When Papa passed away in May we were blessed to have some life insurance money come to us. My immediate thought with the money was that I wanted us to take at least part of it and do something with the kids that would create a memory. Something special with the kids, where we could spend time together, grow closer, be a family and create memories that would last. I liked the idea of doing something special and fun for the kids that we could say "this is a gift that Papa was able to leave for you." After a lot of different ideas of things to do were thrown around, we settled on getting the family season passes to Disneyland. It is something we would not have done before, and seemed neat to think that it would be something we could use and go do over and over again for a whole year. The kids were THRILLED! It melts my heart seeing the magic and excitement sparkle at the mere mention of "The Happiest Place On Earth!"
To kick off our year of Disneyland adventures, we decided to do two days in a row and stay the night up at a Disney hotel. We had never taken the kids to California Adventure, so we decided to spend a day at each park. We started at California Adventure (on Carys' actual birthday!) We got up there really early in the morning, checked in at the hotel and then took off for a day of excitement!
Mommy and Carys hung out in Carsland while the boys and Makenna went on the new "Cars" ride! I really enjoyed my alone time with her when we first got there and were waiting for the ride to be over. It was nice to be there with her on her birthday, think of how much she has grown, think about my Dad and how much I miss him and how grateful I am for all that he did for me and all that he taught me. It was a nice chance to reflect and be grateful to be in that place that day, surrounded by the people I love most in this world!
Hanging out with the tractors and Lightning McQueen!
Mom and the "not tall enough kids" hanging out on the carousel while Makenna and Dad rode on the "big kid" roller coaster. I think we probably went on it 4 times in a row!
Makenna was just barely tall enough to ride the "upside down" roller coaster that they have at Cali Adventure. It has one big loop where you go upside down right in the middle of it. I know Makenna is a brave kid, but I have to say I was pretty surprised she didn't hesitate at all to go on this roller coaster. It's a pretty intense ride. I remember my first roller coaster I rode on that went upside down, and there was a lot of anxiety involved in it. I was also surprised she could ride it so young. But she was ready to go. And it was a blast. Though it breaks me heart watching my kiddos grow up, there are definitely a lot of fun moments that come along with it too. What a big girl!
This was one of the most exciting parts of the stay for the kiddos. A bunk bed in the hotel room!! This was the first time the kids got to sleep in a bunk bed. We had Makenna sleep on top since she is the oldest and because we had plans to get the boys a bunk bed of their own in the near future. Very happy little kids!
Let me just say that even though this picture with tinker bell is cute, it was Soooo not worth the pain and aggravation it took to get it. A few years ago when we were at Disneyland Grammy and Daddy had taken Kellen and Makenna through a small area where things were decorated to look like you were the size of a fairy walking through a garden. Todd and Kellen were on a ride that wasn't going to be too long so I decided to take Makenna and Conner through the fairy area. So we got it line (which I was expecting to move quickly) and we waited, and waited, and waited. About 1/3 of the way through the line we realized that you actually got to Meet the fairies in there. Once Makenna heard this she got really excited and wanted to make sure to go through it. Well, about half way into it Carys started to loose it. She didn't know what she wanted. She cried if I held her, cried if I put her down, cried and screamed and complained no matter what. And about that same time Conner and Makenna started pestering each other. But at that point I was not about to turn around. I was too invested in that Darn line to walk out with nothing. So we waited and somehow survived it all and made it through. Painful as it was, we made it and got our pictures with the fairies. And now I will NEVER do it again!
My cuties and their ears! Makes a mama smile!
This boy might like the treats and snacks at Disneyland just about as much as the rides. Seriously, I have never met a boy to love snacks as much as him!
Daddy and Makenna are not huge fans of splash mountain like Mom is. But luckily I had my little boys that were happy to ride it with me. So Daddy stayed with the girls while Mommy rode with Kellen and Conner. It was Conners first time riding splash mountain. He was a trooper about it. Though he may not be ready for it again on our next trip or two, he handled it well. My favorite part though was probably him wanting to hold my hand the whole ride. Melts my heart!
The happiest place on earth.
No comments:
Post a Comment