Week 36

 Week 36

Right after Blake and I arrived home from Disneyland, Jeremy asked me what I thought about moving to Verrado. We had talked about moving to Verrado in the past but the market was too crazy at the time. I told him that I would consider but we would have to do it right away because I didn't want to switch schools too far into the year. 

 We headed to Ruby's for food and then spent the rest of the day driving around the area and going to a few open houses. We saw a few houses that we liked from the outside but wanted to see the inside. Kylie loved the open houses and told the realtors our whole life story. One of the houses had snacks so the kids loved that! Kylie asked the rest of the day when we get to go to our new house. 

On Monday, we scootered to breakfast at Panera which was fun. It's been a few months since our last family scooter ride. We hurried back home after and headed back to Verrado to meet up with our realtor. We viewed 6 or 7 homes and narrowed it down to two homes. We went to Taco Bell after to talk about the pros and cons. We came up with a plan and talked to the realtor later that night. We ended up making an offer on two houses and one was accepted! We are so excited to be moving. This house will give us more space and will make it more enjoyable to work from home. I'm most excited for the kids. They will have so many kids in the neighborhood to play with and the neighborhood has tons of events. We don't move in until the weekend of October 23rd. 

On Tuesday, I found out there was a COVID outbreak in Blake's class and all but 6 kids were sent home for the week. My heart melted because I immediately thought no one would be able to come to Blake's birthday party. Luckily the kids were able to test negative on Thursday and then they would be cleared to attend on Saturday. Blake wasn't included in the quarantine because he missed school the prior week so I was very thankful for that!

Blake got hurt at school one day this week and cut his chin open. Jeremy hurried and picked him up and took him to a few urgent cares none of which would help us because it was related to a child's face. It was really frustrating. We decided to go with a butterfly stitch which Jeremy handled and I'm hoping everything heals well and no scaring. 

Blake's 7th Birthday Party was on Saturday morning! We picked Main Event for the party location because Blake wanted bowling. The party went really well and I think everyone had fun. The 1st hour was bowling and the kids seemed to have fun! Blake was really shy for this part because he was embarrassed about his chin. He wore his mask but was still embarrassed. After bowling was pizza and drinks. The pizza was really good! Next, Blake opened presents. He received some awesome Lego sets, money, Fortnite mask, nerf gun, and robot! He LOVED all of them. After the party I was asking him what he thought of his presents and he said he loved them and he said all his friends know him so well! It was so cute! After presents we did cake. I had to create a cake because stores can't make a Fortnite cake. Blake loves tie-dye so I ordered a tie-dye cake and then I ordered Fortnite figures to place on the top. He LOVED his cake and I cute a slice and then we all sang happy birthday! We were about out of time so Blake and I passed out the goodie bags and a $10 arcade card to everyone. I think this was Blake's favorite part, he was having so much fun playing games with his friends! At then end we were grabbing our stuff out of the lockers and Blake yelled "This was the best party ever!" It made it all worth it! 

We went on another family scooter ride in Tempe! Blake and Jeremy have a path they drive to and ride to Panera and then a park. We did that as a family and it was fun. I started to get a cough so it was good to get outside and do something. 

Week 35

 Week 35

Blake turned 7 this week! On Wednesday I surprised Blake by picking him up early from school and taking him on a birthday trip. Jeremy went in the school to pick him up and I held up a sign outside that said "Our bags are packed, Blake and Mommy are going to DISNEYLAND". He was really excited but it took a little bit to really set in. 

Disneyland Surprise Video

Blake and I took an hour flight to Orange Country and then took an uber to our hotel. We arrived around 5pm. We headed straight to downtown Disney but I decided to go the long route on accident. Blake was a good sport and we learned what way not to go. :) We walked through a few shops and grabbed a few treats. On our way back to the hotel we stopped by our favorite pizza shop. We each created a pizza and brought it back to the hotel. We had a relaxing and fun night. 

Thursday morning was our first day at the parks. We went to California Adventure. I had read that the parks were unofficially opening early so we decided to leave our hotel at 7am and arrived on property right as they started allowing people through security and then hurried to a line at the gates. We were second in line which was pretty cool. Next, they opened the gates and scanned your tickets for the first few people which was awesome because when they opened we were all ready to run down the main street to the rope drop. Blake was so excited and was running down to the rope near Cars Land. We then had to wait 15 minutes until they officially opened. Once they allowed everyone started running/speed walking to the main Cars ride. Blake ran and I speed walked. We ended up getting on the first car of the day! Sadly, Blake hated the ride. During the end race it goes up and down hills and Blake hates that so we did not go back on again. 

We went on the other two Cars rides immediately as everyone was in line for the main ride which was a huge perk of being there so early. We went on a few of the Pixar pier rides and then took a few photos. Next, we went over to Soaring which is one of my favorite rides. Blake really liked it! At this point the park was nearly empty it was amazing! It was cloudy so it was the perfect temperature. I was able to get us tickets to the new Spiderman Ride which we went on next. I highly recommend it. It wasn't a rollercoaster but it was really fun! I wish we could have gone on it again but you can only get one ticket a day. 

We went back to the Cars Land and went on the tractor ride several times. Blake loved riding in his own tractor and since there was no line they allowed him. We went back to the Pixar Pier and finished the rest of the rides. At one point Blake saw a Forky toy he wanted so we stepped into a shop and completely forgot about our masks and we got yelled at. This was the only time we forgot. :) 

Around lunch time we had been on almost every ride in the park at least once and a few several times. It was awesome! We took a little break and then headed back on few more rides. We facetimed Grandma on the Little Mermaid ride because Blake thought she would like it. We grabbed an ice cream bar and took a little break. While we were sitting down Mickey came by which was fun! After, we went over and Blake was able to get a formal picture with him. Blake loved the Monsters Inc ride so we rode that one several times. We ended the day around 5pm after we had been on every ride several times. It was the perfect first day and it was nice to end early so we could rest before the next day. 

Blake and I headed to the hotel bar to grab a drink. The pool was right by the pool and Blake said "That pool is making me jealous!". He makes me laugh. The bartender gave Blake a little snack as well. Blake loved it!

Friday was Blake's Birthday! We went to the Disneyland park for the day. We arrived early just like the prior day and we ended up being the first people on the Peter Pan ride which is one of the most popular rides. Blake loved it and wanted to ride again but the line was already super long. We hit up a few other fantasy land rides and then headed to the Matterhorn! I had never been on it before because it was always closed in the past so I had no idea what to expect. Blake doesn't like roller coasters that go up and down so I was a little stressed. He ended up LOVING it! I was so excited. 

Next, he wanted to go on space mountain. This was another one that I was nervous about whether he would hate me for taking him on it but he ended up LOVING it as well. I was pretty stressed out during the ride because I was confident he was going to be mad but was so excited when he yelled "That was so much fun!" when the ride ended. :) 

Next, we went to the Autopia ride. Blake wanted to drive and I pushed on the gas. Next, we hurried over to the rocket ship ride, Buzz lightyear ride and a star wars ride. At this point we were still walking right on the rides which was amazing! 

We took a little break and had an early lunch. Blake loved the mac and cheese and I had a kids burger. It was the perfect size to keep us energized. We found a fun kids train and Blake picked the back of the train. He thought it was really fun to ride backwards. 

The next part was probably Blake's favorite part of the trip. We headed to Mickey's Toontown and went on a spinning ride, took a picture with Mickey, and then went on the kids rollercoaster. Blake loved the rollercoaster but mostly because the line was so short that they let him stay on over and over again. We went on the ride over 10 times without getting off. They spoiled him because it was his birthday. 

We were having so much fun that we almost missed our reservation for the new Star Wars ride. I didn't plan on riding it but Blake is a Star Wars fan and insisted we go on it. It was a long wait which I didn't expect. I don't know anything about Star Wars but it was fun and Blake seemed to really enjoy it. We found really fun Star Wars sodas that we enjoyed while we took a break. It was really hot so we had to take a good amount of breaks. 

After our break we planned to go on the new Haunted Mansion ride but the line was insane so we decided to go on Indiana Jones. This was one of the longer lines we waited in but still only 15 - 20 minutes. Blake didn't love the ride but after it was over he seemed to not hate it as much. 

We headed back to ToonTown and were so lucky that we ran into a parade. We found a bench right on the side and were able to watch the parade. It was so fun! I loved watching Blake get excited to see the characters and give a shy wave. It was awesome! They don't currently have planned parades so you only get to see them if you happen to walk by when they happen. 

We took a detour and went on the Matterhorn since the line wasn't too long. He loved it! Next, we went on the Pirates of the Caribbean. Blake did not want to go on it and ended up loving it. We immediately got off and got back in line and rode it one more time. Next, we went on Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. He was nervous about it but ended up loving it! Sadly, the line was too long to ride it again right away. 

We headed back to Matterhorn again and discovered the single rider line. Blake wanted to do single rider so I went first and then I could wait for him to finish. We went on really quick and Blake wanted to do it again. They were so nice and said to could head to the front and ride together since it was his birthday. We took a break and had a little dinner and then went back for a few more single rider rides. We were able to do the last ride in the dark which Blake was really excited about because it made it scarier. 

Around 8pm we headed to main street to see if we could find a spot to watch the fireworks. I was shocked to find main street almost completely packed with people sitting down or standing waiting for the fireworks. They had the entire street roped off. We found a spot right in the middle of the street and had an awesome view of the castle. About 10 minutes to 9pm, they had everyone stand up and move forward and the show started right at 9pm. The show was amazing! I held Blake up so he could see over the crowd. He loved it! It was really cool because it was the first night they showed the new Halloween fireworks show.

Right after the show ended we hurried over the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad to ride it one more time. Blake also wanted to ride it in the dark. He transformed into a different kid while we were there. I was so proud and happy that he was trying new rides and ending up loving them. We were both pretty tired and ready to head back to the hotel but we had to make one last stop. Blake decided he wanted to make a lightsaber for his souvenir so we headed to the Star Wars area where he built his lightsaber. 

On our way out we saw Mickey and Goofy near the main street train station. Blake was ready to leave but I said we have to at least get a picture. :) We left around 10:15pm and I'm so amazed at how much Blake walked the two days and didn't complain once. I honestly thought I would be carrying him back to the hotel by the end of the day but he still had energy left at the end of the day. 

On Saturday, we slept in a little bit. We relaxed for awhile and then headed to Ihop next door. I should have looked at the reviews but the place is a mess. The manager was crazy and just always yelling at the workers that they weren't moving fast enough. There was a long wait but it was busy so it was expected. There was a lady going around the tables and making Disney balloon animals for the kids. Blake picked a Mickey Mouse one. He was really sad when I told him he couldn't take it on the plane. He decided to leave it in the hotel room hoping they leave it for the next family. 

We headed down to Downtown Disney to do a little shopping. We picked out a few things for Kylie and some treats for the family. We were so thankful that we weren't at the parks because the parks were sold out and it was pretty hot. 

 The flight home went really smoothly. We grabbed lunch at the airport and then hopped on a quick flight home. One thing that Blake and I did almost the entire trip was play chess. When we took breaks at Disney or really any break we had Blake wanted to play chess. Everyone on the plane was so impressed that Blake knew how to play chess. Blake was SO excited to see his sister. It was really cute to watch. 

We celebrate Blake's birthday Saturday night. We started with heading to Sonic and picking slushes or shakes. Then, we went home and Blake opened presents. Blake requested fidget toys, an alexa, and fortnite money. I found him lots of fun fidget toys and a kids alexa. He also received a cool chess shirt from Grandma and Grandpa Larson. Grandma and Grandpa Krass gave him a dip n dots maker and Fortnite money! He's a spoiled boy. 

We spent most of the rest of the holiday weekend doing something really exciting but I will share in next weeks post! :)