It finally happened! We were able to take our dream family vacation and took the kids to Disneyland. We had been wanting to do this since Kenlee was a toddler and in love with the princesses. Every year we talked about it and every year it didn't pan out til now. It was amazing. I had done some reading on taking little ones to Disneyland and was prepared for tired and hungry meltdowns but our children did amazing. We just kept snacks and a good schedule and everyone stayed happy.
Thanks to Jeff we had great advice on where to get a hotel room and how to make meals as cheap as possible. We were literally stayed right across the street from the entrance to the park and were able to walk back to have lunch in our hotel and reapply sunscreen. This also gave us the opportunity to rest a little and get out of the heat. While we were there it was some of the hottest days of April.
Blake and I secretly planned this trip without the kids ever finding out. When it finally came time to pack all we told them was the we were going to visit Great Grandma and Papa in California. This was also true but we were first spending three days in the most magical place on earth. We decided to leave bright and early Sunday morning, 4 am to be exact, and spend a good chunk of our travels with the kids sleeping. This unfortunately didn't work, they were all too excited and Tytan has never been good about sleeping in his seat. This didn't turn into a problem however, they traveled amazingly. A few weeks before we left, my dad installed a DVD system in our van so the kids enjoyed watching their favorite movies. Even Tytan, who hates his car seat, only fussed a little. It was a very easy going trip. We only stopped for gas and to eat, there wasn't any panicked bathroom stops. Seriously they were dreams!
After many many hours in the car we finally made it to the hotel. This was our kiddos first hotel stay as well and there were thrilled with all the mysteries of hotel rooms, little fridges and big beds for little girls. After we got settled in we set the girls down and finally told them we were going to Disneyland. We video taped in hopes of a fabulous reaction. We got a "oh really, ok." After we finally turned of the camera, honestly very disappointed in their reactions, then the information hit them and they were bouncing all over and so excited for the next day.
Monday morning we made it to the park just as it opened. We were so excited to show the kids the castle and all the characters. The poor girls were so overwhelmed with everything, they were intimidated trying to take it all in. Honestly for the first half hour we had nothing but fear and epic failure. I was so weird we had three days planned and they would only last a few hours if that. We tried taking them on Pinocchio and things only go worse, it was too scary. Well I was hitting panic mode. We were going to try another ride and decided on the classic carousel. It did the trick, everything changed like a flip of a switch. They couldn't get from ride to ride fast enough. While Blake, Kenlee and Jordyn where in line for Dumbo, I was standing to the side with a sweet sleeping Tytan and noticed Ariel was just around the back. Once they rode on Dumbo we hurried over and met Ariel. The girls were both shy but super excited about meeting her.
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| Just off the carousel and finally thrilled to be in Disneyland! |
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| Sweet tired boy |
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Hey mom we are going on Dumbo!
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Kenlee's favorite ride in Disneyland was It's A Small World. She loved seeing all the different dancing characters. I was honestly excited to see the updates they have done since I was last on the ride. It was so cute.
At one point we wondered over to where Mickey and Minnie's houses were. We decided we were going to go in and see what her house looked like and let the kids play. We got into line and suddenly we were meeting Minnie. It was great timing, we were one of the first in line, all on accident. This was the point when Jordyn decided that all the characters were big and she didn't want to meet any of them. We did get this really cute family picture with Minnie even with our timid children.
After our fabulous accident meeting Minnie you would not believe what happened next. We started the tour of Mickey's house and accidentally ended up being one of the first in line to meet Mickey! Jordyn was not going to even pretend to be happy about Mickey but at least we can show her she was there.
Tytan's favorite ride was the teacups. He absolutely loved it and begged to go again. It was honestly one of our first good communication from our 11 month old. He loved it that much. We were lucky at one point and were able to walk off the ride and go right back on. The kiddos loved that but Daddy and Mommy's tummies did not handle that all to well so close together.
On the way out of the park for lunch the sweet gate attendant gave the girls pins to wear. These cuties wore them proudly!
We enjoyed several runs on Pirates of the Caribbean. Kenlee hated it and closed her eyes and fussed the first time but Jordyn LOVED it. The next few times we rode on it Kenlee finally realized just how fun it was and loved looking at all the amazing details.
Monday evening we decided to find a Denny's for traditions sake. Blake and I had eaten there for almost every meal on our honeymoon because it was the only restaurant near our hotel. The experience was kind of a dud but was made memorable because of an amazing balloon artist. He talked to the girls and found out who their favorite Disney characters were then recreated them in balloon form. They looked amazing and both girls carried them everywhere!
Tuesday we spent our time in California Adventure. There was so much more to do with little kids then I ever thought possible. We enjoyed the Mickey Mouse head carousel, King Triton's carousel, Ariel's grotto, Mator's tracker ride and so much more. We spent a very long time enjoying Bug's Land. It was so cute with all its little rides, it was perfect for the girls to enjoy.
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The girls and I were the only ones brave enough to ride on the moving carts of the Mickey Mouse head carousel.
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| This sweet boy was so good to nap in his stroller. |
We found many ways to try to stay cool while in California Adventure. There is a stage performance from the cast of Frozen. It was really fun for the whole family, it had comfortable seats and it was air conditioned. Wonderful! We also rode on the Ariel's Grotto ride many times because it was a quick moving line, amazingly detailed and also air conditioned. We also enjoyed the Monsters Inc ride. Kenlee loved the little TVs on the cars that spoke while we rode. I honestly think that was her favorite ride. Jordyn's favorite was obviously seeing Anna on stage. As we were headed out of the park we found out a Pixar parade was coming through so we got a place and watched as all our favorite Pixar characters danced down the road. All three kids loved the parade!
We took the kids back to the hotel and fed them dinner and gave them quick baths. Then we gathered up again and headed back into the park to watch the World of Color water show. Blake had never seen it and it had been updated since I had seen it. We were able to see most of it but the kids had a hard time seeing around the crowd. By the end of the show Kenlee was the only one still awake and she was only barely awake. It was definitely worth going to see.
Our third day was spent back in Disneyland. We spent much of the day meeting characters, riding a few rides we hadn't hit yet and making sure that everyone got to ride on their favorite ride one more time. Kenlee was really into meeting almost every character we could find. Her favorite ended up being her encounter with Jasmine. She is now Kenlee's favorite princess. Jasmine was so funny and sassy. Jordyn was of course being sassy and refusing to meet Jasmine. Jasmine read Kenlee's shirt which said "I am a princess but my sister is a drama queen." She asked Kenlee where her sister was but notice Jordyn just after saying that. She said "oh sassy, I can be sassy too" and started making sassy faces and folding her arms like Jordyn. We all laughed so hard (well except for Jordyn who had to keep up her sassy behavior out of principle.)
We all started wearing out and decided to do our souvenir shopping. We had decided to look around the whole time we were there and then shop right before we left to make sure we got the most special treats. Kenlee and Jordyn got mickey mouse earrings and Tytan got a mickey mouse baseball from Grandma Daines' souvenir money. Kenlee picked out bride Minnie Mouse ears as her other souvenir and Jordyn got pink princess Minnie Mouse ears. She calls them her queen ears and hates to be called a princess instead. Tytan got a Mike hat from Monsters Inc. Blake and I got our traditional shot glasses, Mickey and Minnie shot glasses. We also got tee shirts that says "I will be your Mickey" with and arrow and " I will be your Minnie" with an arrow. I know, we love to be corny.
I know these are not real glamour shots but they are reality. We were so exhausted but had a great time once we headed out of the park Wednesday. We all gathered in the van and waved good bye to the Happiest Place on Earth. We headed to Tujunga where my grandparents live to spend the rest of the week visiting and exploring Southern California.
I am so incredibly grateful for the wonderful three days we got to spend with our Disney loving kiddos. It was truly a dream come true! I really hope we get the chance to go back before they out go their love and wonder for the magic of Disney. Maybe they never will.
