Santa Barbara Easter: The Great Egg Hunt

After church we gathered at Satya's house because someone mentioned that the Bunny had come while we were gone.

First, we were forced to take a few photos

And while we waited for the rain to pass, we enjoyed a bit of chocolate.

Finally, we were able to head out and hunt for eggs.

Luke and Satya take on the lawn area

While Mia and Jude explore the patio area 

Uncle Kenny helps a little

Luke has become an expert egg hunter

Mia gets some pointers from Daddy

All in all, we had a wonderful Easter weekend in Santa Barbara - full of fun, family, food, gratitude... and lots of candy!

Santa Barbara Easter: Baskets from the Bunny

Easter morning began with a hunt for baskets around Grammy and Papa's house

The bunny found us!  Mia finds her basket with brother's help.

She goes straight for the candy!

Luke finds his basket, which was hidden a bit better.

And he appreciates the new socks (but only for a moment before making sure that he received at least as much candy as his sister!).

Santa Barbara Easter: Dying Eggs

Easter this year was spent in Santa Barbara with cousins Satya and Jude and our beloved Grammy and Papa.

Upon arrival, we got right down to the Easter business of dying eggs.

We were much too busy to smile for photos.

Very happy with the end results!

What weekends are made of

Lazy mornings....

...and afternoon swings at the park

T-Ball 2013

It's that time of the year:  baseball season!

Luke is playing t-ball for the second season, but is on the Giants (ugh) this time around.  No one can argue that he doesn't look cute in that orange and black uniform, though, so we'll deal :)

The season kicked off with Opening Day and some weekday practices. 

His coach this time around seems great and has already given Luke some really great tips.  He has improved tremendously from last year - I'm sure part of it is just being a year older.

Looks like it's going to be a great season!

Disneyland Day 4: Our last Hurrah

We spent our final morning at Goofy's Kitchen meeting more characters and enjoying the most incredible breakfast buffet that I've ever seen.  The kids (well, all of us) were in disbelief over the amount of food.

 

 

Disneyland was a magical time for all of us.

I'm sure it won't be too long before we come back!

Disneyland Day 3: The Original Disneyland

I think this might have been the day that we were all most excited for.  Yesterday worked out well, so we decided to do the same and head up to the concierge lounge for breakfast and some snacks for the day.  Then we headed over to the Disneyland gates to take advantage of our Magic Morning there.

First up:  Fantasyland to ride on Peter Pan and Dumbo (Mia's favorite of the trip, hands down).

 

 

Our big boy Luke decided that he really wanted to ride the Matterhorn. This surprised Michael and I, but we were excited to experience it with him.  So, while we did that, Mia, Day, and Paw rode the teacups.

 

More Fantasyland fun on the carousel, Casey Jr.'s Circus Train, the Storybook Canal Ride (where Luke was chosen to be "captain"), and the teacups again!

 

 

 

 

I'm the real Buzz Lightyear.  No, I'm the REAL Buzz Lightyear!

 





 

 

 

Some group photos by the beautiful landscaping.

 

While Luke and the rest of the adults headed over to Tomorrowland to ride Space Mountain (Luke was on a roller coaster roll - I couldn't believe he agreed to ride that one ... although, I'm pretty sure he won't agree again for a LONG time)...

 

....Mia and I went to the new Fantasy Faire to meet some more princesses (specifically, we were on a mission to find Cinderella, and we succeeded).

 

Cinderella was SO sweet to Mia and spent a lot of time with her.  I seriously could hardly get Mia to leave.  She told Mia that she looked just like her little sister, and that she loved that instead of being in a princess dress like most little girls, she was wearing a Buzz Lightyear sweatshirt.  That's my girl!

 

There were a few other princesses to meet, but I'm pretty sure that Mia was so star-struck by Cinderella that she doesn't even remember the other ones.

 

Next up:  Captain EO (NOT a hit with Luke - he hated it and was scared), and Autopia (which Luke enjoyed ... perhaps a little TOO much!)





 





 After lunch at the Carnation Café, we headed to New Orleans Square to ride Pirates of the Caribbean (another favorite of everyone), then out to Critter County, and finally back to the hotel for late afternoon naps.

 

We had dinner reservations for our final night at Wine Country Trattoria in California Adventure.  We selected it because not only did it have great reviews, but it also came with preferred seating passes to World of Color.  We enjoyed a fabulous meal and then checked out Cars Land at night while Paw staked out our spots for the show.

Finally, the World of Color show ... and what a way to end our day and our time at Disneyland.  It was truly one of the most amazing things I've ever seen.  We were all in awe.







Another incredible day!