Family Vacation...Sunny Southern Cal!

We have recently returned from a fantastic

FaMilY VaCatIoN!
Of course, it couldn't count as a true Jacklin get-away
unless a sporting event was involved!
We had fun watching Cole play baseball in St. George...

and celebrating Halloween there as well!

Then we headed south to SUNNY CALIFORNIA!!
We had our best BEACH weather EVER!
Spent a few days at the HAPPIEST PLACE ON EARTH!
Had a great SURPRISE visit from some of the
"FABULOUS FIRTH FEMALES"!!
And even did some upscale shopping (well actually more like BROWSING!) in Beverly Hills!!
There were so many great memories and photos from this trip, I wasn't sure which ones to document. So, I asked each of the kids to pick 2 of their favorite photos and to tell me what THEIR favorite parts were...
here it comes!

ABBIE...

"I loved seeing Tigger and Pooh Bear. The teacups were fun! I liked walking through Sleeping Beauty's castle. I loved going on all the rides with everyone! Tower of Terror is freaky! I'm glad Leisa, Lindsey, Camber and Emily came too. I liked going to the beach and finding tons of seashells. I loved swimming at our hotel. Waiting in line for the princesses took too long. I love my Mickey Mouse necklace."

JANEY...

"I LOVED Disneyland! Screamin' and Splash Mountain were my favorite rides. I loved having Leisa and her girls surprising us in our hotel room! I liked watching the play at Disneyland with Mom and Lindsey, and meeting Cinderella after...even though she was a bit grumpy. I liked playing in the waves at the beach. I thought it was so cool to see all the dolls at the American Girl Store...I hope Santa brings me one!"

COLEMAN...

"Pluto Rocks! I loved ALL the rides, especially California Screamin' and Space Mountain. The beach was really cool too. And I liked seeing all the Disney Characters. The food was really good too, I loved eating at "In-n-Out Burger". Our hotel was cool and had good breakfasts. I also liked seeing Anaheim Stadium."

REED...

"This was a cool family vacation! I am so glad we were able to go. Disneyland is great...even though Buzz was a slacker and I never saw him to get my picture taken with him. I liked all of the rides. The new Toy Story ride is awesome! Coleman and I got to eat this huge turkey leg...it was awesome! The beach was a blast...I loved finding the sand crabs and bringing them back to our hotel in the pringles can! Our hotel was nice. Everything was great! I'm glad we got to go."

KAYCEE...

"Our trip was great! My favorite parts were going to the beach and catching the awesome sand crabs! Tower of Terror and California Screamin' were some of the best rides! It was fun to have Leisa and her girls surprise us and sneaking Lindsey on Splash Mountain! Shopping at the Grove was cool too. It was definitely worth missing a week of school for!"

DAD...

"Can't include Disneyland as the highlight...even though it wasn't crowded! I enjoyed watching our children play at the beach, and watching Shelley be so happy on this long awaited family vacation! It was great to get away from life and be together without any distractions for a few days!"

MOM...

"My favorite part of this family vacation is that EVERY aspect was incredible!! I wouldn't have changed a thing! I think my highlight was at the very end of our last day at Disneyland. Abbie had wanted to ride Dumbo the whole time and hadn't had the opportunity. There had been too many other attractions the older kids wanted to see and we had kept putting her off. As everyone was choosing their "LAST" ride Janey and I promised her we would go on Dumbo with her. Just as we were about to get on...here comes Kaycee, followed by Reed and Coleman jumping the gates and pushing their way through the line to come with us. 'We didn't want to miss the last ride with you Mom...we're coming too!'. It's little 'miracle mom moments' like that that make all the work of taking care of a family worth it!!

I also loved watching my little girls eyes as they wandered through the American Girl Store! And I loved that my dear husband was willing to drive through LA traffic to get us there!"

So with all that said...this one is going down as one of our best trips yet!

*Notable thought from Abbie: "Guess what Mom? I don't have to keep making the same wish on the first star at Grandpa's cabin...because we REALLY DID GO to Disneyland!!"