The ripe old age of Six has befallen again...

Well, here it is July and only halfway through the niece and nephews birthdays!

This particular nephew's stats are:

* Loves SpongeBob Squarepants, Cars the movie and Phineaus and Ferb

* Can kick my ass at Wii Golf and Bowling

* Is looking forward to joining the first grade this fall

* Hates loud noises

* Is an outstanding reader

Here he is in all his 6 year glory!

Big sis provided the artwork announcing the party theme:
and it only takes about 3.5 seconds for the kids to head to the trampoline:
A quick kiss for his Noni and he headed back into the fray:
A peek at the heart stopping (for us adults) stunts the kids showed off:

Some coloring and puzzle crafts kept the "Youngster Gang" occupied for about 2 minutes and 25 seconds:
A peek at the "little kids table":
a peek at the "cool kids" area (please note how grandma aligns herself with the cool kids):
Some hot dogging on a hot day:
while others...I WON'T SAY WHO...seemed a little obsessed with their access to puffs of orange colored processed air:

After a brief water balloon battle, of which there are no photos due to auntie's quick "cover the camera" reflexes, it was on to presents:
And then on to the swell looking cupcake cake:

yeah, umm, the palm tree trunks were the cause of much discussion among the younger set. The older set just kept our thoughts to ourselves:
so, yeah...I got a shot of the kid who asked specifically for a cupcake with a "tree trunk" on it:
ANYWHO....we had some light entertainment as the day wound down:
The party kid was particularly enamored of his racetrack, and played happily for more than 2.5 minutes with it:
But alas, he had to submit to the annual "Auntie Camera" sitting:
and the color version:
This next photo illustrates how dang hot it was outside!
Vintage Logan, circa 5 years ago:

He was the first nephew that was captured totally digital! That was the year I (sadly) gave up my film camera!

Disneyland! (aka hell on earth) - The adventure ENDS

The final day in Disneyland boasted:

More rides!

More junk food!

More unnecessary purchases of anything Disney!

More heat, crowds and lines!

After the Princesses had booted us out of Ariel's Grotto, we were forced to once again to deal with the outside park and all it had to offer. Here's a cute shot of all three sisters watching the suckers on California Screaming, a roller coaster that made my nephew nearly re-digest his breakfast. Twice.

While making our way out of Hell - excuse me, I mean California Adventure and back into Hell - excuse me, I mean Disneyland, we took advantage of the many photo stops along the way.

Here is the "Action Figure Collection" of the family. Yeah, they might want to reconsider the plastic film in the front of the box..photo taking without glare was nearly impossible!
My niece handled the chore quite well though! Here is "Action Auntie" complete with "Action Flying Infant" (sold separately):
The boy wandered off at one point and was quickly overtaken by some Cars Car - Mater? Not sure, but the photo turned out well:
The big ass Ferris Wheel ride diverted us from our path to Disneyland for a bit, though some people, I WON'T SAY WHO, seemed a little more interested in other rides:

Caged babies:
Caged tweens:

The tween finally decided to relent to our teasing and try to ride the Tower of Terror...she was a little (very) nervous, but I eventually regained the feeling of my arm after we got off the ride:
Ah....here we have THE PHOTO - the one photo everyone must take in front of some flower sculpted mickey head. Some nice person took a group shot for us and did NOT run off with my camera, much to my relief:
Once in the Disneyland side of the park, night was falling, and so were the energy levels. Fortunately for some, hitchhiking was an option:
Now there were several options open to us to enjoy our final evening at the park. What to do first though??? Should we:

* Sit and wait for the fireworks show again, and watch as people who don't sit and wait try to force their way under the ropes to stand right in front of your kids?

* Stand in the 115 minute line for Star Tours to enjoy the 2 minute ride?

* Have some ice cream sundaes for dinner?

* Continue buying crap from Main Street stores until the card is declined?

* Head for It's a Small World again?

A quick vote and the results speak for themselves:

A little more humiliation of the tweens was then in order:
The younger ones were slightly confused, completely wary and, by the time we got to the front of the line...totally terrified of Geppetto:
After hours of delicious fun spent running from ride to ride to make sure we hit everything, the BUYING OF THE OFFICIAL HATS took place. Now, at this point, it's like 10pm, the kids are exhausted and we don't even have the energy to remove the plugs before the photo - DON'T JUDGE!

and then the silliness took over - let's just blame the ice cream for dinner and move on...

Here it is folks, the final photo on my photo card. Couple of things to note in this photo:

* They are so tired that no one cares who is sitting next to who.

* They are so tired that they didn't even argue when Auntie requested "one more photo"

* They actually look pretty damn good for 11:00 at night on Day 3!
So the deed is done! Disneyland for three days with two FULL days of driving to get there and back.

Special thanks goes out to:

Nick - who hosted an awesome BBQ for the tired troupe that first night when we showed up in LA with 4 kids, 3 adults, 2 dirty diapers (uh, for the babies!!). Then he was brave enough to show up at Disneyland on Thursday for more!

My sister and her hubby for inviting me along to share in this treasure of a trip - got to see the toddlers faces light up for the castle, the princesses, and the carousal and got to watch the older kids enjoy the scary rides, the food and the shopping!

My debit card - for not failing me once. And really, after watching me purchase two Tinkerbell stuffed animals for $35, I would not have blamed the card for shutting off on me in shame.

Tom Tom - for providing directions to LA in a Hungarian Grandmother voice that endlessly amused the kids I was driving with.

Disneyland! (aka hell on earth) - The Princess Invasion

Well, we made it to day three with the following intact:

* Children (all accounted for)

* Dr Pepper retrieved from hotel jacuzzi (don't ask)

* Diaper bag, camera bag, snack bag, toy purchases bags and bottles (baby, not Jack Daniels)

* Jackets (never used but brought along every day!)

* Stroller (parked, retrieved, collapsed, set up again - good lord!)

Our third day was to be special, with an invitation only luncheon with the Princesses. Yes, you read that right...THE Princesses. The invitation came via reservation only and credit card check, but it came, just the same. Everyone was very excited to meet them!

However, duty first! Another round of "It's a Small World" was calling:
Some people, I WON'T SAY WHO, insisted on grabbing the front seat for every ride:
After some pretty skilled face painting for our very own princess:
We headed over to Ariel's Grotto, where THE PRINCESS ARIEL HERSELF greeted her royal subjects:
The older kids were really being cool about the whole princess thing. It helps to have a nice lunch and some shade made available too, though. Here is our very own Prince, hamming it up for the camera while we awaited the BIG ARRIVAL:
It didn't take long! Snow White came flitting by first, all talking smack about the dwarfs and cursing her stepmother....
The youngest princess chose to spend her time with Snow White grilling her on movie facts:
OHHHHH, then this princess floated by...I was a little unsure of her royal decree, but was told it was Aurora. She seemed a little Sleepy. HAHAHAHAHA- Sleepy?? HAHAHA - get it??? anyone? anyone?

The youngest was quite thrilled to be seeing all this royalty bestowed on her as she munched on her mac and cheese:
She's contemplating the princesses as they moved about her:
Belle popped on by later, and by this time the middle princess had her routine down:

but truly, it was the youngest princess that stole the show - she was all over these princesses!
Then this one showed up - Cinderella herself! In person!
a little bragging going on here:
and of course, the youngest was all ready for her moment in the spotlight.
Please look away from this next photo if you cannot tolerate high doses of sugary sweetness:
After the princesses left (they mysteriously disappeared into a door off to the left - no doubt the smoke room), it was time for some dessert to top off the fantastic meal! I have to say, it was like $32 an adult, but the meal was great, you could get alcoholic drinks with your lunch, and it was a very relaxed atmosphere for meeting the princesses.
a carefully crafted white chocolate conch shell was NO MATCH for a three year old!
That's it for tonight - Next we shall explore the last night at Disneyland - complete with Mickey hat purchases, ice cream for dinner, and lots of last minute rides!