We went on a mini family vacation to
Disneyland a few weeks ago (during the heatwave no less). Thanks to
Jenn for the Disney tips which included:
- Getting our rice fix at the PCH Grill while the kids got their character breakfast fix
- Splurging a little for the Grand Californian Hotel was definitely worth it especially because the heat got to be unbearable at times - going back to the hotel to recuperate was a lifesaver. Had we stayed offsite we would have either burned to a crisp in the park or called it a day at 11:00 AM and stayed in the hotel.
Highlights of our vacation:
- We got our family portraits taken by Disney Mike - I figured, hey we're in Disneyland, let me see if DisneyMike can take our pics! This is the first time we had our portraits taken since we added our little #3. Poor guy is growing up in a house with no pictures of him on the wall, he probably thinks he's adopted.
- Got my daughter started with pin trading - it was just fun for her to trade pins with the "Cast Members" on the resort although now that we're home those pins are sitting on the kitchen counter long forgotten. I don't want to think about how much I spent on pins for her to trade. By the way - Jack Sparrow-Mickey Mouse is non-negotiable. :)
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1TvgMNtrzb5t-hJpdNhOcxG7eRVfiasQknEBLYHGC6S8cgblmsi93t84Ae6z9ldsobMnmhMqKk42Xu1RRBUmGfOnkm7e6IK6PAPwm4_4r634ynl-8ZV3eoC6vLSarqVUhpn2N7ND8JdU/s200/pisn.jpg)
- Got to watch Little Q's reaction as all his favorite Pixar characters came to life during the Pixar Parade at California Adventure.
![Fascination](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/blogger_img_proxy/AEn0k_va0Qly914mfMmL-plmFReLC44Zq-M7SsnGFyvbA6xMDjotxNJHyTGdjkw7rPUYQSZzAeJxV7F04fsB5RDo_hckmwWl2NG55hEZRvPbMqFXsU6nN6Bb9gdohdq5umNWUYE=s0-d)
- Bought another cookbook!
My new cookbook, Delicious Disney, caught my eye while I was perusing the gift/sundries shop at the hotel for the 7th time that weekend. The recipe that cemented my decision to spend $40 on the book was for Twinkie Tiramisu. Joyce's daughter Ava recently turned 2 and I used her birthday as an excuse to make it. No one knew I used Twinkies until after I told them. It was a tad too sweet for my taste but I generally don't like desserts that are sweet (I prefer creamy/fruity). If you like Twinkies, I think you'll like this tiramisu.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpfz3qlYMEDdRI_4E5y8KBr7Wkt2A8fz_8WeVQC4FjcdTFMygJzFj53dET-aqtKZvuhrvXaVygTvzUA65-wkL0L_wvudTxNKlvFdcu3BgqSUplzhPoRtrRf54xiu0DrFLNB47r6Aoq8hw/s200/DSC_1460.JPG)