Disneyland Trip Part I: Emily's & Anaheim

At the beginning of the year, I decided I really wanted to take the girls to Disneyland for the first time. As you know, it's not cheap. But I figured if I saved a little bit each month, it wouldn't be as big of a deal come vacation time. We also planned to do it for a combined Christmas/birthday surprise to justify the cost. And the final decision of my plan (and a brilliant one at that) was to invite Karen and Dan. So we planned and we went and it almost made me want to make it an annual tradition.

I waited to tell Clara and Hazel until the night before we left. I made a puzzle that said, "We're going to Disneyland!" with the castle in the background and cut it into six pieces. I put each piece into a balloon and had Clara and Hazel pop the balloons.

After the first balloon, I think Clara say the Disneyland "D" and said, "I know what it says - we're going to Disneyland." She finished popping and putting together and confirmed her early suspicion. She was excited, but since she's never been, she didn't really know what to expect. That night was the monthly cousin spend-the-night which gave me time to pack Saturday morning. And then we were off.

Within about 45 minutes of leaving, Hazel dumped a full water bottle in her seat, so we stopped to dry her off and try to get as much water out of the car as possible. We made several other stops within that first hour, surprisingly none of which were potty breaks. Once we all got settled, the rest of the drive was smooth and uneventful and we went straight to Emily's.

We said hello, stole Alexis, and then went to get dinner. That night and Sunday, we got to visit with Emily and her family. It's no surprise that I love my family and I cherish time I get to spend with my siblings and nieces and nephews that I don't see often enough.

Alexis painted her door with chalkboard paint and Clara created a masterpiece (our family with Alexis) on it. She kept making the funniest commentary about how everyone looked in it. The highlight might have been when she exclaimed to Alexis, "Uggggh! Sorry you look so ugly, I have to erase your whole face."

We left Emily's Sunday evening and knowing it was to Disneyland made it a little less painful, if only slightly.