Well, dear readers...we have, again, wrapped up our yearly pilgrimage. This year was so special. A double celebration of Isaiah's 11th birthday and Jessica's successful completion of cancer treatment. We felt blessed (just about) every moment we were there. Healthy kids, healthy parents, love and a big bunch of fun!
Having his two cousin-brothers there changed the experience for Isaiah in such a great way...he loved having that constant kid-connection throughout the week. I really appreciated having Jess there documenting with pictures and encouraging the boys to document in their journals. She's so amazing! Will maintained such a great attitude and showed immense patience through all of the chaos. He really loved being with family. In the last year, the Steinbergs have grown even closer and showed what "family" really means. I'm proud to be one!
And now, as promised, we'll reveal the stories behind our mystery list:
"Did I take Advil?"-let's just say that there are remnants of chemo-brain and Jess had trouble remembering when she had/had not taken Advil, where her phone might be and various other funny moments.
"Do you think this ride will make my wig fly off?" - I'll assume this one is fairly self-explanatory. Jess has kept such a sense of humor about her follicular challenges...it's funny and inspiring.
"Splash Mountain"- the "Jess did it" t-shirts met with all kinds of awesome questions and reactions. At one point, we were getting on a ride and the cast member running the ride asked, "What did Jess do?" which Jess heard as "What did you JUST do?" so she proudly states, "Splash Mountain!". At about the same moment I said, "This is Jess! She just finished cancer treatment." The poor guy looked so confused.
"Disneyland is not conducive to battling." - the boys wanted to bring their new pirate swords into the park. In trying to explain why that might not work out, I uttered the above.
"Who has decision rights?" a.k.a "Decision rights...."- every time the kids wanted to "debate" napping or our next move, Will would say "Decision rights..." and the kids would button it. He said it a lot.
"You are addicted to the concierge level!"- Nate's admonishment to his mom after so many trips up for tea, snacks, appetizers, "crustables" and coffee. She's even threatened to have a concierge level installed at their house.
"5-minute wait, BAM!"- You get it...a 5 minute wait rules.
"Stupid or awesome?" - Of all our trip quotables, Jess felt that it was heavy on the "Jessica's blond wig quotes". She said, "Why are all of my quotes stupid?". I fired back, "Stupid or awesome?". BAM
and...last but not least...
Pete - "I have to go potty..." Will - "Seriously?!" - A regular refrain every 30ish minutes. Love you, Petey Pete!!
I will post an album of pics soon. Thanks readers - until Hawaii in May! J
Sunday, December 18, 2011
Saturday, December 17, 2011
Day 4? I'm so tired...
Fulfilling Isaiah's birthday request, we closed down the park (midnight). The adults resembled the walking dead by the time we trudged the mile+ back to the hotel.
There was some mild meltdown by the youngest member of our party but nothing insurmountable. Overall, it was a long, fun day! Isaiah said it was his favorite birthday so far.
The Sansone clan has been such a welcome addition to the mix. Isaiah has absolutely loved having his cousins here. What a treat for all of us!
I'll write more and post pictures this afternoon.
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Friday, December 16, 2011
Jessica's very odd breakfast plate...brie, grapes, caprese salad and a lemon bar.
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Thursday, December 15, 2011
Day 3: A Mystery Blog
A list about which you will find out later:
- "Did I take Advil?"
- "Do you think this ride will make my wig fly off?"
- "Splash Mountain"
- "Disneyland is not condusive to battling."
- "Stupid or awesome?"
- "Who has decision rights?" a.k.a "Decision rights...."
- "You are addicted to the concierge level!"
- "5-minute wait, BAM!"
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Day Two: Drama!
OK people... we just got back to the room... it's 11pm... we're getting up at 6 am. No blog for you!!!
Some pics to tide you over...
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Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Day one...a whirlwind!
We landed safely in Orange County and had a happy, unexpected surprise waiting at the gate. Our niece Prenna and her mom had just spent a few days at Disneyland and were waiting to board our plane going back to Portland! We got to give that sweet girl a squeeze and hear all about her Disney adventures.
We said our goodbyes and headed to baggage claim. Isaiah, who can't keep a secret apparently, had spilled the beans to his cousins about our surprise transportation. Jess didn't know though so her face when the limo drove up was priceless! The boys took to high rollin' with surprising ease.
Once we arrived at the Disneyland hotel, we were all business. We checked into our adjoining rooms, did a small bit of discovery work and then headed out the door to the park. A few highlights:
* The Sansone boys' first ride on Splash Mountain (and the ridiculously awesome resulting picture).
* Pete's giddy joy at being tall enough to ride Indiana Jones.
* Fireworks and snow falling on Main Street.
* Will falling asleep during Muppets 3-D.
* Jess's hysterical screaming on Tower of Terror.
* Wrapping up the night in the concierge lounge with sweet, sleepy boys writing in their travel journals.
So far, pretty awesome... wishing grandma Jackie was here but we'll visit the corndog stand tomorrow in her honor.
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Airport musings
We made it through security! Thanks to Will's status, we got to use the "short line".
The boys are amusing themselves travelling the moving sidewalk next to our gate. They are sooo excited!
We've already had many questions about our killer shirts (thanks to Will and a super creative Nike designer).
We are READY!!
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Monday, December 12, 2011
It's that time again...
Hey readers...long time, no blog! Our annual Disneyland trip kicks off tomorrow...are you ready??
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Hawaii - Last Day
Well...as Mary Poppins would say, "Enough is as good as a feast." We have done so many wonderful things in our time here. We spent the early afternoon in Waikiki, taking in some super-touristy fun. We played on the beach...Isaiah was in heaven.
We headed back to the resort for some late afternoon pool time and now we're packing before heading over to the Ihilani resort for some Japanese food.
We are sad to be leaving here but honestly, we have some pretty serious family business awaiting us at home. Mom's sister Colleen is gravely ill. Our hearts are heavy for her son, daughter and grandchildren.
We promise to post more pictures once we get home! Thanks for following along, kids!
We headed back to the resort for some late afternoon pool time and now we're packing before heading over to the Ihilani resort for some Japanese food.
We are sad to be leaving here but honestly, we have some pretty serious family business awaiting us at home. Mom's sister Colleen is gravely ill. Our hearts are heavy for her son, daughter and grandchildren.
We promise to post more pictures once we get home! Thanks for following along, kids!
Friday, May 27, 2011
Hawaii - Day Two
Well, readers...life in paradise does not disappoint. We are still adjusting to the time change so we were all up at 6 AM. While it felt odd (well, for most of us it did...WILL) we did feel very accomplished to have eaten breakfast, been in the hot tub, played at the ocean - - all before 8 AM. Pretty good. And Will...who's always an overachiever, played 18 holes of golf before 10.
We spent most of the day on the North Shore...watching surfers and blissfully enjoying our Matsumoto's shave ice - - with ice cream in the bottom, of course! It was awesome! We stopped at the Dole Plantation on the way out there...really cool!
Isn't he a cool dude? :)
We spent most of the day on the North Shore...watching surfers and blissfully enjoying our Matsumoto's shave ice - - with ice cream in the bottom, of course! It was awesome! We stopped at the Dole Plantation on the way out there...really cool!
After a late afternoon stop at the pool, we headed down a couple hotels to a really nice luau - the Paradise Cove! There were some beautiful performers and great food - - all enjoyed in the glow of a beautiful sunset. There was a sprinkle of rain and we were tired by 8 but it was worth it.
And now...we crash...with the ocean lulling us into our blissful slumber.
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Hawaii Trip Day One
Well, readers...other than an extremely long flight (mostly for the youngest member of our party) our trip has gone rather perfectly so far! The Honolulu airport is just plain beautiful...all the indoor/outdoor areas were a perfect transition from rainy Portland to our warmer, sun-drenched surroundings. As we walked outside to go between the concourse and baggage claim, the open door brought this flood of heat that made us all breathe deep. Isaiah stopped dead in his tracks, opened his arms wide and looked around..."Now, that's what I'm talkin' about..." Indeed, young one...indeed.
Our very first stop...straight from the airport...was Helena's. For those of you who are freakishly obsessed with the Food Network like we are, you might remember a special episode of Man vs. Food where Adam was in Hawaii. One of the places he stopped was Helena's - a seeming hole-in-the-wall place with some killer Hawaiian fare. That episode just happened to air when we were making our vacation plans and right then and there, we knew we had to make the trek to Helena's! Well, dear reader...we were NOT disappointed. We were greeted with very genuine hospitality, a few gentle smirks from an entire restaurant of locals and the best darn pipikaula short ribs you've ever had the distinct pleasure of shoving down your gullet. Accompanying dishes like lomi lomi salmon, lau lau and kalua pig were mere bashful sides to this powerhouse of pipi. I am not ashamed to admit, I overdid it. I've been strictly adhering to torturous point counting and activity point calculating just to not loathe my bathing-suit-clad frame this trip but all of that went right out the window at Helena's and I applaud her for it!
So, clearly the experience WAS something to write home about because here I am...
We made a quick stop at Target for groceries and then checked in at the beautiful Ko'Olina Beach Club...gorgeous! We spent the afternoon splitting our time between the pool and the lagoon. Rough life, yes? We are all just resting now and waiting for Will to awaken from his beauty sleep so we can head off to dinner and have...salad? light dressing? TTFN, friends!
P.S. We'd like to publicly note that our party is woefully short by one member...love you Grandma Susan! Next time!
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