The Happiest Place on Earth

In May, we took our annual trip to Disneyland. We stayed at a hotel on Wednesday night and made it to the park when it first opened at 9 a.m. on Thursday morning. A photo similar to this one here can probably be found in every photo album in America. This is the main entrance to Disneyland. Syd is hiding her face because of the sun. (It was about 90 degrees by mid-day.)

Dressed in Style

The girls wore Disney costumes to the park to show their enthusiasm. Syd and Lex looked adorable, but Cameron dressed as Tinkerbell melted peoples' hearts. Her little, green wings in back were the icing on the cake. She has nearly grown out of her costume, though. We'll have to buy a different outfit for the 2008 trip to Disneyland.

Meeting Cinderella

Sitting side by side with Disney princesses is one of the greatest joys of a 5- or 6-year-old girl. This time around at Disneyland, Syd and Lex met several of their movie idols. Notice Lex's head tilt here. We didn't coach her to do that; she's a Disney princess in the making. In Syd's hand you can see an autograph book. The girls each had an autograph book that they carried around with them and had their favorite princesses sign.

And then, in a gleeful turn of events, a Disney employee in one of the shops came up to Syd and Lex and asked them for THEIR autographs! Syd, dressed at Ariel, carefully signed her name as "ARIL." ("I forgot the 'E'!" she later lamented.) Lex did her best to write "Aurora" (Sleeping Beauty), but she needed help spelling it correctly. Watching them sign autographs was Scott's highlight of the entire day.

Belle

Cruella de Ville

The actress playing Cruella pulled off the role with perfection. With a scowl that put her perfectly in character, Cruella told the girls, "Now get out of here!" as soon as she signed their autograph books.

The Disney Glow

Does Lex looked thrilled to be at Disneyland or what?

In Awe

Everything at Disneyland intrigues our girls. Here, they are watching the Dumbo ride with awe and admiration. Lex's pointing and Syd's smiles say it all.

Bribery

To keep the girls engaged during the 7 p.m. parade, Ann pulled out suckers for each of them. It worked. They happily sucked on their suckers and made messes of their faces, ignoring how tired they were from a day of fun.

Who wouldn't want to kiss this pretty face?

Worn Out

Disneyland is a lot of stimulation for a nearly 2-year-old. By day's end, Cam was worn out. With only a short nap in the stroller in the late morning on her side, Cam survived the day like a champion. By 6 p.m., she looked beat, as she does in this photo. Here, Scott tries to keep her spirits high ... and keep her awake to see the parade which started at 7 p.m.

The Matterhorn Tradition

Scott has established the tradition of riding the roller coaster ride, the Matterhorn, with Syd or Lex. Last year, Syd was the brave one. She rode the Matterhorn with excitement and pride. This year, Syd backed out, opening the door for Lex to show up her older sister. Scott rode the Matterhorn twice with Lex. She closed her eyes in fear both times.

Go Clippers!

We took Syd and Lex to a Los Angeles Clipper game in April---the last game of the regular season for the Clippers. We bought tickets because it was Fan Appreciation Night and tickets cost only $5 each. (True, we sat in the nosebleeds, but hey, we were still in the Staples Center!) The game promised to have real importance before it began. The Clippers were fighting for the last playoff spot in the West at tipoff, but by halftime, the Clippers knew they had missed the playoff cut. Their weak second-half performance proved their disappointment and they lost to the worst team in the NBA. But we still had fun. We really want to expose the girls to sports of all kinds.

Wide Awake

Syd typically goes to bed at 7:30. The Clippers game didn't start until 7:30! For her to stay up until 9:45 was a real miracle. We were shocked at how well she did. Through the third quarter, she was awake, alert, and interested in the game and in the crowd. Within 5 minutes, she was leaning on Scott's shoulder with droopy eyes. We made it a few minutes into the fourth quarter before leaving early.

Basketball Junkie

Lex really enjoyed the game. She sat on our laps nearly the entire time and tried to keep up with what was taking place. Scott quizzed her constantly with questions like, "Who has the ball now?" "What just happened?" "What do you call it when someone misses a shot and someone picks up the ball?"