Disneyland

Disneyland was everything I had dreamed it would be and MORE.

We left super early before everyone else did & did a few things in the park before it got too crowded. It was pouring rain outside, but we didn't mind because the park wasn't crowded at all.  When we got in the park, we headed straight for Splash Mountain.  There was NO LINE WHATSOEVER.  Trek took Cadence & Lorien, & I took Taya & the boys to the Winnie the Pooh ride.

This was both girls' first time riding Splash Mountain & they had a blast.

After riding both rides, we met up behind Splash Mountain & found Santa there.  The kids were SO excited to visit him & tell him how happy they were to be at Disneyland.

After wandering Adventureland & exploring Tarzan's Treehouse for a while, the rest of the family joined up with us & we started our Disneyland adventure together.  

We started at the Jungle Cruise.  The kids & adults LOVE the Jungle Cruise.

After Jungle Cruise, we hit Pirates of the Caribbean & the Haunted Mansion.  I love the Haunted Mansion this time of year.  They re-do the whole thing in The Nightmare Before Christmas theme.  It makes it less scary for the kids & it's SO FUN.

Next we visited It's a Small World where my little nieces Emery & Ella were in pure heaven.  

Then we split up.  Talon & I took Taya, Craiger, Canyon, Ella, Emery, & Bridger to meet Mickey Mouse while Tuhk, Trek, Cadence, Lorien, & Bladen rode the Matterhorn.  I still can't believe Bladen was tall enough for the big kid rides this time.

I do think I got the better experience during this split up.  As much as I love riding the cool rides with the big kids, there is nothing more magical than seeing a little one meet Mickey Mouse for the first time.  The line at Mickey's house was pretty long, but it was worth it.  There's a lot for the kids to do along the way as well.

When we finally reached the room that Mickey was in, I started to cry.  Craiger & Taya were excited & happy, but words simply cannot describe what happened when Canyon saw his idol for the first time.  He looked up at Mickey & couldn't believe his eyes.  He just kept staring at him & pointing saying "Mickey Mouse! Mickey Mouse!"  And then he'd stair some more.  It was magical.  THIS is what Disneyland is all about.

After splitting up, we took some pictures in front of the beautiful Disneyland castle.  It was SO fun having MOST of the family there.

 

After pictures it was time to eat.  It was already almost 3:00 & the kids were starving.  We grabbed some delicious food at the Pizza Port & then we all rode Buzz Lightyear's ride together.  I think the adults had more fun shooting Zurg than the kids did.

After Buzz Lightyear, we split up once again.  Trek, Tuhk, & I took Cadence, Lorien, Bladen, & Craiger to Star Tours while Opa, Oma, Talon & Carolyn, Taya, Emery, & Ella went on Peter Pan. 

Star Tours is one of my very favorite rides in the park.  It was fun taking 4 of my kids for the first time.  I still can't believe Craiger was tall enough for this one.  I think the best part was totally convincing Bladen & Craiger that we really flew to outer space.  They are still talking about it.  Being a parent is SO fun.

The very last part of our Disneyland adventure was one last hoorah.  I took Cadence, Lorien, & Taya to ride Indiana Jones & Trek took the boys to the carousel.  The boys had a blast going on the carousel over & over & over again.  Indiana Jones is one of my favorite rides & it was fun taking the girls for the first time.  Cadence & Lorien LOVED it.  Taya. . . . cried & screamed the entire time.  I felt SO bad that she was scared.

Trek also took the boys to meet Darth Vader.  They didn't know whether to be excited or scared.  ha ha ha

We finished the night off shopping at the gift shops.  The boys were exhausted, but Taya was determined to buy something with her money before we left.  She ended up buying a "Boo" (from Monsters Inc) stuffed animal.  She was SO happy.

It was a fun filled day of magic, smiles, wonder, & happiness.  

BEST DAY EVER.