Bi-annual Tai family Disneyland vacation

A few years ago, we went on a Tai family Disneyland vacation. Well, we got back from a repeat of this same trip. I don't actually know if this well become a bi-annual event, but I really enjoyed vacationing with Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Jeff, Auntie Jeanette and Ethan. Here's a recap:

Sunday (11/10): We all piled into the swagger wagon and started driving. Mama and dada didn't tell Mason or I where we were going. They just said we were going to meet grandma and grandpa somewhere. We drove for a looooong time. I didn't understand why grandma and grandpa would make us drive so far. When we stopped in the middle of nowhere for food, I thought we were going to see them. But they weren't there. Mama said, they left us a clue: drive south. So, we did.

Mason and I did good on the long drive. We read books, played with toys, listened to music and stories, sang songs and even danced along to the music. Eventually Mason and I fell asleep. When we woke up we were stuck in traffic. I had no idea where we were, but mama and dada said we were close. When we got off the freeway, dada started pointing out stores and restaurants. That's when I said, "Dada, look. I think I see the Disneyland entrance and the mono rail!" Dada thought he could pull a fast one on me. I'm too smart for him!

Monday (11/11): We spent the morning at California Adventure. Now that I'm just barely over 40 inches tall, I got to ride some new rides! I rode Radiator Springs Racers with mama and dada. Dada captured it on video. The fast part starts at about 2:40.



If you're wondering, I really liked it. I took grandma and grandpa on the racing ride too. I also got to ride Soaring with grandma, Uncle Jeff and mama. I liked that one too because it was like we were flying. I rode Soaring several more times during the rest of the week.

After our naps, we headed over to Oliver and Justin's house for dinner. We got to meet Justin and Jonah (his cousin) for the first time. Oliver was really cool about sharing all of his toys with us. Since it's such a rare occasion that we're all together, we took lots of pictures. Amazingly no one melted down during the photo shoot, not even the daddies.

Tuesday (11/12): We spent the day at Disneyland with Oliver and Justin. Auntie Kelcy also made an appearance. I rode Star Tours with mama, uncle Jeff and auntie Jeanette. Oliver, Justin and I rode the pirate ride. My favorite part is still the magic waterfall. Another new ride that I rode was Splash Mountain. That's right, Splash Mountain. I rode it with mama and dada. And I LOVED it. As soon as we went down the big drop, I said, "Fun mama! More!"

Mason really enjoyed riding "sma wol," "bear," "buzz," and "mewy roun" Translation: small world, winnie the pooh, buzz lightyear and the merry-go-round. He rode Winnie the Pooh 7 times today; 4 times with daddy and 3 times with grandpa. We finished off the day watching the fireworks. Mason really enjoyed the snow that fell when the fireworks ended. I liked the snow for a while, then I went to hide under the hood of our stroller.

Wednesday (11/13): We started out the day with a character breakfast at the Plaza Inn with Kimora and Kyle. Mason didn't care for the characters. He preferred to watch them from afar vs. getting to know them up close. After breakfast/brunch, we took a big family picture in front of the castle. Dada says we have almost have everyone from grandma's family. We're just missing uncle Mike, auntie Kelcy, uncle Jason, auntie Jessica, Jonah, auntie Kathy and uncle Tom.

We finished the evening with a special Tai family dinner to celebrate grandma and grandpa's 40th wedding anniversary. The restaurant, Carthay Circle, overlooked the Buena Vista Street and the Pixar Play Parade. Mason really enjoyed the parade. He kept asking for more when the parade ended. After dinner we hung out at California Adventure. Mason and mama rode King Triton's carousel 6 times while everyone else rode other rides. He really, really liked the carousel.

Thursday (11/14): We met up with Uncle Tommy and Auntie May for dim sum. I love dim sum. My favorite is cha siu bao. Instead of napping in the hotel, we napped on the way back from dim sum. Of course, we woke up as soon as it was time to get out of the car. Since we were awake and it was really warm, daddy, grandpa, Mason and I went to play at the pool. I rode the water slide and got in trouble a couple times because I was running.

After the pool, we headed back to Disneyland. I took grandpa on Splash Mountain. Do you think he liked it?

We also watched the Christmas parade and had a brief encounter with Sierra and Sophia. Even though we didn't get to spend very much time with them, it was still great to see them. Mama says we might be able to spend some more time with them over Thanksgiving weekend.

Friday (11/15): We spent our last morning California Adventure. Mason rode King Triton's carousel 4 more times! We also rode the ferris wheel with grandma and grandpa. After lunch, we jumped into the car and drove home.

Highlights:

• Seeing almost our entire family at Disneyland
• Hanging out with Oliver, Justin and Jonah
• Dim sum with uncle Tommy and auntie May
• Celebrating grandma and grandpa's 40th anniversary (what's an anniversary?)
• Spending the whole week with grandma, grandpa, uncle Jeff, auntie Jeanette and Ethan
• Riding new rides. Splash Mountain is now my favorite. I also really liked Radiator Springs Racers
• Mason talking more. He got pretty good at saying sma wol. His favorite rides: Small World, Heimlich's Chew Chew Train (he rode it 10 times), King Triton's Carousel (also rode it 10 times), Winnie the Pooh (rode 7 times) and Buzz Lightyear.
• Fireworks, snow and parades
• The awesome suite at the Grand Californian. Thanks uncle Jeff and auntie Jeanette for hooking us up!

Lowlights:

• My two major meltdowns
• Only seeing Sierra and Sophia for a short time
• Leaving Mason's crocs at Baja Fresh in Kettleman City on the way home 

Thanks auntie Jeanette and uncle Jeff for organizing such a great vacation! Mason and I are looking forward to another trip in two years.

Mason's first dentist appointment

Mason and I had a dentist appointment today. It was Mason's first dentist appointment! Mama was pretty sure that Mason wasn't going to like it because he doesn't like having his teeth brushed. She had hoped that he could come in with me to watch me get my teeth counted. But that that plan failed because she had to fill out a bunch of forms since it was Mason's first visit.

I did great! When they cleaned my teeth, I giggled because the brush tickled my mouth. And my teeth looked good! Dr. Amy (she works with auntie Margaret) said that I should keep up the good work. She also said that mama and dada need to keep helping me floss my teeth. Then it was Mason's turn.

I showed him how to sit in the big chair that goes up and down. Mama showed him too, but he wasn't interested. Unlike my first visit, she didn't show him any of the tools like Mr. Thirsty, the tickle brush or the water squirter. Turns out she was new at the office.  After a little reminder from the other dental assistant, she showed Mason the tools. He wasn't very interested in those either. 

Since Mason didn't want to sit in the big chair, they decided to have him lay on the dental assistant's and mama's lap. His head was on the dental assistant's lap while the rest of his body rested on mama's lap. That way mama could hold onto his hands. Mama was right. He did not like having his cleaned or brushed. He cried the entire time. Mama and the dental assistant tried to make him feel better by singing Twinkle, Twinkle and Wheels on the Bus.

Turns out Mason had some plaque build up that he dentist had to remove with the scraper. Dr. Amy recommended some different "techinques" to help mama get a better view of his teeth and prevent him from squirming/shaking his head. Mama says they sound like a wrestling hold.

Mama was so busy holding Mason, that she forgot to take a picture. Oh well, you'll just have to use your imagination. 

After our dentist appointment, we went to Kyden and Sienna's house for lunch and a playdate. Auntie Margaret and Uncle Ritchie joined us too. Turns out uncle Ritchie is a big kid who likes to play with us kids. We had a great time playing with Kyden and Sienna's toys.

Argh! Moo!

What do a pirate and dog cow have in common? Nothing, except those were our Halloween costumes this year.

This year we went trick-or-treating in Grey's neighborhood. Mama thought it would be fun for us to trick-or-treat in his neighborhood because they have more kids. Plus Halloween is Uncle Edric's favorite holiday, and they go all out.

I didn't mind the decorations in the front yard, but I wasn't a fan of the giant furry spider in the bathroom or the scary monsters that would appear on the front window. I made mama stay with me when I had to potty. And I wouldn't go get my shoes near the front door because of the monsters.

After eating dinner and playing a little golf in the backyard, we changed into our costumes and headed out. After walking to a couple of houses, Grey insisted on being pulled around in a wagon. At first it was funny, but then the wagon came in handy when Mason was all done trick-or-treating.

Grey and I took turns ringing the doorbell. One time mama and Auntie Char told us to race to the front door. The first one there would be able to ring the door bell. That was a mistake. I beat Grey to the front door, and he got mad. He stopped his foot on the ground and shouted, "No!" After that, we had to take turns.

We got lots of candy, but we didn't get to eat any of it. Dada said I could trade my candy in for something else, like a puzzle or shooting car. Sounded like a good deal to me so I took it!

Oh and a special shout out to grandpa since today's his birthday. Happy Birthday grandpa!

Sunday at the Children's Discovery Museum

We met up with Caylie and her friend Dexter at the Children's Discovery Museum this morning. It's her first time there, so we thought we'd show her around.

First stop was the Wonder Cabinet, an area specially designed for us little kids. While she, Mason and Dexter were checking everything out, mama and I did an art project. After the art project, we joined story time where we sang songs and listened to a story. Then it was time for lunch.

After lunch, I showed Caylie my favorite exhibit. The water play area! She really liked it. Even Uncle Eddie liked the water play area. Mason, on the other hand, wasn't very interested. Or maybe dada just didn't want him to get wet. Instead of playing with Caylie and me, he hung out in the play kitchen area.

We had a great time showing Caylie the museum. I hope we can visit again soon.

Annual Halloween Potluck

This evening we went to Grey's annual Halloween potluck party. Every year mama wants to do a family costume where we're coordinated. So far, she hasn't been successful. Instead of wearing the costume mama bought for me, I decided to wear the costume from the Imagination parade. Mason used my cow costume from last year. Dada dressed up as Wolverine.

There was tons of yummy food, including Halloween cake pops that Auntie Char made. In addition to Grey, I got hang with Edison, Chloe, Abby, Ehren and Emily. We had a great time playing with Grey's toys, doing art projects with stickers, playing golf in the backyard and sitting by the fire pit.