Eleanor's Blog (and Georgia's too!)
And that's all folks, until Canada in October!
April 3: G'day and Welcome Home! At the end of that long, long, long journey we arrived home to Sydney. it was good to see Bella and all the family again.
April 1: Farewell to LA and the USA! Kylie and Georgia woke to our last day in LA. We went to Rodeo Drive and checked out the fashion.
We saw a pink convertible, the best car I have ever seen! We had our photo taken looking like super models- we were much better! then we headed into LA for some sightseeing. We saw the Walt Disney Concert Hall first.
After that we went to the Museum of Contemporary Art and we saw them shooting a movie. We also went to the Catholic Cathedral. Georgia and I rode the donkeys.
In the afternoon we went to the California Science Center. We sent each other messages in some different ways. I sent this one to Georgia.
Kylie rode a tightrope bike 30 metres above the ground. It was pretty scarey- for her! We went into a hurricane simulator. Check out Georgia's hair!!
Outside there was a pulley machine and Georgia, Kylie and I used it to life up a car. On our way to the airport we were lucky enough to spot the Hollywood sign. And finally we got to the airport and relaxed in the lounge before the long 14 hour flight.
March 31: Farewell to Disneyland!Today was our last day at Disneyland. We saw Mickey and his band performing on main street. We went on the ride 'Finding Nemo'. It is a ride in a submarine! After that we went on Davie Crockett's Cruise ship. Kylie got into the spirit and started dancing like a pirate (Georgia was really embarrassed- actually, we were all embarrassed!).
Georgia and I had a Mickey Mouse soft pretzel. It was really nice. As we were heading out of Disneyland, we spotted Jesse from Toy Story. We wanted to have our picture taken with her but the line was so long! And sadly, we had to say 'Goodbye Disneyland'. Then we went to California Adventure where we took a picture of Lightning McQueen for Xavier.
Then we saw the best mop guy ever! With his mop he made a picture of Mickey Mouse and later he did Goofy. We went to Downtown Disney and saw cheerleaders and they were holding each other up. We also saw this drumming guy!
In the afternoon we went out to St Irenaeus School to drop off the music gear and say goodbye to Mrs Hembreiker. After that we went to see the Crystal Cathedral and looked at the statues they have there.
March 30: St Francisco de Asis School then back to Anaheim :Today we visited St Francisco de Asis school. The kids were great singers and dancers. Georgia and I filled in the time in the car by singing our favourite songs. Hay!
Nanny made us drink milk every day! This is evidence....look closely at Georgia's milk moustache. Dad (Poppy) did a really great job driving on the wrong side of the road. Good work Dad! Mum (Nanny) did a really great job as a back seat driver!! Ha Ha! The LA traffic was very heavy. Just like Sydney but in reverse.
March 29: Grand Canyon: Today we went to Walnut Canyon. Georgia found her special word painted on the wall of the canyon. Nah. Maybe they spelt it differently back then... Georgia and I went into one of the homes in which the native Americans used to live in.
Close by there was a Native American ruin. In the information centre Georgia and I looked at and played with fossils and bones.
this is as close as we got to a Mountain Lion. Pretty scary! We drove to The Grand Canyon. It was a long, long way. The desert was never-ending. We finally arrived and it took our breath away. The Grand Canyon was TOTALLY AWESOME! We also saw a couple of squirrels munching on buds. This little fella tried to munch on Poppy! He was a cutie and so was the squirrel!
Mummy would not let me (Georgia) go! She was so scared as we were told if you put four 1300 foot sky scrapers on top of each other it still wouldn't come near the top of the canyon. Mum tried on a raccoon hat and Kylie tried on a hog hat.
March 28: Palm Springs to Flagstaff: We started our seven hour journey across the California-Arizona Deserts. We saw lots of RVs towing smaller cars. We stopped at a place called Blythe for McDonald's shakes. They were so nice! Then we crossed the border into Arizona.
Near Phoenix we saw the University Stadium looked like an inflatable stadium. Then we headed north to Montezuma's castle, a native American village that was built into the side of a canyon.
It was all worth the drive. We headed north again to a twon called Sedona. Here's Kylie doing the Poppy Walk outside the Chapel of the Holy Cross, which is also built into the side of a mountain rock.
We went to great restaurant for dinner called Black Bart's. It was awesome. We had rib's which were delicious. They performed songs from musicals and we sang along. After dinner we went back to the hotel for hot chocolate and Monopoly.
March 27: St Jeanne de Lestonnac, Temecula to Palm Springs: Today we visited St Jeanne de Lestonnac in Temecula. It is a beautiful school. It is set in a lovely picturesque valley. The views were lovely. Poppy, Sr Zina and I (Georgia) performed the actions for I Sing To Mary while Eleanor sung beautifully.
Toots! We saw so many cargo trains on our road trip. Xavier would have been so excited. the wind farm was amazing. The windmills were humongous! And there were so many that we lost count. They went on as far as the eye could see.
We arrived at Palm Springs after a two hour drive and Georgia, dad and I went for a dip in the pool while Mummy and Kylie went for a leisurely walk. We decided to dress Nanny (Mum) up with all our funky clothes! How does she look?!
March 26: California Adventure: Today we went to California Adventure. First of all we went to Downtown Disney. We looked at a couple of restaurants and finally we decided to have "Brunch" at the rainforest cafe. After we ate, we went to California Adventure and met "Handy Manny". We wanted to go on the Tower of Terror, but unfortunately the wait time was a whole hour.
Soon after that we went to A Bugs Land! We went on Flick's Flying Machine. Next we went on the dodgem bugs. Dad and I went in a "bug" and Georgia went by herself because she wanted to race us! We tied for first!
After A Bug's Land we went on the new Little Mermaid ride (Eleanor's Favourite Princess). It is one of our top 5 rides!! Afterwards we watched people go on California Screamin'. You can hear the screams from ages away! We went on
We went on the Little Mermaid ride a couple of times and then in the evening we saw the Disney's World of Color show. It was an amazing combination of water and light and we saw lots of our favourite Disney shows and characters.
March 25- Last Day of Congress: Today we had Poppy's (Dad's) second workshop. He made us do the Poppy walk in front of everyone! I (Georgia) really enjoyed singing with Poppy and Eleanor. Poppy and I did the actions for May God be in my mind together and Eleanor sung beautifully. It was very special. Mummy and Nanny had tears in their eyes.
Mummy, Eleanor and I had a fun last day at Poppy's stall. We then went out for dinner with the May's. Rebecca, Eleanor and I had fun pronouncing different words in Australian and American accents. (Great sweat shirt Rebecca!) It was a TOTALLY AWESOME night!!!
March 24- Workshop at Congress the a Super Night: Dad had his first workshop today. Georgia and I were his back up vocalists and super packeruperers! Georgia and I are pretending to be Andrew Chinn in these photos!
I was so tired that I fell asleep in the stall. Dad and his friends John Burland and Michael Mangan had a supercalifragilistic-expialidocious time performing at the evening Tribute To Broadway. Dad and his friend's performed on the same stage that Elvis Presley and The Beach Boys have performed on in the past. The finale was the song "He lives in you" which was from the Musical The Lion King.
March 23: On the Big Stage in the Arena in Anaheim: We were so excited as we performed with Dad, John Burland, Michael Mangan and the St Iranaeus choir at lunch time at Congress.
We had lots of fun and the crowd really enjoyed our show. Georgia and Mum performed "Shine Among Them" at Dad's stall for the people who passed by.
March 22: California Adventure Park: The Minnie Twinnies went to California Adventure Land today. Kylie got soaked on the Grizzly River Run, we were smart and wore our rain coats! Kylie screamed so loud on Mickey's Fun Wheel as we went on the carriage that spins. Our favourite ride was the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror! We all screamed really loud as it was very scary. It is twelve stories high and the lift drops and the doors open while you are up high and you can see out over California Adventure Land. It's really scary but great fun. Georgia and I met Woody and Minnie too.
March 21: St Irenaeus Concert with old friends and new: Eleanor loves doing the actions. Georgia and Eleanor joined a PE class in the afternoon. We made great friends and spent the whole day having fun and learning about America and each other.
Today we went to St Irenaeus School for a day workshop and a night concert. I met up with some old friends and Georgia made some new friends. We went onto Mrs May's classroom to visit their class pets, a a turtle and a lizard named Norbert. We got dressed in our performance clothes with matching headbands and had a really great time performing at the concert. We were so tired that by the morning Georgia ended up down the other end of the bed! (She thinks her Mummy put her there!)
March 20: Hi ho, hi ho, It's off to work we go! This morning we went to St Irenaeus, where we have been going every year. We saw Rebecca May, our old friend and then we practised for our concert on Friday with the Year 5 students and one Year 4 student. We are doing a concert with John Burland, Michael Mangan and the St Irenaeus Choir on the big stage in the Arena. We left St Irenaeus at mornign tea and headed for St Joachim's at Costa Mesa. It was a beautiful school! Georgia put some butterfly practice with her hands. After we practiced with the choir we performed a concert with the choir for the whole school. Georgia and I (Eleanor) sang two songs: "African Blessing" and "In the Beginning"
There were only four kindies there but they were really cute. They helped us with one song up the front and lots down the back. This is the entire choir sitting around the Sea Kings sign, which is in the middle of their Gymnasium/hall. Every student in Year 4 has to play a string instrument for the whole year and after that they can choose another instrument or go on with the same one, so it's a very musical school!
March 19: Disneyland Part 2: the day began with a mini-Mickey parade for us two Minnies. It was also a day full of princesses. We met Rapunzel, Jasmine and Sleeping Beauty and got all of their autographs too.
We went for an old-fashioned carousel ride too- it was good to be little kids again. When dad arrived we went on the Jungle Cruise which was so funny. Our guide told lots of jokes and no-one laughed louder than Kylie. Before dad came we went on the Storyland Cruise which has miniature scenes from famous fairytales.
We dropped into the Princess Castle for the endof a Princess show then it was off to Toon Town to visit Mickey's house. Last year Kylie found some smart water in LA. She wasn't so lucky today! I even had a turn at playing Mickey's piano.
At the end of the tour in Mickey's house we got to meet Mickey up close. I (Eleanor) even kissed him on the cheek like my friend Claire did two years ago! On the way to the Indiana Jones ride we saw Goofy and took a bow in front of Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. Then it was home to the Homewood Suites for a great past dinner. We had a quick swim before bed and an early night because it's an early start tomorrow with our first school visit with Dad (Poppy).
March 18: Day 2: Disneyland! This morning dad went and collected our hire car and we drove from LAX to Anaheim. We did the "Poppy Walk" as we waited for the bus to Disneyland.
We're at Disneyland! We got there about 3:00. The first thing we did was meet Mickey! Next we went into Main Street and saw and heard the Barbershop Quartet. Next we stood in front of the statue of Walt Disney with Mickey Mouse and had our photo taken while we ate our ice creams.
We went to the Bibbety Bobbity Boutique and bought matching Minnie Mouse dresses that we wore for the rest of the day. Lots of people stopped to tell us how cute we looked. A girl asked if she could take our photo. We went into the haunted mansion. It was a really good ride. The day wasa really cold but that meant we didn't have to wait long for rides. While we had a snack we watched "Billy Hill and the Hillbillies", a country band and a good show.
The highlight of the day was the Soundsational Parade! We saw Minnie Mouse, all the Disney Princesses, including Rapunzel, Ariel and Snow White.
We saw Captain Hook, Peter Pan, Tinkerbell, Bert from Mary Poppins and Kylie and Eleanor danced. Georgia and Eleanor even joined the back of the parade.
After the parade we went on one of Disneyland's most famous rides: "It's A Small World". We saw all sorts of countries but we did see New Zealand and Australia. We took a photo of Woody for Xavier: "Howdy Partner!"
We moved on to the Mad Hatter's Tea Party and tried on some hats. Kylie and Mum (Nan-nan) had on the Woody and Jessie hats, Dad put on the Jack Sparrow Hat. Eleanor and Georgia tried to look intelligent, then G put on the Mad Hatter's Hat and we all turned into chipmunks.
We always take a tea cup photo for Mrs Johnson. The last ride of the night was Space Mountain! It was a roller coaster in the dark and you couldn't see the railers so you felt as though you were flying on nothing. We were all pretty tired and caught the bus home for a good night's sleep.
March 17: First day in LA- Santa Monica Beach: In the afternoon we caught the Big Blue Bus to Santa Monica Beach. It's famous for where America's most famous road, Route 66, finishes.
Life's like a box of chocolates- you never know what you're gonna get. Kylie, Eleanor and Georgia all had a turn at being Forest Gump.
After the Santa Monica Pier we went shopping in the mall and found a Disney Shop! Now don't get too excited Amelia and Bella, we didn't buy these dresses, just looked at them. Then it was time for our first Mexican meal...yum!
After our first huge day, the longest St Patrick's Day of our lives we both fell asleep on the Big Blue Bus on the way home. Time for bed, very tired! We slept from 7:00 at light until 8:00 the next morning!
March 17: In Transit: Just before we got on the plane we all had gelatos and then it was time to get get on the plane. We sat in the seat with Kylie (mum) most of the trip, while mum and dad sat in the front with the extra legroom. While we were flying we played some games on the inflight entertainment system, watched some movies (Georgia watched Alvin and the Chipmunks 3) and some tv shows. The flight took just over 13 hours so we didn't look so good when we arrived!
We're here! It's raining! When we landed it was just as wet in LA was it was in Sydney. There was a picture of Barack Obama to welcome us. After we went through customs it was time get to the hotel and it was freezing while we waited for our shuttle bus.
March 17: On Our Way! On Wednesday night we got together with dad (Poppy) so we could practice our songs for our performances. We were practising our smiley faces and groovy moves! Here we are at the Qantas Club on the Apple computers in the Family Zone. Poppy said it should be the family zoo. And here we are with the planes and the city of Sydney in the background, two hours from take off. Next stop LA!
April 2: LAX, Manhattan Beach and Home! This morning when we woke up at 8 o'clock we looked out our window to a view of the airport. We packed our bags and got dressed. We decided we would go to Manhattan Beach for the day. We saw a flower we wouldn't see in Australia.
We went to the Pier where there was an Aquarium. There was a time line on the wall which shows how long it takes things to bio-degrade. There were also open fish tanks and you were allowed to touch the animals in them. Look at the wonderful expression on my face! I was too scared to touch them.
For lunch we had some fabulous Mexican food. Mum nor I finished but Dad did!! In this last picture mum had just tasted a jalapeno!
After lunch we walked along the beach for a couple of minutes. Soon after that we went to the bus stop and we saw a lady that had a cute little dog in her bag!! Then we got a shuttle back to our hotel.
This evening Mum, Dad and I are just lazing around in the one world club. I am so sleepy!
April 1: Niagara Falls and on to LA: In the morning we had Tim Horton's for breakfast for the last time. Soon After that we drove to Niagara Falls. It was AMAZING!! When you go outside It is like its rain but it is actually just the water spray.
Outside you get so wet you have to wear a rain coat. If you look to the other side you can see America!! So Niagara Falls is on the border!
We went inside the restaurant for lunch. It had a fantastic view! I looked out the window to look at the falls and I saw a man that was standing on the ledge taking a photo of himself. And soon after when we got served there was a song that said stand tall, don't you fall and don't do something you'll regret later!!
There was a slice of orange, so I decided to be creative with it! The X, The swirly and the pretzel.
Inside there was a mini ride called the Barrel of Fun!! Here is me in it. Here is dad and I saying goodbye to Niagara falls.
We went in to a store where there was a giant moose (well, that's probably actual size but to me it was HUGE!!) and I could barely touch its head! There was also a bear, the first time I walked past it and I thought was real!
At the airport there was a mini Statue of Liberty. Mum had her photo taken with it! On the plane there was a world atlas. We took a photo of Toronto and LA to see where we were flying.
We flew to LA at 7 pm. Here are some of the photo's we took on the plane. We also saw Las Vegas... At night so it was all lit up!
March 31: When we were driving it started to snow! YAY!! I was throwing snow balls at mum and dad!! Haha!
We said goodbye to Francine in the morning. After that we drove to St Joseph's School. Here is a photo of all of us, (Anne, Mum, Dad, Bronek and I). We had a fantastic concert at the church an they had mosaic art on stories from the Bible.
March 30: St Thomas More and Napanee We went to St Thomas More in the morning. They have a lot of amazing murals there, including Anne of Green Gables (One of my FAVOURITE books!), And a hockey mural.
There was almost a mural on every wall! It was a great concert and the singers were really good. I had a wonderful dinner and dessert as well!!
March 29: Old Neighbourhood and Friends: After mum and I went shopping, (no photos AGAIN, sorry!!) we went to the house that dad lived in when he was in Canada for two years. We also got to see the school he went to, it's not a school any more though. After that we went to a friend of my Grandma's named Mrs Kirby's house. She made a really nice supper!!!!
March 28: Winter Wonderland: In the afternoon Bronek took mum and I to a place that was sort of like a beach except it didn't have sand. It was really nice. There was still ice on rocks! I was stepping on them like stepping stones.
As well as a seagull we saw ducks!!! We saw alot of strange things like tree's going through rocks! The ice was shaped like bubbles!!
Up near the top there was shells all over the place. here is a picture of me walking on the rocks.
Here is me touching the icy cold ice! Soon after that we went to dad's concert at a school. I sang twice!
March 27: Kingston: Today we went to mass at 9:30. It was my first mass in Canada!! Soon after that Mum, Stephanie (Francine's daughter), Francine and I went to the shops. We went in a lolly store and I got three bags full of it!! YUM! Later on we had dinner with some friends of my Grandma and Grandpa. They gave us my Grandpa's hat that he had given them.
Here are some photos of mum and I with them. I spotted their funny doormat, NOT YOU AGAIN!!!
March 26: Barry's Bay and Kingston: On Friday we went up to Barry's Bay. We stayed at John, Susan, Rachel and Natalie's house for one night. For breakfast I tried waffles for the first time EVER!! So yummy!!! Then Natalie and I cracked some nuts.
Later we went outside and dad even got to skate. We had so much fun and it was SO COLD!!
I decided I would throw snow balls at dad but the snow was really hard, I managed!!
Here is a photo of Natalie, Susan, Rachel and John under their old tree house. My water bottle froze completely overnight!!!!
March 25: Barry's Bay: St John Bosco school was very welcoming. They even made a welcome Andrew Chinn sign!!
Here is me and Natalie out the front of the school. Here is part of our car, showing that the temperature outsdide was -9 degrees- that's BELOW ZERO!!!
We went to a hockey game. It was my first time and I really enjoyed it.
March 24: More Schools! This morning mum and Bronek were talking about accidents and low and behold, hhe blueberries fell ALL OVER THE FLOOR!!! At the school there was a little girl in kindergarten and it was her birthday. Dad sang happy birthday to her. There were some good singers and pick me smilers!!
We went to a lovely school that had some of dad's songs in posters on the wall. They knew a lot of dad's songs!! I also got to swap an email!!
March 23: First School Visits in Canada! Here in the first picture is me taking dopey photos. Mum says hi to everyone in Aussie.
This is the fabulous choir at Archbishop O'Sullivan School!!
March 22: Toronto to Kingston- Home of Canada's first Prime Minister, John A McDonald: We drove from Toronto to Kingston. It took about 2 hours. Mum was taking photos of signs and flags. When we got there we were very tired. We got to see some snow and our first Canadian flags.
This first one's for you CC!!!! I miss you! Here are some photos from the drive up here to Kingston. All the sings have to be in English and French because Canada is a bilingual country. They cover some of the trees to protect them from the cold we think.
In Kingston we went out for lunch! Afterwards we walked up to the music store (no photos, SORRY!) After that we went to Bronek's house, which is where we will be staying for two weeks. Kingston was the home town of Canada's first Prime Minister, John A MacDonald.
March 21: From LA to Toronto: Today we went to the airport at 7:00 am. For Breakfast I had orange juice, fruit cup and a packet of chips.
Then at about 9:15 we boarded our American Airlines plane. Mum nor I had never flown another airline before. The flight was only three hours and 48 minutes.
About an hour after we took off we were flying over Las Vegas. It was very brown and dry, a lot like a desert. Soon after that we flew over a green lake in the desert and then we flew over the Rocky Mountains which were covered in snow.
We flew over lots of snowy mountains and some of them were right next to deserts! Soon after that we flew over one of the great lakes. It was so big I thought it was an ocean. There was actually ice on the lake which you can see in this photo.
This is mum and half of me in front of the Welcome ot Canada sign which also says Bienvenue au Canada because there are two languages in Canada, English and French. When we got to the parking lot to find our car there was a stick to scrape ice off the windows. Mum was very surprised. We had a yummy dinner at the hotel in front of the fireplace because it was 0 degrees outside.
March 20: Last Day of Congress: On the last day of Congress I sang with dad at the morning workshop. We met Sr Kathleen Maree who is a principal and if we get to go back to LA we will visit her school. Diane had a stall across from ours so we got to be friends with her. Then we packed up our stall, Leo picked us up and drove us to Los Angeles Airport to our hotel. There was a big storm and we got a bit wet getting in to the hotel. Tomorrow we fly to Canada.
March 19: Last Trip to Disneyland and Dinner with the May family: Mum finally decided to let me go on California World's biggest roller coaster, called California Screamin'. I convinced Kylie to take me on. I was so scared that I couldn't open my mouth to make a sound and I felt sick. Kylie screamed from start to finish! When we got off I wanted to go on it again but Kylie was so dizzy she could hardly walk
Straight after California Screamin' we went on the Ferris Wheel Swinging Gondola. That was so scary as it felt like we were going to swing right off. It is about six stories high!!!
After those two really scary rides we decided to slow it down and went into the Bug Land. This is me with my mate the grasshopper!
We bumped into a super hero from The Incredible's. He likes to show off his muscles! He flipped my hat up too! he was very cheeky.
We then raced across to Disneyland and jumped on a bus that took us down Main Street . We spied the Queen from Alice in Wonderland on the way...I thought I heard her yell "Off with her head!' We saw our favourite Disney character Ariel with Cinderella. They were so lovely and very princess-like. Kylie and I stopped by Minnie Mouse's house and then went next door to Mickey's place.
In Toon Town we went on a roller coaster, visited Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy and Goofy's homes and also climbed the tree where the chipmunks live. In Fantasyland we went on our last ride for the day...Pinnochio! We passed a street band and watched them for a while, all the music in Disneyland is great. After that we had an icecream and went home and had a big afternoon nap!
In the evening Mum and Dad met us back at the hotel and we walked over to Downtown Disney to meet the Mays. Rebecca and I became friends last year when I visited St Irenaeus and I got to be in her mum's class for a while. On the way we went past the big Lego store before we met the Mays at great restaurant called the Rainforest cafe. Inside it looks like a rainforest, with falling rain, gorillas and butterflies (not real ones but realistic ones). And whenever anyone ordered a big Volcano icecream two people brought it out yelling "Volcano!!!" really loudly.
This is my friend Rebecca. She's a great singer and sang really well with dad the other day. There was a gorilla behind us and Kylie sat in front of it.
Then we walked back to our hotel and bumped into some friends from Congress, Jim and Kristy. We saw the Disney fireworks for the last time.
March 18: Congress Day 1: This is me before before Congress at about 6am. Dad, Mum and I had a photo with Lynda Schulte. Last time we came to Anaheim we had dinner with Linda and her family and went to Mass with them at St Norbert's Church. And this is Paul Harris, who is Jane Harris's brother and Lachaln Screen's uncle- another Aussie in LA! And yes Jane, he is a good looking man!
When dad and I were walking around the Exhibition Hall we found a stall which had dolls of religious people like this one of St Patrick. Then we went to dad's workshop and I sang with him. Lots of people came up to tell me I had a good voice. Kylie helped by doing the computer and mum helped leading the actions.
Dad and I did a duet to "May God Be In My Heart" and a mum and a girl called Amanda helped too.
That night we got to go out to dinner with our favourite driver Leo and his wife Julia. We went to a great Mexican restaurant called "Los Sanchez". Kylie tried something very, very hot to eat.
After dinner mum and dad went to a cocktail party so Kylie and I had a girly photo session. We took lots of funny photos including this one of me doing karate! We were meant to go to bed! he he!!
March 17: Getting Ready and Shopping at Macy's: On Thursday, mum and dad set up our stall at Congress. Kylie and I waited back at the hotel and then the three of us girls all went shopping (there is no evidence of this but our bags are mysteriously bulky!!)
March 16: Disneyland and California Adventure Park: Today Kylie and I went to Disneyland. We had a really nice ice-cream and we were saying mmmmmmmmmmmmmm mmmmmmmmm the whole way to the ride. I had a chocolate and sprinkle dipped waffle cone with strawberry ice-cream and Kylie had a chocolate and nut dipped waffle cone with butter pecan ice-cream. Next we had our photo taken with Princess Jasmine and Aladdin. Then we went to Tarzan's tree house and climbed a rope and crossed a shaky bridge high up in the sky.
We went on the Winnie the Pooh ride. It was very cute and filled with hunny. Then we saw Tigger and Pooh and Pooh fell over trying to wave to us!
Next we lined up for my favorite ride, "Big Thunder Mountain Railroad". Kylie tried to take photos but we were going so fast that her lens detached from her camera and she almost dropped it. Kylie screamed the whole way but I was very brave and only screamed once. We put our hands in the air and it felt like we were flying off the seat. The Buzz Lightyear ride was fun. We shot at space ships and enemies.
We passed the Barber Shop Quartet singing old-time songs. They were great.
We went to California World. We tried to line up for California Sceamin' ride but it was a two hour wait....we will try and go on it on Saturday. Check out Kylie's feet, we were high up on a ride overlooking the park. The catch of the day: Mummy mackerel and Eleanor eel!!
We spotted Mickey Mouse and Mr Potato head. we got a fast pass to Grizzly River Run. It was so much fun and we got soaking wet...Kylie screamed again! There were really cool cafes inside real trains! Awesome.
We just had to pose for a photo underneath the sign: Gone With the Chins! We stopped for about 45minutes and watched the Delta Daddy-O's, we danced and sang along to great tunes such as "The Lion Sleeps Tonight". They were amazing!
In one of the art shops there was a real artist sketching Mickey Mouse pictures. Even though everyone was watching she didn't lose focus. Her pictures were great.
March 15: St Irenaeus and Disneyland: We went to Saint Irenaeus School. I went to the Grade 4 class and caught up with my friends I met last year. I had a great time with them.
After the concert at the school we went to Disneyland. Kylie took mum and I on the Peter Pan ride. It was very cute. The boat flies around Neverland and over London. We saw Big Ben and London Bridge and were flying through the stars.
Kylie went on the Toad, Pinnochio, Snow White, Peter Pan and Alice In Wonderland rides in Fantasy Land. After that she went to Mickey's Toon Town and went on the Roger Rabbit ride. Her favourite ride was the Peter Pan ride.
After Kylie and I went on the Matterhorn Bobsleds, we had to wait almost an hour but it was worth it.... Kylie screamed the whole way down. We went into the Mad Hatters store. We didn't buy anything but we had fun trying funny hats on!!
Next we went to the light show called Fantasmic. Dad, Mum, Kylie and I had a lot of fun watching it. We saw Ursula the sea witch when she turned into the sea monster. It was huge and very scary. Fireworks, smoke, fire, water and lots of music and dancing and large ships. My favourite part was the large steam boat with all the characters dancing. Kylie's favourite part was the Pirate Ship with a reenactment of Peter Pan and Captain Hook's Duel. (My best part, having my day...)
March 14: Hollywood and Disneyland!
We went on a Starline tour of the Hollywood Homes, Rodeo Drive, Hollywood Sign, and Madam Tussauds. We were lucky enough to see Johnny Depp's home. It was originally owned by Bela Lagosi who was the original Dracula. He was Johnny Depp's idol. Kylie wanted to hop off the bus at Johnny Depp's home but I wouldn't let her. If you look really closely you can see the Hollywood sign behind us. We were at the top of Beverly Hills looking out over Hollywood and Beverly Hills.
We saw many famous people's homes such as Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Christina Aguliera, Russell Crowe, Michael Jackson, Lucille Ball, Carole Burnett, Elvis Presley and many more. Next we walked along the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Kylie had her photo taken with the Michael Jackson star and I had my photo taken with Mickey Mouse and his star! Next to the walk of fame lots of famous people have signed their names and put their foot and hand prints in the concrete.
We then went to Madam Tussaud's wax museum. We met the President of the United States, Barack Obama, and we all had our photo taken with him. We met Beyonce, Julia Roberts, and Ryan Seacrest. Which one is the pretty woman? We met the host of our favourite tv show....THIS is American Idol!
Kylie had her photo taken with the character Rhett Butler from Gone with the Wind, Johnny Depp who is her favourite star. Mum, Kylie and I did the crocodile rock with Elton John, If Morgan Freeman was narrating my life I wouldn't have to say anything right now.
After we went to the hotel our driver Leo picked us up and took us to our hotel in Anaheim.
We finally arrived at Disneyland. We took or photo in Main Street and with Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse. Fantasyland is our favourite land.
We went on the "It's a small world" ride and they played the song over and over and over and over again. Now we can't get it out of our heads. We saw lots of characters and we found Nemo. It's a small world after all...
March 13: Universal Studios and Beauty and the Beast: During our visit to Beverly Hills we stayed at the Crowne Plaza. we had our breakfast upstairs. I had bacon, eggs, roast potatoes and ketchup, fresh pineapple and orange juice. It was really yummy.
When we arrived Kylie and I took our photo with the Universal ball, it sprays fine mist but you don't get wet. Kylie walked the red carpet and the paparazzi went wild! We had our first picture taken with Doc from Back to the future. He was very funny. We also took our photo with Dora for the kids.
We spotted Spongebob on our way in. Then we saw Shrek and Fiona. Fiona said "Wow, A Family reunion, I didn't know I had sisters!!".
My favourite ride of all was The Simpsons ride, it was a simulator roller coaster and it was very scary. Kylie and I screamed and dad kept his eyes open this time! We did some shopping at the Kwik-E-Mart and we saw Marge!!
We went on the Jurassic Park which was really fun and scary. Kylie and I cried, laughed and screamed the whole way! While we were looking at the dinosaurs mum and dad had their portraits done. Those artists are amazing
.It only took about ten minutes for them to sketch and airbrush these fantastic portraits.
After we got off the tour we had our portraits done. These are called caricatures. Kylie was jumping about while I was sitting still the whole time. We all love our portraits.
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Universal Studios: We saw the live show Water World. I liked the tricks and illusions, especially when the fire came out of the water. After that we went on the Shrek 4D ride. The seats moved and we got wet. We then went on a tour of Back Lot of Universal Studios. We got to see the sets of many shows and movies. Kylie's favourite was the Desperate Housewives set.
Beauty and the Beast: Mum, Kylie and I got ready to go to the show Beauty and the Beast. We all got dressed up and did each others hair in a line. We were in a hurry! I tasted my first macaroon and I did not like it. Before the show started walked down Hollywood Boulevard Walk of Fame and took some photos with some stars. Beauty and the Beast was a great show.
March 12: On the plane and in LA! We arrived at the airport around 12 o'clock. once we had put our bags in, got American money and everything else we got in the QANTAS club. Kylie started feeling nervous. When our plane was called we got in line and Kylie had to get scanned. When we took off Kylie was REALLY nervous. Toward the end of the flight I got really plane sick. I only slept for three hours. When we land we got our bags and got our cab and went straight to the hotel.
After a while, we walked up to Rodeo Drive. We had Mexican lunch and while we were eating Fantasia walked past us! (not really but she was a look-alike). Next we went to a park and there was a big BEVERLY HILLS sign and we got our photo taken with one of the most photographed people in AMERICA.
After that I smelled some BEAUTIFUL flowers. Next we went to she American Girl Place. I saw one with red hair and a violin. Then we bought some clothes in GAP. Next we had dinner in a food centre. Ihad a burger and fries... as you can see...
March 12: We're on our way! The longest day. By the time it gets to midnight in LA we will have been in March 12th, 2011 for 41 hours! When I got home from school, mum was waiting out the front for dad and I to get home, wearing her brightly coloured rainbow poncho. Then mum and dad showed me a banner that they are going to use in our stall- can you see me?. Mum tried on her Canada coat.
This morning we went to pick up Kylie. Everybody had a meltdown except for Justin, Xavier, Georgia (she had a little one), mum, dad and I. After that we went to say goodbye to Nicole, Tim, Eden and Cecilia. Kylie burst into tears, and then we were on our way.
Special hi to Maddy! No more crying! Hi to Mr Lane and all of 4 Blue and everyone at St Thomas Aquinas too.