five on friday:: 5 cool things we did

we spent wednesday and thursday in orange county.  our first stop was disneyland and then some time with gigi and great grandpa in laguna woods.

1. pooh's pigout
it's a tradition, you see.  you ride on whinnie the pooh.  there's never a line and it's a cute ride.  you exit conveniently by the candy shop where they have the most amazing confections; chocolate covered pretzel rods rolled in mini m&m's, gigantic cookies and marshmallow bars, marshmallows on a stick covered in chocolate and sugar.  it's the one treat we get all day.  this time around sofia chose the minnie mouse cake pop; red velvet cake mixed with icing and covered in chocolate and sprinkles. (yes, just about everything is covered in chocolate.)  if you get a chance to stop in, they have the most beautiful candy apples that look like mickey and minnie or belle.  they also have a window for you to see how they cover everything in chocolate.  the pigout part is your choice, but we recommend it.

2.  new rides
we went to california adventure and rode the little mermaid ride.  the wait was only 10 minutes, i'm not sure i would have waited more than 20 minutes to try it out.  well, maybe.  sofia was so excited it would have been worth it.  we also went on the new star tours.  we kept an eye on the wait time all day through an app on my phone.  at one point the wait was 110 minutes, a little too long for us. but it got down to 65 minutes and that felt more doable.  it was worth the wait.  the kids loved it and having it in 3d was a bonus.  even sofia enjoyed it.  we can't wait to take bobby.

3. time with gigi and great grandpa
they live in a community for active seniors and we love visiting them when we can.  great grandpa made waffles for breakfast, the kids played with dominos, and i got to visit for a bit.  gigi showed me some of her family's heirlooms.

this beautiful dress belonged to her mother  (or grandmother. i can't remember which.)   look at the delicate handwork and the tiny waist.  it was incredible.  she is hoping to donate it to the historical society soon.  i'm glad i had a chance to see it before she did.

4. an old tree
they took us for a walk to another section of the community that had a trail that ran along a creek.  the trail led to a park with a lot of different trees.  jordan and i figured that this tree was about 440 years old. it was a very cool shape and the thought that it was here at the time of the pilgrims made it even more amazing.

so i let them climb all over it. and take pictures.

one of my favorite things to do is to lie under a tree and look up.  i find so much peace in that.  we could have spent hours here, but our stomachs were ready for lunch.

5. pie at polly's
this restaurant is very close to where they live.  we've heard about it a lot and their rolls are a coveted item at our family gatherings.  we went there for lunch on thursday and of course we had to have a slice of their famous pie.  gigi and i shared a piece of rhubarb and strawberry pie - delicious.  jordan chose the coconut cream and andrew devoured the chocolate silk.  they were generous enough to save just one bite for daddy.  they wanted to bring some of the happiness to him.  and he was happy!

we enjoyed our time together with grandma, grandpa tom, gigi and great grandpa.  we look forward to visiting them again soon.

oh and a bonus was getting a wake up call from becky that baby kendall had arrived happy and healthy.  we are so happy for the new family and can't wait to meet her.

looking forward to another good weekend with friends.  hope you have a good one too.