disneyland

Jolly Holiday Surprise Adventure | The Surprise – Part 1

THE SURPRISE – Part 1

December 6, 2014

** I have been so excited about this trip that of course I had been packed for weeks. But the night before the trip, we attended my niece’s birthday party and then came home and had the kids go to bed early! And then final preparations were made by Joey and I, including getting the bags in the car and the “treasures” hidden and such. We were so excited that I don’t think we really got any sleep! Let the Adventure begin…

We woke the kids up at 6:00 am with a “Merry Christmas!” They were so confused but we told them to go get in the shower and get dressed. They were not too enthused about getting up so early on a Saturday morning. They got ready and sleepily arrived in the living room to this:

That actually woke them up pretty good! Presents under the tree! But we had them eat some breakfast, before we got started.

Every year it has been our December tradition to have a daily activity. For years we have used an advent calendar that I created out of a over-the-door shoe organizer. (It has 24 slots, perfect for our daily activities to go in the pockets). But this year, I got a great Black Friday deal at Deseret Book and purchased a new Shadowbox Advent Calendar that I have been eyeing for a couple of years:

So we had the kids sit down on the couch and we pulled out the note that was in the “6” Box. Our note said: “Grimoires of Grand Adventure” (Joey had been giving the kids some vocabulary words in the previous week, so they would understand some of our messages.)

We then instructed the kids to take the gifts out from under the tree and untie the bow. We made sure that they wouldn’t uncover the brown paper over the cover of the storybooks. I decided that I wanted to film each time we read a part of the books, so I filmed while Joey read to the kids and they followed along. Joey and I were both pretty emotional as we were actually starting off on this grand adventure that we had been planning for so long. The second page of the book instructed the kids to go on a treasure hunt.

Our video of the reading of this first part of our Storybook:

JJ and Beth excitingly took their books (which had pictures of where the treasures were) and headed out.

The kids gathered wrapped gifts, gold coins, and slips of paper with messages on them. They were having a great time collecting everything and when they got to the end of the hunt, they piled all of their treasures into the living room. Joey and I happily watched them as they opened the gifts of games, coloring books, activity books, crayons, treats, and more.

We then had them take the slips of paper to the table and try and put them in the right order. After a little while (and some help), they were able to do it:

Then we read the final page of Part 1 in the Storybook:

After reading the page, it took a bit of prompting to help the kids figure out what they needed to do. In the treasure hunt, one of the wrapped gifts included a special decoder that Joey had one of his friends make. (Joey had 4 made so we all have one so we can send each other coded messages and stuff. It’s so awesome!) To figure out how to use the decoder the kids had to use the message on the slips of paper above. The answer was 13. So they had to set their decoder to the number 13 and then they could decipher the message on the left side of the page.

Once they found the cipher they went right to work decoding the message!

And the message turned out to be:

Take the things you found and get in the car.

So we helped the kids get all their stuff into their backpacks and we put on our coats….

The Adventure Continues in another post…

jollyholidayheader I’m so excited to share my family’s magical Christmas adventure of 2014 with you!
To see all the postings in this series go HERE.

Jolly Holiday Surprise Adventure | Intro

For those of you who don’t know – I’m a bit of a Disney Geek. I love the movies and I love the history and I just love it. Once I had children, I think that love has just grown. Sharing these special movies with my kids has been incredible and it has cemented that love for Disney in my heart. Growing up, I was a bit of a tomboy, so I enjoyed Disney movies but the Princesses never meant much to me. Now that I have a daughter, that has really changed and I love it all – especially the Princesses. I love that Disney brings out the magic of fairytales and using your imagination and I love that my kids get to experience that – you know what its even more than that – I love that I get to experience it too. It brings out the kid in all of us – the wonder and the magic – and I think that is a wonderful thing!

I love Disneyland too. I have been there a total of 4 times. The first time was in 1990, when I was 11 years old and we went with my mom’s side of the family. It was a great trip and I will always remember the time we had with my uncle’s family. We didn’t get to see them much so this was amazing to spend so much time together and it just felt really special. I’m not sure how many days we actually spent in Disneyland, but my brother got sick and had to be in the hospital for awhile, so our trip was extended, so I think we spent several days inside the park.

The next time I went was on my Senior Trip in 1997 and it was only one day. I remember really enjoying spending that day with my parents and it was so fun to have them all to myself.

My 3rd Trip to Disneyland was also just one day. I actually went on my sister’s senior trip with her and my parents in 2000. My sister spent the day with her friends, so once again I got to hang out with my parents and it was nice.

My last trip was in 2009 and I got to bring my kiddos and my husband for their first trip to Disneyland! My mom’s side of the family got together again and we went to California – together on a bus! We also did Universal Studios, Knott’s Berry Farm, and Sea World, so we only had 2 days to experience Disneyland and California Adventure. It was an awesome trip and even though my kids were younger, they still talk about it. They loved it and even my husband said then that we should come back someday.

Eight months ago, I decided that this had to be the year that my family went to Disneyland again. My kids are getting older and they might soon grow out of their Disney phase (I hope they don’t). My daughter still loves dressing up and being a Princess and JJ loves Cars and Star Wars, etc. So it just seemed like the time.

I discussed it with Joey and he agreed, so I started planning. I pretty much immediately decided that I wanted to give my kids something that I always wanted when I was young – A DISNEYLAND SURPRISE TRIP! I knew that it would be amazing and I just wanted to do it. And then the next decision – when to go…..it didn’t take me long to realize another dream. I wanted to see Disneyland at Christmastime. Once we made that decision, I have just been so excited! It has been a long 8 MONTHS! I don’t think a day has gone by that I haven’t done some planning or something for this trip. Disboards.com has been an amazing resource! I want so much for this trip to be completely magical and wonderful for my family. Joey and I celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary this year and instead of doing anything, we decided to go all out on this trip. We have scrimped and saved and planned to make this happen. It has been our anniversaries, our birthdays, and will be our Christmas!

There were a couple of things that Joey insisted on that I completely love that we get to do. He wanted to stay in the Disneyland Hotel and he wanted to fly there! Of course, I wholeheartedly agreed to both of those things! 🙂 So we are spending 7 nights in the Disneyland Hotel, 5 days in Disneyland, and we are flying with JetBlue (first class, no less)! Now after all the time and planning – it is finally almost here! In 21 days, we will be at Disneyland and I can’t wait!

Anyways, I can’t wait to share this amazing adventure with you! I hope you won’t mind all the posts in the coming weeks as I share all the details with you!

jollyholidayheader I’m so excited to share my family’s magical Christmas adventure of 2014 with you!
To see all the postings in this series go HERE.

Life 2009 | Pixar Play Parade

I am finally getting some scrapbooking done. It has really been fun to plan out some pages. In the excitement of planning our December Disneyland Trip – I felt the need to go back and start scrapbooking our big family trip to Southern California in 2009. Yes, I never got around to completing those pages. So now, I am!

Pixar Play Parade | March 27, 2009
Much of our week was spent as individual families, but today all of the Sorensen Family watched the Pixar Parade together. It was so fun to watch JJ & Beth, as the Pixar characters are some of their favorites!

Here’s the layout I did:

I used the Project Mouse Collection by Britt-ish Designs & Sahlin Studio.

Project 365 | Week 13

Monday, March 23, 2009

We spent the day in Universal Studios-Hollywood. As a family, we love movies and so we had to spend some time here. It has changed quite a bit since I went there 10 years ago. More rides and since the fire last summer, the Studio Tour has changed too. I miss the King Kong – but what can you do? The new Mummy Ride was probably my favorite of the rides. Beth was SO scared on the Shrek 4D Ride at Universal Studios. With her 3D Glasses on – the spider looked WAY TOO REAL. She screamed and screamed and screamed and we had to take her glasses off. For the rest of the trip, every ride we went on started with, “Is there any spiders on this ride?” Poor Bethie. JJ was excited to see all the Spiderman stuff and we were able to get photos with Scooby Doo and Shaggy and Curious George. Beth and her Daddy shared a special memory of going on the Simpsons Ride together. The kids all had a fun time shooting water and balls at the Curious George Playpark. Lots of fun things to do. Since Universal Studios closed at 6 and we were back to the hotel by 7:30pm, we decided to have a date night. My parents watched JJ and Beth (and took them to Denny’s for dinner) and we went with Cody and Becky to STEAKHOUSE 55, a fancy restaurant. It was really nice to have a little time to be together and visit and the food was good, although expensive. But a really great end to the day! We came home to 2 happy and sleepy kids!

Tuesday, March 24, 2009

We visited Knott’s Berry Farm today. It was a nice change of pace. A lot less people and not too hot. We mixed it up a lot and went on all kinds of rides. I went with Cody on the BIG ride – the Xcelerator and it was a blast! I really enjoyed that one. Joey got to go on one of his favorite kinds of rides – this one was called the Supreme Scream. JJ really liked the rides and got to play with some remote cars for awhile. Beth went on the Ferris Wheel TWICE. It was her favorite ride for the whole week! And we went on the famous log ride and a Stagecoach ride. Lots of fun things!

We got back early to the hotel again so we decided to use our extra ticket and head over to Disneyland. Unfortunately, it was SO CROWDED, that we just got really frustrated, so we ended up just seeing the Castle and riding the monorail to Downtown Disney and walking home. Kind of a waste of a trip, but the kids got their first glimpse, so I guess it was okay.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009

We went to Sea World today. Beth completely loves dolphins, so we watched the Dolphin Discovery Show the very first thing and both the of the kids really loved it. We also visited several of the aquariums, including the amazing Shark Encounter where we walked underneath the Sharks – really neat experience. We also saw the Clydesdale horses, the Sesame Street Lights, Camera, Imagination 4D Show, the Wild Arctic, Shipwreck Rapids, and my favorite ride, Journey to Atlantis. It was a cross between a roller coaster and a raft ride and I loved it. I wish I would have had the time to go on it again! The last show we saw was the Shamu BELIEVE show. It was amazing and I am just in awe of what they can do with these amazing sea creatures. Beth spent the next few days going around the room doing the “Shamu Slam”, which they taught us at the show – except Beth keeps calling the whale “Shampoo” – and when the show ended, JJ said “Dad, I don’t want to go on anymore rides, I just want to watch Shamu again.” Unfortunately, that was the last Shamu show of the day. We finished our time at Sea World at the Sesame Street Bay of Play with a couple of kiddie rides and running around.

Before leaving San Diego, we made an impromptu stop at Mission Beach for a little walk in the ocean. Most of the kids had never seen the ocean so even though it was dirty and messy, I’m glad we did it. We arrived at sunset and splashed around for about 45 minutes. The ocean at sunset is a beautiful sight to behold and I’m so glad that JJ and Beth were able to have that as their first beach experience!

Thursday, March 26, 2009

We headed out bright and early for Disneyland. As we were walking to the bus stop, Beth put her right arm forward and said, loudly, “Disneyland, here we come!” From a 3-year-old this was just hilarious. We got in line early and we were one of the first groups of people into Disneyland. We headed straight to the Finding Nemo Submarines. We were able to use JJ’s special access pass at the Fast Pass Lanes and/or exits to get on the rides sooner. This truly made our day so much better as JJ was overwhelmed. We went on the Matterhorn Bobsleds, Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Buzz Lightyear, Space Mountain, Star Tours, Autopia, Honey I Shrunk the Audience, the train, and the Winnie the Pooh rides, as well as toured the Sleeping Beauty castle. I also took Beth to the Princess Faire where we were able to see Cinderella, Aurora, and Pocahontas, while JJ and Joey went on the Indiana Jones ride. The longest line we encountered was at the Princess Faire. We waited in line for almost 2 hours. Bethie and I were definitely tired and my feet were killing me by the time we actually got to the Princesses – too bad we couldn’t use JJ’s pass for that. 🙂 But it really was worth it to see Beth’s face as she hugged the princesses. The Cinderella was the same Cinderella we met at Goofy’s Kitchen and she recognized Beth! Out of all the little princesses she sees everyday – what an amazing moment to have her remember our little princess, Beth! We also got photos with Buzz Lightyear, Pooh, and Tigger. My only regret is that we didn’t get to go on some of the other rides like Peter Pan, Pinocchio, Dumbo and the rides in Toontown, but still a really great day. We were starting to really feel tired and worn out so it was good that we didn’t push it too hard. I think we could have used just one more day in Disneyland to see everything. We took time to have some pizza in the park and even went back to our room for dinner (we ordered chinese food) and had a nap for about an hour before heading back to watch the amazing firework show. We picked a wonderful spot right on main street, in back of the Walt Disney and Mickey statue. I think it was the perfect spot to have the best experience because it was right in the center of the action and we had fireworks going off around us! Truly magical!

Friday, March 27, 2009

We spent most of the day in Disney’s California Adventure. We were pretty tired today as it has really been a busy week. So we definitely took it easy today. Today was our Red Shirt Day, where all 34 of us wore our red shirts that has my castle design on it. We got some great photos taken in front of the Mickey made out of flowers. We took in the Playhouse Disney and the Aladdin Shows in Disney’s Hollywood and they were amazing! We had great seats for both and the kids really enjoyed it! We spent some of the day with my parents, brothers, and nephews and I really enjoyed that. We also did the Monsters, Inc, Muppet Vision 3D, Grizzly River Run, Toy Story Mania and the Soar ‘n Over California rides. We got photos with Sully, Pluto, Lightning McQueen, and Mater. The Soar’n Over California ride was a big hit. It is a simulator attraction that has you lifted up into a huge movie screen and you feel that you are gliding over some of California’s beautiful scenery. It felt so real to Beth, that when we glided over the ocean, Beth put her feet up on her seat because she didn’t want to get her feet wet! We went on the ride TWICE! We had the perfect seats for the Pixar Play Parade. We sat on a bench and watched the fun Pixar Characters go by and the kids just really took it all in with joy! We then did a little shopping and returned to Disneyland for the Fantasmic Show. While Joey saved our spot for the show, JJ and I took my brothers and went on the Indiana Jones ride, since I didn’t get to go yesterday. I didn’t have very good seats for Fantasmic, but Joey lifted JJ up on his shoulders and it was still a really awesome show – in one part of the show, Capt. Hook and Peter Pan sail by on a boat, and this must have made a really big impact on JJ because he spent the next few days using Capt. Hook as the “bad guy” in all his imaginary games with his sister. Sadly, Beth missed the entire show because she fell asleep in her stroller before it started. When it was over it took a long time to get out of the park since the fireworks were going on, but we finally made it. We were all so tired, but really so excited and happy that our trip has been so wonderful!

Saturday, March 28, 2009

It was kind of sad to be packing all of our bags into the bus again. I can’t believe that our trip is over! I think even the bus didn’t want to go home yet, since we had a delay of about an hour since the bus driver locked the keys inside and we couldn’t get in. But we were finally on our way. We started our vacation with a buffet dinner at Goofy’s Kitchen and we stopped in Las Vegas and ended our vacation with a buffet dinner at Circus Circus. We arrived in St. George in the dark and my parents and brothers and sisters still had to drive home. But the Bakers side of the family and us stayed in the motel for a night. The kids were beat and went to bed with Joey and I went over and played some games with my Aunt and Cousins until past midnight before finally turning in.

Sunday, March 29, 2009

We stayed at the Rodeway Inn in St. George again and then finished traveling home. What a trip! I’m so glad we were able to do this as a family. I hope that my children will remember this. We had such a wonderful time and did so many fun things. I wish it wasn’t over, and yet it was good to see home again too. Joey and I plan to save up some money and go back in a few years. We really had a great time!

Here is my Weekly Layout:

I used my Believe in the Magic & Digital 365 Kits to create this layout.

Project 365 | Week 12

Monday, March 16, 2009

JJ was still a little sick, so he stayed home from school today. The kids were actually really good today and played together all day. I thought this was the cutest candid photo. They were sitting in the rocking chair together – sipping their water and watching movies.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009

We went for a walk after dinner tonight and it felt like Spring. I think it is actually coming. I captured this adorable hug between my kiddos and I really love the moments when they are so good to each other. Unfortunately, Joey got our sickness now and he was really miserable today. He stayed in bed all day – I hope he gets better soon.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Our vacation is almost here! I am rushing around like a crazy woman trying to get laundry done, get packed, and clean the house. Beth was my little helper today as we got the bathroom cleaned and laundry done. I so can’t wait until Saturday!

Thursday, March 19, 2009

I made some more yummy Red Velvet Cookies today to take and share with everyone on our trip. They turned out great! I also finished all the laundry and the cleaning of the house today! Yay!

Friday, March 20, 2009

Everything is ready! We are set to go on vacation tomorrow morning! Our countdown is down to one chain and our bags are all packed and ready to go! I can’t believe it is finally here – less than 24 hours and we will be on the bus. I’m a little nervous about all the stuff I have – but I think I have everything that I could possibly need. I think I am even more excited than the kids – is it Saturday yet?

Saturday, March 21, 2009

We are on our way! The bus picked us up about 11:30am and we joined the Baker side of the family on the bus. JJ really loved riding on the bus – he just sat there staring out the window, so happy! When Beth first boarded the bus, her first words were “Where’s my cousin, Whitnee?” Unfortunately, she would have to wait one more day before Whitnee would come on the bus. We traveled to Nephi, Utah – had some lunch and then continued to our hotel in St. George. We were able to meet up with Lucas, Heidi, Jacee, and Landreth Alfred for dinner at Denny’s and it was so awesome to see them and visit with them, especially since it has been a few years since we have been able to be with them. Joey and the kids hung out in the motel room before bedtime, while I was able to visit with my cousins, my aunt, and my uncle for a couple of hours. A great start to our vacation!

Sunday, March 22, 2009

What a day! It began about 7:30am when my parents and brothers and sisters arrived with their families. We had a total of 35 people on the bus (including our bus driver) and it was a good drive with all of us visiting, some sleeping, and watching DVDs. We had lunch in Barstow, California and we were able to go to In-N-Out Burger. YUM! We finally arrived at our hotel. We stayed at the Best Western Stovalls Inn. We could see the roller coasters at Disney’s California Adventure across the street. Then the highlight of the day came, when we walked to Downtown Disney and had dinner at Goofy’s Kitchen. It was a lot of fun for the kids. We got to see Goofy, Pluto, Geppeto, Chip, and Cinderella. Beth was so excited to see her favorite Disney princess. She even got to dance with her! The kids enjoyed tasting Goofy’s Kitchen’s specialty, Peanut Butter and Jelly Pizza and lots of other food. After dinner we walked back to our hotel and went swimming. The kids enjoyed splashing around in the children’s pool and Joey and I enjoyed the Hot Tub.

Here is my Week 12 Layout:

I used my Digital 365 Kits to create this layout.

Project 365 | Week 9

Monday, February 23, 2009

So I finally took the kids to the doctor today – I figured this had gone on long enough. Turns out both of them have Bronchitis. So we got some medicine and the doctor said they could go to school tomorrow. I’m so looking forward to having my kids back. They have been really irritable and understandably. JJ really digresses in his behaviors and other development and it’s been not good the past couple of weeks. It worries me a lot and I hope it is just that he is sick. We’ve got to get us all well before our California trip!

Tuesday, February 24, 2009

The kids went back to school today. They are still coughing quite a bit, but it seems a lot better! So hopefully we are on the mend. It was an incredibly nice day today. It is starting to feel like Spring. The kids and I went on a little walk and caught pictures of the sunset.

Wednesday, February 25, 2009

I got this little note in JJ’s backpack today. I thought it was really sweet. And even better, JJ actually read this little book to us! It was so neat to hear him actually read! Sure it was a tiny book and very easy words – but it was still amazing to see him read! JJ also got an award yesterday from the school. I helps out in his classroom quite a bit with the other kids – so this was really neat!

Thursday, February 26, 2009

The kids were pretty good to each other today, which always is a plus. I had gotten a lot of sleep last night – I actually went to bed early Wednesday night (eight hours asleep – that never happens), so I got a lot more done and I was even able to catch (on camera) the kids giving each other kisses!

Friday, February 27, 2009

Beth is really getting into looking at books and especially the pictures. We got out our huge Animal Encyclopedia today and Beth pored over the pictures. She really loves animals so this was really fun for her. I really need to read to her more. I haven’t made it a real priority and I need to do that. She loves stories and I think we could definitely have a big reader on our hands in a couple of years!

Saturday, February 28, 2009

The countdown to our California Trip has begun! The kids and I made a paper chain today – only 23 days to go. With all the things I want to accomplish before then – I just know it’s going to be here before we know it. I’m really excited about this trip!

Sunday, March 1, 2009

We had Cody & Becki over for dinner tonight. I made Chicken Enchiladas with Tater Tots, Salad and Cream Puffs and Chocolate Pudding for Dessert. It was yummy and we were able to have a great chat with them, which was really great. I feel really grateful to be a part of their lives, even in a small way. It’s nice to have some family close to us and the kids love them! Plus it’s always great to have a conversation with adults once in a while! LOL Becki had made a Countdown Paper Chain for us too, so now we have two – which is actually even better because now the kids don’t have to fight over who gets to tear the paper off every night – they will each have their own!

And here’s my Week 9 Layout:

I used my Digital 365 & FriendZ from the Wood Kits to create this layout!

Here’s my completed FEBRUARY layout!

I used my Digital 365 & Daydream BelieverZ Kits to create this layout!

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