Our 1st stop was Manhattan Beach. We loved staying at the Manhattan Beach Marriott. Great location (close to the beach), restaurant and good pool for the kids.
This was eating breakfast at 9am. Can you believe how beautiful the weather was
Paisley and Roman loved the beach and playing in the sand. I couldn't believe it was January.
It was 70 degrees and perfectly clear.
The guys loved the water
And they are heading in
The ladies were happy collecting rocks, playing in the sand and dipping our feet in
This boy has my heart
Bathing Beauty
Met up with the Freas Family for swimming and dinner. Loved getting to spend some time with Scarlett and Macy (and their parents too)
Went to Uncle Bill's for breakfast which was AMAZING! Highly recommended.
Beach Day 2
Little Rascal
Water + Sand = Heaven for Roman
We loved being at the beach. There is something so peaceful and heavenly about the ocean. Got some good time for reflection and relaxation.
And now on to Disneyland!
Arrived at our hotel, The Paradise Pier
Roman took one look at the view from our room and I'm sure you can guess where he wanted to head next. This boy could live in the water.
Roman went down the waterside a dozen times.
My favorite spot, the hot tub
Headed to Downtown Disney for dinner and a little shopping. Of course had to head to Lego store.
Paisley's Favorite superhero was there...the Hulk
(I'm serious he is her fav. She loves Green)
Cheers!
Iron Man balloon at dinner. For anyone who doesn't know, Roman is OBSESSED with Iron Man. It is his 1st real obsession and is pretty funny. The balloon guy did a pretty impressive job with this one.
That night we watched the fireworks on our hotels patio. They pipe in the music from the show and it was magical. I LOVE Fireworks!
1st Stop: California Disney
Since we stayed at a Disney hotel, we got the Magic Early Morning. Never worth it for the summer, but in the winter the park opens later, so we loved the 9am entry. The park was empty both mornings and the park was actually peaceful.
Always our favorite ride, Toy Story Mania
Roman has always loved meeting the characters. Pluto is his favorite and he even carried around his stuffed Pluto all day. So when we saw his favorite dog, we couldn't wait to meet him. Paisley wants NOTHING to do with the characters. She stays at least 10 feet away at all times.
I had to share this pic since this was Main Street around noon. We have never been to Disneyland when it was so empty. It made all the difference. I think we will always come back in January.
This was the new virtual Iron Man exhibit where you get to "Suit Up" and become him. This was such a cool experience for Roman. It was magical to watch since it really is his dream to become Iron Man. Captured a great video of the whole experience.
In the Hall of Armors
Roman's favorite ride remains: The Haunted Mansion (went on 3 times)
Some love from Tigger
Mommy's favorite, Pooh Bear
Our goal was to get Paisley on Radiator Racers. Problem was she was only 39" and she needed to grow 1 more inch. We managed to make her a little taller and got her on the ride. You should have seen her face when she realized that she got on. It was priceless. She was so proud and the ride was awesome.
Where is Paisley? She is to the right of Jason.
We love Cars Land at Night
All packed up and ready for Day 2 at Disney
Our Princess P
They LOVE the teacups since they know their Dad does not. They always try and spin really fast.
Her favorite ride is always the Carousel
On our way out we ran into Donald (another fave of Roman's).
Disneyland was perfect! That isn't always the case, but the weather, lack of crowds and the kids ages all made it for a perfect trip. We weren't in a rush and just spent the 2 days at the park doing what we wanted to do. It was just what our family needed.
One of our all-time best family vacations. We loved the combo of the beach with Disneyland. We are very blessed to live so close to Southern California. We just love it there.
