Impromptu Vacation

10 Reasons Why I Am an Awesome Mom:

1. I married Greg, who is my partner in crime, and we conspired together and planned an entire vacation on a whim - about 3 days.  We waited until Sunday dinner to announce Disneyland, and instead of going home, we headed to St. George.
2. I loaded the car with movies, books on CD, and snacks, and the kids were very, VERY well behaved on the long drive.  They did so great that I promised them anything they wanted at Disneyland.  Macy walked away with a Princess necklace and a Princess Drawing Kit, while Austin picked out a Pirate's sword and gun.  
3. My most frequented ride at Disneyland was Winnie the Pooh, and I'm not complaining.  Every time the ride ended, Paige would clap and yell, "Yeah Poop!  Gen, Mommy, gen!"  Her eyes were so big and excited, so we walked around and rode the ride "gen" (again).
4. I made it almost an entire day (about 4:30 p.m.) until I said sternly, "Stop it right now or we're leaving and not coming back."  Not bad!
5. I stood in line for over an hour with a 4-year-old and a 1-year-old so Macy could hug Belle and Sleeping Beauty.  
6. I held my sobbing Macy while her taller brother and dad rode Indiana Jones and she had to sit on the sidelines.  But, we did ride Matterhorn and Space Mountain over and over again just for her.  
7. I allowed Macy to "live and learn" when she absolutely insisted on riding "Tower of Terror."  She broke into tears about halfway through the ride, and if you ask her about it now, she will adamantly insist that she hates it!
8. It was pretty warm, especially the 2nd day, so I allowed my kids to play in the fountain.  I think Paige was about two seconds to going all the way in.  They splashed and entertained themselves for a good 10 minutes.  
9. At the beach, I rolled my eyes and looked the other way while Paige bent over and took a bite of sand.  So gross!  She loves any dirt, sand, potting soil, etc.  I can't keep her away from it.  
10. I just sat on the sand and loved observing my kids relishing the "real" beach.  The water was freezing, but it didn't stop my little ones.  They giggled and screamed and splashed to their little hearts content.  We actually saw some dolphins at the beach!  It was so cool!

Paige: Waiting for Princesses, apparently chewing us out, and just checking her Voice Mail in-between rides.  

Paige chased the seagull around the entire beach calling, "Quack, quack" and making kissing noises with her mouth and beckoning her with her hand.  We do this with Molly (my sister's dog), so Paige just assumes that you do the same with every animal.  Hilarious!

We spent the rest of the week in St. George with our great friends.  It was so nice to just hang out with them and let our kids entertain each other.  Thanks for inviting us and being such incredible friends!