...but close.
Okay, first things first: We wore matching shirts to Disneyland. Yes, it was my idea and no, I was not (and still am not) ashamed in the slightest.
The count down to our much needed Spring vacation was tedious to say the least. I'm pretty sure I was just as impatient, if not more, than the children. After weeks and weeks of suffering through countless colds and below freezing weather, the time finally arrived. I don't know what the kids were more excited about, the flight, or Disneyland itself. John and I were a bit nervous about being out-numbered by children during our travels, but they did great. They had so much fun on the flight and their excitement levels seemed to entertain most of the passengers on the plane.
The first day we drove to Hollywood, had an amazing pizza dinner, and made a quick trip to Rodeo Drive before battling LA traffic for hours on end while making our way to the hotel. Unfortunately, the traffic ended up being the least of our problems that night. Around 2 am Wyatt awoke screaming in pain. After a middle-of-the-night run to Walgreen's, a blessing from Daddy, and a very late phone call to nurse Grandma, his ear pain finally subsided enough for him to fall back asleep. I however, worried all night...thoughts of exchanging our Disney plans for an out of network emergency room visit haunted me. Thankfully our prayers were answered and he awoke the next day happy and completely pain free. Phew.
After all the stress and worry, it was a beautiful, warm, and magical day...
In which I'm pretty sure I cried more than could possibly be healthy, but I am pregnant...AND I have been waiting for this moment pretty much my whole life.
Yes I'm a major Disney dork, but really, just look at them with their little ear hats...
What mother wouldn't shed a tear or two, regardless of over-abundant hormones?
We had a wonderful (albeit exhausting) day. We definitely lucked out, the weather was perfect and the lines were nonexistent. I literally spent hours and hours mapping out an itinerary before hand, detailing where we would eat, what rides each child could go on, closest restrooms, etc. Okay, it was a little insane, and I will never show it to anyone, but I think it paid off.
Macie and I loved hanging out together in Minnie's house while the boys went on some of the bigger rides...
Besides sweet Minnie, our day was filled with character encounters at every corner...
There were lots of hugs and to Macie's pure and utter amazement, she even received a kiss from good 'ole Donald.
Mickey, of course, was a favorite...
But nothing came close to the anticipation and excitement of FINALLY meeting the one and only
Flynn Rider...
Okay, Rapunzel was there as well.
Macie was in heaven. She had refused to wear the shoes I choose for her that morning and insisted on wearing her favorite boots...when Flynn pointed out their matching foot wear, it all made sense.
Macie's favorite part of Disneyland however wasn't meeting her idol/one true love, it was a silly ride called Gadget's Go Coaster...she couldn't get over the frog that squirted her and reminded us of the remarkable event repeatedly during the duration of our trip. I think it's safe to say she also enjoyed the Tea Cups...
Cole was much more reserved on rides than we anticipated, the poor boy was convinced of his impending death on more than one occasion. He insisted we were actually in outer space while riding Space Mountain, could not get over the horrible monster in the Matterhorn, and then there was this moment...
Poor thing. John and I definitely regret some of the rides we sent him on, months later he remains haunted by some of the life threatening horrors he faced.
On the other hand, Wyatt seemed unfazed by anything and everything thrown his way. He seemed determined to discover how the rides and attractions functioned and only showed the slightest emotion after the ride was over and he was forced to exit. He wanted to repeat each and every ride, big or small, and EVERY ride was dubbed his favorite. He especially loved Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, and of course the treacherous Indiana Jones Adventure.
The highlight of the day was most definitely when the boys were chosen from the audience (at the last minute) to join the Jedi Training Academy Show we were watching. They happily donned the Jedi attire and practice fighting techniques...
Without warning, a few frightening foes made an appearance...
The look on Cole's face when he saw Darth Vader may have sent me into laughing/crying hysterics...I was certain he would run away in tears, however he faced his enemy bravely while John and I, and the rest of the audience, cheered him on.
Wyatt loved every minute of his fierce battle and though strongly persuaded, he refused to join the dark side.
Besides crazy battles with well known villains, life threatening twists and turns, our day was filled with a whole lot of smiles...
and some quiet awe-inspiring moments as well...
Okay, lets be honest here, things weren't COMPLETELY magical.
For the record:
John did lose his phone on the Indiana Jones ride (thankfully we somehow recovered it the following day).
I was nauseous/extremely exhausted for most of the day (first trimester woes).
Cole licked that $7 ice-cream cone just a little too hard and sent the entire thing tumbling to the ground (right after I snapped the above picture).
While looking for the lost cell phone we missed our ride back to the hotel (thankfully there was a really comfortably curb to sit on while waiting with three starving, cold, and beyond exhausted children for over an hour).
I'm pretty sure at least 2 of the 3 kiddies peed their pants at some point during the day.
HOWEVER, despite a few bumps in the road, it was a wonderful day. Maybe it wasn't quite as carefree as my childhood memories, but one thing's for sure, the kids were in heaven. I'm sure John will agree, the sacrifices and trials along the way were well worth the joy on their faces...
