With our favorite girls! Before the Hardings moved to Utah we made plans to meet them at the end of August at Disneyland.  We (and the girls) looked forward to it all summer.  Christina researched and found a fantastic condo with VRBO that was only a 15 minutes walk to the park entrance.   It was off of Walnut and super easy to get to and from the park.  Once we arrived and parked on Friday night, we didn't get in the car again until it was time to drive home.  The only downside of that was not going near our car for three days to notice the interior light we left on when we arrived on Friday.   Thank goodness for friendly condo neighbors who gave us a jump! Meeting Donald Duck!

The girls were SO excited to see us - it was adorable.  They mauled us with hugs and shrieks of delight.  They honestly make us feel so good.  We miss them so much.   Energy levels were high that night so bedtime came late (after midnight) but the girls still managed to wake up at 6am.  The anticipation of Disneyland was just too much!  We opted to go to California Adventure the first day.  We were there just minutes after it opened.    Between the Fast Pass and the Switch Pass and fairly short lines, we conquered quite a bit of the park in not even a full day.   The girls love the Mater ride and we did it three Riding the Ferris Wheel times in a row before getting the day really started.  We loved California Screamin'.  And we loved everything else that the girls loved:  the carousel, the little mermaid, golden zephyr, the ferris wheel, Luigi's tires, Radiator Springs Racers and Goofy's Fly School.  But one of the best was the Grizzly River Run. Boy did we get SOAKED.  Yet Abby just wanted to do it again and again!  That little girl has quite the  taste for adventure.    World of Color We went to the Mickey Jr. show and then gorged ourselves on ice cream before the Hardings headed back to the condo for a much needed nap.  Lee and I stayed at the park -  went to Soaring Over California and the Aladdin show and then also retreated to the condo.  We made and ate dinner at the condo and then we all headed back to the park for the World of Color Show; which was impressive!      I'm so glad Christina knew all about how to get reserved seating (more or less) and encouraged us to go.  Very cool.   The day just flew by and we had such a great time.  Visiting Disneyland with these two girls was such a treat!   During our last trip of the day through Downtown Disney, Abby stopped and bought a "build-a-bear".  That was my first time observing that process -- they sure make it fun for kids. 

Disneyland & the Matterhorn Day Two was Disneyland! The girls were extremely worn out and actually slept in the second morning.  We didn't mind the more reasonable start to what was another very full day! Although just 4 years old, Abby was tall enough to ride nearly every roller coaster around.  And she was brave enough to do it!  She loved Space Mountain, the Matter Horn and Thunder Mountain.  We loved the Switch Pass that allowed all of us adults to go at least once while one of us watched Ivy.   Lee and I really liked that we were able to take Ivy and let Mike, Christina and Abby go since they never get the chance to ride together.  Abby's First Matterhorn Ride Everything worked perfectly!   Ivy and Abby both love Buzz Lightyear, so we did that multiple times.  Then there was Astro Orbiters, Autotopia, Pirates of the Caribbean, Winnie the Pooh and ALL of Toon Town where we got to meet Goofy and Minnie (we met Donald and Mickey the day before).   The highlight though would have to be Splash Mountain.  Christina, Abby, Lee and I went first and we got soaked.  Lee (in the front) took the brunt of it.  And the picture that was taken of the four of us was priceless. We Waiting to meet Minnie actually suckered up and paid for a copy.   Abby looked scared to death -- but when it was over she hopped right back on with Mike and Christina and went first!  That girl is fearless!  The girls not only rallied until about 8:30pm when they headed back to the condo, but they  had so much energy.  Trying to keep up with Ivy buzzing in and out of people and up and down the corridors was impossible and incredibly entertaining.  After the Hardings left we hit up Indiana Jones and the fireworks.  After which I took Lee on some of the classic rides that he had never experienced - Mt. Toad's Wild Ride and Small World.  You can't go through life without having been on It's a Small World at least once!

Our third and final day was a short one.  We had a slow morning at the condo and then enjoyed the community pools and hot tub for a couple of hours before cleaning up, getting lunch, (jumping the car) and then heading back on the road.  We hated saying goodbye and not Pool Time! knowing when we'll see the Hardings next.  The weekend was so much fun and we miss those little girls more than I can put into words.   We feel very lucky that Mike and Christina are willing to share Abby and Ivy with us as much as they do.  We are  grateful for their friendship.

Pictures (and hopefully one day video) of our time in SoCal are posted here.