Decker

The next morning, Mommy and Daddy and I packed up our car and gave some last hugs goodbye to Pammy, Cappy, Katil and Tully (they were headed down for a fun day playing in a place called San Diego), and we started our drive back up north to go home. On the way, we stopped for a couple of hours to visit with Mommy’s friends Kay and Thor, who live in a place called Van Nuys. That was fun, because they have a little girl named Jet who is about a year and half younger than me, and she was really nice and let me play with her toys! They had some neat birthday presents for me too - wasn’t that nice of them? I guess Mommy used to go to school with Kay (wow, that must have been a LONG time ago!), so they really like to catch up and find out what each other have been up to. We stayed a couple of hours, and then we took some photos and Mommy started to get all weepy and then we said goodbye and got back in the car. Mommy reassured me she was fine, but sometimes you cry when you say bye bye to someone - I guess I can understand that! I hate to say goodbye to my yellow blanket when it’s in the wash!

We drove a loooooooooooooooooooooooooong time and I slept a good deal, which made Mommy and Daddy very happy! At one point I woke up and Mommy was driving instead of Daddy, which was sort of different - but she kept a good pace and we still got home with some time to spare! When we rolled in the door and settled in, Daddy went and got his backpack, and looked inside and said, “Uh-oh - Decker, look - someone followed you home from Disneyland!”. Well, I looked inside the backpack too, and guess who had followed me home? ZURG! Yup, Daddy got me my very own Zurg doll to go with my Buzz Lightyear doll! In the movie, Buzz and Zurg are enemies, but I like them to be friends, so they play together at my house. I carry them with me everywhere - they are really fun to make believe with! (Especially when I am supposed to be napping - I like to keep a running dialogue with them in my bed).

The next day was going to be my first day of school! So I got a bath and went to bed early (I think Mommy and Daddy did too). But wow, I had some great dreams about Peter Pan and boats and Dumbo…Disneyland was awesome! I can’t wait to go back! Maybe next time Mommy and I can go on some of those neat rides with Daddy!

In which I will describe our fun day at California Adventure, and wrap this saga up!

Based on how much fun we had on Friday at Disnelyland, we all slept really well that night! But that didn’t stop us all from waking up bright and early the next morning to head back for day #2 of fun in the Magic Kingdom! So once again Mommy and Daddy pleaded with me to eat something, and then we piled into the car and drove back to Disneyland again. Mommy and Daddy got there early so Daddy could get a real cup of coffee, and we waited contentedly by this very pretty fountain for the rest of the grownups to arrive. I ate some fruit and ran around - good stuff! When everyone else got there, we started off our morning back in Disneyland (California Adventure didn’t open until a little later). The first thing we did was go get in line so we could ride on a ride about Peter Pan! I like Peter Pan and Tinkerbell. They can fly, and in the movie there is a dog who is funny and gets pixie dust sprinkled on her backside, so her bottom floats up in the air! While we were waiting in line, I could see the queen peeking at me from her castle window over and over - that was awesome all over again! Then we climbled on this boats - but these boats weren’t in the water! They flew! We flew through the room where the kids and the doggie were, and then we were flying all over above these pretty lights and funny people! I like to pretend to fly, so this was great stuff! But my favorite part was the doggie at the beginning, and I kept asking my mom and dad if we could go see her again. We didn’t get to, but that’s ok.

Then we headed over to Tomorrowland, and I had a real treat in store - we got to go on a ride all about Buzz Lightyear!!!!!! It was soooo cool! When you walked through the line to get on the ride, you passed by Buzz, who talking to the silly space cats from the Toy Story movie, and drawing plans on a giant etch-a-sketch. Then we climbed into these spaceship cars, and they had laser beams that you could use to aim at the aliens! I just wanted to look at stuff (I’m not really into lasers too much, although I do love playing with flashlights), but my mom went to town and hit a lot of aliens with hers! She seemed quite proud! When it was over, you get off the spaceship and you go into these really neat store with a giant picture of Buzz Lightyear on the wall, and there were these really really really cool Buzz Lightyear stuffed dolls on a shelf in the corner. I had a lot of fun playing with one and making it fly - did I mention I really like Buzz Lightyear? Well, I guess Pammy must really like Buzz as much as I do, because a little bit later, she came over to me with a big smile on her face and told me that I got to take Buzz with me to keep for my very own! Oh my gosh I was soooo psyched! I hugged him tight and said ‘oh bank you Pammy!’ (the th-sound is still kinda tricky for me), and that was it for me - I was smitten and set for the day!

At that point, it was time for us to head out of Disneyland and across the way to another part of Disneyland called California Adventure. This place was super cool too! When we first got in, the grownups all headed over to a ride called “Soarin’ over California”, which I was just a little too short for, so Mommy stayed with me and let me run around with Buzz while she sat and kept me company. Before you knew, the grownups were back and then it was my mom’s turn to go ride so Daddy stayed with me this time and we played some more. When they were done, everyone came back and then we walked over to this really neat place with lots of water and floating tires that peope ride in and get really wet! Mommy couldn’t go, and I was too little, and Pammy didn’t want to get wet, so the three of us stayed behind and watched when Cappy, Daddy, Katil and Tully came around in their tire boats. It was nice over there - lots of shade and a really cool giant wooden bear wearing a life vest and holding a paddle! We waved and took pictures (well, Mommy did - I was playing with Pammy and Buzz) when everyone came around, and I guess poor Daddy and Tully got very very very wet! But they all had fun and the lines were short so they went one more time and got even MORE wet! Good thing it was a warm day!

After that, we headed over to this place that is supposed to look like old-fashioned Hollywood, and got to go inside this really cool theatre that was all about MUPPETS!! Muppets are like the people you see on Sesame Street, only a little different. But they were really funny, and while we were waiting to go in I was in a great mood so I jumped around and sang and had a merry old time looking at stuff. Then we all went and sat down in these soft chairs, and we all had to put on these silly purple sunglasses. I couldn’t figure out why we were wearing them, until the lights went down and the movie came on - it was a special kind of movie called “3-D”, and it makes it look like the muppets in the movie are standing right above you - so neat! There were muppets up in the balconies above us, too. It was really funny and Daddy said it’s his favorite part of California Adventure! A good show!

When the movie was over, we all went to lunch. We ate in a really awesome place that looked just like the Big Fish Place we went to in Monterey back in March! We sat right by the water and Cappy was silly and played with a Buzz Lightyear straw that he had bought with his drink. (Buzz - he’s a popular guy!) When we were done with lunch, we all went and posed for pictures in this big net that made it look like we were part of a catch of fish - it didn’t make sense to me, but the grownups thought it was hilarious!

At this point we wandered over to a place that looked like it was made just for kids like me! It was called “Bug’s Land”! It was just like the movie “Bug’s Life”, which is one of my favorite movies! You go under this big archway made from a giant cereal box, and it suddenly looks like you are the same size as bugs! There were giant garden hoses and juice boxes and benches made of popsicle sticks! There was a choo choo train I got to ride on with Pammy, and you rode around past giant food like candy corns and animal cookies, and Heimlich the Caterpillar would talk to you! And there were these funny cars that you could climb into and bump into the people around you (I rode with Daddy - the sign said Mommy couldn’t go). It was under this enormous beach ball roof, and Katil and Tully and Cappy all rode in cars too! It was supposed to be a bumpy and fast ride, but I guess it wasn’t that fast because when we got off Katil and Tully kept laughing and going at each other in slow motion, saying “Looooook ouuuuuttttt!”. They’re so silly! We also got to go underground into the ant hill, just like Flick and all the other ants! When we got inside, they gave us more special glasses to wear, and then we saw some silly bugs in a movie and it looked like you could touch them! How neat is that?

We wound out of “Bug’s Land”, and Mommy let me have some juice and I played with Buzz for a little while. I sat on Daddy’s shoulders and then Buzz sat on min. Then came the other big ‘hit’ of the day for me - we got to go on a ride about “Monsters Inc.”!!!! (Another one of my favorite movies ever!). It was so neat - you rode around in a car in the dark, and you got to drive through Monstropolis and the Monsters Inc factory and all the doors flew over our heads and we saw Boo and Mike and Sully and it was super great! (I think the grownups were just as excited as I was!).

When we finished the ride, Daddy asked if anyone wanted to try out the “Tower of Terror” with him. Apparently it involves riding in an elevator and then falling very fast! I love elevators, but I was too small, and Mommy, Pammy, Tully and Katil all said “Um, NO thanks!”, so it was up to Daddy to be brave and go with Cappy. While we waited for them to have fun on their ride, the rest of us sat down and I played with Buzz and Mater for a while…until guess who came around the corner? Jo Jo the clown, from “Jo Jo’s Circus” on Disney Channel! I know her and couldn’t believe she was here in person! So I walked on up with Mommy and gave her a hug and she played with my Buzz doll and made him fly and then blew me a kiss! Isn’t that cool? She’s just as nice in real life as she is on tv! Then Daddy and Cappy came back, and they said the elevator was ok but not amazing. Guess I didn’t miss anything!

Everyone was really hot, so we all decided to go see a show called “Aladdin” inside this big theater. We had to wait in line outside for a while, but it was in the shade so that was nice. We even got to sit on the ground! When we got inside, there were these really soft and comfy seats, and it was nice and kind of dark and a very pleasant temperature…so I sat on Daddy’s lap, and fell fast asleep! I stayed asleep for the entire show, which apparently surprised all the grownups because I guess the music was very loud. They all had a good time, and it was a long show, so I had a good nap. Win-win, I say! Supposedly I missed some people riding on a flying carpet, but I have a hard time believing that - I think the grownups are pulling my leg! (note from Decker’s mommy - it’s true! We saw Aladdin and Jasmin fly!).

After that, it was time to go see a parade again, this one with Pixar characters! Mommy and Daddy thought I would really like this one, because it had Woody and Jessie and Mr Potato Head and Buzz Lightyear and lots of music and colorful floats. But - I decided I was still tired and the music was too loud, so it was hard for me to enjoy it that much. Props to Tully though, for doing her best to dance and sing along and entertain me and try to cheer me up! Finally I just needed a good little time out somewhere quieter, and I was right as rain again.

For dinner, we went over to a place called “Paradise Pier”, which reminded me a lot of the place that Mommy and Daddy and I had gone to a couple of nights before! There were fun rides and booths where you could play games and lots of fun music by some kids called the “Beach Boys”. After a yummy meal of fruit for me and pizza for the grownups, Daddy and Katil and Tully and Cappy went for a ride while Mommy and Pammy and I hung out and rested. And guess what? While we waited - this really nice big girl (I’d say probably 6 years old! Wow - really old!) came up to me and asked if I would llike her Doc Hudson toy car! Would I! Wowwwwweee! So nice of her - did I mention I love “Cars”? I guess the ride broke down because all the grownups came back early and I got to show off my car to them. Then we all went over and I got to ride on ANOTHER merry-go-round! This one had fish and sea otters and stuff on it, and I got to ride with Mommy, with Katil and Tully and Pammy all riding near us. I really like merry-go-rounds - it’s so fun to go up and down over and over! Mommy sure looked funny trying to get on and off the seahorse we rode on, though! Her tummy sure gets in the way!

We stopped and took lots of sunset photos over by the water, in front of this great big smiling sun that’s part of the ferris wheel at the pier. Grownups sure do like to take lots of photos! Then we went back to the entrance of the park to watch part of one last parade, and this was one my Daddy seemed extra excited about. And I could see why! It was called the “Main Street Electrical Light Parade”, and it’s got all these great floats and costumes covered in LIGHTBULBS that actually LIGHT UP! Daddy seemed to get really jazzed, especially when the music started up. (He says he had the record when he was little - but Daddy? What’s a record?) We saw Peter Pan and Cindeckeralla and Tinker Bell and some snails and caterpillars who made funny noises and came over to say hi to us - I was entranced! Then it was time to leave California Adventure and head back over to Disneyland for a little while longer to see some more neat stuff - boy, today was a day chock full of parades and shows!

So, back over to Disneyland, and this time we were going to watch the fireworks and hopefully they wouldn’t stop halfway through! (Although I ended up sleeping through both anyway!) The grownups raved and said it was lots of fun and very well done. Then we went back over to the place with the pirate ride, and we sat on the ground for a loooong time while we waited for one last show called “Fantasmic” (Mommy and Pammy really really like this one). I tried so hard to stay awake, because it sounded super cool. But…Pammy’s lap was oh-so-inviting, and then I think I ended up on Cappy’s lap for a while, and well - frankly - I slept through Fantasmic too. But the grownups had a great time! Mommy said that Mickey Mouse even waved at me - that was so nice of him! What a guy!

Everyone was very tired (not just me!) at this point, so we packed our gear and headed out to the shopping area in between Disneyland and California Adventure. Mommy and Katil and Tully and Pammy went and shopped for a bit, while Daddy and I hung out by the fountain and rested. Then everyone got ice cream (except for me - too cold!), and then we all got to ride on the choo choo with the hole in the ceiling in it again, and then we drove home! Wow, what a day!

More of my Disneyland fun…

So after Mommy and I got off the Winnie the Pooh ride, we went over by this great big tree and there was a big line of people waiting to go some ride about a guy named “Indiana Jones” - I was too small, plus I was feeling really thirsty and kinda getting hot and grumpy because of it. (Plus, I was still a little miffed that we had to leave Tigger). So while we waited for all the grownups to finish with their ride, Mommy and I sat on this really cool set of rocks and chilled out a little. Pretty soon everyone joined up with us, and then we got to have a snack! I got to have juice, and Pammy shared this super yummy treat with me that looked like a stick but tasted like cookies! She called it a ‘churro’ - boy was it good! Having gotten my blood sugar back up, I was ready for more rides, and so Cappy put me on his shoulders and we walked over and climbed onto another boat. This ride was different though, because it wasn’t in the dark - it was outside, and we got to look at lots and lots of animals! There were elephants who blew water at us, and monkeys who were being very silly, and lions! Plus, the awesomest part of all? There was another man talking out of a circle! He talked kinda fast and the grownups kept laughing, so I guess he was saying funny stuff. But I sure liked that he talked from a circle! I rode on Cappy’s lap and had a great time.

After that, we left the area of the park we’d been in all morning, and headed over to a place called “Tomorrowland” (but it still felt like today to me!). We had only been there a few minutes, and guess who I saw? Live and in person and for real? BUZZ LIGHTYEAR!!!! I got to go up and give him a high five and he bent down to say hi to me and he was the best! I couldn’t believe I got to meet him! I just about lost my mind! Mommy and Daddy took lots of photos, and finally I had to let some other kids share with me and meet Buzz too. (I was a good sport this time). So we went to another ride after that. At this point, Mommy stayed behind to take pictures and I got to go with all the grownups and guess what we did? We drove cars!!!! The ride was called “Autopia”, and I got to ride in the car with Cappy, and he let me drive for a while at the beginning! 13 years before I get my license, but I got to drive a car! I felt very grownup! The wheel was a little hard to maneuver, and it kept whipping my arms around, so then I let Cappy take over so I could just enjoy the ride. But boy, it was cool! Did I mention yet that I love cars?

After that we stopped for lunch and a rest - we were ready! Then, all the grownups got in line to go on a ride about a mountain (they called it ‘Space Mountain’), and Mommy and I headed over to another place called “Fantasyland”. There were lots and lots and lots of little kids there, and we wandered past people spinning in giant cups, over to this insanely cool little house with a perfect Decker-sized door, colored pink! Mommy said it was the White Rabbit’s house, and I was instantly sucked in. We spent about 30 minutes at the door, with Mommy watching me while I went up and knocked on it over and over and over! It was beyond fun! And there was a little lantern and a little window and a little garden but we couldn’t step inside it because we might squish the flowers. And I was very good about sharing - every time another little kid came over and wanted to knock on the door, I would step aside, but as soon as they left - BAM! I was back! I could have stayed there all day - even though Mommy kept trying to get me to go look at some other stuff like this big whale around the corner. Finally, the rest of the grownups came back, and they convinced me that now would be a fun time to go ride on the Merry-Go-Round! So Pammy, Daddy, Mommy, Katil and I all got to take a ride on the horsies who go up and down and up and down - I had a blast! Then Katil and Tully took a turn, and then all of the group got together and we got in line for a ride about “Pinocoweeoh” (another one that’s hard to say!). I rode in a car with Pammy, Katil, Tully and Mommy, and Daddy and Cappy rode in the car behind us. It was another ride in the dark, so I couldn’t see Daddy and Cappy, but they must have had a great time because when we got off the ride, they were laughing really hard! Something about ‘if they hadn’t bonded before, they sure had now!’ - I dunno, they sure seemed to think the ride was funny! It was an ok ride - lots of cardboard cutouts and bright colors that moved out of the way as you rolled through in your car. (Mommy called it ‘acid trip for kids’?).

After that, we walked over to another ride that was called “Small World” - but the outside sure looked big to me! There was this big white and gold house, with a giant happy face clock on the front, and right when we got in line, the clock started to chime and suddenly these doors opened up and out came a parade of toy wooden soldiers! I was mesmerized - it was absolutely fascinating to watch! Pammy held me up so I could see better - wasn’t that nice of her? When it was our turn to get on the ride, we all climbed into these nifty boats and then we went into a tunnel and Mommy and Katil and Tully started singing! (Aren’t they silly?) Anyway - it was a fun ride because a) it was nice and cool inside, and b) it was full of all these puppets who were about my size, singing and dancing! Who thinks this stuff up? I really dug it! It was a nice long ride, and when we were done, I got to ride on Cappy’s shoulders and Mommy and Pammy stopped into a toy shop really quick - when they came out, guess what Pammy had for me? My very own MATER! Yup, I got my very own Mater truck (like from the movie ‘Cars”) - it matched the Mater that was embroidered on my overalls that day! I was so psyched, and I carried it with pride the rest of the weekend!

After that, we all walked back through Fantasyland and over to the area where we had first come in that day. There was going to be a parade (I like parades!), so we all waited on the sidewalk to watch. It was pretty cool - there were people and animals dancing, and I got to see Peter Pan, and Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse were waving at me from up on a moving castle! (Wasn’t that friendly of them?). Then we all got to sit down for a rest and a drink - that was nice! I got to guzzle apple juice and play around the table while the grownups drank boring old diet cokes and waters. After that, we decided to walk over to a place I had heard about a lot that day - Toon Town! Yup, we were gonna get to go visit where Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck live! Awright! And it was as awesome as I had heard - there were lots of funny things outside in the streets of Toon Town, like boxes you could open and then you would hear the sound of a choo choo train, or there was this button you could push and then the window would flash like you were taking a picture! We even got to go inside Mickey Mouse’s house!!!! That was fun, especially the piano - I got to sit on the bench and pretend to play the piano like Mickey, and then we got to go into his garden and there was this very funny bunny rabbit who would pop up out of a hole, and then would pull all the carrots down out of the garden so he could eat them! So silly! And I got to climb up onto Donald Duck’s boat, and I even got to turn the wheel so I could try to drive it just like Donald! I really liked the boat and didn’t want to leave, but Mommy and Daddy said it was time for us to go get dinner, so I said ok! (I knew I would get to have some juice again!)

We ate dinner over by where I had met Tigger earlier, and I got to have lots of fruit and watch all the ducks some more! I didn’t want to admit it, but without a nap I was starting to feel a little sleepy…but I refused to give in just yet! We decided it would be fun to go on Pirates again, and since I like those silly monkeys and the silly bird, I didn’t object! So we got in line and climbed on the boats again, and it was just as fun as the first time! And I didn’t get wet, but poor Mommy did! (She sat in the front). It was starting to get dark now - almost time to go over and find a spot to watch the fireworks show by the big pink sand castle! The grownups decided to grab a quick ride on this big choo choo train that goes around a mountain - Mommy and I couldn’t go, but that was ok because we sat outside and waited for them. While we were waiting, this nice lady who was working outside the choo choo ride flashed her flashlight at me and asked if I could dance for her - so I did! She seemed to really like that, and a little bit later she came over and said, “Hey Dance Dance Revolution! I’m guessing you can’t go on the ride because you’re too small - but here is an official card from Mickey Mouse that says you can try and ride next time you come, ok?”. This card was so cool! It had a picture of Mickey Mouse as a cowboy, and I got to keep it all to myself! I told her thank you, and when the grownups all got off the ride, I showed it to them with pride!

Finally, time for the fireworks! I really like fireworks - I had a good time on the 4th of July watching them and saying “ooh” and “ahh”. But….I was SO sleepy at this point, that I just couldn’t stay awake, as hard as I tried! I basically fell asleep in Daddy’s arms and stayed passed out for the rest of the night. I hear the fireworks were very impressive, but that halfway through they stopped! (Daddy called it ‘technical difficulties’). So, all the grownups went over to the Buzz Lightyear ride in Tomorrowland, and while I slept, they all took turns going on it! Whatever! Mommy promised to take me the next day, so I guess I couldn’t mind too much. Then they all went over to this movie theatre on Main Street to watch a video about Disneyland turning 50 (that sounds really old!), and I slept through that too. Then the grownups shopped for a little bit in the stores, and Daddy and I rested on a bench near the front of the park. I was asleep, but I think there was a train going by sometimes? Sure sounded like it in my dreams! Finally, all the grownups were very tired and we decided to go home. It was a long fun day - but we had another full one waiting for us in the morning! Yay - we were going to California Adventure!

In which I continue with my escapades to the Magic Kingdom…

So we woke up early the next morning, and after we all got cleaned up and my folks tried to coerce me to eat something (I was too excited! We were going to Disneyland!), we piled in the car and headed to - FINALLY - Disneyland! Yay! Mommy had talked to Tully the night before (Tully, Katil, Pammy and Cappy drove down and got in really late and stayed at the same hotel we were at), and we agreed that we should get a very eager start so we could beat all the lines. Well, mission accomplished - we got to Disneyland SO early that we couldn’t even get in the parking gates yet! We just parked in a line outside, and I started to get a little impatient - there had to be more to Disneyland than parking in our car, right? Mommy and Daddy reassured me that yes, indeed, there would be more to see, we just had to wait, and would I please eat some banana? Humph. Ok, fine - if it would make them happy!

Finally, finally, finally - the gates opened, and we got to drive in and park our car! We were almost there! Daddy made me put on some sunscreen (yuck!), and then we were off! We walked over to yet ANOTHER line, but this one was for a choo choo train called a ‘tram’. We climbed on, and let me tell you - this tram was cool! It had circles in the ceiling, and a man talked out of them! I thought this was very impressive, so much so that I continue to mention it to this day at random intervals. The tram went chug chug chug and then we stopped and got out to buy our tickets and wait in line to go in! While we were waiting in line, guess who came and found us? Pammy and Katil and Tully and Cappy! Hooray! Now everyone was here and the day could officially begin!

The nice people at the gates let us all come in, and then we went under this neat tunnel, and there…was DISNEYLAND! There was a big sand castle colored pink (Pammy said it was Cinderella’s castle), and lots and lots of people walking around, and I just couldn’t wait to get in and see Buzz Lightyear! But…we still had to wait behind another line for this rope to be taken away first! So Pammy and my mom and I went to restroom (destined to be one of several trips that day - hey, it was hot! I like my apple juice!), and then we came back and it was time to book it to the first ride of the day! Yay!

Mommy and Daddy had told me that some of the rides at Disneyland would be in the dark, and that they would be fun but if I ever got scared that I could hold on to one of the grownups and I would be ok. Well, I sleep in the dark without even a nightlight, so that was fine with me! The first ride we went on was called “Pirates of the Caribbean”, but it seems like it should have been called “Silly bird and silly monkeys”! That’s because when you wait in line to get on, there is this parrot at the front who talks to you - he’s very funny! And then, all through the ride, there are all these silly monkeys (all the grownups called them skeletons, and I guess they had been worried I wouldn’t like them - but they look like monkeys to me! And they’re quite funny!). Anyway, you get on this boat and you sail along and look at the silly monkeys and some silly pirates who are doing things like playing peek-a-boo on their boat and in this well and running around and singing with piggies and stuff like that. Enjoyable! The only part I didn’t like was that sometimes you get sprayed with water - I didn’t like getting wet! But the rest was great!

Having successfully negotiated my first big kid ride, the grownups suggested we go on one called “The Haunted Mansion”. This one was ok, not as cool as the “Pirates” ride. You go into this big old house, and a man talks to you from the ceiling, and then the walls get really tall! Then you walk down a hallway and you get into this seat with a bar (I sat between my mom and dad), and we started moving! We saw all sorts of blue and green people, and some lady was floating in the air while all these instruments played and flew around. There was lots of music and singing, and when it was over, a blue person (Daddy called him a ‘ghost’, but I didn’t see a sheet!) sat on our laps! I guess he wanted to cuddle - but he stayed behind, he didn’t come out with us.

Then the grownups went on a ride called “Splash Mountain”. I’m too small to go on that ride, plus the name alone was a turn-off for me (I didn’t want to get splashed!), so my mom and I stayed behind and walked around outside and looked at lots of neat stuff. There was a big lake around the corner, and it had lots of ducks to say hi to! Then we stood and watched all the boats from “Splash Mountain” go by, and the grownups were all laughing but were very wet! We didn’t see Cappy or Pammy or the rest of the crew, so then we went and looked at this really big BIG boat (Mommy called it a ship), and it had a statue of a lady on the front and I really wanted to touch it but it was too high so Mommy said we could talk to it and wave at it instead. We did this for a while - I really like statues! Then I got antsy so Mommy and I walked back around into “Critter Country” to see if we could go find Winnie the Pooh - and we did! We also found Eeyore and TIGGER! (I love Tigger!). So while we waited for the grownups, Mommy and I got in this line to go around and meet all the animals. I got to hug Winnie the Pooh, and Eeyore, and best of all - not only did I get to hug Tigger, but he picked me up and swung me around and around! It was soooooo cool! I didn’t want to go, but Mommy said we had to let other kids have a chance to meet Tigger too, so we moved on. To make it up to me, she took me on a ride about Winnie the Pooh, which was ok, I guess - but it wasn’t the same. I tried to humor her though - she seemed so excited (”Look, Decker, there’s Piglet! Look, Decker, it’s Winnie the Pooh!). Moms are so cute!

More in Part 3!

Hi everyone! Well, I’ve been back for a couple of weeks now, and it’s been kinda crazy but I couldn’t go any longer without telling you all about this amazing trip I took with my mom and dad right after my birthday - yup, we went to that fabled place I’ve heard about a while now…DISNEYLAND! And it was soooooooo fun! A recap of my adventures:

We started out early on a Thursday morning - my folks and I packed lots of stuff and piled into the car, and we were off! Mommy and Daddy said we were going to be in the car for a loooooong time, and that it would take a good part of the day to get where we were going, especially because my silly mommy has to stop every 90 minutes or so to walk around and go to the potty. (I usually had to go then, too - you get very thirsty on road trips!). Daddy was super nice and set up his video ipod on the back of Mommy’s seat, so I could watch all the movies I wanted on the way to Disneyland. We watched “Silly Critters” (Hoodwinked), “A Bug’s Life”, “Buzz Lightyear to the Recue” (Toy Story 2), “Finding Nemo”, and “The Incredibables” (that’s hard to say!). Mommy and Daddy kept encouraging me to fall asleep and take a nap, but I was too wired - so I only finally fell asleep when they hit something called “The Grapevine” (I didn’t see ANY grapes there, so I got bored and drifted off). I woke up as we were driving FOREVER on this part of the freeway they called “LA”…lots of cars and trucks and not a lot of fun stuff to look at! We drove and drove and drove and drove and finally we got to…no, not Disneyland - our hotel! I was bummed at first that we weren’t at Disneyland yet - the whole trip I kept thinking we were finally there, and every time we got out of the car I would shout out quite hopefully, “Disneyland?”. Then my folks would tell me sadly, no, this wasn’t Disneyland, it was a rest stop in Kettleman City/Patterson/Downey, etc. Man! I was starting to think we’d never get there! But our hotel was cool - our room was inside this old building that Daddy called a grain silo - which meant the walls were round! I got to pick the bed that Mommy and I would sleep in, and we changed our clothes and then went and got back in the car and drove all the way to….no, not Disneyland - but somewhere still pretty cool! Daddy and Mommy said it was called Newport Beach and Balboa Pier, and it was really fun! Daddy showed me where he used to stay when he would visit there, and then we parked near the beach! Yay, the beach! I love the beach! We couldn’t go in the water, but I got to play in the sand and have fun spinning around. Then Daddy put me on his shoulders and we walked down to this really neat place called a ‘Boardwalk’. Boardwalks have things like Merry Go Rounds and Ferris Wheels and pigeons and really pretty lights and music. I’d never seen a Merry Go Round for real before, so I had a lot of fun going and looking at it with Daddy - he and Mommy promised me I could go on one the next day at Disneyland - I couldn’t wait! It looked really fun! Mommy and Daddy and I sat at a table by the Ferris Wheel and had dinner, and Mommy got really silly and sappy and started tearing up again (she does that a LOT lately!), and she told me and Daddy this was the perfect date to have with her two favorite guys and she was really happy. If she’s happy, why does she cry? Silly Mommy! We stayed there until the sun started to go down, and then we went back to the beach for a little bit and got our car and THEN we drove our car back to the boardwalk and guess what? We got to drive our car onto a boat! I know - cool, huh? We rode on the boat all the way to a place called Balboa Island, and then we drove around and looked at stuff and then we drove home. I really liked our hotel room, because we got to watch TV in our beds! We only got to watch for a little bit, because Mommy and Daddy said we all needed to get some sleep so we’d be ready for a fun day at Disneyland! I couldn’t believe it - was it finally here? It was hard to go to sleep - but I managed, and I told my folks I was gonna dream about Peter Pan! Woo Hoo! So excited for the next day!

Hi everyone! Guess what? Last week I turned 3 (’bee’) years old! Yup, I’m officially a big kid and I had a lot of fun celebrating my birthday with lots of family! It was a party that lasted a whole week!

First, my mommy and daddy hosted a bbq at our house. It was a joint birthday party with Uncle Eric and Aunt Amanda, and the house sure got full! Grandma Chris, Grandpa Rick, Uncle Ryan, Aunt Wednesday, my cousin Lee and Uncle Jason all came over. I played in the kiddie pool outside for a long time, and Lee and I played with trains and cars on the floor while the grownups all talked about boring stuff. But I got to eat lots of yummy blueberries, and Mommy made special chocolate cupcakes to put candles in when we sang “Happy Birthday” - and she made one just for me, with no frosting! (I’m not so big on frosting, or as I like to call it, ‘the white stuff’ - but I sure love chocolate cake!). Then we all opened presents - I wasn’t quite sure when it was my turn, because Eric and Amanda were opening presents too, but Daddy and Mommy helped me tear the paper off some boxes, so I’m pretty sure they were for me. I was kinda jealous of one video that Eric got, because it was about grapes (Mommy called it the “Grapes of Wrath”), but I got some neat videos of my own, so that was ok. Maybe he’ll let me watch it someday! My birthday party theme this year was “Cars” (which is one of my favorite movies ever!), and Mommy put up a poster of Mater on the wall that said “Happy Birthday, Decker!”. I really liked it!

Then, the next morning Daddy, Mommy and I all piled into the car and drove up to GQ and Papa Tim’s new house in Loomis. It’s right next to where the old house was, but this one is new and really big! I got to be the first grandkid to spend a night in the ‘kids’ room’, and GQ let me pick which bed I wanted to sleep in. (I picked the one closest to the door, so Mommy and Daddy could see me from their room across the hall and wouldn’t get scared at night - aren’t I nice?). It was a fun visit - GQ’s house has these circles in the ceiling, and music comes out of them! At first, I didn’t believe my daddy when he said there wasn’t a real band playing, but he promised me the sound came out of the circles, so it must be true! We also got to visit with two nice kids around my age, named Tildnn and Escher. They were really friendly and brought me some cool birthday presents, and we all played nicely together while our parents all talked about more boring stuff. Then Daddy and Papa Tim and I got to drive these little boats all around the pond by their house - it was Papa Tim’s birthday too, so we had shared our present-opening time together, and he got toy boats, so we all got to play with them!

The next morning, we drove home and I was exhausted! (I think Mommy and Daddy were, too). So it was a good thing we had a day off to recharge our batteries, because the next day was….my REAL birthday! Woo Hoo! Now I was officially, truly, 100% 3 years old! Mommy let me watch my favorite videos that morning, and she must have had allergies or something because she kept looking at me and then would dab at her eyes and laugh (Mommy is so strange!). That night, Pammy, Cappy, Katil and Tully all came over for dinner and my birthday party. We got to have Chinese food (yay! lots and lots of noodles for Decker), and there were more presents for me to open - and THIS time it was only me opening presents! Yeah! I got some neat stuff, but among the biggest hits I have to mention:

Daddy built me a toy box of my very own! It’s really cool and it’s big enough for me to climb in, so that is the very first thing I did! I hopped right inside, asked Daddy to close the lid, and then called out “Where’s Decker?”, and then would push the lid open and yell out “Oh, here I am!”. Good times! Right now the box is grey (Daddy called it “primer”), but Daddy said he would let me help him paint it whatever color I want. I told him I wanted to paint it RED, with a CHiCKEN! So we’re going to - isn’t that awesome?. Daddy’s so cool.

Past readers of my adventures will remember that I am passionate about brooms and vacuums - they thrill me to no end, and I beg to play with them all the time. Well, guess what? I got my very own Decker-sized broom and vaccum to play with all on my own!!!!!!! Yup, Pammy and Cappy surprised me with a broom, and I got so psyched about it that I grabbed the broom, jumped up and ran across the room, and started dancing with the broom and jumping up and down, giggling hysterically. The grownups said something about my trying out for “Stomp” someday? So fun! And then, Katil and Tully surprised me with a vacuum, and it looks just like a real vacuum, with attachments and everything! I immediately hugged it tight and then pushed it around the room - it was super neat!

Then it was time for cake, and I made sure everyone wore their party hats. Then I parked the vacuum on the seat next to me, and after we sang and I danced in my chair and we blew out the candles, I kept talking to the vacuum and telling it all about my party and saying hi to it - I had made a new friend! I wanted the vacuum to come to bed with me, but Mommy and Daddy said it would be happier sleeping downstairs, so I tucked it behind the curtain and said “night night!”.

Birthdays are really great - I can’t wait to turn 4! (But Mommy says please not to rush, so I guess I can wait a little while…)

Thanks to everyone who made my birthday so fun! You all were very nice and thoughtful!

I have recently noticed that my mommy’s tummy has gotten really big! It’s harder to sit on her lap (although I still do), and sometimes if I bump it accidentally she goes “ow!” and then I kiss it all better. Katil said Mommy must have eaten a watermelon - I believe it!

On a side note, Mommy and Daddy have said that a baby brother is coming to our house. I got really excited and told them that I want to show the baby brother my room, and I want to show him the silly monkey on Sesame Street, and I want to read him my book about ‘Monkeys Drum, Monkeys Hum’. They got me all jazzed about this baby brother coming, but then they told me he won’t be here for a long time! Jeez, Mommy and Daddy! Get me all psyched and then tell me I gotta wait!

It still sounds like fun though. Plus, I get to be the big brother. Mommy is the big sister, and Daddy is the big brother, so that must mean something good! I’ll keep you posted on when this baby brother finally arrives!

Editor’s note: When we first asked Decker if he would like a baby brother, he told us ‘No, not today!’, so his mom and dad are very happy about the change of heart! Now we just have to explain to a frustrated preschooler why we have to wait for the new kid to get here! - frith

Saturday was Katil’s birthday, and that morning Mommy went over for breakfast at Katil’s place while Daddy took me for a haircut. I can brag once again that I was very brave, and the nice lady did a good job and didn’t snip my ears even once! Afterwards, we went to Katil’s place too, and Daddy got to eat some pancakes and I got to eat chocolate bear cookies!

That afternoon, Mommy and I went with Katil, Tully, Pammy and Cappy to the beach! It was really fun! We spread some towels out on the sand, and then Katil and Pammy went down to the water and let me come with them. They asked me if I wanted to dip my toes - at first I was sort of unsure, but then I tried it and the water was really warm and it was neat! So we played there for a long time, and then Cappy came along and was wearing just a swimsuit (I’ve never seen Cappy in shorts before!) and he dove right in the water and swam out for a long ways! Then he came back, and he sat in the water near the edge, and Tully would hold my hand and walk up to him so I could give him a high five before I turned around and went back to the sand - a great game! I liked the water a lot - it didn’t matter that I had on my clothes still, I kept walking right on in (up to my tummy!), high fiving Cappy, and then turning around. I didnt’ want to ever get out, but Mommy eventually said I had to because I was starting to shiver, which meant I was cold. Cold, schmold, Mommy! I’m a polar bear like my dad! So we all got out and ate some grapes and got warm. Then Pammy took me for a walk to find a stick (I do love my sticks). Then Katil took me back in the water for a while, and we had a good time. Then these people came along with GIANT kites, and it was time to pack up and go home (or we might have gotten hit by a kite!)

That night we got to have a yummy dinner (lots and lots of fruit!), and we sang Happy Birthday to Katil, and then I went to bed (it was a long day!). I can’t wait to go to the beach again!

Hi everyone! Wow, it’s been almost a month since I last posted - I’ve been up to lots of stuff, so I have lots to tell you about!

In late July, I went with my mommy, Katil, Tully, and Cappy to Utah. I really like Utah - I’ve been there before, and I could remember it was lots of fun, so for about a week before we left, I kept chanting “I want to go to Oooh-tah!” to my folks, so they would get the message that I was psyched. (And I didnt’ want them to forget we were going!). Daddy stayed home, and painted the walls in our stairwell/hallway. He asked me what color I wanted him to paint the walls, and I told him “Red! with a chicken!”, but when we came back he and Mommy had gone ahead with blue and green. (Whatever - they asked my opinion, and then went with something boring!). Anyway, we flew on this really cool airplane, and since I am a seasoned traveler, I was a really good boy and sat quietly and read the newspaper they always put in the back of the seat of front of you - it’s neat, because it’s mostly pictures of people doing silly things like going down slides and taking naps in their chairs and wearing yellow masks on their faces…you know, fun stuff to look at! Then I read lots of books and drank my juice. I wore my seatbelt the whole time, because Cappy said the captain (the person who turns on the plane) wanted us to wear them. I saw lots of neat stuff out the window too! Near the end of the flight, I got to go across the aisle to Katil and Tully, and they turned my yellow blanket into a cape and I got to pretend to be SuperDecker! Cool!

Pammy had flown to Utah the day before, so she was there at the red house to meet us. Then I got to stay up and play with my toys before I went to bed! The next few days are a blur, because we did lots of stuff and saw lots of people, but here are some highlights:

* I sleep in my very own room, in my very own big boy bed. There’s a big picture of my mommy when she was a little girl, and sometimes I like and sometimes it’s scary. Mostly it’s nice. I call it the ‘picture of Mommy dressed like girl”.

* We visited with lots and lots of grownups, and a couple of big kids like me. We saw Uncle Lance (Cappy’s little brother) and Uncle Richard (Cappy’s big brother). Uncle Lance still looks a lot like Cappy to me, but I don’t get them confused anymore, especially when they’re together in the same room! We also saw my mommy’s cousins, who are really nice. One of them has two big boys like me, named Oscar and Zeke, and little girl named Maizy. I got to play with them outside - we had a big blow up pool and my fire truck and it was fun. We also saw Lizzie, who is Pammy’s cousin, and she has a dog named Ruddy who was very nice and I got to pet him on the nose and tummy. We also saw Margaret and I got to show her my room! And the neighbor is named Sandy and she is really friendly to me, and brought me my very own big boy chair that is just my size! Mommy said it was an ‘antique’, but it looked just like a chair to me! I sat in it quite proudly!

* While we were there, Cappy did lots of work on the pool called a hot tub. Tully mixed up cement for him, just like Dizzy on Bob the Builder! Cappy also got really muddy working on fixing the sprinklers. Pammy and Tully worked on the sprinklers too - sprinklers must be a lot of work! Then these men came who looked just like Bob the Builder, and they cut some branches off the willow tree and went up really high in a crane just like Lofty! They were kind of scary but very interesting if you watched them safely through the kitchen screen door!

* There was a really big storm one morning - Mommy said she thought it was a tornado, but the man on the tv said it was just a ’supercell’ (like a phone?). Anyway, the sky turned green/yellow/black, and the winds were super strong, and it rained and hailed and at one point Mommy made me go down in the basement to play. When it was over, lots of people’s trees had blown over, and later on we drove around to look at all the trees. All the grownups kept saying “Wow!”, so it must have been impressive to them. Just looked like knocked over trees to me! (You never know what’s gonna please a grownup!).

* We got to have chow mein noodles twice!

* We went shopping a LOT - but Pammy bought me some new red cars to play with! They are so cool!

* Cappy taught me a neat new game called “Smack”! Basically, you let each of the cars roll down the ramp of the toy garage, and then when they reach the bottom and bump into each other, you yell “Smack!” Good times!

* The garage at the red house in Utah has a big lawn mower, and a really cute red vacuum. Only grownups can touch them, but Pammy and Mommy would go out to the garage with me a lot so I could look at them for a long time. (One of my favorite things to do there!)

* Just like Cappy has his own mountain in Yosemite (Cappy Mountain), Pammy has her own mountains in Utah! Right in the yard, you can see all these great big mountains, and those are called the “Pammy Mountains”! I liked looking at them a lot, too.

When we flew home, I was a really good boy once again and didn’t cry or fuss once! I read my books, stayed in my seat, and fell asleep. Apparently all the other kids on the flight cried and screamed, but I couldn’t hear them. Mommy said she was very proud of me!

During the summer my mom takes me to the playground pretty early in the morning, so I can have fun on the slides and ladders before it gets too hot. Normally, this also means that I have the playground practically to myself. But today there were a bunch of really big kids there (Mommy says she thinks maybe even 6 or 7 years old!) already climbing all over the playstructure. Normally, this type of situation makes me want to leave right away, or at least stay far from the big kids who are really noisy and energetic. But today I guess I was feeling kind of social, because I climbed right up that ladder and started talking to all the kids I saw! A general exchange went like this:

Me: Hi, Big Kid, How you doin? (then extend out my arm and wave my hand hello to them)

Big Kid:

Mommy says I was pretty clear, so I know that they hear me! But she said sometimes Big Kids are so busy having fun they don’t remember to say hi back. But she told me it was a nice thing to be so friendly, and she was very proud of me. I also saw a kid a little bit younger than me, and I tried to say hi to him and get him to go down the slide next to me. But I think he was shy! I tried to show him how to go down the slide, but he didn’t seem too interested. That’s ok - at least I’m trying to make friends with other kids! Mommy says she thinks I will really like school, because there will be other kids my age to play with. Cool! I’ll be sure to wave and say Hi and How you doin’?