Thanksgiving times three

 I wanted Ben to have a nice Thanksgiving since next year he will be on his mission and we don't know if he will be in a place that celebrates Thanksgiving. Turns out he had an amazing Thanksgiving! Three turkey dinners. The first one was at grandpa and grandma Stepan's house.

The second turkey dinner was at Carnation Cafe in Disneyland on Thanksgiving.

We were able to do our annual family basketball game at the church after our trip.

Mom and the boys beat Dad and the girls in two games.

It was a lot of fun.

Grandpa and Grandma Orton had us over for a turkey dinner after our trip. Delicious! I love Thanksgiving and I'm so grateful we were able to celebrate three times this year.

Travel home

Packing up to go home on Friday. Sara is thrilled with her souvenirs from this trip. 

Saying goodbye to grandpa and grandma.

Mickey waffles for breakfast.

All packed up.

We were so tired! We were up early every morning to get in line, we walked a ton, and we stayed up late every night. Disney vacations are a blast but not relaxing!

Home again.

Disneyland day 2

We went to Disneyland 4 years ago on Thanksgiving and it wasn't crowded.

This year was definitely the most crowded I have ever experienced.

This is the line to get to security! Wow!

The worst part is that they didn't have fast passes. Yikes!

 Mary got soaked in the front of Splash Mountain!

We walked right on Splash Mountain first thing in the morning and the ride photos didn't work. Darn! That would've been a cute family picture.

Aw... I remember when she wasn't quite 42"

On our last day in the parks we were able to convince grandma to rent a wheelchair for the day. Her knee was hurting with all that walking.

We weren't able to get a reservation at Carnation for Thanksgiving dinner. Thankfully they accepted a few walk ins and we were one of them! We were sad they didn't have milkshakes, but other than that, it was so good.

The chef came to talk to us. The staff was so nice. It really added to our holiday meal.

Back to Star Wars land.

We were able to go on Rise of the Resistance again thanks to grandma's disability pass.

Talking to Michael on Thanksgiving. I was able to show him around Star Wars land on Thanksgiving. 

It always brightens my day to talk to our missionary.

Dinner at the plaza.

Hot chocolate on the plaza patio while we waited for the fireworks that were canceled due to winds.

It was sad to say goodbye to Disneyland- especially for Ben because he will be leaving on his mission this summer.

California Adventure park Day 2

 The boys got up extra early and ate a quick breakfast to save us a spot in line for the opening of day 2 at California Adventure.

Sara getting a good view of the crowds.

First stop- Webslingers. It was a good move. We didn't have to wait as long.

Then on to Incredicoaster. It's one of Sara's favorite rides now.

Jack Jack cookies.

Ben posing with Mary for a picture :)

Ben loved his macaroni and cheese in a sourdough bread bowl for lunch.

Toy Story ride with grandpa and grandma.

Our first stop at this ice cream shop. We will definitely stop again and next time we should all get the lemon ice cream with blue raspberry slush like Ben. It was the best!

Dinner that evening was quick. Luke and Sara opted for soft pretzels with cheese dip.

Everyone else had hot dogs.