February 24, 2016

Disneyland for 5, please

Oh my goodness. Why do I have a blog? I'm TERRIBLE at updating it. 
 
Oh well... better late than never?
 
So the first week in November we took our first family trip to Disneyland! It sounds so cheesy, but it really was a magical trip. I had a lot of anxiety about it, mostly about how the Z-man would do on the long drive and then being dragged around a theme park for 12 hours a day and missing naps and being out of his routine...but he did AMAZING. In fact, sometimes he was the easiest out of the bunch.  He is so chill and just goes with the flow.  I'm so lucky (but then again, I've earned an easy baby, right?!)
 
 
(Oh, and a side note about the drive down in case any of you decide to bring an almost 1-yr-old on a long trip: bring lots of new snacks and new toys that you can distract them with. Also, record favorite shows like Baby Einstein on your phone (so you don't have use your data) and then if you're ever stuck in traffic for, I don't know, like an hour and a half -- it may just buy you some time and save your sanity).
 
 



 
Aspen was in heaven with all the princesses.  She was a little star-struck too, which was really cute.
 





 
Toby, of course, stalked the storm troopers. He's a Star Wars nut.








 
 
Don't you love Aspen and Toby's faces? Classic.
 
And somehow I forgot to mention that Nick's parents joined us on the trip! Not only did we love their company but they were a HUGE help with the kids. We were so glad they came with us!
 


We spent two days at Disneyland and one day at California Adventure. It ended up being the perfect amount of time. Plus, the crowds were manageable and the weather was in the low 70's. I really think November is the best time to go!
 


 
Aspen still talks about The Little Mermaid ride as Ariel is her favorite princess (we went on it 3 or 4 times I think).  I kind of love that her favorite princess is one from my time instead of Elsa. She likes Frozen, but Ariel is her idol. And I have to admit, I love belting out "Part of Your World" when she asks me to sing it before bedtime.



 On our last day at Disney we were able to meet up with Nick's cousin and his wife and family. Bill and Tara were so much fun to chat with and their kids are about the same age as Toby and Aspen.  It was fun to see them play together like they were old friends.
 



Aspen's last princess sighting.
 

 
The kid's loved eating at Goofy's Kitchen. The food was pretty darn good, too.

 
 
Everyone kept telling us that we had to see the parade on our last day.  Even though we were all wiped out, we decided to stay to see what all the fuss was about. Zack slept through some of it (which was pretty incredible since it was SO LOUD) but the other two managed to stay awake.  It was quite impressive and did not disappoint. 
 



 
I didn't mention that Nick and I went to Disneyland almost two years after we got married. I remember telling Nick I couldn't wait to bring our kids there someday. Yes, back then it was much easier to navigate the park. We didn't stress about diaper changes, tantrums and numerous potty breaks. But going with our kids and seeing everything through their eyes was absolutely priceless. We definitely look forward to going back again someday.
 
 
March 2007                            November 2015