Disneyland!

Since moving to Camarillo about a year and a half ago, Spencer and I have been talking to the girls about going to Disneyland. We started a Disney incentive chart, did lots of bribing, always talked about going, but yet it never happened. Our original plan was to go before Elle turned 3 (so she'd be free), but  then Cal was born, summer came, school started, and one thing after another got in the way. Then one day out of the blue Spencer tells me that we're gonna go. He said he refused to be the parents that always "talk", but never "do." So Wednesday morning, at 6:30am, we woke the girls up and told them to get dressed cause we were going to Disneyland! Now let me preface all this by explaining what a big deal this was for our family. At almost 33 years old I had never been to Disneyland - even with living in Burbank for 2 years! I just never really had the desire and have always been too cheep to fork out the dough. Plus, I always thought of Disneyland as a place where parents go to spoil their kids (and back before I had any, I thought that was absolutely ridiculous)! Anyway, with that said, I think Spencer felt a tad of pressure to make sure the day was perfect for everyone. He did lots of research, got everything organized, and even typed up a detailed schedule for our day to keep us on track and ensure that we didn't miss anything. The schedule was fabulous and I love Spencer for taking the time to do it.

We actually ended up sticking to this schedule almost perfectly. 

I wish I could sit here and write about how magical Disneyland was and what a fabulous day we had and how we ended up buying season passes cause we want to go back all the time. But... that wasn't exactly my experience of Disneyland and I was having a hard time understanding how people with little children in tow could call it the happiest place on Earth. Cause in reality, even at Disneyland kids cry, complain, and tease their siblings. I really don't want to sound like a total pessimist on here, but for my record I do want to record what really went down and my honest thoughts and feelings. So, to be totally honest I felt Elle was too young (or just way too big of a scardy cat) to be there. She ended up being terrified of pretty much every ride (except for the carrousel- which was her absolute favorite), and always had something to whine or complain about. It was a warm day and the sun was really bright which I think added to Elle being uncomfortable (especially since she was insistent on wearing her dang long sleeve shirt). The lines weren't very long at all but even with short lines kids get antsy and tired. Spencer and I have come to the conclusion that we just don't have a very high tolerance for misbehavior and kids being annoying. When they're asked by a worker not to touch a certain rope or something, we expect them to listen and obey - not to continue to try and touch the rope (just an example). 

All in all it was a fun day, but I probably should have had my first experience alone with Spencer. Then I would have known what I was doing, where I was going, what the rides were like, and I wouldn't have been in a big rush to see it all.  The funny thing was that while we there there I was thinking about all the stuff that was annoying me (I really had incredibly high expectations for the day which was probably a bad idea), but then this morning when we woke up and were reminicing about our trip, all I could think about was how much fun we had. I honestly think that's what makes Disneyland a magical place - you only remember the happy stuff!

Here's some of my favorite's of the day:

* Arriving and seeing the castle. I'm like a little kid with stuff like this and get super excited!

* Meeting the princesses! The line was 45 min long, which at first I thought was crazy, but in the end it was totally worth it for these pictures!

At first Elle was nervous to go say hello. So glad she warmed up! 

We also saw Cinderella, Snow White, and Sleeping Beauty, but they were swapped out halfway threw for Ariel and Belle. Spencer had bought the girls little autograph books (from the $1 section at Target), as well as Disney coloring books for the drive down (he really is amazing and thought of everything)!

* This is probably my favorite picture of the whole day! It was such a wonderful feeling to see Elle so happy about riding "the horses." We ended up riding the carrousel 4 different times throughout the day.

* Going on rides with Madi was fun! She's at a great age for Disneyland and was a bit more adventurous. We rode the Matterhorn bobsleds together which she did NOT want to do again (a little too dark, scary, and jerky), but at least she was willing to give it a try! We also rode Mr. Toad's Wild Ride together (I talked her out of getting scared, Spencer didn't have as good of luck with Elle) as well as Pirates of the Caribbean (scary, but once I explained that none if it's real, she was better).

* We had to talk Elle into going on the Finding Nemo submarine voyage, but once she was on, she liked it. I think it helped that she knew the story line - she knew what to expect. This was the most relaxing ride for me.

* I waited in line to ride the rockets with Elle, but then she flipped out at the last minute and refused to get on. Spencer and Madi had a great time though and it made me happy to capture this picture of them.

* Meeting characters and getting signatures was fun - especially when there was no waiting involved! Notice how Elle didn't make it in either picture! I tell ya, she was scared about everything!

* I loved the jungle cruise!! I was amazed at how real everything seemed. Wish I could have done this ride another time.

* Going through Tarzan's treehouse was fun for the girls. I was just so amazed by so many things at Disneyland and finally understood why tickets are so expensive. The upkeep is incredible and I loved how clean and well manicured everything was.

* I was in awe with the details of everything at Disneyland. Take this fountain in Toontown for example- just a regular fountain with a mouse conducting some instruments. But then we notice that there are metal plates all around the fountain with instruments on them. If you step on the metal plate, it makes the sound of that particular instrument. So fun! The girls had a great time jumping on the metal plates!

* I rode Indiana Jones by myself as a single rider. It was an amazing ride! On the ride I sat next to a mom with her teenage daughters. I loved hearing them excitedly talking about the ride afterwards and it made me excited thinking about coming back with my kids when they're older.

* The parade was incredible!! Probably was of my favorite things of the day. At one point I turned to look at the girls and here's what I saw:

They look totally bored, but they were truly completely mesmerized by it all. 

The entire day was a lot to take it. I think the key to Disneyland is to go for a weekend and be able to take breaks during the day. Then by going again and again kids get used to all the rides, know what's scary, and know how to handle it. I wasn't thinking I'd want to go back anytime soon, but now as I write this I'm already getting excited for our next adventure to the Magical Kingdom!!!