Baseball Game  4.22.13 

 

Today Logan had a baseball game against the other team that we practice with and are from the same little town.  It was very fun to watch all these friends play against each other!  And it was a great day for it.

 

 

 

 Here Logan is getting some batting practice in before the game with one of his fantastic coaches!

 Throwing the ball to a fellow player...I love seeing his skill improve from week to week.

 It's a hit!  Logan loves batting.  He'd prefer that baseball only involved him up to bat.  The outfield is a little boring for him right now!  :o)

Two great teams, coached by some wonderful community members!!!  Great game everyone!

Karen's Birthday Dinner 4.9.13

Tonight we helped Karen celebrate her birthday at one of our favorite local restaurants!  We had a great time honoring our dear friend and we were able to give Craig and Brett their souvenirs from California.  And after dinner we had team pictures for baseball.  It was a great night!  Happy Birthday Karen.

Baseball Practice 4.8.13

It's baseball season again!!  This year Logan was on a team with all his buddies from school and he had a blast!  We missed the first practice because we were at Disneyland so Logan was very excited to get in there and play with his friends.  Practice went great tonight and I can foresee a great season ahead of us!

Both Parks 4.3.13

On our last day, we decided to split our time between both parks and hit stuff that either we didn't see the first time around or loved so much we wanted to do again.  Mike decided to sleep in a bit, but Logan and I were up and waiting for California Adventure to open at 8am.  They actually let us all in before the park really opened and had us all corralled in the main square and then over the speaker system they counted down from 10 before they opened everything up!  It was the best way to begin our last day.  So, Logan and I headed straight for Toy Story Midway Mania! and then to Games of the Boardwalk.  Then we met Mike at Grizzly River Run because we all wanted to go on that ride again.  This time I even braved bringing my camera on board to try to snap some pictures and it totally worked. :o)  After that we went back to the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail and Logan completed all his quests and earned all his badges.  Then we went to Soarin' Over California, which was totally cool.  Next up was Turtle Talk with Crush and Logan actually got called on to ask a question and Crush gave him his surfer name, Lagoona Logan!  It was so cute.  As we were leaving Turtle Talk we ran into Mr. Incredible, Jake, and Chip and Dale.  It was a character jackpot!  At that point we decided to leave California Adventure and head over to Disneyland.  First on the agenda, ride the Disneyland Railroad.  We went all around the park and then when they dropped us back off at Main Street we met Mickey!!  Then we went to the Carnation Cafe for lunch and realized that Mickey's Soundsational Parade was about to start.  So we found a spot in the shade to watch the parade and got some ice cream at the Gibson Girl Ice Cream Parlor.  After the parade we did the Jungle Cruise then Mike decided to go do some shopping and head back to the hotel for a bit before dinner while Logan and I did Sleeping Beauty's Castle, Snow White's Scary Adventures, the Sword in the Stone, and "it's a small world".  Then we too did a fair amount of shopping, met Mike at the store, and headed off to the Disneyland Hotel for our Dinner at Goofy's Kitchen.  At dinner we met Goofy, Minnie, Chip, Dale, Pluto, Mulan, and Aladdin.  Then it was back to the hotel after a long, but wonderful last day!  I feel like we absolutely soaked up every ounce of both parks that we could in our three days, but I'm already trying to figure out when we can go back!!!

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Logan and I ready for some 3D fun on Toy Story Mania...as we were waiting in line they announced that there was a problem with the ride and it was going to shut down for a bit and they said we could stay or go.  Logan and I decided to stay and I'm glad we did because it wasn't shut down for long and quite a few people left so we got to get on the ride that much sooner!!

 Logan's horse that he won in the racing game we played!

 Mike and Logan ready to tackle Grizzly River Run again!  We all loved this ride!!

 The landscape around the Redwood Creek Challenge was just awesome.  It felt like you were in an actual forest.

 I love this shot because it looks like we were the only people there...how cool would that have been!

 Chip and Dale were so darn adorable and Logan had so much fun meeting them!

 Mickey Mouse!!!

 Logan, Walt, and Mickey...this statue with the castle in the background is all I picture about Disneyland.

You can do it Logan!  You can do it!

Disneyland 4.2.13

Today was not only our Disneyland day but it was also the day we got to get into the park an hour before it opened to the public.  So, we were at the gates by 7:00am ready to go.  We decided to hit Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage first.  It was very cool and a great way to start our day.  Next we walked over to the Matterhorn.  In all the times I have been to Disneyland I had never been on the Matterhorn so that was very fun.  Logan loved/was scared about the Abominable Snowman, but really liked the ride.  Then we headed over to Adventureland to ride Indiana Jones and go on Tarzan's Treehouse.  Next it was off to my favorite ride, Splash Mountain.  I actually thought the ride was closed because there was no line, but the park still hadn't opened so we were just able to go right on!  Perfection!  Unfortunately, Logan jerked his head back when we were headed down the big drop and hurt his neck.  So, he walked away from Splash Mountain never wanting to go on that ride again.  It broke my heart.  :o(  Hopefully next time we go, he'll want to try it again.  So, because we had a hurt, upset boy on our hands, we thought we better go on something lowkey, so we hit the Storybrook Land Canal Boats.  It was the perfect relaxing ride for Logan to get geared up to try some more things.  We decided to hit ToonTown next and go on Roger Rabbit's Car Toon Spin, Gadget's Go Coaster, Donald's Boat, and Chip 'n Dale's Treehouse.  We also grabbed some lunch and then saw Goofy.  From there we headed over to the Haunted Mansion.  Logan was SO excited to go on the Haunted Mansion, but when it began he got pretty freaked out and I was afraid we'd have to leave, but then he calmed down and really ended up liking the ride.  At that point we were all feeling really exhausted and decided to head back to the hotel for a break.  I told Logan to lay down and close his eyes for just a few minutes and lo and behold 2 and 1/2 hours later all three of us were waking up.  Apparently we all needed a break.  We freshened up and headed back to Downtown Disney for dinner at the Rainforest Cafe.  Coolest place ever!!!  It was by far the best meal Logan ate the entire trip, my food was delicious as well, and the atmosphere was amazing!!!  SO glad we went.  After dinner we headed back to Disneyland and went on The Pirates of the Caribbean ride and watched the fireworks show.  Another amazing day.  We only saw one character today, but went on a ton of rides and had a blast!

 On our bobsled about to go on the Matterhorn!

 Tarzan's Treehouse was way cool and there was nobody on it but us!!!  The perks of getting in early!

 Getting ready to ride Indiana Jones.

 We didn't go on the teacups, but we jumped into this one for a quick pic.

 Neither Logan nor I had any desire to go on Dumbo (thank goodness because the line was outrageous), but I couldn't resist snapping his picture with Dumbo.

 I love this picture of the three of us on Main Street at night.  So fun!

 Goofy was so fun and we just caught the end of his time out and about.

The firework show was spectacular and we ended up sitting by a woman who lives about 20 miles from us!  It really is a small world after all!  :o)

California Adventure 4.1.13

Our first day at the parks, we decided to hit California Adventure first.  We were up and at 'em early and were at the park gates when they opened.  We knew that one ride we really wanted to go on was the Radiator Springs Racers, unfortunately, we also knew that it was one of the more popular rides so as soon as we were through the gates we went to find the line for the Fast Pass for Radiator Springs Racers.  I couldn't believe how long the line was already, but bless his heart, Mike said he would stand in line for the Fast Passes if we wanted to go check out some of the park.  So, while he stood in line, we went to A Bug's Land.  The first thing we did was go to see their 3D show "It's Tough To Be a Bug".  There were only like 5 of us there and Logan and I sat right in front.  Unfortunately, it was a little too real for my little guy so we ended up leaving early.  From there we headed to Heimlich's Chew Chew Train ride,  Tuck and Roll's Drive 'Em Buggies, and Flik's Flyers.  Mike met us there and we walked down Buena Vista Street, took some pictures, and ran into Frozone and Pluto.  Then it was off to CarsLand where we saw Lightning McQueen, rode Luigi's Flying Tires, saw Mater, and had a snack at Philmore's Taste In.  As we were leaving CarsLand we saw Phineas and Ferb's Rock Rollin Dance Party and Donald Duck.  Then we all braved California Screamin'!  I was so proud of Logan, but also a little concerned as we got off the ride and he was as white as a sheet and a little shaky.  He says though that that was one of his favorite rides.  Crazy kid!  From there it was back to CarsLand because it our time to ride Radiator Springs Racers.  What a fantastic ride!! By that point we were all getting hungry so we had some lunch at Taste Pilots' Grill.  At that point, I asked if anyone wanted to head back to the hotel for a break and everyone said no way, so on we went.  Our next stop was Grizzly River Run to get some Fast Passes.  Our Fast Pass time was actually really soon, so we did a little shoppin' and Logan got some cotton candy. Then it was time for the ride and what fun was that!!!  That may be my new favorite ride!  From there our soaked little bodies went to go see Minnie's Fly Girls Show and got to snap a picture with Minnie.  Our next stop was the Redwood Forest where Logan did the Redwood Creek Challenge Trail. Ariel's Undersea Adventure was next then Mike decided to take a break while Logan and I rode on Goofy's Sky School.  Next was the Pixar Play Parade.  We ended our day with Monsters Inc., Mike and Sulley to the Rescue! and Muppet*Vision 3D.  It was about 7:00pm at this point and we had been going since 8:00am, so we stopped for a quick bite on the way back to the hotel and then crashed!  It was a long, but fantastic day!

In the waiting area with our 3D bug goggles on waiting to see "It's Tough To Be a Bug".  Logan's very first Disney experience.

Logan on Tuck and Roll's Buggies...he was absolutely out to get me...little turkey!

Mike, Logan, and I posing in front of this California Street backdrop...it actually took me a minute to realize it was a backdrop.  That's right, I'm that good!

One of my most favorite pictures from the entire trip!  Pluto loved Logan and Logan loved Pluto!

It was so awesome seeing Lightning McQueen!  He even talked to us.

Luigi's Flying Tires was so fun...the boys did a great job moving us all around the ring.

Finally, it was time for Radiator Springs Racers...this was a phenomenal ride that took you on a drive that Sally and Lightning take when they go through the hills.  See the speakers in the car?  They were playing the same song that gets played during that part of the movie.  So cool!

Logan was so cute with Minnie...he was a little bit shy with her, but totally excited!

Waiting for the Pixar Parade to begin...we had this whole big area all to ourselves so Logan didn't miss a thing!

Just an example as to how big these floats were!

Downtown Disney 3.31.13

Once we settled in, we decided to walk over to Downtown Disney to look around and have some dinner.  The last time I was at Disneyland there was no Downtown Disney and of course Logan had never been, so Mike (who had been to Downtown Disney before) kind of led the way and showed us all around.  I was amazed at all the changes since I had last been to the area.  As we were walking around we came across a fantastic Disney store and while I was thinking about saving souvenir shopping to the last day, we couldn't help but pick up a few things.  :o)  Then we moved on to the LEGO store which totally blew my mind.  They had this great area outside the store where kids could build Lego cars and then race them.  So, of course, Logan had to participate in that.  Then we found this great Itailan restuarant to have some dinner at.  And while the dinner and sitting outside and such was great, the highlight was the guy walking around making balloon creations.  We saw him doing Spiderman, The Little Mermaid, Crush, etc.  So, when he got to our table I was thinking Logan was going to pick something amazing, because really this guy could do anything.  What does my little guy pick...a sword.  :o)  Not that there's anything wrong with that, but I think I could even do that!! ;o)  But then the guy made Logan a sword belt and a helmet as well!!!  Totally cool and a fantastic way to begin our trip!

We made it! 

 I let Logan pick out any Mickey ears he wanted...and I have to say I was surprised to see him pick out a pair from "The Nightmare Before Christmas" since he has never even seen that movie.  But, I think he really liked how badass he looked in them.  ;o)

 Logan's car is the one on the left...he won! 

 When we walked into the LEGO store and saw this huge LEGO Hulk we couldn't believe it!  And what were the odds that Logan was wearing his Hulk shirt?!?!?  It was great!

Logan wearing all his balloon business!