Disneyland Weekend

On Wednesday of last week, Gabe woke up in a cheery mood and asked me out-of-the-blue, "Can we go to Disneyland, Mom?". Whoever says that a child won't remember a Disney trip they took when they were two years old probably never had an eager toddler with a better memory than their mom :). I assumed that Gabe had a dream about Disneyland, since we hadn't talked about it at all, and I replied, "Not right now, honey," (my usual answer when he asks for something he can't have). Later that day, he chirps hopefully, "Hey mom, we could ride the train all around Disneyland. That would be fun, huh Mom?". Here, I start to melt a little. When nap time rolled around, Jake came home for lunch and said that he was feeling really antsy and wanted to know when we had a free weekend to plan a little vacation. I was like, "Sorry, babe. Missed the boat on that one. We have plans the next two weekends and Ari starts preschool in just over a week. Seeing as how I'll be in school all fall semester, I don't think we can plan one." Unless... Unless we go this weekend -- as in, the day after tomorrow.

And so we did!

We booked our hotel, bought our etickets, called Grammy, packed our bags, and left Friday morning for the happiest place on Earth. And let me tell you, nothing refreshes the spirit like a little spontaneity. We didn't tell the kids that we were going to Disney until Friday night when we got there, which was meant to be rewarding; but the way we went about it didn't work out that well. We had only informed the kids that we were going on a trip so we could stay in a hotel and swim in the pool. It got late, we had to eat dinner after we arrived, and before you knew it, there was no time to swim in the pool. Of course, after 8 hours in the car to swim in a pool, Gabe was a little um... disappointed when we told him that it was too late for swimming. So, to cheer them up, we decided to drive by the Disneyland entrance and reveal the true purpose of the trip. As we passed by the gates and announced where we were, the kids' brief excitement quickly turned to devastation when we didn't turn in. In hindsight, it's kind of funny how it panned out, because I think we more than made up for it over the next two days.

On Saturday, the park was packed and very hot, and it just happened to be Disneyland's 55th Birthday (lucky us), but the kids got to ride nearly every child-friendly ride in the park. We were busy, sweaty, and at the end of the day, exhausted, but we had a great time. Bella even had a touch of bronchitis and had a wheezing attack for the first time ever when we first got to the hotel, but we had a hotel doctor give her some antibiotics on Friday night (did you know doctors still do housecalls for $275?), so she was well enough to brave the park the next day. The kids were all troopers, and Gabe even went the first day entirely on foot! Grammy was an amazing help, and never failed to entertain and lift the kids' spirits when they were tired or hungry or on their last leg. It was way more fun for everyone that she came along. On Sunday, Disneyland was about ten degrees cooler and the crowds had largely gone home, so we got to hit every kid ride we hadn't yet gone on. We never stopped moving, but it was all for the sake of creating wonderful memories so I wouldn't have done it any other way.


I didn't get many pictures on the rides, because the kids were on my lap, my lens doesn't zoom out, and the lighting was poor, but their faces were a mixture of awe, thrill, joy, and nervousness. One of their all-time favorite rides is what they call the "Mary Poopins Carousel". It's a classic.Another favorite is the Dumbo ride, which never gets old. Ari can spot this ride from across Fantasyland. When she sees it, she starts waving and reaching desperately towards it. And of course, she gets her wish. Ari always calls the shots in Disneyland. It is one of the few places that accomodate her needs completely so she never has to get left out. We had a moment of sheer luck when I spotted Gabe's role model when we were taking a bathroom break. Gabe was so excited to see him that he immediately ran up to Peter Pan and hugged him around the waist. I couldn't believe my eyes! He is normally quite shy around the characters. He told Peter about his peter pan sword and some other things they have in common. Gabe: "Hey, Hook's a codfish!" Peter Pan: "Yes, he is! Have you seem him?" Gabe: "No. I see your shadow!" Peter Pan: "Thanks! I thought I lost it!"

Gabe was obviously a little more starstruck in this picture, as reality was beginning to set in. Ari developed a big crush on Peter Pan and did not stop staring and grinnng at him. Really sweet. :) Bella was a little too hot and sweaty to fully enjoy the moment.

The Casey Junior Circus Train from Dumbo was closed for repairs last year during our visit, but it was open this time!Even Ari sometimes had to wait in line (the handicapped line), because it was so busy. She patiently waited her turn to get on the Teacups.

Ever since seeing 'The Princess and the Frog", I have been dying to try beneighs (a.k.a. Tiana's "man cakes"). I found them, and I became addicted. Everyone that goes to Disneyland has their one thing, the one food that they're in love with and can't get anywhere else. For our friends, it's Dole Whip; for our pediatrician, it's the hot fudge sundaes; for my sisters, it's the smoked turkey drumsticks and pickles (don't ask); but for me, this is IT! Gabe, Ari, and Bella (and Jake) are with me on this one all the way. Heaven in a hot fried doughy, powdered sugary kind of way.

She's not smiling, but you can see satisfaction written all over her face. If this isn't a blissful expression, I have never seen one. So happy, he can't hold still.

It's so good... He almost looks guilty.

At it with a gusto!

Oh, boy.

Lickin' her chops.

Doing a happy dance.

Finding Nemo ride. Every time we see an ocean, Bella now exclaims "Ayer's Nemo in dare! Where is he?" (There's Nemo in There)

My kids love this ride!

Standing in line for their first rollercoaster ever (Gadget's Go Coaster)! I don't think I got on my first rollercoaster until I was 11! Ari grinned and giggled the entire time, and when we got off, Gabe immediately asked "Can we go again?". We decided to let them go on Thunder Mountain Railroad, which is one of the bigger coasters in Disneyland (still not very scary at all). Ari laughed and squealed the entire time, but Gabe clammed up a bit on that one. He thought the sound of the tracks was too noisy, so he covered his ears on the way up. Afterwards, he told me "It was really fun! And it was really scary too!"

They were really excited to be tall enough to ride Gadget's Go Coaster! Ari actually wasn't tall enough to ride Thunder Mountain, but since Gabe was (and Ari was in her wheelchair), we just told them that they were twins and that they were the same height (white lie). They didn't make her get out to measure on that one. Small World

I remember loving the Small World ride as a child (probably because I was so scared of all the others), but my children seem to share my fondness for it too. Ari and Gabe waved to all of the children as we passed. When the others were taking a bathroom break, Ari and I just happened to notice that there was a Princess show going on in the Princess stadium. Since it was almost over, I just held her up to watch from a table in the very back. As soon as she noticed the princesses there, she started blowing a continuous stream of kisses. This was all without my prompting. I was so touched by it that I decided to take her down to dance with the princesses at the very end of the show. When I turned around to take her down the steps, she thought I was taking her away from them instead of towards them, and she burst into tears. I never knew how much she loved them until then! By the time we reached the bottom of the stairs to dance with them, she stopped crying and was in sheer awe. We got to collect the streamers that burst out at the end of the ball.

Here, the girls are folding their hands "like a princess":Grammy bought the kids Mickey Mouse swords! They each had to have their own (and the same one). They've never loved any toy so much! We took a little time on Monday to go to Huntington Beach before heading home. It was cloudy and too chilly to swim, but we visited the pier and had pizza before venturing back.

I love how they love each other! It has to be one of the most beautiful sights for me in this world.