our last day in california

We had one last day in Disney and we decided to spend it in California Adventure. It was definitely busier today, but not as hot. We split up a little, but spent most of the day together. Finley is at that transition stage where she wants to go on all the big rides and enjoy them, even though they scare her pants off. She has to convince herself it was fun and then she becomes ecstatic about going again.

Owen loved watching the Pixar parade.

Let it be known that I am the Midway Mania champion in this family.

If you happen to find yourself in California Adventure, make sure to stop in the Ghirardelli shop. Order the drinking chocolate. Ask for a for a chocolate covered waffle cone instead of biscotti. Then die and go to heaven. (One cup was plenty for our whole family of 8, though we did get an extra to put in the fridge. By morning it was much thicker.)

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The next day, we took our time getting ready, stopped for lunch (we found a fabulous Mexican restaurant right by our hotel), and then headed for St. George. We got there in time for a late dinner. We took my grandparents to Sakura. It is a Japanese sushi and steak house. It is seriously entertaining. Since it is only a few days away, we celebrated Owen's birthday. They brought out this ice cream covered brownie inside of this flower that opened up and had candles and a firework. Seriously the greatest birthday treat ever.

the happiest place on earth

Fun Fact of the Day: I love Disney. It was my dream to be a princess in Disneyland while I went to college. In the same year, I found out I couldn't be a Disney princess because I was too tall and I couldn't be an astronaut because I don't have perfect vision. I was pretty crushed to say the least. Due to the fact that I was only a couple of blocks away from the happiest place on earth, I woke up much earlier than usual. My mom, Owen, and I snuck down to breakfast while everyone else was still dead to the world.

Another fun fact: Owen likes donuts almost as much as chocolate muffins. One year, Owen had a pyramid of donuts instead of a birthday cake. He could not have been happier.

By the time we boarded the tram, I was already busting with excitement. I have mad love for that place.

Very early into our magical day, we made a horrible mistake. We were all very excited and headed straight for Space Mountain. Owen was having a great time and we figured the line was just long enough to prepare him for the ride. We were wrong. Oh, so very wrong. About 2.1 seconds after the ride started, I could hear Owen screaming his head off. Apparently he made Sam hold both his hands and dug his nails into them. Owen was ready to go home immediately.

Damage control was much needed so we took a spin on the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters. Owen liked this much more, though he was still not very trusting of us after the Space Mountain fiasco.

I thought he would be into riding all the big and exciting rides. I was wrong. He was rather wimpy and hated anything dark, fast, or loud.

The rest of the day was pretty hot. We rode a lot of rides and wore ourselves out. At least a couple of kiddos fell asleep during the fireworks.

Every time we go on a trip, Owen falls asleep on Sam's back at least once. And almost every time, I manage to snap a picture of it.