The next day, we started off visiting Helena and Andy's house and spent the day with them, which included a picnic lunch at the Marin Cheese Factory and then ice cream at the Petaluma creamery. It was wonderful to see Frank's Mom and Andy and for the kids to spend some time with Grandma Helena and Papa Andy! We spent nap time that day driving through the Sonoma wine country and wishing that we did not have two sleeping kiddos in the car so that we could get out and drink some wine. That night we headed over to Frank's Dad's house for a big dinner with that side of the family. A bunch of Frank's family had not met either of our kids, so it was fun for them to get to meet everyone. We also got to meet Zoey, who is just a few months older than Lily, and Collin, who is about 18 months old and about to be a big brother! It was great to see everyone, and our kids were spoiled with gifts from all of the family!
On day 3 we spent the morning with Frank's Aunt Mae and her family, whom I had never met before. She had us over to her house in Sausalito for breakfast and then we all went to the Bay Area Discovery Museum, which was an awesome children's museum right near the Golden Gate Bridge. The kids LOVED it! I wish we had a museum like that near us. After lunch Aunt Mae gave each kid a thoughtful gift and she gave us a bunch of snacks for our drive to Paso Robles. I really felt like the first half of our trip was filled with so much love, hospitality, and fun. It reminded me that family is so important, even when you don't get to see each other very often. I am so happy we made the effort to go to San Francisco and spend time with Frank's family.
We got lucky and had a wonderful drive to Paso Robles. No traffic, and two kids who slept almost the entire way! It was a miracle. We made it to Paso Robles ahead of schedule, so we were able to check into our hotel and relax for a couple of hours before getting ready and going to the rehearsal dinner. We were in Paso Robles for my cousin Kim's wedding. So we started the trip with Frank's family, and then we got to see a bunch of my family! A bunch of my family still lives in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, and they had not met Frankie or Lily yet. The kids were really trying to hold it together, but they were having a hard time sitting still and quiet during the rehearsal. We finally made it to the dinner, which was across the street at a vineyard, and we got to see my whole family and catch up with them. Frankie played with a bunch of the other young boys, and he really enjoyed the smores for dessert! Frank let me go out that night after the rehearsal dinner, and I had a blast catching up with my cousins.
The next day was the big wedding! I had to do some work in the morning, so my parents and Frank took the kids out to the playground for a couple of hours so I could work. Then we all got ready and headed over to the venue. Unfortunately we did not time our arrival well, and both kids fell asleep in the car on the way over but then only got a very short nap. Lily was okay, but Frankie was VERY upset when he woke up. Frank had to walk with him a lot to calm him down, but eventually he was okay, and he did such a great job in the wedding!! Frankie and Lily were supposed to walk together, holding hands, down the aisle. Frankie did great, but Lily walked about three feet before turning around and saying "Mommy!" I ended up just holding her hand and walking with her. The wedding was at a chapel that was up high on a huge hill, in the middle of nowhere. It was gorgeous. Kim looked so beautiful, and her brother Brian walked her down the aisle. Her Dad-- my uncle Mike --passed away a few years ago, and I remember thinking at the time how sad it was that he would not be there to walk her down the aisle at her wedding. But, she was radiant, and the wedding was a joyous and wonderful event. The reception was at a vineyard, and it was literally straight out of a movie. Kim did such a wonderful job! I loved the decorations, the colors, and everything. It was gorgeous. It was certainly different being at a wedding reception with kids - no drinking, a lot of running and jumping, some crying and screaming, not a whole lot of eating…but overall, it was very special to have them there. Frank and Lily danced and danced, and she had so much fun with her Daddy. Frankie fell into a little lake on the property, and his adorable suit was soaking wet for half of the reception. It was a wonderful, crazy night, full of love. That night it was Frank's turn to go out, and he stayed out until after 2:00 in the morning even though we had planned to get up at 5:00 a.m. to head to DISNEYLAND! He is nuts. Lily decided on this trip that she was a big girl and she did not want to sleep in the pack n play we lugged all the way from Texas. So, she slept with Bubba in beds. She did great most of the time, but for some reason she did not sleep well that night, which means that I also did not sleep well that night.
Sunday morning we got up bright and early - I think I finally got Frank up around 6:00 a.m. - and headed off to Disneyland! Again, we were so lucky with an easy drive. No traffic, and the kids slept for most of the way. We arrived around 10:00 a.m. and were shocked that we were able to check into our hotel that early. As Frank was checking us in, I was walking around the hotel with the kids. All of the sudden Frank ran up to us and said we needed to come back to the lobby because we had been chosen as the "Magic Family of the Day." At first, I thought it was something hokey that they gave to every family, or every first-time Disney family, but we quickly realized that it was really something special. They took our picture with the 60th anniversary sign, we were upgraded to a premium room with an amazing view, and we were given buttons that said "Disneyland Hotel magic family of the day." Once we headed into the park, we were immediately whisked to the front of the line for Finding Nemo. This was our first ride, and the kids loved it! Frankie was a little scared, but it was pretty awesome. We met up with Denise, Jose, and Hailey and spent the day riding rides and exploring the most magical place on Earth. We were able to skip almost every single line with our "magic family" passes, which definitely enhanced our experience. It was so special to watch our kids experience Disney magic. We met up with my parents that night and we all stayed up late to watch the "World of Color" in California Adventure because Frankie was dying to see it, even though both kids were wiped by 9:00, which is when the show started. Lily fell asleep for about 30 minutes waiting for the show but then woke up very upset right before the show started. I ended up walking her around in the stroller during the show, but it was okay because we were still able to see the entire thing. It was pretty awesome! The kids fell asleep within minutes when we finally made it back to the hotel around 10:30 p.m.
We started the next day with a character breakfast at our hotel where we got to meet Goofy, Pluto, Minnie Mouse, and Chip and Dale. It was outrageously expensive for a breakfast buffet with mediocre food, but the kids loved interacting with the characters, and that made it worth it. Minnie is Lily's favorite, and we got some priceless pictures with her and the others. It was a great start to the day. We spent about half of the day in California Adventure and the other half back in Disneyland. Stella and Eric met up with us for part of the day, as they were passing through LA on their way to San Francisco and Oregon. Frankie rode the star wars ride again (his favorite). Lily's favorite ride was the carousel, although she also enjoyed the Cars ride and Its a Small World. Frankie loved the Matterhorn, meeting Elsa and Anna, and Star Wars. Actually, I think Frankie loved everything. I felt like two days was not quite enough time, and I really wished we had one more full day to enjoy the parks. I am so thankful we were blessed as the "Magic Family," because we definitely got to experience more than we would have otherwise.
Overall….it was an awesome trip. It really is something special to see experiences through the eyes of your children. This trip makes me want to show them the world.
Here are the pics!!
