A while back, we actually won a trip to Disneyland! I randomly entered a giveaway (which I never do) on instagram because the business was a friend of ours in the neighborhood. I love his business, and I've always been really supportive of him. I ended up actually winning the giveaway, and we got $2,000 towards a Disney vacation!
Don and I aren't really Disney people, but we figured we've got to take the kids at least once?! I had never been before, so I also wanted to see what it was like. Don's mom has always wanted to take the kids to Disney, so we invited them to come along. And what a perfect way to do it! It was a really fun trip, and the kids keep asking when we can go back. On the road trip home Owen actually asked if we could move to California. Maybe someday!
The kids were wired and tired upon arrival. They were quite the hotel monkeys in the elevator.
{Day 1}
On the first day, we actually drove to the beach for a whale watching tour! Although we didn't end up seeing any whales, we sailed right through a huge pod of dolphins and got to watch them for almost half an hour. California is so so beautiful. Just being near the water is a sight to see.
California Gins.
We saw quite a few sea lions at the harbor while we were waiting for our boat to arrive. Apparently, they love to jump up on the decks of the boats to sun themselves! It was really fun to see them up close.
After the boat tour, we hurried over to the beach to play before the sun went down. I really do love the California coastline. When the sun sets, it's just magical.
The boys played in the freezing cold water for over an hour!
We finished the evening with amazing tacos from a local restaurant. Yum!
{Day 2}
Disney, here we come! Our first of three days at Disneyland...yikes! We woke up and got to the park as early as we could.
The boys chose Matterhorn for their first ride, and they did not know what they were in for (neither did I!). Matterhorn is almost entirely dark with a really loud and scary abominable snowman that randomly jumps out at you. It scared the daylights out of both of them, and they were extremely timid with their ride selection for the rest of the trip. Oops 😬.
The double stroller saved us. Bless the random person who mentioned this to me.
Hotel views.
Owen was determined to go on all the rides he was tall enough for. Even though the Matterhorn scared him to death, he never once admitted to it. Auggie was cracking us up because he was the exact opposite...he wouldn't stop telling us how much the Matterhorn scared him.
The boys both loved this little treehouse!
Star Wars land was definitely a highlight of the trip! We met Boba Fett, walked with Chewy, chased stormtroopers, and got stopped for questioning by Kylo Ren, who thought we were spies. Kylo Ren was intense, and I could feel the boys' fear from a mile away as they were being questioned, haha.
The Millennium Falcon was awesome.
We tried to do as many of the big rides as possible without ruining the good vibes of the trip. Mission accomplished, I think!
{Day 3}
We planned to go back to Disneyland for a second day so we wouldn't feel too rushed feeling like we had to see everything all at once. The second day, we slowed down and did a lot of the smaller rides.
It wouldn't be Disneyland without treats!
Another favorite memory of the trip was Chip n' Dales Gadget Coaster. Who knew?! We went to Toontown, which is the section for little kids, not knowing what to expect. The Gadget Coaster was the perfect size for both Auggie and Owen...they loved it. It's still a real coaster, but it's just much smaller than all the other options. Bonus: it had no loud noises or scary yetis, and the line was short. It was all the things.
That evening, everyone ended up going back to the hotel early for various reasons, so it was just me and the boys. I asked them what they wanted to do, and they said they wanted to keep riding the Gadget Coaster. So that's what we did! We spent all night in Toontown riding the Gadget Coaster over and over and over again. I think we rode it maybe ten times until it got dark. It was so much fun!
{Day 4}
California Adventure! Admittedly, we were all pretty tired by day three of go-go-go-Disney, but we rallied.
Don and I rode the Incredicoaster together since nobody else was really interested, and it was SO fun. It's the only real coaster, I would say. It was such a blast. I could have ridden it over and over.
Another huge hit was Cars Land! We showed the kids the Cars movie before our trip, and they were so excited to see all the cars driving through Radiator Springs. They do the most amazing job of making it look exactly like the movie. The ride was equally as fun, and there is nothing better than jumping in the lightning lane as you walk by everybody else waiting for hours. Fact: I will not do Disney without the lightning lane.
Near the end of the day, we had planned to go on the Spider-Man ride. While we were waiting in line, Auggie decided he was done. Owen stayed and rode with Dan and Michelle, and I snuck out of line with Auggie. When we got outside, he quietly said "I just can't handle any more bangs and loud noises". Me too, buddy. Me too.
Luckily, we saw the Spider-Man show right before we attempted the ride. He jumped across buildings, scaled walls, and gave all the kids high fives at the end!
Owen heading into the Spider Man ride!
As we were heading out of the park for the night, we came across a Chinese New Year's parade. We stopped and watched it for our final Disneyland farewell.
Honorable mention: Goofy's Sky School. This was another ride akin to the Gadget Coaster. It was just the ride vibe for the kids.
What a trip! First time to Disneyland was a huge success! We're already planning our next trip...when Ginny is 48 inches tall. 😂
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