Disneyland 2010

For six years we've been traveling to the Land of Happiness and Dreams. We've made a lot of memories there and have started a tradition in our family I hope lasts a really, really long time. So, what did 2010 bring for our family in Disneyland? Well, I'm glad you're wondering cause I've got a few things to show you!






Once again (for the fourth consecutive year) we stayed at the Paradise Pier. It really has it all, and, if I do say so myself, it is easily the best Disneyland hotel if you wanna stay good and close to the park. And way up on the 15th floor (the very top floor where our suite was this year) you can get a room with a view of California Adventure, including the new water and light show (can't remember what it was called Disney's World of Color, I think.). It has a couple of good eating options right inside the hotel and is within easy walking distance of Downtown Disney and both parks, not to mention it has a huge pool area on the third floor with an awesome waterslide (pics later).





And when we weren't at the park, we were having fun and eating Mickey waffles in our room. It really didn't matter where we were, we were always having fun.






We rode the train, Small World (of course), and took a picture with the coolest Mickey statue ever! My Dad and brothers hit Splash Mountain one day after I'd gone back to the room for lunch. Ethan said the ride rocked!





While waiting for their FastPass to mature, my Dad and older brothers took had an adventure on an island ruled by PIRATES! I was eating lunch but heard all about it and got a look at some of the pics they took to document the adventure. Looks like they had a wicked good time.






Oh, but the adventure didn't stop there. No, it kept right on going. There was tons to explore! I can't wait to go back and get some of that island action!






And then there was California Adventure. We could see the park from our room and it looked like a lot of fun, but we weren't real sure what, if anything, might appeal to me at my age. I'm not really into shows and the big rides are still a little intimidating for me (even though I met the height requirement for all but one or two of the rides). We did find one area of California Adventure that I really, really enjoyed. It was a place called Bug Land (at least that's what I called it).




I love this little water park inside Bug Land, but, to my great and everlasting surprise, I not only enjoyed the water park, but all of the rides in Bug Land as well.






And to wrap things up, a reminder of why we like staying at the Paradise Pier...



That's all for now, my peeps. Sorry this took so long to get posted, but as you can see, it could quite possibly be my longest post ever. Enjoy and stay tuned for more real soon (and by real soon, I mean sometime this year. It's been a busy one with Mom and Dad trying to get me a baby brother, but we're coming up on week 26 and everything is lookin' good!). Love to you all and peace out.

We Love Legos!

If the picture doesn't say it, I don't know if there is anything I can say that could express what the LEGO means to the Roberts Boys (that would be me, Ethan, Caleb, and Daddy, in case you were wondering). And with a new Roberts Boy on the way (due out in October) and an ever expanding LEGO Universe, Mama's gonna have to create a special LEGO Budget for us.

Seriously, though, can you think of a toy that accomplishes so much with so little? I dare you to find a toy that can do all this:

"They're cool! They're fun to build! They make all my favorite characters! I love the Millenium Falcon because it's a big ship I can play with, has the coolest figures like Han Solo and Chewbacca, and I can see it in my LEGO Star Wars games. What isn't there to love about LEGOs?"

Ethan, my eldest brother by four minutes, often takes his favorite minifigs to bed with him. Among the many favorites are his Yoda minifig (the first LEGO minifig to have shortened legs), Han Solo (who can't admire a guy who takes an insult like "half-witted, scruffy lookin', nerf herder" and only question the scruffy-lookin' part of it?) and General Grevious (not the coolest recreation ever but the dude can still wield four lightsabers).

"You can make anything out of LEGOs! And there are minfigures you can't find anywhere else. The Republic Gunship is my favorite because it is one of my favorite vehicles from Star Wars Republic Commandos and now I can actually build it and play with it. How cool is that? LEGOs have got to be the sickest toys ever!"

Caleb, my older brother and Ethan's twin counterpart, is also very fond of LEGOs but perfers the challenge of building to playing, although he has been known to pilot a lego ship or two in the right situation. And while he says the Republic Gunship is his fave, I've seen him on many occasion playing with the Rogue Shadow and Galen Marek (otherwise known as Vader's Apprentice, from The Force Unleashed).

And then there's my Dad...


"I love LEGOs, have ever since I was a wee American lad living in a Germany divided by The Wall. Had I known then how close I was to where the whole LEGO thing got started, I might have tried to persuade my folks to take me to the factory. We traveled a lot when we were in Europe. It just might have happened.

"I was hooked on two sets back then, the original LEGO Castle and LEGO Space themed sets. I remember building the sets then tearing them down to their original pieces to then build my own creation (now referred to as MOCs in the LEGO builders community as if our world didn't have enough acronyms to sort out). Those creations were usually raced down the hallway of our home to smash into whatever creation my opponent had racing to meet mine. They were spectacular crashes.

"The LEGO Universe has grown in ways I could have only dreamed back then. Now we have Star Wars, Sponge Bob, Indiana Jones, Batman, Harry Potter, Toy Story and even Prince of Persia (Seriously Disney? Do you have to have your hand in every cookie jar? Disney recently acquired Marvel Entertainment for those of you who didn't know). And that's not even mentioning the awesome sets totally LEGO like the Power Miners, Agents, Pirates, Trains, Exo Force and, of course, the classics, City, Castle, and Space (and all of their awesome variations).

"But aside from the obvious creative play possibilities, this toy works fine motor skills, reasoning skills, and the ability to follow directions to reach a goal. This 'toy' does it all. The only unfortunate thing about LEGOs is the price. Getting some of the good stuff can be a real hit in the pocket change!"

Well, now that my Dad is done droning on and on (I think he likes the sound of his words.), I thought I'd share a thought or two about my experiences with LEGO. I really love the SpongeBob Squarepants LEGOs. Seeing Squidward, SpongeBob, Patrick, Gary, and Mr. Krabs as LEGO minifigs is pretty cool. I'm also a big fan of the Batman LEGOs, although trying to get your paws on some of those now almost requires a small signature loan. It's insane what the value of these sets do once they're off the shelf.


So what's it all mean? We love LEGOs, all LEGOs without exception to color, shape, or function. Peace and may you find as much joy building and playing as we do.

Hunter

Memorial Day Fun

In true American Family tradition, we barbecued some dogs (hot dogs that is) and burgers, had awesome potato salad, chips, Rootbeer, this really good Snicker salad, and loads of fun on the new backyard waterpark. It was quite the housefull and backyardfull as well.

But before the fun could begin, Dad had some work to do on the backyard, a part of our home which often gets neglected for other activities, like Mom and Dad having breakfast together before Dad disappears for his daytime sleep. Here's a look at the backyard before Dad went to work on it:





After Dad finished his business with the backyard, there was nothin' holding us back from hours of fun in the sun. Summertime rocks!






Oh, but the fun didn't stop there, no sir. We just kept right on going all through the day and into the evening. It was AWESOME!




I love big family get-togethers. We always have so much fun and good, yummy food. Yes, I'm trying a little bit of everything now, without much hesitation. I'm actually starting to enjoy all kinds of neat foods, but perhaps more about that another day. Choa for now my peeps.

At the Little Gym

I've just completed my first gymnastics class at the Little Gym and had loads of fun. I got to meet lots of cool new kids who love gymnastics just as much as me and work on lots of really neat equipment. Mom signed me up for classes through the rest of the year because I liked it so much. I'm really excited about continuing to learn more gymnastics stuff. May 24th was our group's final day of class and our Show. Thought you would like to see what we've been up to.

We started out showing our forward rolls, hand stands, and mixed in some beam and bar work. I did a crab walk on the bars for the first time during our show. Don't know why, everyone else was doing a bear crawl, guess I just needed to make my routine a little different than the rest. Here's some shots from my first routine.





You can see Miss Monique in the background when I'm doing my handstand against the wall. She and Miss Summer were always so very helpful and made class a lot of fun.

My second routine of the afternoon took place on the uneven bars with Miss Summer acting as my spotter. Only a couple of us braved the higher of the uneven bars. This area was a little tougher for me because of my Button, but I didn't let it keep me down. I liked the uneven bars.




My last routine of the day took place on the balance beam. This was the toughest area for me. I don't like jumping off a perfectly good, stable platform. Kinda of freaks me out a little, not to mention I was like three feet off the ground on this six inch wide beam. Are you kidding me? Really? But Miss Monique helped me get through it and next class I'm going to really work hard here, not that I'm not going to continue to work hard in my other areas as well. Anyway, this is me on the beam.





After the show, we got our awards and then had some free time to spend with family and friends on all the equipment. My cheering crowd consisted of Mom, Dad, Ethan, and Caleb. Here's a couple parting pics from after the show.





Gymnastics Rocks! Hasta la vista, amigos. Nos veremos mas aya.

Hunter