Our Disney Adventure

We had a fantastic time in Disneyland for Spring Break this year. We were able to see Brandon's school choir perform in a competition in Anaheim. The next day Brandon joined us in our hotel just outside the main gate of Disneyland. Dan's parents drove into town to see the choir perform and then spent several days time with us. It was wonderful to have them there. It was also a treat that Dan's sister Shellee and family were able to come (last minute) for one day. We loved getting to know their kids better. I know I'm overly sentimental, but I really loved this quote, which was part of Walt Disney's speech at the opening of Disneyland.
Brandon was still hanging out with the choir kids, but we stopped to get a picture by the front gates on our first day in the parks. Dan's parents, Joe and Sharon Porter, posing by Mickey.

On Sunday we got up and drove two hours north to Oxnard to visit with my brother Scott and his family. We attended church with Scott and Ann and then they treated us to a wonderful lunch at their home. Afterward we walked around their housing development and enjoyed the beautiful sights and weather.
What can I say - the don't have palm trees in Washington, so they were a pretty cool sight for the kids.
We loved the brand-new Toy Story ride in California Adventure. It was so much fun!
I am so sad that I never got a picture of Shellee (Dan's sister), her husband Curtis, and their three kids. We were running so fast to help them fit as much as possible into their one day in Disneyland that we never paused for pictures of the group. Above, their darling son Hayden and Joseph had fun going on rides together and hanging out.

The boys.

Sharing a super-expensive Disney milkshake.

I love Dumbo. The whole magical feather thing is just super cool. I loved seeing all of the magic Disney through the eyes of Joseph, for whom it was pretty new.

Joseph Ethan Porter and Joseph Larry Porter.

Spending time with Brandon was one of Joseph's favorite elements of the trip. Here they prepare to drive an Autopia car.

Reportedly, Joseph was actually a good driver.

We didn't take time to pose by the huge "California" letters outside California Adventure until it was dark. So, I had to stand close enough for my flash to work and couldn't get the perspective of the tall letters.

Not the best shot, but it is tradition for us to get a picture by this backdrop in California Adventure.

This is the guilt ice cream I bought for Joseph to make up for one of my most harrowing parenting moments.

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We were in California Adventure, playing in the Redwood playground. I encouraged (pushed) normally tentative Joseph into going a few feet away to play on some slides. At the same time, we agreed to split the group and send a few on Soarin' over California while the younger kids stayed in the playground. We miscommunicated, and Brandon, Bailey, and I left to the ride, thinking that Dan was with Aubrey and Joseph. Dan thought Joseph was with us.

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Ten minutes later we saw Aubrey and Dan walk toward us, without Joseph. We all realized that Joseph had been left alone in the playground area. Dan and I took off running back across the park. It was a horrible moment for me. It is every mother's worst nightmare to think about something happening to her child, and it would be infinitely worse if something happened because of my negligence in leaving the child alone. When I got to the Redwood playground I started yelling for Joseph. Someone heard me and said that he was with a ranger, "and he is really upset and REALLY wants his mother." I found him sobbing and began the process of calming him and myself down. It is ironic that this happened to my child who lives his life with high anxiety and who is terrified of being in any room alone, even at home.

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Dan took the older kids on a ride and I clung to Joseph and bought him anything he wanted, all to assuage my guilt. He might need therapy someday to deal with abandonment issues (my mother pushed me to go on a slide I didn't want to go on. I was afraid to leave her side but reluctantly agreed. She then left me and ran away).

Joseph and Lightning McQueen. This is 10 minutes after he was lost, and he still has tear-stains on his cheeks.

So fun to be together as a family.

Brandon flew home a day earlier than the rest of us to attend a concert with a friend's family. The plan was for him to pick us up at the airport, and then for Dan and Brandon to go to the priesthood session of Conference together. However, our plane was delayed, so we were running way behind schedule. We decided to have Brandon bring church clothes for Dan to change into so that we could drop Dan and Brandon off at the Stake Center on the way back. Brandon brought Dan dark blue pants, tan socks, and brown shoes. We all had a good laugh at the interesting combo.

Waiting at the airport for Brandon to pick us up. We were FREEZING as we re-entered the reality of a Washington spring after living in the la-la land of warm California.

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It was a wonderful trip! We are already planning our next adventure . . .