Disneyland!

Just before Thanksgiving, Reed and I took Cal to Disneyland. We were so excited about it, but we were trying not to get our hopes up. With a two-year-old, you never really know how an activity is going to play out. Tantrums? Disinterest? Exhaustion? It's a gamble, to say the least. Fortunately, it turned out to be a very fun day.

The joke in the Richey family is that every one of us kids has been ecstatic just to ride the parking lot shuttle. My mom always wondered if she should save herself $300 and just let us ride the shuttle back and forth to our car. The picture below doesn't capture it, but Cal was no exception to the Richey-family-parking-shuttle rule. He loved it.

First stop inside was the Tiki Room, which my family lovingly calls "the Freaky Room", as it has frightened a couple of our younger members in yesteryears.

Cal loved the bright lights and the singing:

After the Tiki Room warm up, he was very excited for what was next. Here's a shot of him running to the jungle cruise:

When Reed and I were first dating, we went to Disneyland together, and split a Mickey-Mouse-shaped strawberry shortcake. We decided that if, after his mission, we ended up getting married, we'd come back to the same place and order the same thing and split it. I thought it was so romantic when Reed brought it up the morning of our Disneyland trip.

Then we got to the restaurant and realized there have been some cost-cuts in the happiest place on earth:

We had a good laugh about our tradition-in-a-cup. (And btw, it was still pretty delicious!)

Then it was off to Dumbo, which I haven't ridden for years. (For family members who remember, the last time was actually that rainy day where everyone in the park was wearing the same yellow Mickey Mouse poncho. Good times, right?)

Reed showed Cal how to control Dumbo's altitude:

Cal caught on and LOVED zooming Dumbo up and down.

Here is the one shot we got of the three of us (Cal is still trying to use the joystick):

Then it was off to Small World:

King Arthur's carousel (one of the only non-terrifying rides in Fantasyland):

Cal loved the submarine ride, which I have never been on:

Tomorrow land astro orbit. I got so motion sick on this ride (yep, I'm that cool):

Cal was ecstatic to see the train coming. He was yelling out "Choo chooooo! CHOO CHOOOOO!" when this photo was taken:

At this point, it was close to dinner time, and Cal's exhaustion was starting to show:

So Reed and I put Cal in the umbrella stroller, where he immediately fell asleep. Reed took me to dinner in downtown Disney, and since Cal was asleep, it felt like a night out without the baby! All in all, the three of us each had an awesome day (and night) at Disneyland.

Know What You're Making for Dinner Tonight?

Please allow me and Cal to make a suggestion. In keeping with our goal to make dinner together, I've been trying to come up with some easy, basic recipes to throw together. I got the idea for BBQ chicken pizza from Reed's colleague, who had us over for a BYU football game and served delicious homemade pizza.

But first, we started with a pumpkin pie. I just used the recipe on the side of the Libby's can. Didn't even make my own crust. Like I said, BASIC. But with expectations as low as mine, things usually turn out just fine! :)

Here's cal stirring the pumpkin pie mix:

And here's where I tried to take the whisk away from him:

"Don't try that again, Mommy."

The recipe for the pizza is just as easy. First, start with a pizza dough recipe. I have one I like, but I'm not married to it. Find one that you like.

Four ingredients: 1. Cooked, shredded chicken, 2. BBQ sauce, 3. Mozzarella cheese, 4. Red onion.

Bake at whatever temp & time the pizza dough itself calls for. All the toppings are, of course, pre-cooked.

Doesn't it look yummy?

Cal's pumpkin pie wasn't too shabby, either:

I am definitely not a gourmet cook, but I love consistently making a yummy meal, even if it is simple. This one was a winner, and the process of making it brought Cal and me a little closer together. And in a world of egg-smashing Tuesday mornings, we need those happy moments!

Making Dinner Together

There is an annoying tendency among Mommy-Bloggers to paint a rosier-than-reality picture when talking about life. So maybe you'll be extra skeptical about the happy times we've been having together as a family lately. So be it.

I've been trying to have Cal help me make dinner every night. It's a fun way for us to work on a project together, and I can tell he feels really important for being allowed to help. Also, it's nice knowing he's not making a mess in the other room (because he's making a mess with ME!).

This particular night, Cal and I made a special Italian dinner for Daddy, just because we thought it would be fun. Here is a picture of Cal counting out the meatballs:

On a side note, I LOVE basil. That was part of a Caprese salad. If you haven't made/eaten Caprese before, it is (a) one of the easiest things you can possibly make, (b) so flipping delicious, and (c) makes you look a little bit fancy. I highly recommend it.

We were really proud of Cal, because he dug right into his vermicelli pasta and meatballs. He tends toward pickiness. (Well, in truth, all he wants to eat is juice, but I get scared saying that because people always seem to reply, "That's a sign of autism." I'm POSITIVE Cal is not autistic--believe me, I've asked about the juice thing.) Anyway, he's been a better eater lately, and I think it has more to do with me being a more confident mommy-cook than about his preferences changing. We do, however, still have to say no to juice several times a day.

After dinner, we made a family activity out of the dessert: Apple-pie Caramel Apples. YUM. Here is Cal, counting the apples:

"One, two, three.....one, two THREE!" (Not six yet, just two rows of three, but I'll take it.)

Look how silly, chubby and proud he looks right here:

I can't even stand it, it makes me so happy.

We let him lick the caramel off of the mixing fork:

And then gave him a proper taste of dessert:

The recipe turned out well, and I'll remember this night as a truly fun time the three of us got to spend together. I know not every night will be like this one, but if I put a little more effort forward, and if I learn how to say no to other less important things, our family can have nights like this more often. And to me, that's a goal worth striving for.