Disneyland

We had a great time in Disneyland. It was a fast and furious trip, but it was fun!



We waited at a table for a few hours to watch the fireworks and Fantasmic!


Waiting in line is one of the "joys" of Disneyland. It was the week before Christmas so it was PACKED. We managed to make our way through the crowds and get on everything we wanted to.





We found a "secret" bathroom. It is a single bathroom for families. Sometimes there is a little line, but sometimes there is no line at all and you have a private place to go potty! :-) It is right around the corner from the Mexican food resturant bathroom, which usually has a line out the door.


Waiting for fireworks . . . Sammi showing her new hat. Thanks Grandma and Grandpa! :-)

We waited for the parade. The crowds were nuts and you end up standing on top of each other.

Disneyland at night is one of my favorite times. I love the lights and decorations.
William was having a blast, can't you tell? He was a little nervous about going in the big whale.






Matterhorn was pretty fun. I forgot how fast it was and so I went on it. William sat between my legs and held on for dear life. It was a little jarring, but no more than my normal running.


The boys really wanted to go on the teacups . . . not my favorite -- spinning round and round. Daniel and William said it was awesome.




Our first night we stayed at the Candy Cane Inn located just around the corner from D-land. (You can see CaliforniaLand from the hotel).






On Sunday we walked around the outside of the park and looked in. We also went to church in Anaheim. The church building had a locked gate around it -- SAD!! (forgot to take a picture)

On Sunday we just peeked in through the gates . . .













The weather was pretty cool . . . I wore a light jacket the entire time and 3 jackets at night.

William and Daniel sticking their feet in the hot tub at the Candy Cane Inn



Driving, driving . . . lots of driving. Over 2000 miles! (We rented a reliable vehicle for the long drive).
It was super fun! We are happy to be home for Christmas!



I think next time I go to Disneyland I will not be packing an extra 20 pregnant pounds on my gut. By the end of the second day my poor legs had turned purple. (We went from 8am-10:30pm.) I wore my compression sports socks to help with circulation and they really did help, a lot. But when I got to the hotel and took them off, my legs looked crazy! I can walk all day long -- it was the line-standing that got me. Lots and lots of standing. But it was fun and worth it! We had a really great time.

*I was planning on taking more pictures, but the crowds were so nuts, we just had to press through most of the time. If you plan a trip to D-land go in an off-season.

Trip Highlights:

• Stopping at Nan's house (I will post more on that later)




• Driving through from Orem, Utah to Anaheim, California in one day (we left Orem at 11:30am made it to Anaheim at 11:30pm)




• Staying at the Candy Cane Inn. Our first trip to D-land in 2004 (flying down from Alaska for law school) we wanted to stay there, but it was too expensive for our school-days budget (D-land was a gift from my parents). We had such little funds so we stayed at a place called the Penny-Saver with mold growing on the bathtub. (Nasty!) Being able to stay at the Candy Cane Inn 7 years later was a real treat!




• Going to church in the Anaheim first ward. I loved seeing all the diversity, it reminded me of Alaska.




• Spending Sunday walking around the outside gates of D-land. We went and enjoyed the view without any stress. We even rode on the free tram and enjoyed the beauty of the trees and warmth. We also tried to get to the beach on Sunday, but there was no free parking!




• Staying in the Residence Inn Marriot, thanks to my brother and extra travel-points! We got to spend time with my brother and family. The cousins got to play together and jump on beds together. :-) They were really nice rooms, with lots of space and a super nice breakfast.




• Getting to D-land early and walking directly onto Small World. We got there at 7:45 and it made a HUGE difference! Go early and enjoy some time without the major crowds!




• Going on Pirates of the Caribbean. That ride is so great. Charles had been chatting with the people behind us, who were from Austrailia and it was their first time. They ended up riding in front of us on the boat and it was really fun to watch their faces.




• We finally got on Peter Pan's flight -- it was pretty neat! Loved it!




• Watching the fireworks the second night from Fantasyland, right in front of the Tea Cup ride. It was the PERFECT spot! We ended up there because we had just finished the Peter Pan ride.




• At the end of our last day, while getting on the tram, there were some drunk young adults behind us and one girl looked horrible and was moaning and her friends were holding her up. Charles talked to them and asked if she was OK, etc. and asked them to make sure she did not barf on us. They said, "No, no, she is fine." Just a few moments later, she started yacking and it almost flew onto Charles. It was so gross, and rude, and nasty. They ended up 2 rows behind us on the tram and Charles talked to them and asked if any of them had been drinking and who was driving. They all claimed they were fine, laughing it off. Charles explained that he sees the results of drunk-driving everyday and they had better be careful. Who knows what happened to them, but it was a rough ending to a magical day. At least we got to have the discussion with our children about what drugs and alcohol do to people. They got to see the horror first-hand. Though they were rude and gross, the young adults directly in front of them (who were all trying to dodge her barf-path) talked to us for awhile about how repulsive their behavior was. There is still some good in this world.

It all happened so fast. The trip flew by like crazy. Time feels like it is being played with the fast-forward button turned on.

Now on to Christmas . . . !!! Hooray!