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Happy 4th, Happy Disney!
Lily’s birthday gift from her dad, brother, and me would be a trip to Disneyland. Planning was under way and once the news was released to Lily, she was ecstatic. She talked about going to Disney daily. We spent hours looking at the Disneyland website which detailed out each attraction complete with pictures. I set our trip date at the beginning of March (planning for nice weather in California and less crowds before Spring Break.) My cousin Cheryl offered her apartment for our stay, another cousin was able to secure a mini-van rental with her employee discount. I used my airline miles to purchase our airfare and invited my sister to travel with us to assist me with the kids. Trip planning was really shaping up and we were honestly able to do it on a manageable budget.
As the trip quickly arrived my anxiety set in. How the heck do I pack for four people for 4 days? How will the kids adjust to the time change? How will Logan do on the plane? Questions and doubts arose in me and I’d be lying if I didn’t say there were a few times when I wanted to forget the trip all together. Thursday afternoon before our Saturday morning departure, Logan got an ear infection. Luckily I was able to rush him to the Ear Nose and Throat specialist that day and get him on a course of antibiotics. Whew, one curve ball caught and threw back; I can do this I thought. I took Friday off from work and spent the day doing laundry, packing, and running a few last minute errands. When I went to bed that night I felt prepared for our journey.
The morning of the trip things were rocking and rolling until we were ready to get in the car to leave. Our dog had got loose and we were unable to find her. Aaron drove up and down the neighborhood calling for her while Lily, Logan, Megan, and I sat in the car trying not to panic. Finally Aaron came home with the dog and off to the airport we went. Checking in and going through security were all non issues and the flight was actually amazing. The four of us sat together with Logan on my lap. I filled Lily’s carry on with plenty of snacks and activities to occupy her time. Megan was there to fill Lily’s every need and request. I gave Logan a bottle of water on takeoff and he quickly went to sleep without a whimper. He slept all but 30 minutes of our 3 hour flight, hallelujah! As we deplaned a huge sense of relief came over me, we had made it through one of the most potentially stressful steps of our trip. 
As we picked up our baggage Aaron arrived with our rental car: a Chrysler Town and Country Mini-Van. Now I’m not a mini-van mom but I must admit that this car was NICE. The van was completely loaded out with automatic everything and it was perfect for this vacation. We took the short trip to Huntington Beach to meet Cheryl and locate her apartment (our home away from home during our stay.) Once inside Cheryl’s place Lily and Logan were greeted with all things Disney. Cheryl had a Disney Princess doormat, a princess hopscotch mat and goody buckets and balloons for each kids. Their eyes were wide with amazement and joy and I was shocked at her planning and generosity. Cheryl immediately set up a lunch of meats, cheeses, breads, chips, fruit, pasta salad and cookies and we all chowed down. Later in the day we enjoyed sunny California with a leisurely stroll along the beach. Lily was thrilled to dig her toes in the soft, cold sand.
The generosity of my family again overwhelmed me when my cousin Janeen and her family arrived with a full Mexican fiesta complete with Margaritas for dinner. The day was wonderful and exhausting and we all went to bed with visions of Disney in our head.
Day two was Disney day and I prepped and packed with the best of the planners. Once inside the park we realized two things: 1.It was really hot and 2. It was really crowded. As fate would have it, this particular Sunday was unseasonably hot in California and all of the locals decided to spend the day outdoors at Disneyland to enjoy it. We improvised by purchasing t-shirts and sun hats at one of the Disney gift shops and continued on with our merry way. Lily had “Disney eyes” as she tried to take in all of the sights and sounds. She oohed and awed over the beautiful landscapes and gardens and simply paused at the sight of Sleeping Beauty’s castle. We rode rides, ate a picnic lunch and enjoyed the awesome parade but the highlight of the day and the trip for that matter was Fantasy Faire where Lily met her idols, the Disney Princesses. After waiting in line for 45 minutes Lily was ushered in and greeted by Belle from Beauty and the Beast. She smiled shyly and posed for pictures and offered her autograph book for Belle’s signature. I stood behind my camera and fought back tears of joy as I experienced the moment of making Lily’s dreams come true. We continued on with the meet and greet visiting with Aerial (The Little Mermaid) and Mulan (Mulan). Logan sat quietly in his stroller taking in the scenery of the beautiful princesses. One in particular caught his eye (Mulan) and he batted his eyelashes and gave her a gummy grin. She quickly rushed to his side and cooed at him and played a game of peek-a-boo. It was a moment I will never forget. Later Lily took part in singing and dancing with the princesses and got more photos and signatures from Cinderella. The day wrapped up with dinner in the Big Bear Treehouse, the purchase of Mickey Mouse ears, and a spectacular fireworks display including Tinker Bell’s flight. More than twelve hours later we were back at Cheryl’s house and exhaustedly hit the hay for the night.
Our original plan was to skip a day between our two day visit to Disney. California weather had other ideas and due to a threat of rain on Tuesday, we opted to continue our Disney adventure on Monday. Day two was amazing. The weather was overcast, long sleeve perfect. There was little to no crowds which equaled little to no waits on rides. We enjoyed a breezy train ride around the park and we toured and met Mickey and Minnie in their houses. We wrapped up the day with a purchase in the gift shop of stuffed baby Mickey for Logan and stuffed baby Aerial for Lily. Our Disney trip was most successful and I will attest it’s a place where dreams can come true.
Tuesday proved to be a day of relaxation. With the hustle and bustle of Disney behind us we enjoyed leisurely walks along the beach front shops in Huntington Beach and spent the afternoon lounging and relaxing. Cousin Cheryl topped off the visit with a wonderful Lasagna dinner. Again, I will reiterate, I’ve never met nicer people than my California cousins! Lily showed off our last evening in California by singing and dancing to every tune she knew.
Wednesday morning we headed for home and again, airport and flight were non events, praise the Lord! I felt like I conquered a victory as we settled in back home. Now I know we can successfully travel with two kids and the plus would be that the next trip should be even easier since Logan is almost over the bottle stage of life and very close to walking.
I have tons of pictures to upload and memory books to create but the bulk of my work is done. I will cherish these memories forever and I’m so grateful for such wonderful and amazing kids and supportive sister and husband to make this trip a success!
