Disneyland!

This last week we went to Disneyland!  We have been wanting and planning this trip for forever it feels like.  But the time finally came and all of us were so excited.  We went with some of Cam's family, his sister Are' and her family, Ethan, and his parents all came.

We left Saturday, first thing in the morning to drive to LA. Once we got all the cars loaded, we car-a-vaned the whole way down.  It was a long drive, but with the help of a couple of DVD players, the kids all survived quite nicely.  That night, once we got to the hotel, we attempted to put the kids to bed.  The three girls (Abby, Lexi, Piper) were all going to sleep on a sofa bed, and Colton was in a pack-n-play in the same room.  Let's just say, it took a couple of hours to get all four kids to sleep.  And even then, I was up several times that night with Colton, Lexi, or both.  Yeah, that first night was a little rough.  After that, though, either they had gotten used to the set-up or they were all just so exhausted that they usually fell asleep within minutes of laying down.

Sunday: Day 1 of Disneyland

Of course the must have picture at the entrance to the park.

The girls in the stroller.  We had a double stroller and two little umbrella strollers so we had somewhere for all four kids to ride.

Teacups.  One of Colton's favorite rides.  He was clapping and having such a blast.  You can't really see him, but Ethan is holding him.

Snack break

On the Jungle Cruise.  Lexi was so tired the whole day, but still pretty happy and excited for everything.

It took awhile to get everyone and everything packed for the day.  In an effort to save money, we packed lunches and snacks each morning to take with us.  Once we got there though, the girls were so overwhelmed with excitement.  It was so fun to watch their faces light up with each new discovery.  Cam's sister Cynthia that lives in San Diego came and met us for the day, which was really nice to spend time with them.  We stuck to mostly the gentle kids rides that day, and took it pretty easy.

Monday: Day 2 of Disneyland

Piper and Are' on Big Thunder Mountain

Minnie!

Minnie's house

Mickey

Mickey's house

A car in Toon Town 

Goofy!

Then Goofy came over and kidnapped Colton to get him in the picture too

Taking a few snack breaks while waiting in line to see the Princesses

Snow White

Jasmine

Aurora (or Briar Rose, that's what Abby likes to call her)

Tigger.  Cam took Lexi while the rest of us went on Splash Mountain.

The battery's died on the camera, but this is the only picture Cam got of Eeyore. 

This day we started off by seeing several Disney Characters.  Mickey and Minnie, and some princesses.  The girls loves seeing them, and getting their signatures and stuff.  Then it was time for a little bit more thrilling rides. Somehow, we convinced Abby to go on Splash Mountain (Piper didn't need any convincing, she's a thrill seeker :), and Lexi and Colton weren't big enough.  However, Abby was not a fan of the the ride.  The big drop was too much for her.  Next we went on Big Thunder Mountain, and Abby sat that one out.  But Piper went on it and LOVED it, so since the line was short, we went on it again, and Abby decided to give it a try.  Ummm yeah, she was terrified to whole time.  I think at one point on the ride she said "Why did Piper want me to come on this ride?"  Unfortunately, that just sent her over the edge, and she was pretty scared of any ride that either left the ground (i.e. Dumbo) or went faster than 2 MPH.  It didn't surprise me at all, she's a pretty timid little girl.  But thankfully there were still plenty of rides that she could go on and enjoy.

Tuesday: Day 3 of Disneyland

The girls wore some dressup clothes on the third day.  Here they are waiting in line to see Tinkerbell

Iradessa

Tinkerbell

Waiting in line for the Train

On the train

Colton on the train

Donald Duck.  For some reason, right before the picture was taken, Lexi got scared or something and broke down in tears and came running to me.  I think she was just so tired.

This day we kind of split up a little bit so the adults would get a chance to go on the rides that little kids can't go on.  So us girls would take the kids on a few rides while the boys would go on a ride or two, then we'd switch.  It worked out perfectly, and we all got to do and see the things we wanted to.  We finished up this day in the afternoon and headed back to the hotel and did a little swimming till it was time to start packing up to go back home.

Wednesday we drove home.  It seemed like a much longer drive home, and there were many stops and lots of crying.  But we're home now, and everyone had a blast on the trip.  It was so fun, and Disney definitely knows how to do it right!

Everyone's favorite ride:

Cam's:  Screamin roller coaster

Leisa:  Screamin roller coaster and Tower of Terror

Abby:  Ariel ride

Lexi:  Train, she called it the Percy ride. (everyday we would see several different train rides, but it wasn't until the last day that we finally rode one, and Lexi was SO excited.  She had been wanting to ride the train since we'd gotten there)

Colton:  Teacups (at least I think so ;)