Disneyland as Summer Turns Into Fall

In 2010 we discovered a new favorite time to enjoy Disneyland...

The Stolen Summer Days of September!

 Kenneth was itching to use our Annual Passes again and planned this late summer visit to see our favorite California relatives and of course visit Mickey!

September weekends can be busy, especially once the Halloween Festivities begin as locals return to the parks.  But weekdays are pefect warm and sunny days to visit the park with low crowds.

  

If you have a DISNEY VISA CARD,

don't forget to get your

Disney Visa Rewards Free 5x7

in California Adventure

each day between 10-11:30am

Years ago we got some great photos wtih Mickey and friends in aloha shirts,

but these days they seem to rotate through Chip and Dale or Pluto.  

Sometimes they'll let you pick something else off your Photo Pass,

but you can't always count on it!  

So we have TONS of photos with Pluto!

And the best place to cool off

Grizzly River Rapids

The ride I desperately try to avoid in January,

 but realized is much more fun in the heat of summer!

(You WILL get wet!)

Yeah, water rides in February (our usual time to visit) aren't so great.  And on a day we knew we would be all about SOAKIN' we even let Awsumb wear his swimsuit,

Winnie the Pooh and

Giant Sucker Too!

(I realized my son was not a normal 8 year old

when he only took a taste of this sucker

 and decided that was enough)

Toy Story Mania

Yes, a perfect Summer Getaway

 at Disney's California Adventure...

And then one day you as you enter the park you realize

SUMMER HAS TURNED INTO FALL! 

Make sure to get a photo in front of

the big Mickey Pumpkin

at Disneyland Town Square

Including all the usual

Classic Disney Magic
such as Tinkerbell!

 Overnight landscapers turn the park into a

Disney Fall Festival

And the Disney Characters dress up for Halloween

Mickey and Pluto as Vampires!

Kenneth and Donald Duck 

Jack and Sally found by The Haunted Mansion,

which becomes all decked with

The Nightmare Before Christmas theme

Disney Villians finally come out to play,

such as Cruella Deville!

And don't forget Space Mountain's Ghost Galaxy

Which actually made me a little sick

 and may be too intense for young kids

Most of these photos are from our Photo Pass CD

The going rate is $60.  No need to preorder for Disneyland, but it is a better deal for Disney World.  If you plan on buying a CD get as many photo ops with Disney photographers as you can. Sometimes I just don't feel like carrying around my big camera.  You can combine photo pass cards, so it's best to have a couple in your party if you ever plan to be separated.  Great for families and group trips.  After your trip simply log in online, enter your Photo Pass ID numbers.  Then you can edit photos and add special Disney borders. It does take a week or so to receive the CD in the mail.

Disney Blues

There's nothing worse for the DisNerd than watching all your friends plan Disney trips.

(Insert sad picture of Kenneth here)

I admit it makes me nostalgic for Disneyland too! 

We answer questions and give some tips and live through your trip reports!  Say hi to Mickey for us!

So I apologize in advance for a few Disney Posts!

Totally Awsumb Indiana Jones

Pack up your gear!
 It's time for another exciting expedition! 
All this boy wanted for his 10th Birthday
 was a real leather jacket.
What mother could say no
 to a face as cute as this?

  Awsumb has been using this little notebook
 to keep track of Geocache Expeditions,
which for a 10 year old boy
 are an exciting archaeological expedition!

Check back in the next week to see pictures from the big

Indiana Jones Birthday Adventure! 

Because here at
AWSUMB EXPEDITIONS
 Adventure Is Just Around The Corner! 

 Showing off his shark tooth necklace
 from Auntie and Uncle,

who always send the perfect gifts! 

 And check out that cool
WWII MKVII Gas Mask Bag
(which I made! click above to learn more) 

It's not a purse, It's a satchel! 
Indiana Jones wears one!

 He about took out all the lights in the studio trying to get some whip shots!

 The Idol

 It's not the years, It's the MILEAGE!

It really has been fun to be a mother of 

The Most Totally Awsumb

little boy on the planet!

Special K Krispy Treats!

I have never really cared for Rice Krispies.  But I do like Special K and always have it in the house... so one day when I needed to take a quick treat somewhere I made these up and am now sharing my famous secret recipe with you!

Wendy's Special K Krispy Treats

Ingredients
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 package of jet puffed marshmallows (must be jet puffed!)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 6 cups Special K
• 1/2 package of Reese's Peanut Butter chips

1. Melt butter in saucepan over low heat. Add marshmallows and vanilla, stir until completely melted. Remove from heat.

2. Add Special K and Reese's Peanut Butter chips, stir until all coated and Peanut Butter chips melted.

3. Using buttered spatula or waxed paper, press mixture evenly into casserole

4. Cut into squares and serve with large glass of cold milk!

5. Try not to eat the entire pan, or hide all the evidence so your family doesn't get jealous!

Optional: Drizzle with chocolate as pictured above

How do you make Rice Krispies Treats?

Why Doesn't Winnie The Pooh Ever Get Stung By Hunny Bees?

I was stung by a bee the other night.  I have been stung before and knew the second it happened what it was.  it was the underside of my arm, which swelled so much that it wasn't until a couple days later I realized I also had 4 mosquito bites on the outside of that arm...  I have always relied on After Bite, which is basically ammonia to deal with mosquito bites. It stops the itch. This past couple years I have been having a more severe reaction to mosquito bites.  So I had recently picked up some Benadryl gel, which didn't seem to help much...  But Caladryl that really did the trick!  Soothes, stops any oozing, cool and calming, doesn't smell bad at all. I have bathed my arm in this stuff for a few days and it's doing much better!

This  wasn't the first time I was stung. The first time I was shopping in Fred Meyer with Kenneth. The bee was stuck in my finger and Kenneth wouldn't help me!  He just backed away insisting he was allergic ... thanks a lot Kenneth! 

Then a few years later when Awsumb was only about 6 months old I had been out shopping all day and come home to a warm house. I laid Awsumb on a blanket and opened some windows. We have these windows that open out, so you lift a flap on the screen, push the window out, then you have to shut the flap. We used to have these rhododendron brushes that wrapped around the side of the house and they were a a major attraction to all types of bees.  So I go upstairs to put away my goodies from shopping and then I noticed Awsumb making this funny sound.  I knew instantly what it was.. he was mimicking a the sound a bee would make if it was swarming around your head!  Remembering that Kenneth is supposed to be "deathly allergic"  I run downstairs to rescue him and find 3 bees swarming around his head and that stupid flap left open on the window screen. I shut the flap, run him upstairs and shut him in by bedroom.  Then I called Kenneth, who refused to come and help... "I'm allergic..."  OK so maybe he was in a meeting of something.. I'll give him the benefit of the doubt, but his friend Robert came to rescue us! 

I was able to chase one out the front door, kill a second and totally lost the third.  Needless to say all slept locked in our master bedroom.  In the morning I took Awsumb into his room to change him at the changing table and found a dead bee on the floor. 

 Awsumb 2002 - 6 months
with his Classic Pooh
from our dear friend Robert!

We saw the new Winnie the Pooh movie the other night.  (see Awsumb above with his little Pooh bear!)  I am so glad that at almost 10 he still loves simple things, such as Winnie the Pooh!  As as only child, Awsumb often plays alone.  Awsumb is a regular Christopher Robin, always exploring, making things up and usually accompanied by a "stuffy."

 So why doesn't Pooh every get stung anyway?  Maybe he just doesn't notice with all that fluffy stuffing?

A Totally Awsumb Baseball Birthday Party

Awsumb 2006

Happy 5th Birthday! 

Seatttle Mariner's Safeco Field

This party goes against my usual
kid's birthday party rule
 about not going to typical kid's party venues.
But it is a good reminder that
 there are much cooler places to go
if you are going to pay

for a Kids Birthday Party Place anyway.

 This wasn't really much more $
 than a Chuck E. Cheese party.

 The Birthday Package At Safeco Field includes:

 Stadium Tour - up to 20 people (we paid extra for about 30)

Including the Press Box, Locker Room, Field, Dugout,

and a Suite to serve lunch and birthday cake!

The Hardy family was so excited

when they heard about our plans

So, they all drove up from Utah

 including Gpa and Gma Awsumb.

As it was also Greg's birthday

(who is an Totally Awesome Uncle)

We also splurged and had the batting cage
 opened up for us under the stadium.

This was more for the adults
 so I brought a blow up pitching game
 for the kids to play during that time.

Awsumb and Greg in the Dug Out

The Locker Room

The Press Box 

The kids at the playground 

 Blow Up Catcher / Punching Bag

Sandwiches, chips, soda, cracker jacks

Baseball Donuts from Krispy Kreme 

The Stadium gave all the kids T-shirts, posters, a train,

And for the birthday boy a special bag of goodies
 including an Ichiro Bobble Head!

Because the Hardy family came to town
This party lasted all weekend...

If you have made up your mind to go to a kids party venue

 or have a lot of guests coming, start checking around.

All sorts of cool places have kids parties, museum's, etc.

Just be warned if you choose a extra special theme

be prepared for all your out of town family to show up!

We are glad the grandparents and cousins could share this day with Awsumb!

A Totally Awsumb Hot Wheel Birthday Party

Awsumb 2005

Happy 4th Birthday

Decor:

Cones, Race Flags,

Blue, Orange and Yellow Balloons

Each kid picked out a HOT WHEEL

At the time, Hot Wheels had this neat racer with a pull out track.
Including a push button motor start and finish flag to announce the winner.
 In the end the track would wrinkle up and became impossible to roll up properly.
It was a good idea while it lasted and worked fine for the party.

I set up the track and let kids race over and over again

until everyone won their own trophy
(I guess i didn't get any pictures of the trophy awards,
but you can see Awsumb wearing his below)

October Birthdays are always rainy here in the Northwest...

But, by some miracle there was no rain! 

So we could set up the Race Car Pinata in the yard.

CAKE!

And of course, you gotta get that classic picture of hte kids lined up on the couch.

Each kid went home with their choice of:

Hot Wheel, Race Flag, Trophy

and pockets full of candy.

A Simple, Fun Party!

Disclaimer:

 I usually coordinate Awsumb's Halloween costume

 with his Birthday Parties.

But, he was really Batman in 2005

 and the above Race Car photo is from 2006,
when he was 5 years old!

Because I like things "just so" this has always bothered me!

At the last minute,  Awsumb decided to wear

this cape I had made to his specifications. 

At the time he used to ask us to call him "Bruce"

 for Bruce Wayne and wanted to be dressed up

underneath so no one knew he was the 'real' Batman! LOL!