Brad and I set a goal several years ago that when we paid off all our debt but our house we would save our money and take our family to Disneyland. We told our kids the day we made our last payment on our last student loan and that now we were going to save up for Disneyland but it might take a while. We also decided that when the time came we were going to surprise them at the airport. We told them that we would be driving Dad to the airport so he could go on a business trip and that we would be driving back home afterwards. Them not knowing made packing so much easier! We were so excited that morning as we planned to tell them and anticipated surprised faces, maybe screams of excitement or hugs...they were so confused I don't think they believed us. Lily had a good reaction if you watch her face, this is the reaction we got
On the shuttle to the airport
On the plane
My Mom and Step dad, Dick flew from WA to spend the week with us, their hotel was joined to ours. It was so nice to have the extra hands for strollers, bags and for keeping track of the kids. It was fun to be able to share this fun and exciting experience with them too. Below is a picture of Brad and the boys at the Angels stadium it was right next to our hotel so after we got there Brad took them to see it. After the flight we got our rental car and drove to the beach. The boys & Mira played in the water & Lily played in the sand. It was kind of cold and windy so once they were wet they were cold and ready to go. The beach was beautiful and the kids had a great time. I left my camera in the car so Dick took pictures at the beach and we haven't exchanged photos yet
We spent our first day at Disneyland, it was cold and rainy and someone (I think accidentally) stole our stroller. The bad weather made the crowds smaller which was nice, we were able to run around and do a lot of rides with little wait time. I ended up caring Mira and Lily slept in the stroller
Lily's favorite ride at Disneyland was Pinocchio, she loved when it looked like the whale was going to eat her. Mira did not like that part!
The Silly Mad Hatter
The girls at the white rabbits door
Me and the girls in the tea cup
Lily loved Toads wild ride, I think she thought she was really driving!
The boys loved the Star Wars guys, they were a little sad they didn't get picked to fight one during the Jedi training though
Me and Eddie at Star Tours
Me and the boys with Donald, we even got his autograph!
This is how our girls finished almost every night, they even slept through the World of color concert at CA Adventure (Eddie did too) and Mira slept right through the fire work show at Disneyland. (We bought a new stroller for the second day, my back was so grateful!)
Ethan and the Sword in the Stone
Lily and Jessie
The boys on the Jungle ride
Mira loved the jungle ride
Lily was SO excited to meet Minnie Mouse, she is getting Minnie's autograph at Minnie's house
Dressed like a princess and ready for the day!
Walt Disney and Mikey Mouse at CA Adventure
Eddie loved Space Mountain, we got all the way to the front and they closed the ride for some problem. We decided that we would wait a few minutes to see if they could fix the problem and I'm so glad we waited because just a few minutes later we got to go
Sleepy Lily watching the princesses at the parade
The girls enjoying some cotton candy
The second day was CA adventure, right when we walked in we saw Pluto and he signed the kid's autograph books on his nose
Mira and I on the Bug's Life ride
Grandpa and Eddie on Mater's tractor pull
Ethan loved all the cool hats
He decided on this one. Taking Mira on the Bug's Life caterpillar ride
We loved the toy story ride, I rode it twice ( once with Mira sleeping on my lap the entire time), I think the boys rode it 3 time.
Grandpa and Ethan on the tractor tire ride
The boys on the Bugs Life ride
Waiting for Mater's tractor pull
BUZZ!
Eddie and the fire truck from Cars
We spent one day at Sea World. This was a first for everyone but Brad. The weather was beautiful that day. I loved Sea World. Below is Grandma, Lily and Ethan petting the Bat rays
Eddie petting the bat rays, he got so wet.
This beluga spit water at the window right where Lily was standing. I loved watching the belugas
The girls and dad watching the beluga swim under water
It was amazing watching that big mammal swim so gracefully
I also loved watching the whales, they were so BIG!
The shows we watched where they would do their tricks was a lot of fun, Brad and the boys got really wet
We rode this circle thing all the way to the top
Waiting in line to get on the ride
Lily and the sea turtles
We loved the dolphin show too, Grandpa, Lily and Ethan got really wet that time
We spent a day at Universal Studios. On the way there Eddie got sick. We had to stop at Target and buy him some new clothes...but we met up with everyone else a little later. We rode Jurassic Park, Transformers (I think this was the favorite) and the Mummy ride. We also went on the tour of behind the scenes and watched a show about how they do special effects. This big guy snuck up on Brad. Brad said, "Michelle" and I turned around and he was right in my face! I might have squeaked a little. He bent down and played with Mira's pony tail, but she ignored him and he moved on.
Dracula!
We love Despicable me and all the minions
I don't like the Simpson's but we thought this was a funny place for a picture
We went on the tour of behind the scenes, this is the kids wearing their 3D glasses
Overall it was a great trip. By the end of the week we were all SO tired, but happy. It was a great adventure.
So much Fun! I love seeing the excitement in your kids faces. What a great trip!
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