Spring Break 2022 - Newport Beach

Is there anything better than a good day at the beach...I really don't think there is.  We spent the second half of spring break at Newport Beach and it did not disappoint.  In fact, Ruby said that she liked the beach even better than Disneyland.  As we were driving one day, Luke said that he couldn't even remember what our life was like back at home, and for a moment, neither could I.  Seems like a pretty great vacation when you can completely lose track of reality.  

These little beach babies love playing in the waves almost as much as they love digging in the sand.  I couldn't believe how brave and confident they have become in the water.  I always forget how cold the pacific is, and couldn't believe how long the kids could stay in the water and play.  I did get in for awhile and play, but was perfectly content in my chair on the sand, soaking in the sun.  A few days at the beach was the perfect way to end our vacation.

We ran and biked along the ocean path,

The people, the sights, the sounds...all of it are my favorite.

Our hotel had a rooftop deck which was the best place to hang out.

I'm still thinking about that acai bowl.

Spring Break 2022 - Disneyland

Our last trip to Disneyland was in Feb/March of 2020 - you know, the "before".  While we were there we heard rumblings of a new virus, but didn't really think much about it other than to maybe wash our hands a few extra times.  A week and a half after we got home, Disneyland and the rest of the world shut down, and life changed dramatically for everyone.  After a lot of canceled plans, high stress, and a world of unknowns, it felt really good to get back to such a happy place for Spring Break.  Tim and I wondered if the kids would be as much fun since it feels like they have grown up so much lately - turns out, they were even more fun.  They are both still very amazed by the magic of it all, but now they are big enough to go on all of the big rides, and are just so much fun to be with.  We rode all of the rides that we were interested in, and had plenty of time to go back again for our favorites.  Luke's favorite rides were Soarin Over California, Indiana Jones, Space Mountain, Spider Man and Guardians of the Galaxy.  And Ruby's favorite rides....she said "all of them".  

The trip wasn't perfect - but the negatives were minimal and only slowed us down a little bit.  For some reason, we had a tough time keeping track of our belongings and lost Luke's BYU hat, Ruby's wrist brace, Tim's phone, and Air Tag, and Tim's Air Pods.  Luckily we found the phone and the Air Pods, but everything else was left behind in California.   Also, during the few days that we were there, Southern California experienced a total heat wave.  The first day was ok, but the next two the temperature got up to 95 and 102.  It was almost impossible to keep everyone cool and hydrated - even with lots of gatorade and Dole Whips.  Luke ended up getting a migraine, which was so sad,  but even with the heat, we still managed to have such an awesome time at the parks.  Each trip has been so different, but honestly, this might have been my very favorite Disney trip that we have ever taken.  

For our first day, we headed straight to the Magic Kingdom

The Indiana Jones ride was a new one for the kids and they loved it!  They begged for their own hat and whip and have had so much fun creating their own adventures as Indiana and Indy Jones.  

We almost had a gluten mishap with the peanut brittle...

Thankfully, I didn't get sick.

It's a Small World will forever be one of my favorite rides!

The boys didn't want to ride Dumbo, but Ruby and I loved it.

And this was the moment when my heart completely melted.

I'm pretty sure we crashed the Millennium Falcon, but gosh we had fun on the ride.

After a quick rest and recharge, we were all ready for California Adventures

The new Spiderman ride was "amazing"!

We were all in on the Guardians of the Galaxy ride.

Somehow Cars Land always feels just a little extra magical.

The Incredicoaster makes me so so sick, but it's completely worth it.

Our goal for the last day at Disneyland was to stay cool - that and find all of our favorite treats.  We definitely had more success with the treats.

We were all pretty sad that Pirates of the Caribbean was closed. 

We spent a lot of time soaking in the magic of Star Wars

We ended the day at the Tikki Room - hot, tired, and Luke nursing a migraine, 

But still so sad to say goodbye.