB&J was set upon like we were at a Koi pond.
Not all the fun was had by the little ones. I pulled together my friends Mike and Greg to ride one of the great trails in Washington. Devil's Gulch rises nearly 3500 feet from the trail head to the top of the Mission Ridge Trail over about 11 miles of climbing. The trail is in great shape as it carves and climbs its way through the gulch crossing several streams on the way up. Most of the time you're pretty sheltered but on occasion the trail is benched into the side of the canyon and the drop is pretty significant. Blind exposed switchbacks and steep side hills will certainly get your blood going! The descent of the Ridge Trail will leave you hammered, puckered and breathless. The pitch and exposure are relentless - the aptly named Ridge Trail follows several ridges, sometimes riding the knife edge, as you plummet back to the valley floor. In several places its hard to believe that you really climbed this high? The trail is primarily used as a climbing trail for moto's - there is no way to climb it on a Mountain Bike - and I think the next time we ride out there we'll be sure to climb the road and descend Devils Gulch avoiding the Ridge Trail all together. All told the 17mile ride took just under 5 hours and offered up 3800 feet total of climbing.
The last hot week of summer we took a camping trip to Lake Wenatchee for 3 glorious days. Like our camping trip to Birch Bay earlier in the summer, this trip was with several of the families that we hang out with on a regular basis. As a kid, can you imagine the fun that results in going camping with ALL your friends? The girls were on their bikes at sun-up, in the lake as soon as the morning mountain air warmed up and exploring the woods in between. We cleaned their filthy faces and they collapsed into bed each night with grins so wide you'd think it was Christmas Eve.
A couple of the dads notched a small downed tree between two trees which wedged itself into a perfect natural teeter totter. The Ranger was quite impressed by the ingenuity - but I tend to think other kids must have tried it - they just didn't have the sheer mass of 5-12 year olds required to move the thing. Of course it turned into a battle - who could get the most weight on their side.
There is a small lake at the south western tip of Lake Wenatchee that requires a short hike of about 1/3 of a mile. 2 years ago this hike took quite a while - we were hiking with a 3 and 5 year old - but this year we were at the top and in the lake in about 10 minutes. This lake was considerably cooler than Lake Wenatchee and gave me fond memories of the cold, clear and deep waters of Spirit lake outside of Rathdrum in northern Idaho. The cold water felt good, the hike was short but the temps were touching the mid 90's. These waters held a tremendous number of small fish - I suppose they were baby trout - that would nibble at just about anything that came there way. A piece of bread from a lightly touched PB&J was set upon like we were at a Koi pond.
Not all the fun was had by the little ones. I pulled together my friends Mike and Greg to ride one of the great trails in Washington. Devil's Gulch rises nearly 3500 feet from the trail head to the top of the Mission Ridge Trail over about 11 miles of climbing. The trail is in great shape as it carves and climbs its way through the gulch crossing several streams on the way up. Most of the time you're pretty sheltered but on occasion the trail is benched into the side of the canyon and the drop is pretty significant. Blind exposed switchbacks and steep side hills will certainly get your blood going! The descent of the Ridge Trail will leave you hammered, puckered and breathless. The pitch and exposure are relentless - the aptly named Ridge Trail follows several ridges, sometimes riding the knife edge, as you plummet back to the valley floor. In several places its hard to believe that you really climbed this high? The trail is primarily used as a climbing trail for moto's - there is no way to climb it on a Mountain Bike - and I think the next time we ride out there we'll be sure to climb the road and descend Devils Gulch avoiding the Ridge Trail all together. All told the 17mile ride took just under 5 hours and offered up 3800 feet total of climbing.
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