The Marek Times

I can’t believe it’s almost time to leave. We had a great time. We rode all the rides we wanted to (which was most of them), and even rode a couple of them repeatedly. Even Mike rode all the ones he could. We also met a lot of characters and Ben got autographs from all the ones he wanted. And we got a ton of pictures…

I’m a bit sad to leave the happiest place on earth. I think we’ll have to start planning the next trip! But for now, we’re flying back to Calgary tomorrow afternoon and likely driving home to Edmonton later tomorrow night.

Today was another fun day. We started a little later – we didn’t have early admission to the park itself, but we did have special entrance to Toon Town. Toon Town opens an hour after the park does, but as guests of the resort, we got to go in an hour before the general public. We got to meet some characters, see a little show, get “honorary citizen” buttons and check out the rides. I think Mike especially liked it, since he recognized most of the characters. He’s still not a huge fan of Chip and Dale though. Ben is still enjoying the roller coasters.

After Toon Town, Mike desperately needed a nap. For those of you that know how much he loves to nap, you’ll be amazed to hear Mike has been napping pretty good in the parks.

Ben rode Splash Mountain and the Matterhorn with me. We got very wet, screamed a lot and had lots of fun. Ben also went on Autopia and Star Tours with Merv. I can’t believe how much Ben likes the thrill rides!

We finished off our day with another character dining experience. We had the fabulous buffet at Goofy’s Kitchen. The food was so good. I think I gained another 10 lbs today. Maybe I’ll eat a salad somewhere tomorrow. That should cancel out dinner today, right?

Oh my god. I’m soooooo tired! We spent most of the day at California Adventure but we did make it to Disneyland for a bit too. We started the day with a character breakfast with Mickey and friends. Ben loved meeting the characters and getting autographs. Mike liked the characters but only from a distance. Close up they weren’t so cool.

After breakfast we went on a whole bunch of rides. Even Mike was into the rides. Ben really likes the roller coaster types the best. Those and anything with Buzz Lightyear. The plan tomorrow is more rides and supper at Goofy’s Kitchen for more character dining. Should be fun!

Yay!!!! We’re here! And wow, am I ever tired! The boys did great, but they’re completely worn out. We got to our hotel around 12:30 local time but our room wasn’t ready, so we left our bags with the bell desk and headed for Disneyland:

We got a few rides in before the hotel texted us that our room was ready. The room is awesome! Totally renovated and the headboard is awesome! It lights up and even plays “a dream is a wish your heart makes”:

We also had a couple of welcome baskets sent to our room which was really cool for the boys. They boys also got balloons and Ben got his own personalized room key. Even the bathroom is all Mickey (I hope you can see it in the picture, but the lights are held up by Mickey hands and the faucets are Mickey ears too):

After checking into our room and changing into shorts (it’s so hot and humid!), we made our way back to California Adventure for supper and more rides. Mike got to go on some rides here and totally loved it! We went on the big ferris wheel, which is where I discovered I’m afraid of heights. But it was fun anyway.

Ben says he didn’t like the little mermaid ride, but Mike absolutely loved it. He was pointing at characters and clapping along to the music. So cool!

Tomorrow we have character dining for breakfast. Should be fun. For now though – I’m off to bed. It’s been a long day, but so much fun. My feet hurt but its a good hurt. ‘night!

PS the plane ride was ok. Mike slept a little but overall was just interested in everything that was going on. No major melt downs, and hopefully the flight back will be just as good.

I don’t have much for pictures today though I wish I could have taken some at the pool. We had the whole pool to ourselves including the waterside. We had a blast – Ben especially. Wouldn’t it be great to be six and have your own personal waterside? That thing was super fast too – I felt like I was going to skip across the whole pool. Huge fun.

We also wandered around and played in a park by the river. It was gorgeous again today. It’s been perfect weather every day so far. Here’s Mike in the park:

Off to Disneyland tomorrow!!!

Both boys are asleep. Ben is majorly overtired, I think. I hope he sleeps well and feels better tomorrow. He’s showing signs of a cold, so I’m a bit worried, but hopefully he just needs sleep. We’ll probably take it easy tomorrow so he can rest a bit and be good for the trip.

We did have fun today though. Merv, Mike and I tried a Dutch pancake house this morning, then all of us went for BBQ for lunch and then walked around the Eau Claire market for a bit. Later this afternoon, we went swimming here at the hotel before lining up at Peter’s drive-in for supper. That place still brings in the crowds. The line up goes around in a big circle and then backs up onto the highway. It was crazy. I think Mike is a big fan of the milkshakes though. I know mine was sure tasty.

Here’s the boys at the pool:

We’re in Calgary now. Both boys are really tired – neither had a good night. Ben woke up feeling yucky at about 11, and Mike woke up at 1:30 and was up until nearly 3. Needless to say, we were pretty slow moving today. We got into the city about 3ish though and checked into the hotel. We had a nice evening walking downtown enjoying the nightlife. Mike is asleep now and Ben is having a Wii party at his auntie’s. I don’t think Merv and I will be up all that late – I so need sleep!

Merv cooked an awesome steak and shrimp dinner last night. The leftovers were terrific for breakfast this morning too. I’ll be amazed if I’m not a good 10 lbs heavier by the time we get home!

Here’s some pics of the boys in Canmore:

The first day of our vacation was good. Got to Canmore early afternoon after an uneventful drive. Stopped at Cross Iron Mills for lunch and to let the kids get their wiggles out. Once in Canmore, we went for a beautiful walk along the river. Mike nearly went crazy checking out every rock, flower and tree. We had a little excitement when Mike fell down the stairs. He’s ok, I think he just bruised his ego. He did a face plant later in the evening, as well, and got a fat lip, but he’s ok now.
Here’s the boys at the farmer’s market: