"Zip-a-dee-doo-dah"

From Song of the South
(or Splash Mountain)

Zip-a-dee-doo-dah,
zip-a-dee-ay!
My, oh my
what a wonderful day!
Plenty of sunshine
heading my way
Zip-a-dee-doo-dah,
zip-a-dee-ay

Mike and I took Spencer to Disneyland last week. We just got back from California a few days ago! It was so much fun. That was the first time we've been able to all go together and we really had such a good time. Spencer is so much fun to be with. He was afraid to go on A LOT of the rides (including Snow White's Scary Adventures). But I made him a deal that if he'd go on everything with me except The Tower of Terror (because personally I think he has every right to be afraid of that!) then we could go to Disneyland two days instead of just one. He agreed. We had such a blast and he absolutely LOVED Space Mountain which just so happens to be my favorite ride also! :) He and Mike both love the Buzz Lightyear ride which I am not a huge fan of but what boy wouldn't love it--it's like a ride and a video game all in one. So of course (like every time I go with Mike and his brothers) we had to ride the Buzz Lightyear ride a million times (exaggerating, but seriously, quite a few)! It was all good though! Spencer made me wrap my arms around him (I was in the seat behind him) while we went over the falls of Splash Mountain but said he loved it after we got to the bottom. :)

While in California we stayed with Mike's brother Ben and his wife Kir and their kids in Irvine. Mike's other brother Spencer and his wife Hillary were there also with their son Miles. It was a ton of fun. We went to Laguna Beach on Friday but it was rainy and yucky so we only took pictures and left because we were freezing!

On Saturday we drove to Bakersfield to stay with Grandma and Grandpa Richards. Everyone from Irvine came and we were joined by Mike's sister Heather and her kids and a bunch of extended family too! It was a lot of fun. Spencer had a blast swimming with cousins in Grandma and Grandpa's pool. Mike and I unfortunately got sick and were puking our guts out on Sunday but Mike was well by Monday. Mike said after the fact that it was the hardest he had ever thrown up in his life. It was pretty dang bad. Because I have gotten sick like that quite a few many times in my life it definitely wasn't my worst (I mean at least my face didn't bruise purple because of all veins in my face bursting from the impact of the puking...yeah...that was an adventure), but nonetheless it was really bad. I had to lay around all day on Memorial Day which was the pitts because it would've been the perfect opportunity to get to know a lot of Mike's extended family. But by the evening after taking some Aleve at the insistance of Mike's cousin's husband (I don't even know his name but he was awfully nice) I felt a lot better. We decided to brave the 10 hour drive then while we were both feeling at aleast a little well. We left Bakersfield at 7PM and arrived in Draper around 6AM Tuesday morning. However, we did have some major downfalls along the way. I wasn't feeling the greatest but poor little Spencer started his own puking spell about halfway through the journey. He was sleeping and kept waking up then freaking out, then throwing up, then falling back to sleep. It was so sad and I felt so helpless. I wished I could just take it away from him the poor kid. When Spencer and I were both finally resting, Mike got pulled over (around 2AM in some obscure little town). The dang cop gave him a freaking $250.00 ticket for 10 over the limit! (He was going 85 in a 75.) So that STUNK but he said it won't go on Mike's record as long as he pays it before July 18th. Anyway, we finally made it home and got Spencer in bed. He seemed fine the next day and little Chief was so happy to see us! :)

At any rate, it was a fun adventure! We actually ended up buying annual passes to Disneyland because by some fluke slip of the tongue the woman selling them let us purchase Southern California Passes (which are supposed to only be for people who can prove residency in So Cal) which happen to be an arm and a leg less expensive than the regular passes. So we will deinitely be making it back to Disneyland sometime in the next 11 and a half months! :)

Ooh and speaking of our Disneyland Annual Passes, just as a funny little side note, the other day at Spencer's soccer game I asked Mandy (Spencer's mom) if he had told her that we got the passes. She said yes and proceeded to tell me that Spencer told her that we're taking him to Disneyland for his birthday (in July) and that she and Garrett (Spencer's older brother from his mother's previous-previous marriage) were invited to come too. He told her that Mike is paying for all of us to go and we can all ride down together. :) Where in the world the poor kid got that idea I really don't know! But I thought that was pretty humorous. We had once talked to Spencer about maybe taking him to Bear Lake over his birthday, but nothing about Disneyland was mentioned and DEFINITELY nothing about making it a double family vacation with Mandy and Garrett were mentioned either. That kid never ceases to crack me up! :)

Here're some more pictures (along with descriptions):

Spencer using his creativity during bathtime!

Mike and our adorable nephew, Miles at the Helewell's beach.

Spencer and his cousins Ian (left) and Jake (right) playing on the honey pots in Pooh Corner.

Spencer fought Darth Vader at the Jedi Training Academy and became an official Padawan Jedi in Training! :)

After fighting Darth Vader he was the lucky one who got to use the force to fight off the Storm Troopers! He thought it was pretty dang cool that the force was so strong in him that those Storm Troopers would stumble back when he would "force them."

At lunch after the Jedi Training Academy Spencer attempted to use the force to move things on the table. He had his hand out trying to move the wrapper on the table. As a slight gust of wind came that made the wrapper twitch a bit and then blow a little across the table you should've seen Spencer's face! :) He KNEW it was "the force." Then he tried to move the lid to his chocolate milk that was sitting on the table. Well that was a bit heavier...he had his little arm out in front of him and was concentrating so hard on using "the force" that his whole body was shaking. The determined look on his face as he shook was the cutest thing ever. I could not stop laughing. It was adorable!

At lunch on the second day Spencer was so pooped that he fell asleep on Heather's lap! He was exhausted!

Spencer had a fun time driving Mike through Mr. Toad's Wild Ride!

No explanation needed...