Lane Family Blog

Disneyland Trip 2012

2012-01-25T20:49:00.000-08:00

Today we headed to the "Happiest Place on Earth" - Disneyland! This is our second trip to Disneyland as a family, and we came with the Taggart Family, just like we did in 2008. Wow, 4 years ago! Does time sure go by quickly.

We flew on JetBlue, leaving from SeaTac. Here is shot of Cole and Jack Taggart with Kevin Taggart in the background. Our friend Kevin "The Engergizer Bunny" Taggart, MD was on the phone with Labor and Delivery until the very last second of boarding the plane. Mary Kaye told us that on the way to the gate from security, she took the people mover that moves at twice the normal walking speed while Kevin walked next to her on the carpet. She said that this was the first time she walked beside Kevin while traveling through an airport! Normally he is about 80 yards in the lead.

Here is a shot of Kate and Katie sitting on the plane. The photo directly below the photo is from our trip in 2008. The girls have changed a little, eh?

We flew into Long Beach, CA airport. To say that it is a little smaller than LAX or John Wayne Airport is an understatement. As you can see from the picture below, they don't have jetways leading to the terminal. Therefore, you get to debark the old fashion way! Here is Cole and Jack getting off the plane.

Speaking of the terminal, here is a shot of the terminal (portables). They are under construction of a real terminal, but it won't be done for another year. The baggage claim is actually outside under a cover. I guess that it's not a problem unless the wind really blows!

Once we got our rental cars, we headed to a late dinner at a local favorite of the Taggart's: In-N-Out Burgers. Here is a shot of the boys downing burgers and shakes. We then stopped at a grocery store and gots some snacks and water to take with us into the park.

The Taggarts stayed at The Grand Californian Hotel in the park. We are staying at the Holiday Inn Aneheim Resort near the park. We got a room that fits us all. The kids are in a sort of odd little cubby with bunk beds. They have their own TV, but they prefer to use their iPods, Kindles, and iPads instead. Times they are a changin'...

We are heading to the park early tomorrow morning at 8:30. More pictures to come!

First Day of School 2010

2010-09-01T20:20:00.000-07:00

Today was the kid's first day of school. Kate had to be at school at 7am in her cheerleading outfit with the rest of her squad to greet all of the students to the Junior/Senior High. She starts 8th grade this year and it is her first year as a cheerleader. The boys get to school around 8:15am, Cole going to 6th grade and Jack entering 3rd grade. Here are some photos from today.

First a shot of Kate and Cole in 2005 on the back porch.

Jack in 2005 on the front porch.

All the kids (including Tucker) in 2007.

Here is a shot of Kate from this morning in her cheerleading outfit.

The boys this morning, ready to go!

Washington National Cathedral

2010-08-26T18:06:00.000-07:00

Today the kids stayed behind at the Horch home and spent the day swimming with Buzz and Joanna. I don't think that we could have drug them through one more museum or memorial! Therefore, Teresa and I took a trip to the Washington National Cathedral by ourselves. We took a more rural highway to D.C. and it was a beautiful drive. Along the way we saw the towns of Gaithersburg, Rockville, Chevy Chase, Bethesda, and then Washington D.C. We saw the Bethesda Naval Hospital, the National Institute of Health, Georgetown University and right before downtown Washington D.C. we drove along the section of road that has all of the Embassies. I didn't even recognize some of the countries that had embassies there. Very neat! The National Cathedral was really gorgeous and not very crowded at all. The weather was in the 80's and no humidity. After the tour, we drove into town for dinner and enjoyed one last look around the capitol city. Tomorrow morning we take off for home so this will probably be the last blog post for a couple of days. Take a look at today's photos.

A shot of the cathedral.

The light coming through the stained glass window made a beautiful light show.

President Woodrow Wilson is buried in this tomb.

A shot of the inside of the cathedral.

A Chapel dedicated to Mary.

One of the chapel under the main sanctuary.

Apparently all cathedrals have a cat that lives and roams at-will around the building and grounds. This is Katherine of Tarragon. She was there somewhere but we didn't see her.

There were thousands of gargoyles on the exterior of the building. Since the Cathedral wasn't official completed until 1990, they added some suggestions of gargoyle designs from school children. Someone suggested a representative of FUTURE evil. Can you spot the famous evil character in the middle of the picture? Check out a close-up on the next photo.

Darth Vader! Dum dum dum-dum.....

Another exterior shot.

Another view.

A parting shot of the front of the Cathedral.

Downtown we went by the Department of Agriculture. They turned the lawn in front of the entrance into a full fledged garden with just about every vegetable you would want. I thought that was pretty cool.

A shot of the original Smithsonian building, known as "The Castle". It had a bunch of beautiful gardens around it and a rose garden that filled the air with fragrance.

Downtown Washington D.C.

2010-08-25T14:41:00.000-07:00

Today we headed downtown, to see some more museums and memorials. The weather was just beautiful - high 70's and only a little humid. It was also very busy! The guys headed to the downtown Air and Space Museum. Of course, I was thrilled since I missed this museum on the day Buzz and I saw the Spy Museum. We even got a chance to talk with a Tuskegee Airmen while we were there. We met up with the girls for lunch and then we all headed to the WWII monument. The girls had visited the Smithsonian "Castle" which the Horches had never been to before. We walked up to the Lincoln Memorial and then by the Vietnam Memorial before heading home to dinner. Here are some photos of the day.

The boys get a chance to look through a telescope at the surface of the sun. They had it set up in their new observatory that they built last year. The astronomer on staff showed them sun spots and explained how they formed on the surface of the sun.

Space Ship One, the first private space plane to reach outer space.

Chuck Yeager's "Glamorous Glennis" which was the first aircraft to break the sound barrier.

The boys get to touch a real moon rock!

Cole poses with Lucille Ball, a frequent flyer of the early airlines.

In front of a Japanese Zero!

Charles Lindbergh's "Spirit of St. Louis" which made the first non-stop air crossing of the Atlantic.

A German V-2 rocket.

At the World War II memorial.

Of course the highlight of the day for the kids was the "Ninja Squirrel" that entertained them for several minutes.

Jack poses at the Lincoln Memorial.

From the steps of the Lincoln Memorial looking out towards the reflecting pool

Taking a break.

Air and Space Museum - Dulles Airport, Virginia

2010-08-24T14:43:00.000-07:00

Today the boys went to the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum. There are two Air and Space Museums, but this was one next to Dulles International Airport. The girls had to stay home and relax today, which suited them just fine anyway!

The museum was the highlight of my trip so far. I saw all the planes and spacecraft that I had read about and saw in pictures my whole life. It even had a McDonald's inside of it (with free refills of Diet Coke). We even saw a real life astronaut! His name was Tom Jones (not the singer) and he was signing some books and I thought he was sticking around. There weren't that many people at the museum today so I probably would have had plenty of chances to talk with him but he had left by the time we got back his way. Oh well! Check out some photos from the trip (only a small sample as I took over 300 today)!

Here is the outside of the museum. You can see the "control tower" section in the middle.

Dad likes the "old-school" planes, but the boys thought the F-15 was pretty cool. They also had the first X-35 prototype which will probably be the plane that they will see flown when they are my age.

Charles Lindbergh's flight suit.

One of my favorite German planes from WWII. One of the only jet planes in the world at the time, and very advanced for its day.

A shot of one wing of the museum. Lots to look at. I could have stayed there for hours more and never got it all in!

Another wing...(pun intended).

Still another wing!

Finally a break for a quarter pounder meal!

A shot of my favorite civilian plane: the Piper Cub.

The actual Enola Gay, which dropped the first nuclear bomb on Japan.

Not the Starship Enterprise, but an Enterprise none the less! This is the first Space Shuttle, which never flew in space but they did fly it off the back of a special 747 and used it to test the glider and flight controls before they built the rest of the fleet.

This was in the "Space" wing of the museum. This is the model of the mother ship used in the filming of "Close Encounters". I had heard that they put some special "additions" to the outside of the hull. I found a few of them and show them on the next few photos.

I found an R2-D2!

Here is a miniature graveyard in the center of the photo. Click on the photo for a closeup.

Can you see the two WWII aircraft ready for take-off?

This is the actual trailer they put the crew of Apollo 11 in after splashdown, just in case they carried "moon fever" or some other biological contaminant after they stepped on the moon.

Here is a shot of a young aviator in the gift shop.

A view of a wing of the museum from the 7th floor observation tower.

The boys try and spot the rental car from the tower. Since it was next to the airport, you got to see jets come streaking by as they landed. They also had a speaker playing the control tower radio so you could hear the pilots of those same jets.

The best part of the day for the boys was playing with the "Mars Mud" silly goop that Cole bought at the gift shop, ALL THE WAY HOME.

Sunday and Monday - Museums

2010-08-23T19:29:00.000-07:00

I didn't post anything yesterday, so tonight I will combine Sunday and Mondays blog into one. Yesterday we all went to the Horch's church in Gaithersburg, and really enjoyed it. They go to a large church, but it didn't feel too big and everyone was very welcoming and friendly. They even have a great book store you can visit anytime. After church, Teresa, Kate and I went into D.C. and took a tour of the United States Holocost Memorial and Museum. Then we ate lunch in the Museum of Natural History before coming home. Meanwhile, Buzz took the other kids swimming and they had a great time.

Today we all went into Washington D.C. and spent the day at the different Museums. Buzz and I went to the Internation Spy Museum while everyone else went to the Air and Space Museum, the Natural History Museum and then we all met up at the National Museum of American History. They were all so great! We finished the day with a late Pizza dinner and then headed home. Here are some photos of the last two days.

Here is a shot of their church's sactuary - Covenant Life Church of Gaithersburg (http://www.covlife.org/)

A shot of the bookstore.

A shot of the inside of the Holocust Museum. It was designed with a 1930's era industrial architecture, which reminded you of the movies you see of Poland and the concentration camps.

The outside of the Memorial and Museum. No pictures were allowed inside the display areas or the Hall of Rememberance. So I couldn't show you much.

Here's the dinasour that inspired the character from The Night at the Museum. They even mentioned that on the sign.

A shot of the inside of the Natural History Museum.

MONDAY

Here is a shot of Hailey and Jack at the Air and Space Museum.

That's one small step for man....

Hannah and Kate next to a full size model of the Hubble.

Jack liked this hands-on plane demonstration. The rudder and stick moved the different parts of the plane so you could see how it really works.

I wasn't there, but Cole took about 2 dozen photos of the actual enterprise model used in the original Star Trek series for his dad. What a great kid. I hope to see it for myself before we leave.

The kids on the Mall. It sure seems a little sureal seeing all of these sites in person after seeing them so many times in photos and movies. The day was just beautiful. Partly cloudy most of the day and in the low 80's with real low humidity. Just beautiful!

The girls pose in front of some pretty flowers.

In the Natural History Museum.

This was a shot of a place that I thought was so neat looking. It was in between two of the Smithsonian Art Museum buildings that used to be outside. Now it is air conditioned and is like a little courtyard for sitting and enjoying the area all year round.

Kate was so excited because she spotted this display right away and wanted a photo. It was from the Carol Burnette Show where she was making fun of Gone With the Wind. In the movie Scarlett made a dress from some old curtains. Carol made the same dress but forgot to remove the curtain rod! Kate loves the Carol Burnette Show and has several of them on DVD.

The real Ruby Slippers!

Archie and Edith Bunker's chairs.

Alan Shephard's pressure suit from his first flight in space.

You could pretend to be the president at the podium. I think he saw too many documentaries about dictators!

Cole looks more like a man of the people.

One of the file cabinets from the Watergate office break-in.

An actual uniform of George Washington that he used for portraits.

Jack stands next to a section of the Berlin Wall.

Colin Powell and Norman Schwarzkopf's uniforms that they wore during the first Gulf War.

Outside the Museum of American History.

Fort McHenry, Baltimore, Maryland

2010-08-21T17:01:00.000-07:00

Today we headed to Fort McHenry, in Baltimore, Maryland. Fort McHenry is best known for its role in the War of 1812 when it successfully defended Baltimore Harbor from an attack by the British navy in the Chesapeake Bay. It was during this famous battle of the fort that Francis Scott Key was inspired to write "The Star-Spangled Banner", the poem that would eventually be set to music and become the national anthem of the United States. We got home in the early evening and Buzz took the kids swimming. Of course, this was the highlight of the entire trip for them! Here are some pictures from our trip to the Fort.

Hailey appeases her uncle by trying on a hat and standing for a picture.

The drummer boys entertain us on our tour.

These girls were baking bread in an outdoor oven. Cole wanted to jump in and give advice that he learned during his scout training!

A shot of some of the cannons placed around the fort.

Another shot of the cannon, with the center of the fort in the background.

Here you can see the 15-star, 15-stripe "Star-Spangled Banner" flag just like the one that flew over the fort during the battle. The flag measures 30 feet by 42 feet and was designed by the commander of Fort McHenry who wanted "a flag so large that the British would have no difficulty seeing it from a distance". I guess that Francis Scott Key saw it too!

Jack gets his head stuck in the barrel of a cannon and the cousins and brother give him some help. Kate decided not to hurry to his rescue.

Here is a shot of the "rescue team" after Jack gets his head unstuck.

Here is a photos of some of the barracks located in the center of the fort.

A typical bunk-room with the soldiers gear on display.

The soldiers arrive to fire the cannon into Chesapeake Bay.

Loading a 1/3 powder charge (without a cannon ball of course) for the display firing of an authentic cannon.

Check out a video that Teresa took of the firing.

Since they fired it twice, I got a shot of the cannon firing from the other side of the embankment. It was sort of neat to be on this side, since you got to hear the echo of the cannon bounce off the cement factory located across the Bay. It took at least to the count of five before the sound reached back to this side of the water.

A parting shot of Nathan as we head into Quizno's for a late lunch.

Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

2010-08-20T15:27:00.000-07:00

Today we headed a little over an hour north to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania. Home of the bloodiest battle of the Civil War where over 50,000 soldiers were killed, wounded or captured during a three day period. We visited the brand new visitor center, then took a self-guided driving tour in our cars. As you followed the nicely paved park roads through the battlefield and town, a CD played in our (air-conditioned) cars and told the story of the battle and had us stop and pull over at key sites and memorials along the way. It was a very pretty part of the country, with over 400 authentic cannons displayed and thousands of memorial markers from small stones to multi-story towers that you can enter like buildings. Also, President Eisenhower's farm is located next to the Battlefield and we got a good look at it from one of the observation towers we climbed on the battlefield. We even ran into a large group of Amish folks who were doing a little site seeing themselves. Here are some photos from the day.

First thing first, let's get a few smashed pennies for the collection!

Cole and Nathan do their own Civil War re-enactment!

Here is the front of the new Gettysburg visitor center and museum. It was very nice and had a great gift shop.

The cousins take the opportunity to get a photo with President Lincoln. No matter how many times I asked, I couldn't get Abe to look at the camera.

A nice photo-op on one of the many well-maintained authentic Civil War cannons.

It was easy to take yourself back in time and imagine what is must have been like during those three days in July of 1863...

One of my favorite memorials dedicated to the New York Army soldiers on "Little Round Top", a key position during the battle.

Cole and Jack pose just below the New York Memorial where the soldiers battled on Little Round Top. Check out the photo below this photo to see what the spot looked like the day after the battle ended in 1863. There is no doubt that this is the same exact spot that the battle was fought.

Even the lichen in the center of the rocks hasn't changed much in 237 years! It really brings history home when you know you are standing in the same exact spot where something famous took place.

Here is the largest memorial in the park, dedicated to the soldiers in the Pennsylvania Army. I suppose it was the largest because we were IN Pennsylvania. The black panels around the base name every soldier from the Pennsylvania Army that participated in the battle.

That's the Horch's black SUV ahead of us, on the road back home. We were all getting hungry, but I sure am glad that he didn't pull off to eat at Opossumtown for dinner. I don't think that would have been a wise choice, do you?

Mount Vernon, Virginia

2010-08-19T19:06:00.000-07:00

Today didn't start at 5:00am like yesterday, but instead we hit the road around 10:00am for Mount Vernon, Virginia. The home of George and Martha Washington! The Horches live less than an hour's drive from the mansion. What a neat place to visit. It is the most visited home in America. Nearly 1,000,000 people take the tour of the home and grounds every year. This year they opened up a really neat museum and visitor center with all kinds of videos and interactive displays. They also have a bunch of artifacts that belonged to the Washingtons, including the sword that George used during the French and Indian War. We all had a great time, and would visit again during our next visit. Check out some of the pictures.

Here is a shot of the kids with life-sized statues of George and Martha with two of their grandkids. I didn't know that George was 6'-2". I think that was pretty tall for those times.

The Lane family in front of the mansion. See, even George has a better lawn than the Obama's!

While waiting for the tour of the home, we stood under a tree that was full of spiders! In fact, one of the spiders landed on Joanna during her last visit here. She wouldn't stand under the tree, choosing to stand in the hot sun instead! I saw lots of cobwebs but no spiders (thank goodness)!

Here is a shot of the kitchen used to cook meals for family and guests.

Here is a shot of the front of the house. The kitchen is the small building on the right and the slave's of guests stayed in the building on the left.

This is the stables and the carriage house.

Here is the tomb of George and Martha (George is on the right). The metal door in the back is home to 25 other family ancestors. Yes, George and Martha are actually in those stone sarcophagus.

The girls take a break to cool off in the boat house out on the Potomac River.

Here is where the estate's property backs up to the Potomac River.

Here is a shot of the famous round barn that George designed for threshing wheat using horses, and also the pens where the goats and sheep are held.

The kids pet the sheep. The whole area is an actual working plantation. You can see the corn crop in the backgound.

Hailey and Jack pet the horse that just performed a threshing demonstration in the barn.

Jack and Hailey pose as the young Washington children. I didn't know that these kids were from Martha's first husband, who died when the children were very young. George never had any biological kids of his own!

A group shot of our biological kids as we left Mount Vernon. Let's go eat dinner (Jack says)!

Washinton DC Trip 2010

2010-08-18T11:28:00.000-07:00

Well, here we are in the Washington DC area visiting Teresa's sister and her family. We got here last night and are already having a great time. Here are some photos from the trip so far.

Kate is ready to check into the Red Roof Inn, where we stayed the night before flying out early the next morning. It was nice not having to race up to the airport from Puyallup at O'Dark-Thirty.

We ate at the Bahama Breeze Restaurant at South Center before hitting the hay...

Cole is ready for dinner...

Jack informed us that he is NOT ordering off of the children's menu...

The plane had a little condensation problem before we took off on our connecting flight from North Carolina. Can you say 95 degrees and 95% humidity?

Before going to bed, I just had to see one of those LOUD locust up close. I wish I hadn't looked! This one was attached to my shirt and then ended up in the house. Nathan's cat got a hold of it and ate it slowly as it made a horrible noise. Our first exposure to Maryland entomology.

The next morning I took the 5:30am train with Buzz to work. He spent half a day in the office and I spent the morning walking around the city in the monsoon. That is Buzz waiting for the train to stop and pick us up. It took us about 30 minutes to get into downtown D.C. from the station by their house.

I took a trip up the Washington Monument. It's awsome because almost every attraction is free!

The view of the Mall was really cool, but a little cloudy and rainy...

The bad weather kept the crowds away. I am not kidding when I say I was the ONLY person within view on the mall...

I loved the WWII monument. So beautiful and well designed. I will definately be coming back here when the weather breaks...

Here is part of the Korean War Memorial. There were dozens of Korean tourist, including a 8th grade from South Korea that looked a little bored as their teacher told them all about it...

I meant it when I said MONSOON! Here are the steps of the Lincoln Memorial actually flowing with rain water....

Some buildings seemed smaller than I imagined, but old Abe was as larger than I expected!

Her is a shot of the statue at the Vietnam War Memorial...

The White House! Much smaller than I imagined, but also much closer to the street than I imagined! However, I am sure I was being watched by no less than a dozen people as I was digging through my backpack looking for my other camera lens!

I was NOT impressed with White House lawn. I have a better lawn than Barack! Time to fire the groundskeeper!

The view from Buzz's office building, the Department of Justice. Wouldn't that be cool to see every day going to work!

Buzz and I had lunch near Ford's Theater before heading back home...
When I got back from my morning adventure, what did I find the cousins doing? Watching a movie of course! I know that they will melt in the rain, but lets go outside, eh!

Whistler 2009

2009-08-17T22:27:00.000-07:00

Wow, nearly one whole year since the last posting on our blog. Oh, well... never look back!

We arrived for our (nearly) annual Whistler trip on Friday. We have had fantastic weather so far, and we are looking at 80 degree days for the rest of our trip. The Taggart family came up Saturday and we have been having a lot of fun with them so far. Here are some photos from our trip so far:

We started out the fun with a trip to the Upper Village, where we usually stay and where the Taggart's are staying. When we made reservations, they were booked at the main IntraWest Resort so we ended up at the Creekside area in another resort called Legends. It is almost identical to IntraWest, but they have air conditioning!

Here are the boys on the "Spin Cycle". Kate took a turn too.

We took a stroll to the main village.

There was some sort of major mountain biking competition going on over the weekend. There were LOTS of young people here over the weekend. By today, it was comparatively a ghost town!

Nintendo had a booth set up during the mountain biking competition. The kids got a chance to play the Wii Resort game.

Here are the kids in some heavy competition.

It wouldn't be Whistler without the famous IntraWest slide.

Kevin, Jack T., me and Cole took an ATV trip near Blackcomb Mountain. It lasted about 3 hours, and our group did so well that the guide took us on the intermediate course instead of the beginner's course. It was a lot of fun, and us four made friends with a family from Scotland. They were really nice and we all were fascinated with their very THICK Scottish accents! Here is Kevin and Jack ready to head back down the mountain after our morning snack.

They even let Cole take the quad through a big mud puddle. This was no problem after all of the practice he gets at his Uncle Adam's place.

Here is a shot of some of the easier trails we went on. The most fun was climbing over rocks and logs and "catching a little air" over some of the dips in the road. It was a lot more exciting than we expected!

Teresa and Mary Kaye took the girls and Jack to a ceramics shop and spent a couple of hours making some beautiful creations.

A day in Seattle

2008-09-20T21:59:00.000-07:00

Today, we travelled up to Seattle for the day. Teresa had to work in the morning at an OB/GYN conference, so we drove up together and the kids and I waited for her to finish up. Then we headed to downtown Seattle, to take a tour of Pikes Place Market. We spent a few hours touring around the stores there, and the boys even got to catch fish at the Fish Market! Then we headed north to the Alderwood Mall. We ate at the Macaroni Grill and then went shopping in the Alderwood Mall. The day was lots of fun, and everyone had a great time! Check out the photos:

The boys climb the stairs leading to Pikes Place Market

The boys thought that the fish on the left was pretty ugly. They got a kick out of it, when it would flop around from time to time (the employees tied a string to the tail and would give it a yank from behind the counter_

Jack was fascinated that the crawfish were still alive. Finally one got out and chased some of the customers with it's claws out. It was pretty funny.

Caution: Low Flying Fish! Jack took a shot at catching a fish (I pointed out the fish with a red arrow). He missed about four times, but the guy wouldn't let Jack quit until he caught it. The crowd had about as much fun as Jack did!

The big catch. Maybe the closed eyes were the problem?

Cole caught his on the first try, with roaring applause from the audience.

A shot at the crowd in the market. I think everyone came here today to get out of the rain.

We couldn't pass up the chance to add to our smashed penny collections!

The World's Best Kids stand in front of the World's Tallest Man.

Kate bought a bouquet of beautiful flowers.

The kids pose with Pike Place Market's official mascot, Rachel, a bronze cast piggy bank that weighs nearly 600 pounds. They say Rachel receives roughly $9,000 annually in just about every type of world currency! Jack wasn't happy in this photo (a long story). He perked up after a good lunch.

Brace Face

2008-08-24T17:13:00.000-07:00

Kate got her upper braces last week, and she is her way to a beautiful set of teeth. She only gets the top ones first, then some more work and bottom braces later on. Here is a shot of her, just after she got back from the orthodontist's office.

Leavenworth: Day 3

2008-08-17T00:15:00.000-07:00

Today was our third day in Leavenworth. We got up, and out the door for breakfast by 8am this morning. We surprised all of the kids by driving to a water park near Lake Chelan. We got there just as it opened, and were able to get lots of runs down the different water slides before it got too ridiculously busy. We left Chelan around 3pm and headed back to Leavenworth. After a little break at the hotel and a great authentic German dinner, we headed to the Leavenworth Outdoor Theatre for the Sound of Music! We were surprised to see some other people from our church there, and Kate's music teacher from Cascade Christian. It was even more of a treat because her teacher's oldest daughter was playing Leisel in tonight's show! She did a great job, and this year's performance was one of the better ones. Here are some photos from today:

Lunch at the Lake Chelan water park. I'm not sure why Kate looks so unhappy?

Cole and Jack team up on one of the water slides.

Lauren and Grant come next.

Last but not least, Kate goes down the slide...solo.

Cole leads the race on the water slide.

Jacks ready for another try.

Close your eyes and hold your breath!

A view of Lake Chelan from the top of the water slide park.

Jack takes one more run down the slide.

I kid you not, it actually read 112 deg. but I didn't get my camera up fast enough to record it! This was a personal record for me. Interestingly, that is 122 degrees warmer than my personal coldest night spent in Pullman. Yikes!

There was a forest fire on the other side of the hill, behind our hotel. It made the air quality a little hazy, but made for a pretty picture.

We went to dinner at our favorite German restaurant for some Jägerschnitzel and some King Ludwig’s Oktoberfest beer. Yummy.

I said "smile" Jack, nor "snarl".

An evening view of downtown Leavenworth, under the smokey haze.

The gang's all ready for our 6th annual watching of The Sound of Music. Kate's music teacher (and family) sat right behind Heather.

A shot of the stage before the play started. No photos are allowed during the performance.

Today was Lauren's official 10th birthday. The Mother Abbess and two of her postulates sang "Happy Birthday" to Lauren.

Kate and Lauren get their picture taken with Maria and Captain Von Trapp.

Kate with her music teacher's daughter, Raevynn Leach, who played Leisel in tonight's Performance.

Leavenworth: Day 2

2008-08-15T21:27:00.000-07:00

Today was our second day in Leavenworth. After a great breakfast in the hotel, we went into town to do some shopping before the temperature got too warm. After lunch, we headed back to the hotel and enjoyed some time in the pool. For dinner, we had a great Italian dinner and topped it off with some Gelato for dessert. Here are some highlights from today:

Jack and Grant show off their jumping skills, while waiting for the girls to finish shopping in the "girlie store".

Cole tries on a hat to cover his braided hair.

Kate picks out a hat to try on.

Cole thought that his friend, Jack Taggart, would enjoy this Snoopy hat.

The fact that I am starting to blink only adds to the attractiveness of this hat.

I took a picture of Cole through a kaleidoscope. It came out pretty good!

I quickly took a picture of this friendly moment before the sibling rivalry continues.

This could have been a Christmas card photo if I hadn't forgotten to tell Lauren to take off her goggles!

Cole finally gets a chance to cool off.

Tim and Grant have a great time in the pool.

The view out our hotel room.

Flash forward 15 years....a scary thought!

The girls pose for a photo before we head into the hotel.

I couldn't resist trying out my new camera with a pretty night shot.

Leavenworth Trip

2008-08-14T21:55:00.000-07:00

Today we left for Leavenworth for our annual trip to see the "Sound of Music" play. Our family traveled with the Irey family today, getting in to Leavenworth about 3pm. We did a little swimming and shopping and had some dinner downtown before heading back to the room for the night. Here are some photos from the first day of our trip!

Jack is helping load "The Edelweiss Express".

Now everyone knows where we are heading!

Our first stop was in Cle Elum for lunch.

It was a little warm as we drove into town. Thank goodness for air conditioning!

The kids go for a swim before dinner.

Cole poses by the Bavarian Lodge's "Hummer Recovery Vehicle".

We head out of the hotel for dinner.

The boys wait for a table at dinner.

Lauren and Kate pose for a photo.

This weekend is Lauren's 10th Birthday. Tonight we celebrated with some gifts during dinner.

Walking around downtown Leavenworth.

Doing a little window shopping.

A little Gelato for dessert.

Nightime in Leavenworth.

Kate poses for a photo in front of our hotel, before heading in for the night.

Jack's First Lost Tooth

2008-08-10T21:12:00.000-07:00

Jack lost his first baby tooth tonight! This particular tooth has been loose for weeks, but tonight we had corn on the cob and I think it really loosened it up. After his bath he came running to us to tell us that he had lost his tooth but couldn't find the tooth anywhere. Suddenly, he remembered that he was eating some left over chicken and went running for the refrigerator. Sure enough, there was his tooth stuck in the leftover chicken that he had put back in the refrigerator. Now it is all up to the Tooth Fairy!

2010 Olympic Mascot

2008-07-30T00:15:00.000-07:00

The 2010 Olympics are coming to Whistler. I have a new idea for a Mascot. They already have Sumi, but I thought that Jack looked like a good mascot too.

Whistler or Bust!

2008-07-29T11:06:00.000-07:00

Toady we headed to Whistler with Teresa's brother Adam, and his family (wife Erica, daughter Samantha, and new-born son Luke). We took off just before noon and ended up traveling for nearly 9 hours up to Whistler, B.C. It took a little longer than normal, since we took our time and enjoyed the travel. When we got to Whistler, we checked in real quick and then went to dinner at the Old Spaghetti Factory. Afterwards we went on a evening walk through the village and then back to our rooms for the night. Here are some photos from the first day:

Last minute check in Puyallup before we head out for the open road!

Canadian Border Crossing. No interrogation from the border guards this time. We both whisked right through.

Cole is caught between a rock and a hard place (or brother and cousin).

The group at the Old Spaghetti Factory.

Enjoying the ice cream for dessert.

We think Jack should be a Taxi driver. He loves pushing baby Luke around in his stroller.

4th of July, 2008

2008-07-05T01:21:00.000-07:00

This fourth of July we spent the day around the house today, shooting off some fireworks and trying to keep Jack safe. In the evening we headed over the the Taggart's house for a barbecue and more fireworks. After dark, we went next door to their neighbors for a fantastic fireworks show. We finished up our night at the Taggart's for more fireworks of our own and some dessert. We had a great time!

Jack lights his fireworks.

Jack, Kate and our neighbor Destiny light some fireworks.

Kevin cooks dinner as Kate supervises.

The girls enjoy some quiet time before the fireworks show.

I spell my name with a sparkler, as Kate snaps a picture.

The kids play with sparklers.

Our "local" fireworks show.

Some shots of the neighbor's fireworks show.

One last firework before calling it a night.

One wrong turn....400 miles later.

2008-06-30T23:26:00.000-07:00

We took a little road trip to the Olympic National Forest on Saturday. We had intended to drive directly to the Quinault Rain Forest. I knew that our destination was along Hwy 101, but I didn't realize that Hwy 101 was a loop! I followed the signs to Hwy 101, and I didn't figure out that I was going the wrong way around the loop until Hoodsport. Well, why not just keep going, right?

The kids, Kate and Jack (Cole is in Maryland visiting his cousin), did really well on the trip, and seemed to enjoy themselves. They had their Nintendos and we tried to make stops along the way. Next time we will go the other direction around the loop and make it to the Rain Forest before dark!

Our route...

View of Lake Crescent. A beautiful sight. We will probably come back here to camp sometime.

A quick stop to take some photos.

Another shot of Lake Crescent.

Jack poses for a photo.

Like the song..."Smoke on the water".

We stopped at a public park in Forks, WA before dark to let the kids get out and play. We weren't impressed with Forks, but the kids had fun.

Jack gives me some attitude.

Kate says "Tah-Da"!

Doing some excavating on the playground.

Kate gives it a try too.

Forks, WA public transportation.

The highway follows the coast for a few miles. We got there just after sunset.

Kindergarten Graduation

2008-06-09T22:24:00.000-07:00

Tonight was Jack's kindergarten graduation. I personally think going from kindergarten to first grade doesn't necessitate a graduation ceremony, but it was really more than that. They performed a couple of songs, and recited scripture verse for every letter of the alphabet (I wish I could do that). It was a wonderful program/graduation and we are sure proud of our first grader! Check out the photos...

Wow, 2020 will probably get here in a blink of an eye!

Singing with the mortarboards.

The school principal, Mrs. Blum, performed a patriotic rap song with the graduates. She is such a good sport.

"Ahhh..I finally made through my first year in school".

After the concert part of the evening, Jack walks down the aisle with one of his classmates. They make a handsome couple, don't they?

Jackson Andrew Lane....come on up!

One minute after getting his diploma, the attention span ends.

Jack with Alexi. She is in Jack's class, and her mother was Kate's 4th grade teacher.

Jack with his kindergarten teacher, Mrs. Noteboom.

Kate took a picture of us with Jack.

Mt. St. Helens

2008-06-02T01:45:00.000-07:00

Today we traveled to Mt. St. Helens. Rob's folks live at the base of the road to Mt. St. Helens and we all took a drive up to the Johnston Ridge Observatory (all except Kate, who was with with her other Grandparents). The weather wasn't great, and the cloud cover was low but we figured it was a good day for a drive anyway. We all had a great time, got to see some scenery and wildlife, and took some good photos. Too bad we couldn't see mountain, but now we have an excuse to come back again soon!

Jack takes a look at the blast zone on the scale landscape model.

Cole makes a souvenir smashed penny for his collection he started in Disneyland.

Jack experiments with the seismic sensor placed in the floor.

Here is a shot of "Earthquake Jack" highlighted by the yellow arrow.

Cole reads checks out the monitors of live seismic sensors placed near the lava dome.

The boys wait to head into the Mt. St. Helens movie presentation.

Getting the front row at the movie.

Jack is astonished at what the mountain looked like when Dad was his age.

The boys at the entrance to the observatory. Note the snow pack on the right.

Papa, Jack, Cole and Nana out at the front entrance.

A great family shot but we are missing Kate!

Leaving the observatory. Notice the wonderful view we had in the background!

This was the view we were hoping for!!

Now let me get directions out of here. I just got to slip on my snowshoes.

Tucker says "I'm cold, and I just want back in the warm car".

Jack uses his new binoculars to check out the Hoffstadt Creek Bridge.

Coming off the trail head.

New walking trail/bridge on Silver Lake near one of the Mt. St. Helens visitor centers.

Testing out the macro lens again.

Rounding Third

2008-05-29T22:50:00.000-07:00

Here's a shot of Cole as he rounded third base. No he isn't about to score after hitting a home run. He walked and was batted in by a teammate. The game was a little uneventful, so that's why I only have one action shot tonight.

2008-05-27T18:40:00.001-07:00

New Camera

2008-05-26T23:16:00.000-07:00

We got a new digital camera this weekend. I have been taking so many photos of the kids activities, I figured we needed a camera with better capabilities like low light and telephoto.

Take a look at a few of the first photos taken with the new camera.

A sample macro photo of Irey's flowers.

Low light shot of the outdoor marshmallow fire.

The girls think their s'mores are lip smacking.

Jack got a little close to the fire and got a "hot face" (as he put it).

No comment....

Here is a shot of Kate using "shutter priority" to emphasize movement.

Cowboy Friday

2008-05-25T00:45:00.000-07:00

Friday was the Cascade Christian barbecue at lunchtime. Everyone got to dress up in their "Cowboy Best". You had your choice between a hot dog or hamburger with all the trimmin's.

Here are the three banditos. However, I think that Cole thought it was "Indiana Jones" Day!

I have seen our cat fall asleep on the couch this way, but never one of my kids! I guess the barbecue was just too much for him.

Announcing: Luke Andrew Farland

2008-05-19T21:51:00.000-07:00

Announcing the arrival of our new nephew, Luke Andrew Farland. Luke arrived at 3:40 this afternoon. He is 8lbs. 13oz and 21 inches long, and cute as a button. Mom and Baby are doing great!

Check out the photos below.

What a pretty day to be born! Mid 70's and partly sunny.

Born here at St. John Hospital at 3:40pm today.

Mom and Dad pose with Baby Luke!

Cousin Kate gets to hold him first!

Luke was wide awake and looking around during our entire visit.

The three Lane cousins with Luke.

Cousin Jack and Luke.

The proud Papa, Adam and his big sis.

Cole gets his chance to hold his new cousin.

Last but not least, the proud Uncle gets his turn.

Our Leading Lady

2008-05-14T23:36:00.000-07:00

Tonight was the Cascade Christian School annual play. The play was called: The Pirates of The "I Don't Care"-ibbean, and Kate had the lead part. We didn't even know that she was trying out for the play at all! The play was about a girl name Andie (Kate) who is a big time fan of the Pirates baseball team. While trying to catch a foul ball, she gets knocked unconscious and dreams that she is on an island with real pirates. The play centers around storing up treasures in heaven, instead of storing up treasures on earth. Kate did a fantastic job. She was a real pro, and we are so proud of her! Enjoy some photos from the show.

A shot of the title screen as the show got underway.

Kate performs her lines flawlessly!

Kate dialogs with cast-members.

Note the cool wireless microphone on her left cheek.

Congratulations from Papa and the rest of the family.

Kate's fan club all showed up for the performance. Both sets of grandparents, Aunt Lisa, Cousins Hannah and Samantha, friend Lauren and of course Mom, Dad and brothers Cole and Jack.

Publicity photo of the show's star and her parents. (She didn't get her talent from either of us!)

Kate gives Nana a signature on her program.

Oops! Dad had to change a flat tire after the show.

Hmmm...What do you get when you add milkshakes at 10pm with a group of grade-schoolers?

A couple of pretty bouquets for the pretty actress.

Third Grade NW Trek Field Trip

2008-04-28T21:35:00.000-07:00

Today, Cole's third grade class visited NW Trek. NW Trek is just 17 miles from our house, and we visit it a few times each year. The kids had a fun time and we even got a little bit of excitement during the tram ride. While we were surrounded by a herd of elk, the tram's diesel engine backfired sending all of the wildlife scattering. Then the engine quit and started smoking. Eventually they got another tram to us, and we were back on our merry way. However, the 30 minute wait was about all the third graders could take.

Before we left on the trip, Cascade Christian had their awards ceremony. This was Cole's 3rd quarter in a row to receive straight A's!

Take a look at some of the photos from the awards assembly and the field trip.

Here's Cole with his certificate for Straight A's!

Cole with one of his classmates on the tram tour.

This Bison just gave birth last week. Very cute!

Here is a shot of one of the elk, just before the tram engine backfired and started smoking.

After about 30 minutes, the attention span of 9 year old boys begins to wear thin.

Transferring to the rescue tram!

Cole participates in a Wetlands presentation.

These are the items a human needs to prepare himself to live in a Wetland. Austin was a good sport!

A wolf gets ready to nap in the afternoon sun.

The boys check out the coyote-cam. It's pretty cool because you get to control the camera and zoom in and out.

A trained beaver that was born in at NW Trek. He could respond to sign language. Maybe we should leave Tucker here for some training.

A great Horned Owl. It's horns must have fallen off?

Snowy owl.

A couple of bald eagles helped round out our tour.

Cub Scout Bear Achievement Ceremony

2008-04-26T22:29:00.000-07:00

Last night Cole received his Bear Badge at the Cub Scout Pack 199 meeting. I am the Den Leader for his Bear Den, and all of the boys in my Den received their Bear Achievement. They did a great job this year, and we had a lot of fun.

Now the boys will continue on to the Webelos rank. We still have one more month of scouting this year before the summer.

Below are some photos of the Bear Ceremony, and a photo from the Cake Auction that happened afterward. Every year we auction off cakes that the boys make to help raise money for the pack. This year we raised over $1100! This money helps the Pack pay for badges, field trips and other pack activities.

Part of the Bear Badge ceremony is the face painting. Here I am painting symbols on Cole's face. Each symbol represents a character trait that the boys learned through the year.

Cole with his proud Den Leader and Dad!

I hand out the Bear Achievement recognition cards to each scout. Then the parents of each scout pin the Bear Badge upside down on the chest of the scout. Once they do a good deed, they can sew the patch on the uniform (right side up).

Here is our auctioneer, Dick Curtis, at the Cake Auction part of the Pack Meeting. Dick is a professional auctioneer that has been doing the Puyallup cake auctions for 35 years straight! He really makes the auction fun for the boys. Some of the cakes went for more than $100 each.

Baseball Game

2008-04-22T21:45:00.000-07:00

Here are some photos that I have taken of Cole playing baseball. He is playing in the Boy's 9-11 kid pitch little league. This is the first year that the kids pitch to each other, rather than the coaches doing the pitching.

Cole is already starting out as one of the best hitter's on the team. So far he is the only player on the team to hit a home run! He has one home run so far, which earned him a Jamba Juice after the game. He usually plays outfield or 2nd base.

Tonight he played second base and made a great play at second, which got the runner out. He had a single hit (but got thrown out at first) and then hit a standup double. The video below, shows the double.

Here he is on the bench.

Playing outfield.

Before the game, Cole caught a ball in the mouth while warming up. Ouch!

Video of the Standup double.

Spring Fair 2008

2008-04-19T00:30:00.000-07:00

This evening we braved the near freezing temperatures to once again visit the World Famous - Puyallup Spring Fair! Even though it was a little chilly, we had a great time! We browsed through the isles of booths that were selling everything from hats to hot tubs. We watched the Dock-Dogs long jump contest, rode rides, ate Krusty Pups, milked Mabel (the fake cow), saw real cows and even purchased a guitar! Kate has been planning on learning to play the guitar, so we have been looking for a good starter one for her. We found one at the fair and made the purchase. The wholesaler at the fair apparently felt sorry for the boys and threw in two children’s guitars for free! Needless to say the boys were thrilled. We got home shortly after 10pm, a little frostbitten and tired but with some good memories of this year’s “Spring” Fair.

Be sure and click on each photo for better viewing!

That's a dog flying through the air. Cole was ready for the splash!

He had to let the Jack FM guys know that his name was Jack, also.

Cole psyches himself up for the ride.

Even I came away with something. Dice from spinning the wheel at the Muckleshoot Casino Booth.

Kate and Jack take on the Scrambler!

Waiting in line.

This beats "Soarin' Over California".....NOT. Still it was pretty fun.

The kid in front of the boys was not a "Happy Camper".

Jack on the bumper cars.

Even Dad got a chance to go on a ride today.

Say "Hi" to Teresa and Kate!

Waiting for the Pronto-Pups! Guess who was more excited?

Jammin' on the new guitars for the listening pleasure of this year's Grand Champion Sheep. I believe Cole was the only one holding the guitar correctly.

Test Post

2008-04-01T18:49:00.002-07:00

This is a test post.

Here is Tucker as a puppy.

Ocean Shores

2008-03-31T17:18:00.001-07:00

Kitty gets a name!

2008-03-19T16:47:00.000-07:00

Kate,

I'm glad that you chose a name for your new friend! I think that Fluffy fits her perfectly. Today she rode around with me all day in my back pack. We got up early and went to my meetings together. Everybody got to pet her and thought that she was very cute. I did loose track of her for a few minutes after lunch. Luckily I found her down in the casino playing the Deal or No Deal slot machine. Naughty kitty!

We will be leaving the hotel at 10am tomorrow for the airport and our 12:30 flight. She is looking forward to meeting you, and checking out her new home.

Love you lots,

Dad

Fluffy finds a comfy spot in my bag.

Fluffy checks out the view of the pool from our room. They have a cool wave machine at the far end of the pool!

Naughty kitty gets caught playing the slots in Vegas. She should know that gambling never pays!

Kate's 11th Birthday Kitten

2008-03-17T23:20:00.000-07:00

Kate,

Here are some photos of a little white kitten that I found wandering around the Seattle Airport. I decided to take her along with me on my trip to Las Vegas, and then bring her home to you so you can take care of her. I don't know her name, but some of my co-workers made a few suggestions. They liked the names Q-tip, Snowflake, and Fluffy. Maybe you can choose one of these names or come up with one of your own. Have a Happy Birthday tomorrow and I will call you in the morning.

Here she is with me on the airplane. She is so small that she fit on my dinner tray.

Here she is taking a nap on my bed at Mandalay Bay Hotel. We are on the 17th floor.

Lunar Eclipse

2008-02-20T20:11:00.000-08:00

Tonight was the last lunar eclipse until 2010 and we lucked out with fantastic weather for the event! We had pretty thick cloud cover until dark, and then it totally cleared up and had a great view of the stellar phenomenon. We took my telescope over to the Irey's and each got a chance to see a close-up of the moon, as well as Saturn. You could clearly see the rings of Saturn and at least one moon (checking a star chart, I'm 99% sure that it is Titan). Check out the Irey's blog for some more photos that she is going to post:

http://areyoufeelingireytoday.blogspot.com/

Check out my photo of the eclipse, taken with a regular pocket digital camera. That Saturn to the left of the moon.

New Carpet

2008-02-11T01:03:00.000-08:00

Well, we finally have all of the new carpet in! The carpet was laid on Thursday and we spent the weekend trying to put all of the furniture back into place. We borrowed the Irey's canister vaccum cleaner, and collected a whole garbage sack full of loose carpet fibers. I heard it can take month to get them all. My Mom, Dad, sister and niece came up Saturday to watch Cole's basketball game and help us with the remodel. Dad and I had to shorten the length of 3 doors, because the carpet is so thick! Attached is a photo of the boys closet. I painted the inside of the closet and installed new shelving and new rod for the hangers. Jack wanted his clothes on the right. We will paint the boys room (we didn't have time to paint it while the old carpet was still in) and paint their bunk bed. Hopefully this will happen by the end of the week! More to come later.

Last Day at Disneyland

2008-02-01T22:47:00.000-08:00

Well, it is was our last day at Disneyland and California Adventure. We didn't actually make it out of the hotel room today until about 11:30am. We were just a little wiped out and I moving a little slow with my head cold. We had lunch at Millie's and then headed for California Adventure. We did a little shopping first, where we finally saw Mr. and Mrs. Incredible and got a great family photo. From there we went and watched the Aladdin show, which we all loved. Although , Jack kept leaning over to mom saying "Fake"...."Fake"...."That's fake" at many of the props including the camels, horses, snakes, etc. Teresa whispered, "Do you see the flying carpet?" to which Jack replied, "Do you see the wires holding it up?". Cole and I then went and rode the Tower of Terror. We finally had to wait about 35 minutes in line to ride one of the rides. I can't believe that we went all week without anything more than a 5 minute wait for any of the rides. Of course, as we came out of the ride there was no line at all. Go figure. While Cole and I did that - Teresa, Kate and Jack took an animation class with one of the Disney illustrators. They all learned to draw Pooh Bear and did a fantastic job. From there we went over to Disneyland to the Star Wars Jedi Training. Cole and Jack got picked first and were up on the main stage during the show. They learned how to use a light sabre, and then got to battle Darth Vader himself! It may have been the highlight of the trip for Mom and Dad to get to watch that! The rest of the evening was spent looking around, shopping at the Disney stores and watching the Parade of Dreams. We were going to finish the night off with a ride on the Monorail, but it was down for repairs with no estimate finish time. By then it was about 8:30pm and we were all starved anyway. We had a great dinner at Millie's and headed to the hotel room to begin packing. It is about 11pm now, and we are still in the middle of packing up all our stuff for the morning. The shuttle is coming for us at 8:15am. We will see you all very shortly, and have tons of great photos to share. Thanks for sharing our Disney vacation with us!

That Incredible Family and those two characters in tights.

Jedi Cole fights the forces of evil!

Jedi Jack resists the Dark Side!

Those young Jedi grow up too fast.

Night shot of the castle.

Kate and Jack get ready to watch the parade. Where's Cole? You guessed it...getting something to eat!

The Parade of Dreams.

The final photo taken before we left Disneyland. A little sad, but we will be back!

Taggart's Last Day at the Magic Kingdom

2008-02-01T09:24:00.000-08:00

Today was the Taggart's last day at Disneyland. Since they are staying at the Grand Californian Hotel, they were able to get into California Adventure a little early and started their day "Soarin' over California". While waiting to get in, we cruised through Downtown Disney and I got my first cup of coffee. At 10am we met the Taggarts over at the Grizzly River Run ride. Kevin and the kids all had their bathing suits on and rode the ride 3 times in a row. Even though they got a little wet, they missed getting soaked by the big gieser that really gets you wet. Then we headed for the pool at the Grand Californian. We had the pool all to ourselves, just like we have had no lines for rides all week long. We got changed at the Taggart's hotel room and while Kevin and Mary Kaye packed to leave, we took the kids to the Lego Store and Build-a-Bear store at Downtown Disney. Kate, Jack and Katie all got stuffed animals with their money while Jack T. and Cole bought the Star Wars Lego - Complete Trilogy Nintendo DS game (that should keep them occupied on the flight). After eating some Pizza for lunch, we then headed to Disneyland and rode some of our favorite rides with the Taggarts one last time. We even caught the comedy show at the western saloon while we enjoyed some ice cream. The Taggarts said goodbye around 6pm as they headed for the airport for their flight home. We ldecided to head back to the hotel, since I was feeling pretty sick with a head cold. Kate and Jack have been coughing and sneezing the last few day and it has hit me pretty hard now. We picked some McDonald's up for dinner at the hotel and the kids worked on homework while I crashed in bed. That's the firstime I have been to bed before 8pm in a couple of decades! Tomorrow is the last day so we have planned out some "must sees" to finish out this vacation. More later! - Rob

(sorry about the limited number of pictures today. I wasn't feeling that well, and it was a rushed day to fit in lots of rides before the Taggarts left.)

A beautiful day, and the pool all to ourselves!

Cooper, Angel, and Annika with their new parents.

No grey clouds over the Magic Kingdom today. The Rocketeer working hard making popcorn.Watching a show at the Saloon.

Tour of Orange County

2008-01-30T22:29:00.000-08:00

Today we had a change of pace and took a guided tour of Orange County with our tour guides, the Taggart Family! Kevin had reserved a 12 person van, but all they had was a 15 person van so we had plenty of room for the 9 of us. We left around 9am from the Disneyland area and headed out to Newport Beach. We ate breakfast at a great 50's style diner at the end of the Newport Beach Pier. From there we looked around the Balboa Peninsula boardwalk before taking a little car ferry over to Balboa Island. It was a cute little beach community with neat little stores to shop in and pretty little neighborhoods to see. A 1,000 sq. ft. "beach cottage" runs you a couple of million dollars, if you have any extra money to spend. From there we headed to Huntington Beach to Jack's Surf Shop to buy some famous "Jack's" t-shirts for our Jack. Cole got a cool sweatshirt too. The last beach stop was Laguna Beach, where the ultra rich live. It was there that the kids were supposed to "get their feet wet" and play in the sand. The boys saw it a different way and before you knew it Jack was wet from getting water for his sand castle moat and Cole was literally body surfing in the waves. Only Kate could wear the clothes that she came in. Mary Kaye rescued Cole and Jack and had brought some extra clothes for her kids. Unfortunately the only thing that would fit Jack was a pair of Katie Taggart's purple sweatpants. We thought that he would be embarrassed but he told us that he looked like a "Rock Star". Good for him. We then headed up to a very fancy outdoor mall called Fashion Island in Laguna Beach, the Lane family looking like people thrown out of Wal Mart. While the girls were shopping, Kevin and I took Katie and the boys to a corner of the mall to watch the sunset. We were near an outside escalator that led down to the parking lot. The kids were riding the escalator for lack of better entertainment, while Kevin and I took pictures of the sunset (as opposed to supervising our children). What we didn't see was Jack sitting on the escalator steps riding it up from the bottom, backwards. When he reached the top, his pants got caught in the escalator and ripped his pants and underwear off of his body and pinned one of his ankles to the top of the escalator. With no visible emergency shut-off button in site, Kevin and I tried to get him free. Finally, we removed his shoe and let the machine keep his pants. All that remained was a torn leg of the purple sweatpants and shredded underwear. He was majorly freaked out (as well as the adults) and he swore to never again ride an escalator again. He has a couple of puncture wounds on his bum, but is otherwise unharmed. Teresa bought him a pair of cheap ($32) sweatpants to wear home (no Wal Mart in this mall). Our last stop was to Mary Kaye's old neighborhood in Tustin, CA near Anaheim. We ate a great dinner at their favorite Mexican restaurant before heading home. We eventually made it back to the hotel around 9pm, where we all crashed. Tomorrow we plan to swim at the Grand Californian with the Taggarts and then head on over to California Adventure before the Taggarts leave for home in Puyallup. Gates open at 10am!

Our 15 person limo and our chauffeur, Kevin.

Newport Beach. Not as crowded as I expected.

This is what the locals consider a car ferry. Not exactly a Washington State Ferry, eh?

He wanted to take this home, but it wouldn't get past airport security. Besides, they spelled his name wrong.

Two old guys on a bench.

Who needs Disneyland when you have sand castles?

As the local Californians looked on wearing fur lined parkas and stocking hats, the two Washington natives undressed for a swim in the Pacific Ocean.

Miss Laguna Beach poses for her photo shoot.

The now infamous purple pants. We kept the shredded remaining pant leg as a souvenir of the trip.

This was the exact moment the escalator grabbed Jack by the pants. From Ooooooo... to AAAAAAAA!!!

Tuesday at Disneyland

2008-01-29T22:29:00.000-08:00

What an exhausting day! We started our day at Disneyland, with an early admission into the gate. Today we tried to see some of the attractions that we missed on Sunday. We rode the Thunder Mountain Rail Road, explored Tom Sawyer's Island/Pirate's Island, and some of the older classics that we missed like Snow White and the Storybook Land boat ride. Kevin Taggart's brother and two of his daughters showed up around 11am today, and spent the whole day with us. The kids hit it off really well, and we had a good time with them all. After a corn dog lunch, we went back over to California Adventure and rode Soarin' Over California once more and watched the High School Musical 2 show in the courtyard. The kids loved that. We stayed at California Adventure until it closed at 6pm, catching two of the last rides on the big roller coaster. We walked back over to Disneyland and spent some time at Toon Town. Finally, we rode Thunder Mountain Rail Road 2 times in a row until they kicked us out at 8pm. We stopped at Millie's for dinner and everyone but me was asleep 10 minutes after getting into our hotel room.

Tomorrow we are renting a 12 person van, and Kevin is driving us around their old stomping grounds. Mary Kaye grew up in near Anaheim, in Tustin, and Kevin is from San Diego. I think we are all looking forward to a little less walking, so it should be really fun. Here are a few photos from today. More tomorrow! - Rob

Early morning Character spotting!

That morning sun is hard on the eyes.
Just got on the ferry back from Pirate's Island when Capt. Jack came staggering up. We waited all week to get his signature, I guess we will have to wait a little longer.

The little slave Abominable Snowman, cranking away making popcorn for you and me. For three days Jack had been obsessed with this guy, so I just had to take a picture.

Finally got to walk through the castle.

I think that The Taggarts should use this as their next Christmas Card! Notice Katie in the bottom left corner. She's a real roller coaster veteran now!

Kate and Katie Taggart with her cousins, Hanna and Hailey.

Once last ride on the roller coaster!

Just before leaving California Adventure tonight.

Thanks for the car keys, Dad!

Night shot of Tomorrowland.

California Adventure Day

2008-01-28T22:51:00.000-08:00

Greetings from the Happiest Place on Earth....this time from the other side of the street in California Adventure! We began our day with breakfast at Millie's and then we met the Taggarts near "Soarin' Over California". Just like yesterday, there was very little wait and we got seats at the very front. Everyone loved it! We made our way around the park, riding almost every ride including the big roller coaster that went upside down. All of the kids loved it and went 4 times in a row (again, no waits). Some of our other favorite attractions were A Bug's Life, The Muppets 3-D, and Mulholland Madness. Kate didn't like the Ferris Wheel, but once was enough for everyone. Jack went with us to Tower of Terror, but I think it scared him a little more than he thought it would. We will have to see if he rides it again later in the week. As of now, he says no. We saw lots of Disney Characters and even our first princess! We ate an early dinner at the Taste Pilot's Grill and finished out the day getting soaked on the Grizzly River Run. By then the park was closing so we headed over to the Grand Californian Hotel, where the Taggarts are staying. I believe that this could be my favorite hotel that I have ever seen. The arts & crafts style is just beautiful. The kids swam for about an hour at the pool there, and then we headed to McDonald's for a cheap late-night dinner. The kids were crashed by 10pm, but will be ready for more tomorrow. We are meeting at the entrance to Disney at 7:45am. Tomorrow is the morning we chose for our one-time early entrance ticket. Stay tuned for more! -Rob

We caught Pluto as soon as we stepped in the park. He hadn't even had his coffee yet...or was that me who didn't have his coffee yet?

A look down Hollywood Blvd.

The mouse aviator is ready for take-off!

This kid hasn't met a roller coaster that he didn't like.

No Kate...T IANK YOU!

Finally...We spot Mickey!

Woodey has his new "Toy Story" attraction coming in May 2008. They are working on it now.

Our first princess sighting and photo opportunity. Strangely enough, Katie Taggart (Miss Disney Princess herself) wouldn't get near her!

Night shot of Hollywood Blvd. If only it was as warm as it looked (about 50 degrees today).

"C" is for Cole! Too bad California isn't spelled with a R, T, K and J. Maybe we can all stand at the L for a photo

First full day at Disneyland!

2008-01-27T21:49:00.000-08:00

Well, today was our first full day at Disneyland and boy did we put in a full day! After nearly 12 hours of walking, riding rides, and eating, we finally dragged ourselves back to the hotel. We rode nearly every ride in Disneyland today with almost no wait times the entire day. The only waits we had were about 10 minutes for Autopia and about 40 minutes for finding Nemo. We rode Splash Mountain 5 times in a row and got a little wet, but it didn't matter much since we had to dodge about 5 different rain storms throughout the day (hence the photos of us in rain parkas). In between rain showers we had beautiful weather and had some great food. Today was our day to splurge on eating out. We had breakfast before the park opened at the Disney Character breakfast where all the kids got to have the characters sign their autograph books. Then for a late lunch we ate at the restaurant inside The Pirates of the Caribbean. We finished out the day at McDonald's takeout, back at the room. This is probably the most money I have spent on food in any one day of my life.

Take a look at just a few of today's photos, and I will update you on tomorrow's day at California Adventure. We are meeting the Taggarts at 10am at the "Soaring Over California" ride. It should be an exciting day! -Rob

The group photo with just some of the Characters at breakfast

Cole's favorite thing - All you can eat!
Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue!

(Jack wanted nothing to do with him and hid behind a garbage can)

I found Space Mountain a real bore

We found Nemo!

Even though this car is British, Jack was ready to go!

Can you tell that Katie T. and Jack were fighting?

A classic ride that we could not pass up

I closed my eyes on the first ride...I think this was the 5th trip

Dad, can I quit pretending to lift this thing?

Boys only on this ride

Hey, wait a minute. There's a girl hiding back here!

Main Street at night
Last photo taken for the night...More fun tomorrow!

Disney Vacation 2008

2008-01-26T22:23:00.000-08:00

Well, we are finally here at Disneyland! We flew in this afternoon with the Taggart Family, around 3:30pm. This was the kids first airplane flight and they loved it! Since we are staying at different hotels, we had to take separate shuttle vans from the airport. I was able to convince our driver to take a slight detour to the local Vons grocery store and pick up some bottled water and snacks, which should save us some money on food. Since the Taggarts are leaving on Thursday, they went into Disney to use one of their five day passes. We spent our time at the Disney store in Downtown Disney. The kids got their autograph books and did some window shopping. We then went to dinner at Millie's near the hotel and finished the night by spending 45 minutes in the pool. The kids swam and I sat in the rain watching. Tomorrow we have a breakfast in the park with the Disney characters at 8am. Everyone crashed at 9:45pm after the very loud fireworks display had finished across the street. Of course, I'm not tired and so I decided to create a blog and post some pictures before bed.

More details and photos later! -Rob

Getting off the Shuttle at SeaTAC

Killing some time before the big flight

Heading down the ramp to board

One last call to the hospital

Ready for take-off!!

Cole and Jack Taggart, ready to roll

Katie and Kate are ready too

Dad, who is John Wayne?

Is Disneyland more fun than this luggage cart?

Resting up for shopping tonight

Trying out the merchandise!

A "Goofy" pirate with an attitude!

Let us in, Let us in!

California Adventure entrance at night

Disneyland entrance at night