Tomorrow You'll Be Older: Two Weeks in California

Evelyn on Day 1:

This is the first day of Disneyland! Yesterday I was so excited that I was like this:

"Mom?...Mom?...Mom!" It was so funny! I loved it! I am kind of nervous to go on Indy Ana Jones again. I am so excited! We also got a scooter for the whole time! It is raining so it will be an adventure.

The flight was pretty fun, but pretty bumpy! It was so interesting how it could go so quickly up! It made me nervous when we went around the turns because they were BIG turns! It looked like the ground was out the side window! It made me dizzy because I leaned against the side of the wall! On the flight, Mom and Dad played Jotto. I played "Risk" on the phone and drew pictures and checked Mommy's work 'cuz she was half asleep.

The hotel is comfy but the pillows aren't as comfy as last time, but it is still pretty nice. I love the jerky that Grandma Mary made! It is so flavorful! It saved our lives yesterday! We didn't get any real food until almost 5.

Eating jerky!

Evelyn still loves Pluto more than the others...she was kind of sad to trade away her collection of Pluto pins!

Evelyn on Day 2:

I can't even believe it! I went on California Screamin', without crying! I still don't like it that much.

We had a great time going on Thunder Mountain! I got to go get Pluto's autograph too! I love Disneyland!

We saw a new play at the Aladdin theater. It was about "Frozen." I got to sing along. I loved It so much! It was so much fun! The play was funny because Olaf was a puppet attached to a person and Sven was a guy in a Caribou costume. But they looked just like the cartoons! The people acting them used the same expressions as their puppets, so they were fun to watch. In the scene when the wolves were chasing the sleigh, they jumped off a cliff and all of them got lifted off the ground and "fell" in slow motion for about a minute.

And we went to star tours. And then we went to a Star Wars movie in the "Honey I shrunk the audience" theater. It was cool, but it was all the Star Wars Movies mixed together.

The park had really good crowds because it was raining. But the cars ride was still a 60 minute wait. We didn't go on that yet. But we walked right on star tours and hyperspace mountain! I closed my eyes all though the california screamin' so I wouldn't be too scared. It made it pretty fun, but it made me dizzy because I felt like I was in outer space. But I DIDN'T close my eyes on hyperspace mountain this year! It made me nervous in some areas because it had a bunch of lasers coming out. It was kind of scary, but also really fun!

Evelyn on Day 3:

Yesterday I went to the pirate show! It was so fun to go to. We got the blue pirate, Benjamin. I was so happy he was our pirate because he was a good guy. It's hard to cheer when they do things you don't like. He was the best pirate because he liked to let people go and he had never killed anyone before. He fell in love with the princess and saved her life. The sea dragon we didn't see very much. But we saw it when it hatched and right at the end they were going to feed the princess to it, but Benjamin saved her. It didn't have as much to do with the sea dragon as it sounded like. The ribbon dancer gypsy was really cool, except for the way she dressed. She didn't speak, she had to dance her words. She dressed without a skirt when she was doing the ribbon dance because it would be harder and dangerous. Dad and me got to help on the stage. I raised the flag and tried to make the captain laugh. I got a certificate from Captain Black that I would be loyal to him. I said the pledge to be a real pirate. I liked it. Some of them are bad pirates. The most impressive thing about the show was the gymnastics. They swung from the ropes.

The rest of the day I swam and did school work. In the swimming pool I made some friends: a little boy and an older girl. They played with me and we raced across the pool. It was really fun.

waiting for the Pirate dinner show.

I probably wouldn't recommend this show...Medieval times was way better!

Being sworn in as a Pirate!

Evelyn on Day 4:

I liked going on Indiana Jones. Mom liked it so much we all had to go on it again for Mom. I kind of like it...but it is just too bumpy. And the queue makes me nervous and we had to go through it twice!

We then went to the blue bayou. It was fun, cause It was all the pirate stuff that were going to get. I like the scenery in blue bayou because it goes into the bayou in Pirates. The reason why they put Pirates in New Orleans square is because New Orleans is in Louisiana and that is right above the Caribbean where there were lots of Pirates. The pirates would attack boats and then escape through the bayou because no one knew how to get through the bayou except people from Louisiana. Then they would sell their stuff in New Orleans.

We went on splash mountain three times in a row, cause I love it so much!

In the queue to jungle cruise we saw a horn-bill bird that we never saw before. Mom thought we should put it in our Disneyland scavenger hunt.

In the lines we like to play twenty questions. We like to do Disney characters, rides, or movies. Sometimes it goes really quick, and sometimes it takes forever to guess. We also eat snacks and stuff too.

Today (friday) we are going to Disneyland again because Saturday is sunny and would be too crowded. So we decided to go today on this rainy day so there wouldn't be too many people.

Waiting to eat at the Blue Bayou

Evelyn on Day 5:

I had a great time! Did you know that California soaring was changed into Soaring around the world? It is so much more fun! We explored Africa and it smelled like corn! We went to mount Everest (we think {it is actually the matterhorn}) and the Eifel tower and it looked like it was tipping! We also saw the pyramids of Egypt! It was so much more fun that it looked real!

For dinner I also had Gumbo! It was so yummy!

WE spent most the day in California adventure land. We got 3 free Ghiradelli's! And one free bread piece each. We went to cars, and it was really fun, even though the ride was short. (This part is from Pamela: we saw some secret service people or something there, so evidently there was a celebrity on the ride, but we didn't recognize them. Some Hispanic guy or something...back to Evelyn:)

The rain was really bad. I had to wear a stinking poncho all day. I don't like them because they are either too loose, or pulling on you tight. My shoes and socks got very very very very soaked. They felt like sponges while I was wearing them. I had to stop and wring them out. I wish I brought another pair of shoes.

The next couple days we are going to have a long break from everything. We might go to Lego Batman movie today. I have a lot of schoolwork to catch up on today.

Evelyn on Day 6:

Yesterday we went and traded pins in downtown Disney because we thought it would be fun. We also had a great time because we went through the stores. And then we went to the Lego Batman Movie which was really fun! Mom said we are going to buy that one. I liked how Batman changed --it was kind of like Megamind where he was a bad guy and then he changed except Batman wasn't a bad guy, he was just not necessarily a good guy either. He was kind of in between the two. But he changed his heart into being a good guy. He always said he worked alone, but he let his son work with him. But the thing is, with the son, Robin, he adopted him on accident. He was distracted by a pretty girl, and Robin asked if he would be his father and batman was like, "Yes, definitely." it was funny. He also hurt the Joker's feelings because he wouldn't admit the Joker was his arch-nemesis. Joker looked funny because he was on the verge of tears. It made us all laugh out loud.

We went out to dinner to a new mexican food place called Ortega's family restaurant. You should have seen the GIANT burrito we ordered!!! We didn't know it would be that big! It was really, really big, but also really yummy. My kids meal was also really big and really yummy.

Today we are probably going to the beach after church. But I have to tell you about the best part: for Valentine's day, Mom and Dad had a surprise for me, but they decided to give me my surprise today and save another one for Valentine's day. GUESS WHAT I GOT??? I got another Lalaloopsy doll!! She is Snowy Fairest! She is really cute: she has black hair and phases of how you eat an apple on her apron! She is also really cute because she has a pink sparkly bow. She is as short as Silencia. I am really happy about the doll, because mom said that unless I buy a doll with my own money I probably won't get another doll. I was really surprised that she got me this doll.

My hair went wildly curly with all that humidity!

Burrito of my dreams!!!

So...full...already!

getting her Valentine a few days early!

Evelyn on Day 7:

I love MY Snowy Apple Blossom Fairest doll! She is so cute! She has sparkles in her bow. Ps,I did not know that she had sparkles! end of Ps. I also went to the beach! I liked it. we found a bunch of shells.I hope we go there again! I liked opening an oyster to see if there was a pearl, even though there wasn't a pearl. The waves were really fun even though it was a bit cold. I liked it. The sand was squishy where the water could touch, but where the water couldn't touch, it was warm and you could sink into it. The sand was fine and soft. But in the places the water didn't touch it sometimes had lots of sticks. If a shell was in the sand and a wave went over it, it would leave two streaks in the sand like the way geese fly in a V. There was a bunch of gold dust in the sand....just tiny specks, but you could totally see it, it would sparkle on the beach. It was so cool! Even the water sparkled!

We went to the same church we went to before but this time is was fun because Relief society passed out snacks (I just stayed with mom). There were jolly ranchers, starbursts, dark and white chocolate pretzels, normal pretzels, and other chocolates. Mom played the piano because no one else in the ward except for the primary pianist knew how to play. So mom went up and played the piano. She did really well when she was playing because the Lord helped her. She was super nervous.

There was a really good talk in church yesterday. It was about obedience. If you weren't obedient, it could do lots of damage. Like his children put a bucket of toys up on a door so that when their two year old brother walked in, the bucket fell on his head! When the bucket fell on him, he had a split on his head and his dad had to do some stitches on his eyebrow. It can be spiritual too, like if you break a commandment. It does damage to another person's heart and the person who broke the commandment. The point was that if you do something wrong you probably should repent. Some people's greatest fear is repenting because they think they are not good any more. But that is not true. He said we need to teach our children to run to repentance, and not think that repenting is painful, because really it is the sin that you did. I liked it.

Evelyn on Day 8:

Try to say "Harbor Boulevard," 5 times as fast as you can! It's really funny.

I had a great time at medieval times. We got the green knight and it was not as scary as last time. I also got a unicorn baby that is made out of metal. And a dragon stuffed animal! I think it is so cute! I named it Cloud. It is a cloud dragon.

Our Green Knight threw his javelin so hard at the target that they couldn't get it out for a really long time! They had to keep pulling and pulling! He was very very tall and he was also very very strong. I found him kind of handsome because even though he had to have a ponytail, I still found him handsome. He was always smiling even when he was fighting. He looked good, but I don't know if he IS good. Anna from "Frozen" thinks that going crazy over a handsome face and having a little fun with a boy is true love, but it's not. Though I was surprised too when Hans turned out to be a bad guy. True love is actually when two people meet and they have the same ideas, not for their looks but for their goals and stuff. You want to look for someone who is honest and kind...and then you do what's best for them.

Happy Valentines Day!

Evelyn on Day 9:

I am going to the beach again today! I can not wait to go. I will swim too! Last time I did not swim. I will see under water! And maybe get gold! The beach is fun because we will be able to find shells and build a sandcastle!

Yesterday we went to Disneyland. I brought my Lalaloopsie for the first little while, and then my dragon at night. I went on California Screamin'! And I opened my eyes for most of it. It still kind of scared you because it like was really fast. I only closed my eyes for the loop-de-loop. I kind of liked it, but was still kind of scared. I went on the silly symphony swings. It was kind of fun, but I was a little nervous because we went over the ocean a little. I kind of want to ride that one again. The swings were fun because they had different classical songs playing for it.

We found our last hitchhiking ghost pin! It was the fatty one.

We went on Splash Mountain again at night. Dad sat in the front and he saved us all from getting wet and cold because Daddy hates getting wet, so he pulled out a poncho and held it up like a shield and he caught all the splash! All the people on the boat were glad about that!

We got 5 ghiradellis because they were so good that we kept going back to the shop for more! For Valentine's day, Daddy bought Mommy a hot chocolate there which was good because she was shivering.

For Valentine's day I got some clothes for my new lalaloopsy doll. They were homemade clothes: a blue dress with lace on the sleeves and rim (it was very pretty) and some pajamas that have a bunch of owls on them. I like them.

Bryony is having her baby and I am kind of excited to have a new cousin. I'm not sure but I think her name is going to be Betsy. If I were going to name the baby, I would name it Belle, because I think I want to name one of my kids that. It's a really good name.

Evelyn on Day 10:

This is the last day here. At least we will be in Disneyland! I have 11 rides that I want to go on. P.s. One is not a ride, end of P.s. Splash mountain, thunder mountain, Pinnochio, snow white’s scary adventure, peter pan, Ghiradellis, little mermaid, cars racers, and toy story mania, indiana jones, and jungle cruise.

Yesterday we went to the beach and found lots of shells. We made some sand castles, and we wanted to see if the waves would wash them away or not. The waves did wash some of them, but not that last one that we made really strong. I looked underwater with my goggles, but all I could see was water and sand. And the water tasted nasty. When we were at our hotel, I was working on Big Brainz, I passed the retention level which was really exciting for me. So I played the next level for an hour...or maybe even a little more.

We went to the cheesecake factory for dinner. It was really yummy, but we couldn't finish the cheesecake that we got because it was Really really sweet. We got one piece of the peanut butter cup one...it made us all buzz! We had potstickers and orange chicken with rice for dinner.

We finished our third book of the Unwanteds. But mom kept wanting to take a nap but I was like, "No! No! NOOO!" She never got a nap.

Evelyn on the 11^th and 12^th days

I went to all the rides that I wanted to go on. I loved them! I was excited to get my pineapple ice cream! It was as good as last time. I was kind of sad to go home and happy: 'cause I like it in California, but I wanted to see how my lalaloopies are doing. We went on the swings a couple more times: I decided I like that ride. We went on Hyperspace mountain again, it was pretty fun. This time some spaceships didn't blow up, they just got really close to you: it looked like you were going to crash into them!

We got up at 4 AM to go home. I hated it! It was so not fun because I am used to sleeping in until 8 or 7! I snoozed in the car. We came home on the plane, it was bumpy. We had to switch places in the plane because they were trying to balance out the weight of the plane. I had to sit by two strangers. They were nice, but I was a little nervous of them. They spoke both English and Spanish. I told them that I am learning Spanish. I said, "Buenos dias" to them. The airplane people gave me snacks for free because I moved away from my parents to balance out the plane. I said no thanks at first, but they gave me some anyway: oreos, goldfish, and fruit-snacks and a pin! I was very brave going on the plane with strangers.

We went out to breakfast to kneaders. I got their pancakes. I didn’t love their caramel syrup, but I put on strawberries and whipped cream. It was creamy delicious!

When we got home, I was so excited to see my dolls, but when we opened the door, the house was a mess!!! Tissy was on a laundry basket, and underneath was Allegra and she had stripped! All of them had torn apart hearts, except for Silencia. She was the only one who was good: she was just reading the friend magazine. Publicity pulled out the frosting and smeared in on the table of theirs: it said, "We mis yoo." She also threw all the food I left for them. But Violette stole a bunch of candy and had been eating it like crazy. I think someday I should check her weight! I don't think they even looked at the Valentines I left for them! Well, they might have, but they didn't eat the candy. But Violette didn't need more candy! She is so grounded! In fact, all of them, except for Silencia are grounded from candy except on holidays. I thought it was so funny. I laughed so hard I almost couldn't breathe.