Newport Beach and a Surprise for Grandma Linda Sue!

After our Disneyland adventures, we were able to relax a little before the next round of excitement hit the following evening. The main purpose of this road trip was actually to help pull off a surprise 60th birthday dinner for my mom. My father, sister, and I had been planning this for a few months, and we managed to keep things under wrap until the big night.

That morning, Brody, Mike, and I headed down to beautiful Newport Beach to enjoy brunch on the Balboa Pier at Ruby's. Growing up, I loved spending time at Newport Beach and always liked walking out to the end of the pier, watching the fishermen, and enjoying a milkshake and burger at Ruby's. I figured it would be a fun way to enjoy breakfast, plus we were meeting up with my dad and three of his sisters and a brother-in-law that had flown in just to surprise my mom for her birthday dinner.

Breakfast conversation and Cheerios with Grandpa

Mary, Laura, Betty and Tom flew out from Indiana and Ohio to enjoy the beautiful California weather. We tried to convince them to just stay and forget about the midwest...they were tempted!

After a walk around Balboa, we headed back to the hotel for nap time (mommy snuck in a quick pedicure), we ventured back to good 'ole Tustin for the main event. It was a treat to see so many family friends. Many folks had only seen photos of Brody, so I think that they got a real kick out of seeing him alive and kicking....actually, running around the dining room and throwing around toy cars was more like it. My mother was truly surprised when she showed up, and especially surprised when Brody marched up the aisle right to her and Grandpa. Here are some shots from the evening:

Enjoying Grandma's cake

Getting better at using a fork

See Grandma, I am learning to do it all by myself!

Happy Birthday Mom (aka, Gamma)!

Adventures at Disneyland...Continued

Okay...so where did I leave off? Oh yes, with pictures of our little man enjoying the day at Disneyland (pre-meltdown):

Staring around in amazement on "It's a Small World"

Hanging with daddy on the Toon Town fire truck

Meeting his first costumed character (Goofy). I'm not quite sure Brody knows what to think!

Enjoying the Merry-Go-Round

Stoller City in front of the Casey Jr. Circus Train

A pat on the head from Winnie the Pooh

Saying hello to Rabbit

Overall, a successful trip to the Magic Kingdom with a toddler. Brody held strong until about 2pm, and then we knew it was time to head out and check-in to our hotel. But, not without a Rainbow Sherbet on Main Street USA. Brody was happy as a clam for ice cream, but not so happy when he realized that the drive from Disneyland to the hotel wasn't even long enough for a decent cat nap. Who knew that we would hit the freeway at the perfect time without any weekend traffic? That was certainly a first for me!

The Happiest Place on Earth (until about 2pm)

Last month, we drove to Orange County for a whirlwind weekend that included the following:

1. First Trip to Disneyland
2. Dinner with Mike's Fraternity Brother and His Family
3. Trip to the Beach
4. Surprise 60th Birthday for Grandma Linda
5. Brunch With Family
6. Park Playdate

I'm tired just thinking about all we crammed into a 48 hour window of time!

So, let's focus on a rite of passage for any kid - the FIRST trip to Disneyland!

As a former employee of The Mouse, I'll admit, I was a bit hesitant to take Brody to Disneyland. He's still so young and I really wanted him to remember the experience, plus I thought it was going to be sensory overload for our little guy. We were leaving San Jose at 2:30am to drive STRAIGHT to Disneyland and be there at park opening, so I figured that if Brody didn't sleep well in the car after being woken up in the middle of the night, then we were in big trouble. Fortunately, Brody fell back to sleep (after about an hour or two), and he was up and at 'em by the time we pulled into the parking lot, though I can't really say the same about mom and dad (walking zombies were more like it). While he was excited, throughout the day Brody had a "deer in headlights" expression...not quite sure what to make of his new surroundings. Here he is with daddy on the tram leading into the park.

After paying an arm and a leg for the two of us to enter into ONE park (Brody is FREE until 3 - thank goodness!), we tried to get the standard"postcard" shots...not easy with a curious 18 month old. Here are our attempts:

Brody and I at the Main Entrance

Family Shot on Main Street USA

And wouldn't you know it, as I write this, I'm experiencing some technical difficulties with the rest of the Disney photos! More photos as soon as I can figure out what is going on!