October 2017

Disneyland and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter
Because of the continued strength of Harry Potter’s presence in our lives, we decided to tack on a little 10th-birthday surprise to our Disneyland trip this year: a day at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter (in Los Angeles). They were unfazed by the fact that we landed at a different airport, but it wasn’t really until we were checking in at the Hilton Universal that Annika was like … waaaaaaaait a minute! this isn’t the Grand Californian! She was THRILLED, though she’s not really the type to enjoy surprises (even if they’re good). We had a great time in the Hogsmeade replica town (including a great lunch at the Three Broomsticks, eating fish and chips and drinking butterbeer, and an hour inside Ollivanders choosing wands that didn’t entirely work on the things they were supposed to but … ), although a day really was all anyone needed there, and we were happy to catch our Lyft down to Anaheim. The next day, we went at it: our plan, as usual, included early morning starts and midday breaks, and this year the new MaxPass (and R’s mastery of its use) meant we got to ride everything we wanted and we never waited more than ten minutes for anything. Everybody loved Space Mountain — including Lukas, who was finally tall enough to go on it!), Annika conquered California Screamin (and persuaded me to go on it more times than my old noggin could really handle, LOL), Guardians of the Galaxy became a new fave (it took over the Tower of Terror and was, IMO, a much better ride — we only did it the once, on the last day, but it’ll be a priority next time); we all liked Splash Mountain; Annika (influenced by Vines and YouTube) kept doing bits for the ride photos and getting us all into it; Cars Land was in full Halloween dress (very cute, but tbh we missed the song “Sh-Boom,” which used to play during the light-up of the area at dusk), and of course, we got Ghirardelli on the last night. Till next year, Disneyland & California Adventure! Yo ho ho ho, pirates of the bean!

Annika’s birthday
She’s TEN, and if that ain’t a big deal, I don’t know what is! Our girl wanted a sleepover party, so that’s what she got (albeit with a smaller guest list than last time … hoo boy). The theme was “foxes,” as in the woodland creature — we put up fake vines everywhere, she made signs, etc. They watched a couple of movies, went swimming for a couple of hours in the pool (which we heated this time, LOL), and ate a million pounds of Pirate’s Booty again; the only crisis was glow-bracelet-related (a couple of the cheap glow bracelets broke open and glow liquid was flung everywhere, including all over Annika’s arm and into Niamh’s eye). In the morning, I made pancakes … and the toilet overflowed, soaking the bathroom, pantry, and hallway (which was fun to deal with as the parents arrived to pick their girls up, yeah). Lukas sad to not be a part of it, but R. managed to console him with their two-dudes sleepover upstairs, so all was well. 

Halloween
Halloween is never at its biggest when it’s on a Tuesday, but that’s how it fas sometimes. This year, the kids had a minimum day (it was during Parent/Teacher conference week), so they really didn’t have much of a school day once the parade was done — which was fine by them! Lukas was a ninja (with long swords he wasn’t allowed to bring to school), and Annika was a golden phoenix. We all went to the Marshalls’ house for pizza and to go out trick or treating, during which we were joined by Raina and her mom and grandmother. R. and I had biffed it, costume-wise, but he got inspired by a kid’s costume from the parade, and — thanks to a desperate sprint through the mall by me — we managed to put together a Clark Kent for R. (with a Superman T-shirt peeking through an unbuttoned dress shirt) and Lois Lane for me (trench coat, reporter’s notebook, PRESS i.d. card on a lanyard). The kids got TONS of candy, which really is the only criteria that matters. 

Fun stuff
—Pump It Up! and up, and up: All the TK kids have their birthdays right around now, so we are spending a lot of time at parties on weekends, including Jacob’s PIU party (for which we showed up at the local venue, only to discover that we were supposed to go to Morgan Hill … Lukas rolled with that one better than I thought he might!), and Manir's PIU party (during which Annika & R went together to Color Me Mine).
—Dandy Day: Another fun time for most everyone … Annika ended up doing 72 laps (entirely on her own, no help from a pusher/greyhound, and no extra credit from my volunteering … which I did not do) and Lukas bettered his record despite frequent breaks for acting a fool with Lawson. We had great weather (cool and slightly overcast for part of it, never hot as in years past), and I did not win too many items in the silent auction …
—Annika’s swim school finish line is in sight: Annika earned her Flying Fish II ribbon! That means just one more ribbon till she “graduates” (her term, LOL) the program!
—Lukas pumpkin patch field trip: The kinder and TK classes went to the Uesugi Pumpkin Farm again this year; I saw the email too late to sign up, but I’ve already been on this trip twice (once with each kid) so I was ok with letting someone else, ah, experience it. Heh. He loved it, of course, and came home with a mini-pumpkin of his very own. 

Quotable
—“Seven hundred o’clock" (Lukas reads time on a digital display)

—“I’m the Principal!” —Lukas sitting behind the executive-looking desk in our room at the Hilton hotel

—“It’s spicy and I love it!” —Lukas trying Coca-Cola for the first time

—“Ya look like ya takin a DUMP!” -some rando kid, re: his mom’s face in one of the post-ride photos

—“Yo ho, ho ho, pirates of the bean!” Lukas’s mondegreen, which we all picked up and probably will be singing for the rest of our lives 

—“Twinklebell” (Lukas’s interpretation of the fairy character’s name)