Disneyland 2015

I have been wanting to go to Disneyland for the longest time, so the second Pat agreed I got to booking our trip!  It's a toss up who was the most excited to go (kidding, I was totally the most excited).  For an entire month before we left I'd sit with the kids and watch YouTube videos of rides, parades, and firework shows.  I had Dylan pretty hyped up before we finally went, and the trip did not disappoint one bit!  It really was the best family vacation!

Day 1:

We decided to split up the drive and stay the first night in St. George.  My cousin was super generous and let us stay a night with them.  The kids were in heaven running around with her little girls and their sweet dog!  As a bonus their neighborhood was having a Halloween Party that we got to go to with them.  It was so good seeing them and we're are so appreciative of their hospitality!  Dylan is still asking to have play dates with them!  

 

Day 2:

The next day we drove the rest of the way to Disneyland.  I was super thankful to just be the passenger, because the CA traffic stressed me out!  It was a long drive and we were super excited when we finally arrived!  Pat splurged on the trip and we stayed at Paradise Pier, one of the Disneyland Hotels, and we loved it!  We were able to walk everywhere we went.  That night we were so excited that my cousin Lindsay and her family agreed to come meet us for dinner at Downtown Disney!  We checked out some shops together and then had some yummy pizza for dinner.  Dylan desperately wanted the R2-D2 bag he found and was not impressed when I told him no, but it cost $80(!), it also resulted in a couple of my favorite photos from the trip - haha.

 

Day 3:

Day three we finally went to the parks!  Because we stayed on site we got to go into the park of the day an hour before normal admission.  Our first day early bird day was at California Adventure.  We thought we were being so on top of things when we headed out thirty minutes early, but still ended up waiting for quite some time to get into the park!  Our first stop was to grab fastpass tickets to World of Color that evening and then to Cars Land to ride Radiator Springs.  We knew this was a top attraction at the park, and were hoping to avoid waiting too long, but the line still ended up being close to an hour!  Neko was too little to ride, so she and I wandered the park while Dylan and Pat rode.  One great thing Disneyland does is a rider switch pass, so we only had to wait in line once and then I got a ticket that let me go to the front of the line, unfortunately the ride scared Dylan a little bit so I ended up riding alone, but it was still super fun!  The next ride we rode was Little Mermaid, which we dragged Dylan on kicking and screaming.  It was one of the only rides he was scared of, that dang Ursula is a scary lady!  We ended up spending the entire day in the park without a break!  Both kids took a nap in the stroller while I rode roller coasters!  Another great thing Disney does on select rides is a single rider line, so I didn't have to wait in any lines!  The entire day was spent going on rides, playing games, watching a parade (the kids looooved it!), and meeting characters!  Dylan loved all the characters, Neko loved waving at them from a safe distance in mom's arms!  That night we watched the World of Color show, and it was incredible!  I loved it so much!  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 4:

Day four was a big one for us!  That morning we had breakfast at Goofy's Kitchen with Mickey and friends!  The restaurant was in our hotel which was super convenient, it was buffet style, and Pat said the food was "just okay",  but the real highlight is meeting all the characters while you eat!  Dylan was in heaven!  We ended up being there for an hour and a half to make sure we met everyone, but it was well worth it!  After breakfast Pat and Dylan went to the hotel pool while Neko and I took a nap!  That afternoon we went back to Downtown Disney to have lunch at Rainforest Cafe, and then it was back to the hotel to get ready for Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party!  The Halloween Party is a separate ticketed event.  We were able to get into the park at three for the party that started at six.  My first request was a picture in front of the big Mickey Pumpkin.  By the time we got to the front of the line the kids were so tired and grumpy, but I got my photo!  Immediately after both kids crashed in the stroller for a nap while Pat and I shopped and ate our way down Main Street.  Neko eventually woke up and took a million pictures with me in front of the castle while Dylan finished his nap.  Dylan woke up just in time for me to take a couple photos of the cutest Peter Pan and Tinkerbell you've ever seen before the party started!  The kids loved the Trick-or-Treating, and it was insane how much candy they got!  They had lines set up across the park with multiple stops in each line where someone would put handfuls of candy in their bags!  They both thought it was pretty awesome!  Along with all the candy the ride lines were pretty short!  I got Dylan to go on Big Thunder Mountain with me, afterwards he said "it was a little bit fun and a little bit scary"  We also made sure to ride Peter Pan since it was his ride and one we knew normally had pretty long lines!  As the night ended we found our spot to watch the light parade!  It was a very long and fun day!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 5:

On day five we spent the entire day at Disneyland Park!  By this time both kids were experts at going on rides and so that's what we did all day long!  Dylan loved Autopia and thanks to the rider switch pass he got to go on it twice in a row (thank goodness we only had to wait once, the line was long!) Once again the kids napped in the stroller and I took advantage by riding every big roller coaster in the park as a single rider.  Pat is not a big fan of roller coasters, but he still gets a super special thank you for being so awesome and hanging out with sleeping kids while I acted like a big kid!!  The absolute highlight of day five was meeting Jack and Sally!!  That night we had reservation at the Jazz Kitchen at Downtown Disney, it was the one thing Pat really wanted to do on our trip, and sadly the kids were horrible!  I felt bad that they were so naughty, but exhaustion had certainly settled in!  Despite that, the food was super yummy!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 6:

Day six was our last day in the park and we had been debating whether to just spend the morning in the park and then hit the road, or to stay a bit longer and then stay the night with my cousin Lindsay who lives close by.  At the end of day five I'd made a list of everything I still wanted to do, and it became pretty clear we were not going to be leaving early!  Our first stop was the Haunted Mansion that was done up for The Nightmare Before Christmas.  We then went on Pirates of the Caribbean which was the only ride that scared both kids (they take after their mother!).  We then made our way to fantasy land to ride everything we'd missed there (dumbo being a favorite).  And then onto Toon Town to see Mickey and friends one more time!  We also couldn't leave the park until we went to the Tiki Room!  I will never forget the joy on both kids faces!  They absolutely loved it!  I think it's safe to say we hit pretty much everything at Disneyland!  We then made our way back to Downtown Disney to do the last of our shopping and one last dinner!  As we were headed out of the park we stumbled on our one and only princess of the trip, Ariel!  It couldn't have been more perfect!  That night my cousin and her family welcomed our very weary family into their home, and we again are so so grateful for their hospitality and kindness!  Dylan thought he'd gone to lego heaven! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 7:

On day seven it was time to drive home.  We did the entire drive in one day and this photo of Dylan hugging the house as soon as he got out of the car perfectly sums up how we all felt to be home from the best. vacation. ever.