California...and beyond!

We had a great time in California and were bummed to find our vacation over. Here are some highlights:
Our first night there Uncle Steve and Uncle James cooked a feast! Here we are, including their friend Rick.
We hiked at Runyon Canyon with Steve, James, and their friend Rick. While we were there we had beautiful views of the whole city, the Hollywood sign, and Ryan Reynolds.

The next day we boarded the ship! Of course we had to have a practice safety drill with the life jackets. We got an extra-tiny one for Maggie.Maggie was looking for the perfect pair of sunglasses at Urban Outfitters in San Diego. I'd say she found them!
There was a rock-climbing wall on our ship so of course I had to check it out! You can see Catalina Island behind us. Sweet helmet, huh?

That same night was our formal night at dinner. Maggie got a little demanding. When this picture was taken she was saying, "Bring me my steak!"
Here we are in Mexico. Maggie is continuing her quest for sunglasses here, trying on Blake's.

Check out these serious shoppers:
When we got back to LA we stayed about 4 extra days and got to go to a fantastic playground in Griffith Park called Shane's Inspiration. It was made by a family who lost their son at a young age. Had he lived he would have been in a wheelchair and they wanted to make a playground in his honor that would be accessible to children of all abilities. It was H-U-G-E! Maggie loved it.
Of course our trip wouldn't be complete without a visit to Disneyland. This was on "It's a Small World," Maggie's favorite and first ride! I guess it runs in the family. When I was little I was too scared to ride on Erin's favorite ride, "The Haunted Mansion", so I made my dad ride "It's a Small World" like, 40 times with me. Did you know at Christmas time they decorate the whole ride for Christmas and some of the animatronic kids sing "Jingle Bells"? It's really cool.
All of us at the end of the day below. We were wiped out; what a long, but fun day!
(Also, please note Grant's cleanly-shaved face.)
And finally, the piece de resistance!
We visited Mickey's house and got a chance to spend a few minutes with him in his studio. Maggie didn't want him to hold her and was a little timid but she told him he had a nice house, she loves to watch his show (Mickey Mouse Clubhouse) and, finally, "It's so nice to meet you!" But if you ask her if she met Mickey she'll say, "I couldn't like him" (which means she didn't like him). She'll also say, "He was different. He was so nice." It's a little bit of a mystery.

There were so many great moments it's hard to remember them all, but we had a great time with Grant's family and made some amazing memories. Oooh, vacation is so much fun!