Awe, Wonder and So Much Fun - Disneyland Day 1

After a rough night, (Matthew and Evelyn had to share a bed... and apparently Matthew is a bed hog and he snores when sharing a bed...we were up several times getting them re-settled.) we were up bright and early and super excited to go to Disneyland!

Looking at the maps prior to heading out! :)

We're really here!!! There is just something about Disneyland that evokes awe and joy. No place else is like it for sure. It was so fun to just watch the kids as we first entered the park and first walked down Main Street and took in the magnitude of it all. They were in complete awe and couldn't stop smiling while they kept pointing out things they thought were neat (which was EVERYTHING..haha!). Experiencing Disneyland thru the eyes of your kids is pretty amazing and something I will never forget!

Here are the photos from Day One!

Disneyland has many photo op spots around the park... this statue is super cool and a great spot to take pictures! Usually this shot is taken with the iconic castle in the background. However... about a month before our trip we found out that the castle would be CLOSED and under renovation during out time there!  Although we (Evelyn especially) were sad, we knew there was WAY more to Disneyland than the castle and weren't going to let this news get in the way of having a super time!

This is what the castle looked like. Although the tarp is still a tarp.. the castle rendering on the tarp was pretty cool!

A closer shot.. such a bummer it was closed... even more of a bummer is that the tarp came off ONE WEEK after we got home! UGH!

Meeting characters and princesses were a huge highlight of our trip...  as well as all of the attractions.

Cool "Rupenzel" tower

Small World was tarped and under renovation, too, but only on the outside. The ride was still in operation.. phew!

The Teacups... one of my favorites!

Storybook Land.. one of Evelyn's favorites!

"Look, mom... it's Arendale!"

The Carrousel was a huge hit as well!

Wait times in February are thankfully short most of the time. We waited over 40 minutes for this ride.. that was the longest wait we had!

The kids thought the Jungle Cruise wasn't that exciting.. but Doug and I enjoyed it! :)

Every day except for the last day, we came back to the hotel around noon for lunch and a nap. The rest was needed for ALL of us, and allowed us to stay at the park much later. My two tired sweets usually fell asleep within moments and didn't mind sharing space!

We saw Jasmine on our way back into the park after nap time!

The "Astro Orbiter" (or the "Rocket Ride" as the kids called it!) in Tomorrowland was one of Matthew's favorite!

Waiting in line for Dumbo... this was probably one of their more crankier moments of the trip, and it really wasn't too bad. They really did well being patient and going with the flow. Soon after this, I got a frozen lemonade to share, which helped lift their spirits! :)

I love the Dumbo ride!

After taking the train around the park and back to Main Street (my pictures from this didn't turn out), we went to dinner and came back to spend the evening at the park and see the fireworks!

My mom gave each of the kids some money to buy something fun. They got these light up things as well as a Mickey Mouse Ears hat for Matthew and a Minnie Mouse ears headband for Evelyn. They LOVE their light up toys!

Waiting patiently for the fireworks to start!

Me, really bored, while the kids played a game with Doug on his phone! :)

The fireworks were pretty spectacular and it was worth staying up for them for sure! A great way to end our first day in Disneyland!

A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes... Off to Disneyland!

 I am well aware that we are not guaranteed tomorrow. This became even more obvious to me after my cancer diagnosis. As I pondered this idea over the course my surgery and recovery, many things/ideas came to mind as to how to live life better, to live fully, to be spontaneous and not be afraid to take risks and do crazy things. One thing kept coming to my mind more often than others. It seemed silly, but it was put on my heart over and over again.

I wanted to take the kids to Disneyland.

Doug and I have thought about taking them to the Happiest Place on Earth, but had planned on waiting until the kids, primarily Matthew, were older so they could maybe remember it better. But the more I thought about it, the more I felt compelled to go NOW, to make the most of life in the moment (what if we don't have tomorrow?) and take them while they would still be in complete awe of the whole experience. Evelyn is still into princesses, although her interest is slowly starting to fade. I wanted her to have the joy of meeting all her favorites while she was still into it. Matthew is certainly tall enough to ride most of the rides and loves all the Disney characters. Also.. we have the resources now. Who knows what our financial picture will be in the years to come. As I presented my thoughts and ideas to Doug, he slowly warmed up to the idea and by Thanksgiving we had committed and planned our trip.

After surprising the kids with the trip at Christmas, they have been SO excited and counting down the days, making packing lists and studying the maps to make sure they see all they want to see. FINALLY, the day arrived... we were really GOING TO DISNEYLAND!!

All of our stuff.. not too bad for a 6 day trip for four people! We got the kids their own new suitcase... they were so thrilled!

AAA gave us these cool luggage tags for our trip. The kids were insistent that ALL our bags had these tags!

Mom and her Doug dropped us off at the airport. This was the kids first time flying..and it was almost just as exciting as going to Disneyland! (Evelyn flew when she was 9 months old.. but she has no recollection of that trip!)

My cute little baggage schelppers! They really are SUCH great travelers. We are proud of them!

The obligatory PDX carpet shot.. this iconic carpet at our airport is being replaced soon. 

Since this is the kids first time flying, they got the special treatment. From our initial check in at the counter to sitting at the gate, to this moment... being allowed to go into the cockpit and meet the pilots. Man, on man they were so excited!

As this sweet boy would say, "It's GO TIME!"

This was right as the plane took off.. they weren't sure what to think, but did so great!

They enjoyed watching a movie during the flight, but the most exciting thing for them about flying? Sprite! Seriously.. they were SO excited to get soda (we don't have it at home much at all) and loved the special treat.

The plane ride was super fun and we landed in Long Beach and headed to our hotel, which was located right across from California Adventure and less than a 10 minute walk to the park... so nice! We got settled in and then walked to Downtown Disney, the area between the two parks that has shops and restaurants. It was good to get some wiggles out and also actually SEE the parks even if we weren't going INTO them. I have to admit, I cried when I saw Disneyland. I was so excited to be so close... it's been 20 years since I have been thru the gates!

We got back to the hotel and as we were getting the kids ready for bed the Disneyland fireworks started. The kids ran outside our room (in their jammies!) to watch... we could see them over the wall of the hotel next door. It got the kids totally excited for the week to come.

There was lots of dancing and jumping and squealing while watching the fireworks! :)

We all went to bed looking forward to what was to come on our big adventure!