Day 1: Disneyland

We flew to California on Sunday, November 9. Martin, Diana, Bel, Chris, Marcus, Miranda, Jaime and I and our 4 kids. That's right. We had 8 adults and 4 kids. THE BEST way to do it. The kids always had a hand to hold and adult eyes were always on a kid. This was the kids' first time flying. They did great and were so excited as we walked through the airports. Airport staff was awesome with the kids. Even when Tyler went through the metal detector and then ran back through the other way thinking that's what he needed to do. The boys liked the moving sidewalks and would try to run the opposite direction the side was going.  During wait times everyone would browse through the shops at the airport. The kids always came back with snacks that their grandparents would buy them. :) I think take off was their favorite part of flying. Even though they were up early in the morning to catch our first flight they were bright-eyed and just buzzed with excitement.



Our first day, November 10th was spent at Disneyland. The cityscapes and small towns throughout the park were some of my favorite things to see. All the little stores lit up and full of souvenirs. The park was decked out in Christmas attire and Christmas music filled the air. 

Can't go to Disneyland with out Mickey/Minnie ears right?!

We had time in lines to visit, laugh, and take selfies.

We even took selfies while on some of the rides. Aidan is driving the car but obviously not ready to drive on the roads of town. He's not looking at what's in front of him! ;)

Marcus, Olivia, and Miranda. We road the boat at "It's A Small World." Yes that song can get annoying but this "ride" truly is pretty impressive. All the dolls/puppets and lights and music from different countries. The small world song was broken up with Christmas music as well. Yep, the park's Christmas decor was even on the rides and it made the magical place seem even more magical, if that's even possible. 


We met many characters and got lots of autographs. Goofy was showing Tyler how he wrote his name. 

Lindsey and Uncle Chris waiting in line. I love this picture. These two love to tease and mess around with each other. 

The girls were excited to meet Minnie. We walked through her house in Toon Town. Everything looked like cartoons. Her kitchen was a fun place to play. They could bake a cake, wash dishes, and everything had sounds and lights to it. 

We didn't have too much of this…surprisingly. With all the long days, lots of walking, and not getting to bed till 10 or later most nights is just asking for tired and cranky kids. Aidan was unhappy about something while we waited for our lunch to arrive.  Getting meals in a theme park is pretty hectic. It was amazing how we all just pitched in and took a turn buying for EVERYONE at almost each meal instead of everyone going and making purchases. Yes, it's very unfair. For Bel and Chris who only have two, well actually everyone came in pairs of two except us and our group of 6. So it was truly amazing that the others would buy meals for us so often. We did take our turn as well, or slipped money into someone's purse if they wouldn't let us buy. :)

Princesses. Lots of princesses. My girls love princesses. Lindsey always has, more so than Olivia. She likes the girly, frilly, sparkly dresses. They were happy to meet Cinderella.

and Ariel, the Little Mermaid whose no longer a mermaid. You can see her with a tail in "It's a Small World. " The characters were so good with all the kids. I guess you'd have to be in order to stand there talking to kids all day. 

Playing on Tarzan's treehouse. 

Marcus, Chris, Bel, Olivia
Going for another boat ride to Storybook Land.
We'd go to rides whose lines were the shortest, thanks to the Disney App for showing us wait times. The more intense rides usually Miranda, Marcus, and Chris would go on and occasionally Bel, Marty or myself would go on some. I was impressed that my kids wanted to go on so many rides. Adults all took turns riding with the kids who couldn't go on a ride without an adult. Also, there was always an adult to go on a ride with one of the kids that another adult didn't really want to go on. Like rides that really spin, I don't do those. :)

Olivia waited patiently all day to go to Build A Bear. She even found where it was located on her Disney App on her iPod before any of us knew it was even there! Here they are doing the heart ceremony before they place the heart in their bear. This girl was so good with the kids.

They were so excited to "bathe" their bears! Look at Aidan's face. He thought it was one of the best parts. Before we even got to the store Olivia said she wanted a soft white bear. It didn't take her long to pick out a white one with hearts that was silky soft. Lindsey chose a white bear that  looked like Princess Elsa from Frozen. Aidan Chose a camouflage colored bear. That didn't surprise me one bit either. Then off to find the clothes for their bears. Lindsey chose Elsa's dress, Aidan took a while to decide until he spotted Darth Vader's outfit, complete with light up Light Saber. His camo-colored bear looks really awesome dressed up in his black Vader costume, mask and helmet and all. 

Now Olivia took more time to find the clothes for her bear. She wanted something soft and huggable. Nothing with scratchy sparkles or sequins. Well, what's the most softest, comfortable thing we wear? Pajamas. That's what she chose for her bear. Soft, comfy Minnie Mouse PJs and slippers. What each of these kids chose describes my kids and their interests perfectly. I wasn't surprised by any of their choices. Tyler didn't want to build one. In fact to quote him when I asked him if he wanted to build one, "No, I don't know how to build a bear." So he didn't even go in the store. He stayed with Grandma and Grandpa instead. 


To see Anna and Elsa we had to get tickets early Tuesday morning before they were all handed out. Then the tickets they gave us said what time to come back to see them later in the day. Kind of like a fast pass but this wasn't that. They said they started doing this so people didn't have to wait in line 5-8 hours!!! Crazy. So they give an allotted amounted of tickets out each morning then no one has to wait all day to see them. So we got our tickets that morning and then went to California Adventure then back to Disneyland for our time slot to see these two princesses. So we did a bit of Disneyland on Tuesday but most of it was spent in California Adventure. (That'll be another post.)

Lindsey's magical Disney Moment. (Insert sparkly eyes) 


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