Disneyland Vacation

Next we headed to Disnleyland!  Thursday night we checked out Downtown Disney, ate at Rainforest Cafe and got an early souvineer at the biggest Disney store ever.  The next day we got to the park when it opened, and stayed until 10:30pm!  The kids loved every minute of it.  There was a perfectly timed nap when we had to save a shady parade watching spot anyway and everything was great.  Liberty only disliked one ride - Snow White - she just simply told me she didn't like it after she rode it.  Her favorites were Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, a rollercoaster she got to ride twice (once with me and once with Cam), the Radiator Springs Car ride at Cali. Adventure, and she really liked meeting the 3 princesses and the parade was AMAZING.  I didn't realize how close we'd be to everything - high fiving all the characters and having Cinderella catch the kisses Liberty was blowing her.  We ate 2 awesome meals and had 2 awesome snacks (dole whip!).  Henry really liked dancing at the Tiki Room show and he enjoyed every ride (teacups, small world, pirates of the Caribbean).  We actually rode 16 rides that day! WHEW!  After watching the Fantasmic show and Fireworks we decided to expand our trip and get a ticket to do California Adventure the next day.  So we headed back to the hotel and let them sleep in, loaded up, checked out of the hotel and went to play at California Adventure until 6pm!  Highlights at California adventure included an Undersea Ariel adventure ride and a Soaring Over California ride - and again the PARADES are just amazing.  One of my favorite parts was the parades and watching my kids faces. Then we gassed up, got McDonalds and drove all the way home - they were both asleep by 7 and slept the entire way. Memories to last a lifetime.  It was a wonderful vacation and the Gates were the ideal Disneyland guides since they've been the park 50+ times!  What great company they were, this trip couldn't have gone better.

My own notes:
DISNEYLAND - 16 rides, 3 shows/parades, 5 characters, 3 meals, 2 snacks = 22 things
Met Mini Mouse, Peter Pan ride, Carosel, Snow White, Tea Cups, Castle Boat Cruise, Thunder Mountain, LUNCH - corn dogs, Tiki Room, SNACK - dole whip, Jungle Cruise, Pirates of Caribbean, NAP - Parade, men Indiana Jones, Parade, Princess Meet and Greet, Small World, Met Mikey Mouse, Thunder Mountain Railway Again, DINNER - fried chicken, Buzz Lightyear, Fantasmic show, Fireworks, Star Tours.  9am-10:30pm
CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE - 10 rides, 1 show/parade, 1 meal = 12 things
Toy Story, Goofy Rollercoaster, Ariel, Soaring over CA, LUNCH - Chinese, Monsters Inc., Crush Turtle, Carousel, SNACK - coffee, Ariel, Radiator Springs x 2!!, Parade. 9:30am-6pm

Catalina Island Vacation

We drove on Memorial Day to Long Beach, CA to catch a ferry to the lovely Catalina Island!  We were traveling with our good friends Maria and Scott Gates, and their kids Kinley and Emery.  We rented an amazing house with unbelievable views (71 stairs to our door however) and were able to cookout, make glorious breakfast meals and enjoy cocktails on the deck after kids went to bed.  We spent 3 nights on the island and it was truly a great fun and relaxing trip.  The first day we spent at a private beach on our chaise lounges, ate ice cream and walked around this quaint town.  The second day we toured the historical casino and did paddleboats.  The third day the kids spent more time playing on the beach and we watched them and couldn't believe this is our life - surrounded by such joy.  On the hour long ferry ride back to mainland the boat was slowed so we could gather and watch 50+ dolphins play in the waves of our boat!  Then we headed to our hotel in Anaheim to continue the fun with the Gates family - as they showed us the ropes at their beloved DISNEYLAND!

Wyatt Family Reunion in Maryland

I don't have the energy to write about this amazing trip - or to edit down the 200+ pictures.  It was very very special - to ride on an airplane across the country with both kiddos, to vacation with super-grandparents, to meet so many extended family members, to sightsee in Washington DC and Frederick MD...I've been a Wyatt for 8 years and a part of this family for 12 years...to say I love them is a huge understatement.  It was a great reunion and some nice quality time making Wyatt memories at the family farm.  Bonus - I got to see MY mom's only 3 cousins - so I got in a mini Wheeler/Brodar/Winter reunion too!

COLORADO VACATION - Road Trip 2013

We broke in the new minivan by driving almost 2,000 miles for a week long adventure in Colorado.  First we spent 1 night in Flagstaff to visit with Grandma Jo (Grandpa was rafting the Colorado River).  Then, we drove about 6 hours to Durango, CO and stayed 4 nights with our friends Molly and Josh and their 10 month old Brooklyn.  We rode a steam powered train to Silverton, took a day trip to Pagosa Springs to enjoy the hot springs along the river and bopped around historic downtown Durango.  Then we took another 6 hour drive to just outside Denver to where Molly and Josh live and stayed with them for 2 more nights.  We celebrated the 4th of July with them and saw some fireworks from the view on their deck way up in the mountains of Evergreen. We visited the Denver Aquarium, ate ice cream and shopped in Boulder, CO.  Saturday we ventured the 13 hour drive back and everyone did awesome - dressed in PJs for the car ride at a dinner stop in Kayenta and went right to sleep when we got home!  It was so nice to see my best friend from 5th grade and to vacation with 75* temps!

325 pics/vids ahead.....

Babymoon to Sedona

Cameron and I took a romantic getaway to Sedona this weekend. Two nights away from Liberty - which hasn't happened since she was 8 months old!  She's usually our road trip sidekick - but this time my mom (Mom-Mom to Liberty) babysat her and she did great.  We left at 3pm on Friday and returned 2pm on Sunday and had such a good time relaxing in Sedona and pigging out as usual.  We took a day-trip babymoon to Sedona when pregnant with Liberty so it was fun to go down memory lane and talk about our growing family.  Sedona is such a special place to us - way back to dating, celebrating the evening we got engaged 8 years ago and more.

We had a grown up dinner when we arrived at ENCHANTMENT RESORT and enjoyed the heck out of that resort.  The next day was dictated by meals:)
Breakfast at Che ah chi at the Resort (privious night dinner spot)
Lunch at L'Auberge resort - I've always wanted to eat creekside there!
Dinner at Elote Cafe - the local favorite that has a line out the door prior to opening at 5 - we got in, barely.
Dessert at Cucina Rustica - our usual dinner spot, we at least had to visit for a quick stop.
Then, a surprise STARGAZING adventure Cameron planned - with an astronomer and a telescope, and the most starry filled sky I've ever seen. Best husband in the galaxy;)
The next day we headed to the Anthem Outlets for some shopping and then to Barrio Cafe for lunch in Phoenix (another local, no reservations, hotspot I've been wanting to experience for ages).

Then back to my beautiful baby girl.  THANKS MOM for making this memorable trip possible.

Pinetop Tournament 2012

Each year we go to Pinetop to remember my Uncle Willie and have a memorial golf tournament. And every year it rains. No big deal - except this year it rained out the golf game - when some had only played a few holes. It was still a fun weekend of a dinner on Friday night, Saturday golf (lunch for non-golfers), and an after party cookout at my parents rented cabin. This year was especially fun because we shared a rented cabin with the Helsels and the cousins bonded. Most of my extended family comes and we see them for the afterparty which this year involved lots of toys and Liberty playing (mostly) unsupervised for a few hours - which was a peek of what is to come with older kids. All MY cousins were there (9) and some of them are young enough to play with Libs or adopt her as their special buddy.

VACATION! San Diego, CA

Day 1 - dealt with 3 puke stops (car ride from hell). Poor sick Liberty. Hello Lawrence Welk Resort, Escondido!
Day 2 - San Diego Harbor Cruise and Theatre Date Night (Late Night Catechism)
Day 3 - Sea World! and Theatre Date Night (Beatles Experience)
Day 4 - Beach! Luau dinner at Resort
Day 5 - Pools! - 4th of July - down day
Day 6 - Legoland!
Day 7 - Pools! - Cabana - sparklers
Day 8 - Bye Lawrence Welk Resort

 When I asked Liberty today about her favorite parts of the vacation she had this to say: "Ummmmm....feeding the sting rays"
"Building a car with daddy"
"Playing in the sand"
"Don't like roller coasters, too scary"

Liberty had a 24 hour stomach bug that made for some memorable moments for Cameron and I (that we'll keep to ourselves, thank us later). My parents were generous enough to share their beautiful 2 bedroom timeshare and show us a quality vacation. Liberty loved having Mom-mom and Pipa around - mainly to have more people to survey with question after question:
"Mom-mom, what's your favorite color?"
"Pipa, what's your favorite musical instrument?"
"Daddy, what's your favorite fruit?"
"Mommy, what's your favorite part of vacation?"

Oh and for the record her answers are blue, the flute, watermelon and feeding the sting rays. Thanks mom and dad for the special vacation to beautiful California - we love you!

216 photos ahead: click to cruise at your own pace...

VACATION! Santa Fe, NM

We took a road trip to Santa Fe, New Mexico. It was an 8 hour drive there so we broke it up by going to Flagstaff for one night. Then we spent the other three nights in a condo in downtown Santa Fe with our friends Carrie and Paul. We toured 2 historic Catholic churches, ate out almost every meal, took a day trip to Taos and explored the town's history, culture, food and art. Liberty's souvenir was several rocks for her new rock collection. I got some beautiful green turquoise, Navajo handmade earrings. Cameron got a history bus tour:) Liberty had ZERO accidents and told us every time she needed to pee/poop - which was usually 30 min. after pregnant lady needed to pee - so we made a lot of stops but we were still very proud of her. We stopped back by Flagstaff for dinner on the way back to say hi to some family.

San Francisco 2011

Each October we head over to SF to visit Cameron's Granddad and Uncle Thom. Last year Liberty was 6 months and took her first plane ride, and now she was 18 months and got the biggest kick out of flying in an airplane! Thom and Derek hosted us in their beautiful new home with a TAKE YOUR BREATH AWAY view. It was also Fleet Week so the Blue Angels were flying around the city - so we spent a lot of time on the deck watching that. In addition to visiting Granddad and Thom, ANDY lives in SF now so we were SO HAPPY to see him. Liberty has a special fondness for her Uncle Andy and he picked us up from the airport and drove us all around the city. Grandma Jo and Grandpa Ted came out too!! We ate out, went to the Farmers Market at the ferry building, visited the sea lions at Pier 39, ate at House of Nanking, watched the air show, visited Granddad and had many meals with him. It was so nice having the 4 generations together. Liberty had a blast (minus the stomach bug that had her a little puky at 1am each night) but we love San Francisco and our family so it was a wonderful trip.

Pinetop Getaway with the Wyatts

We had a belated Labor Day getaway up to the White Mountains. We enjoyed the family cabin and invited Grandma Jo and Grandpa Ted along. We walked around Fools Hollow Lake, played at the park, rode the ATV, had an Alaskan Salmon dinner courtesy of Aunt Jane catching salmon/halibut for us!, and enjoyed the 75 degree weather and rain storms. Grandma brought Liberty an Elmo doll (her #1 favorite thing) so that was exciting. It was a great time together!

Pinetop Golf Tournament 2011

Each year in July we go to Pinetop to remember my Uncle Willie and see all his family/friends at a memorial golf tournament. My cousins Natalie and Robby are growing up so fast and I love that Natalie is a mini-Angie and Robby is a mini-Willie. This year we rented a cabin with my parents and Kelly/Doug/Charlie. It was great to be in Pinetop again and see the *almost* entire extended family. My camera didn't have any battery left so Kelly was nice enough to let me play paparazzi with her camera - man we've got cute kids!

UTAH VACATION!! Zion National Park and Park City!

While attending a charity auction for Maggie's Place we purchased a 6 night vacation package to Park City UT that included passes to the Olympic Park to do zip-lines, slides, ski jump show, and a bobsled ride. We stayed in a 4 bedroom townhouse with our good friends Carrie and Paul, the ideal travel partners. We were walking distance to Main St. and the townhouse is a ski-in-ski-out house on the mountain. It was a beautiful 75 degrees in Park City. We decided to drive the Prius to Park City (12 hours!) so we tacked on a 2 night stay in Springdale, UT at the entrance of Zion National Park. One of my favorite things to do is pre-plan trips and I must say all my research really served us well in Zion. The hotel was PERFECT, we had the best meals, and the 2 hikes we took were ideal for us. The usually hot 95 degree weather in Zion cooled down to a beautiful 75* for us! We spent a night with Cameron's parents in Flagstaff (2.5 hour drive), celebrated Father's day a little early, drove 5 hours to Zion, then drove 5.5 hours to Park City. On the way home we drove the entire 12 hour drive straight, making it 14 hours with stops. Liberty was happy as a clam the whole time (except 1 particular 15 min cry). My secret new toy/book bag came in handy, and I also credit our success to pringle chips, camelback water bottle, matchbox cars and daddy's watch. Truthfully, Liberty had a blast and we had the time of our life sharing this vacation with her.

ZION NATIONAL PARK:


PARK CITY:

San Francisco Family Trip

Liberty took her first plane ride to San Francisco! Liberty got to meet her Great Granddad before his hip replacement surgery. The bionic GGdad is going strong! We love visiting San Francisco - staying with Uncle Thom is always a highlight. We also visited during Fleet Week so we went over to Crissy Field to watch the Air Show and Blue Angels preform. We got to hang out with Andy who has moved to Walnut Creek right outside of SF...we miss him alot. Liberty loves her Uncle Andy:) Grandma Jo and Grandpa Ted even watched Liberty so I could go into the city and ride cable cars to my hearts desire. Liberty traveled well and has zero 'stranger anxiety' yet - so she just lights up when she sees new faces. She was great on the plane despite a 2 hour delay returning home. However she is very into 'shouting' with her high pitched voice for the fun of it. So I can't say she was a total angel on the plane - but passengers thought it was amusing/cute.

Grandma Jo and Grandpa Ted = LOVE!

Don't you just love this picture of Liberty with her adoring Wyatt Grandparents? She had a ball with them in San Francisco - more pictures to come soon:)

Pinetop Golf Tournament

Each July my entire family gets together for a memorial golf tournament in remembrance of my Uncle Willie. While we don't golf, we still like to see all my 8 (soon to be 9) cousins, and other relatives we don't see very often. Our nephew Charlie was adorable and Liberty made her debut. Plus it always rains and that's a nice change of pace. This was our first overnight trip with Liberty - she napped for the 3 hour car ride to Pinetop and back, and continued to sleep through the night. What an angel:)

Day Trip with my Valentine

We took a day trip to Jerome and Sedona to celebrate Valentine's Day and probably our last fancy dinner out for awhile. The Doctors encourage us to stay close to home now since labor is on the horizon. In a last minute attempt to get out and see the sites of Arizona (just as a couple) we made plans to have lunch at The Asylum in the historic mining town of Jerome, AZ and to have dinner at our favorite restaurant Cucina Rustica in Sedona. The Asylum is Senator John McCain's favorite place and I had never been to Jerome before. It was fun to walk around and shop the hilly town. We then went to Sedona and took a few scenic drives to Red Rock Crossing, Chapel of the Holy Cross and down by the creek to check out L'auberge de Sedona. We shopped at the outlets where mom, dad and Liberty all got a new outfit. It was a beautiful day spent with the windows and sunroof open. Dinner at Cucina Rustica was special as usual with the love of my life!

Westin Resort Staycation

Our friends Samineh and Josh invited us to enjoy a weekend at the Westin in Scottsdale. Our mutual friends Kelly and Ben also spent the weekend as we played tourist in Scottsdale. The weekend was full of relaxing by the pool or in the lazy river, cheering Cameron during a watermelon eating contest, a 4 course dinner at White Chocolate Grill, and some disc golf for the guys.

Boston Vacation - July 4th

We vacationed to Boston, MA for Independence Day. We took a culinary tour of North End (little Italy), saw all the sites on the Freedom Trail and attended the Boston Pops Spectacular Firework celebrations with guest performer Neil Diamond. Our hotel was a converted historic firestation in Cambridge. We spent most of the trip at historical sites, enjoying the 75 degree weather in Boston's parks, and dining at all the best resturaunts known to locals. There are 250 pictures on this slideshow.

To view thumbnails of all the pictures you can click the slideshow and then select VIEW ALL to glance through them.