The Artificial Reward

Since there was no pot of gold at the end of our hike up Mount Fuji we decided that the boys needed an artificial reward and the girls for being drug along for the ride.  So we ended up at Tokyo Disney.  I had always planned on our first trip to Disney of doing something really cool to surprise the kids and film their reaction.  Well, I lost that mommy moment.  But, we had fun...

By the way this was Jason's first experience and he has graduated from kid to grumpy old man.

I am starting to think part of his dental decorations should consist of office signs.  Could be cool.

As we entered the park we caught a glimpse of Winnie the Pooh and Tennyson became immediately obsessed.  I don't think she has even  seen the cartoon.  So, Jason (in one of his many - not grumpy old man moods) decided to take her in the Pooh store and she went nuts.  She sleeps with Pooh every nap time and night.  I think you can see that Daddy likes making his girls happy!

In the morning we hung out as a family (that included our friends), we rode some rides.  Charlotte was tall enough for some of the big rides.  So I took her on Thunder Mountain.  She did pretty good until one of the dark parts when you get jerked around a bit.  It was a tad bit too intense for her.  I was proud of her, she did great.  We just need to get Jason into rides.

When you are at Tokyo Disney with  American kids, be careful where you feed them.  1.  It is expensive (I think lunch was $60), and 2. Some Japanese food is better than others.  We checked out a few and then thought we had found a decent one, but hamburger was really hamburger steak slathered in sauce.  No one was thrilled. 

After lunch our friends took the boys to do some of the more adventurous rides and we took the girls to the girly stuff.  It was so much fun.  I am looking forward to taking them again when Tennyson is a little older and maybe even doing the whole princess thing.

One of my favorites that we met was Mary Poppins.  All of the characters were very nice and stayed true to their character.  It was fun to watch the princesses arm movements.  I love how Mary Poppins keeps her heels together when she is standing.  We saw Mary Poppins twice and she remembered Charlotte and her name.

The girls loved the Merry Go Round, but then again our family has a thing for horses.

Tennyson has seen the Dumbo movie and had fun on the Dumbo ride.  We almost missed it because you have to be awake to ride the ride.  Tennyson had fallen asleep on my shoulder in line and didn't want to wake up.

A few of the other characters we saw.

Grahm wanted to go on the Teacups (he likes to get dizzy like his momma).  So we ran off and Charlotte decided to join us.  Neither one of them got sick and I had it going pretty fast, their heads were rolling.

We all met up for a few more rides and dinner.  For dinner I hunted down American food (I know boring, but I wanted my money eaten and not trashed).  Tomorrowland has yummy burgers and fries.  The burger has a different kind of sauce on it, but it was still yummy.  The girls loved the Mickey Mouse shaped chicken nuggets.

The boys loved Space Mountain and had to drag Jason back for one more ride.  I missed being with them to see them experience it all, but they didn't have to hang out with any princesses.

We watched 2 parades.  One during the day and the other at night.  It was fun to see and there was so much more to do.  It was super nice to be in Japan and not have to panic if I lost sight of one of them for a sec and to leave your bags in your stroller while you go on rides and no one is going to steal anything.  In fact they are always rearranging the strollers outside of rides to keep the parking nice and tight (valet parking for strollers).  One time our drinks ended up spilled and they were offering to get us another one.  Super nice, we didn't have them replace them - we left them on the foot rest of the stroller.

We had to tell Tennyson that Pooh and Tinker Bell (her other new obsession) had to go nu-nite so she would leave with out a fight

Traveling on Honshu

While we were on Honshu we decided to see a few things and were able to use the public transportation there.  It is super easy and everyone is very helpful.

This is some of the country side we were able to see as we sped along.  It is beautiful, even when it is misty and foggy.

Here we are in the Subway with all our luggage.  We are almost to the hotel and so glad to be almost done.

At most of our stops we had to change lines, which would mean a few flights of stairs (sometimes there would be an elevator handy - but not big enough for all of us).  We were all beat by the time we made it to the hotel in Tokyo.

Traveling without luggage and without hiking sticks is much easier, especially during the morning rush.

On our walk to the hotel we saw this dentist and we couldn't resist a picture.  This would be fun to see in the office one day.

Here we are outside the hotel after dinner.  The kids loved the fountain and its ever changing colors.

We were super lucky and made it out on our first attempt, so lucky.  We had to get everyone up at 4am to make the 2 hour train ride to the military base and then no taxis are allowed on base so we had to walk with luggage and kids all the way to the terminal (I am guessing about a mile, Jason can correct me later).

Summer Vacation - Post 2: Camping in Malad (B)

We only camped for one night - but we sure took tons of pictures (maybe to help get us through the next while of no mountains, wildlife or camping like we know).

Camping is not all fun.  Gathering some kindling for the boys second night.  That's right, they sent all of us girls home and the boys stayed for another night.  The did more hiking and campfire story telling (be warned - my boys like to tell stories.  The make them up and will recount entire movies or books to you.  I think Grandpa wont need to read The Last Olympian, book 1).

At one point on their hike, Grandpa and Jayce opted to head back to camp.  This left Dad and Grahm to reach the summit alone and Grahm did it.

Our Summer Vacation in 3 Posts: Post 1 - Smithfield

We spent just over a week in Smithfield with the Geary's.  They spoiled us rotten.  We enjoyed yummy food (the best fruit leather - ever, and more).  The kids were entertained by cousins and Grandma (it was a nice break for me, a little relaxing after all that packing).  Here are some highlights:

Splashing in the backyard

A little too cold for my chicks!

Big Brothers are so thoughtless, splashing in the pool!

While digging in the orchard, we found water snakes.  We called the kids over to see and catch them.  Grahm - never having any exposure to living snakes was like a kid in a candy shop - NO HESITATION!  Scarry! (look closely at the picture - his smile says it all)

Of course if you catch a water snake you need to take it swimming.  This was one patient water snake - the second one we caught did not enjoy the attention as much.

Jayce says he wants a pet snake, but he had the sense to be a little hesitant about grabbing one.  He hated the feeling of holding it in one hand, the snake wrapped around his arm.  We told him to use both hands - then it was tolerable (not enjoyable).

Grandma loves her grandkids!

I am pretty sure Charlotte almost forgot how to walk during our stay.  Thanks Jenny and Stacey for taking such good care of them.

Jason and I gifted his parents with several new additions to their orchard!  It kept Jason out of trouble for a little while.

The whole crew working on planting! (Jason, Dennis, and Shane).

He is so sexy when he works hard!

Camera Dodging (I think he has extra eyes that alert him when the camera is pointed in his direction).

Celebrating the 4th of July!

They love art!  Thanks Grandma for making Mom chill and let us get messy!

Painting Percy Jackson pictures (Minotaur and Cyclopes).