christmas trip, part 1

We alternate Thanksgiving and Christmas between our families and this year was a California Christmas year with Laura's family. We'd been scheming a surprise Disneyland trip for Emily and David for an early Christmas present and were very excited that we kept the secret until we arrived (thanks to Laura's mom and the others who were in on it)!

We went out for lunch (In-N-Out!) after they picked us up in Long Beach and then they opened a card that said we'd be spending the rest of the day there, spending the night and then going to Disneyland the next day. They were so surprised and so excited!

After lunch we went to Seal Beach for a quick outing. Clear skies and palm trees were definitely a nice change of pace from Seattle. :)

T-shirts in December? Yes, please.

We enjoyed going out on the pier and Brooklyn liked seeing all the birds.

Family photo in front of the beach...

...and a bigger family photo! Jon was there too -- his first Christmas back with family after serving a mission.

Brooklyn remembered the sand from our Seaside trip a few months ago...

...and wasted no time in enjoying it.

We could hardly keep up with her -- last time she was just crawling.

She loved playing and laughing with Emily and David.

We got a "family suite" at a hotel near Disneyland so we could all stay in the same room. There was this room, a living room, and another bedroom -- it was perfect for our big group.

We were excited to take Brooklyn swimming for the first time...

...she wasn't quite sure what to think about it, but was a pretty good sport.

It was late, a little chilly, and while the pool wasn't that cold, we found our way over to the hot tub. That would be David doing flips.

We got back up to our room in time to see a beautiful California sunset and then sent a couple of us out for a few pizzas.

Perry had joined us for pizza and stayed the night -- and we made our way over to the park the next morning!

Brooklyn's first time at Disneyland! She'll enjoy it more another time, but it was fun to have her there with us -- and a completely different experience than the last time we were here (which was almost five years ago and just a couple weeks after we got married).

Neither of us had ever been to Disneyland during Christmastime so it was fun to see all the decorations and hear holiday music. Disneyland definitely doesn't hold back when it comes to decorating and festivities.

We started the day in Tomorrowland since Star Tours and Space Mountain were both near the top of our to-do list.

And it didn't take long for someone to get exhausted and snooze for a bit.

70 degrees, sunny weather, Disneyland, and family -- pretty much a perfect recipe for a great day.

Brooklyn warmed up to Perry and Jon as the day went on -- it was fun to watch her interact with everyone.

Brooklyn enjoyed a parade while big kids went on a few rides and then we took her on her first Disneyland ride at It's a Small World. Austin's pretty sure he hasn't been on that ride since he was about her age.

She loved it. Toys that dance and spin and move and -- in December -- sing Christmas songs were definitely a hit.

After that we decided the Dumbo ride was a classic we wanted to try with B.

She looked a little nervous at times, but we think she liked it.

After the Dumbo ride we pretty much left the camera packed away and just enjoyed the rest of the day. We did a few other rides and although we didn't get to all the ones we might have liked, it was more fun to experience Disneyland with our little toddler.

We left with a balloon (the one thing she wanted and pointed out all day), a Pooh bear doll (she has a Pooh bear toothbrush here at home) and a Christmas ornament. It was a great day with family and a great start to our vacation with family.