A couple weeks ago the kids and I made a trip down to Orange County where my sister and her kids were visiting from Colorado.
After the LONG car ride that consisted of WAY TOO MANY bathroom breaks (when a 2-year-old says they have to go potty, there is no holding it!) we arrived to the hotel where the kids relaxed and watched Disney movies.
And I relaxed watching them watch Disney movies.
Thatch joined me and had a smoothie.
No more pictures MOM!
Okay, one more!
And then, SURPRISE, Poppy found us!
We met up with the rest of the crew for dinner who had been at Disneyland all day.
While my parents, sister and niece went back to Disneyland, my nephew hung back with us to swim at the hotel pool. Smart move Dylan, as the rest of the family walked around Disneyland without getting on a single ride because it was so crowded.
My sister's friend was also in town from Colorado and we met up with her and her kids at the hotel bar for some drinks and a movie before hitting the hay for the big day at Knott's.
First stop, breakfast at Mrs. Knott's.
Baskets and baskets of biscuits were consumed...
Soon after, we walked right into Knott's Berry Farm. Knott's is like the poor man's Disneyland but in a good way. I mean it, really! I think it is about a quarter of the cost. While it doesn't have the "magic" of Disneyland, it sure was nice not to wait in one single line. On some rides we were able to stay seated and ride it twice in a row. The longest line was for the Log Ride which was 15 minutes. Camp Snoopy is filled with rides for the little ones and for those who like the faster rides, there is way more to choose from than at Disneyland.
You are not going to get Snow White at Knott's but you will get the Peanuts gang which my kids were unfamiliar with.... Way to make me feel old kiddos!
Panning for gold
We took a break from the park and went to dinner at....
Ms. Knott's...again! Michele got so tired just thinking of those biscuits!
Silly Poppy!
A bunch of weenies!
At the top of the Ferris wheel,
where I realized after hanging and swinging there for way too long as they loaded and unloaded people that I really don't like Ferris wheels. I had to put on a brave front though since I convinced Samantha to go on the ride with me. And take note, see down below, there is virtually no one in the park!
Thatcher loved all the rides (until we scared him a bit with the Log Ride but he got over it quickly) and Samantha was a bit apprehensive but went on more rides than she ever does at Disneyland. I can't stress enough to everyone who is reading this that you can get your amusement park fix at Knott's without having to go to Disneyland. Of course we will still go to Disneyland but the amount of people and long lines drive us absolutely crazy there. We also feel like we are dropping dollar bills behind us as we get suckered into buying $12 balloons and ridiculous souvenir hats. They have that crap at Knott's too but since there was no Mickey Mouse or Disney Princesses, they didn't seem to want anything.
So, with that being said, we crossed Disneyland off of our list for the year (we were planning on going at the end of November). While I am sure we will end up at Disneyland in the next year or so, I wouldn't be surprised if we made it to Disney's red-headed stepchild, Knott's, even sooner.
