Disneyland Trip

We've been looking forward to taking the kids to Disneyland for a long time. Most of you have heard this story, but when Mason was in the hospital the first night after his accident we weren't sure he was going to make it. I was thinking about all the things I had planned to do with him, and among other things I said to him "if you get better I'll take you to Disneyland for your birthday." Well, at that moment it seemed unlikely that he would be better enough to make this kind of trip. When he woke up my dad told him what I had promised, and continued to remind him. So this trip felt to Marshall and I like a big deal and celebration of quite a year. Anyway. . .forgive the long and self-indulgent post, but this blog is pretty-much it for family record-keeping and all of you get the choice of reading it or skipping over it. . .

DAY 1--Provo to Anaheim

Mason and Myles were WONDERFUL in the car. They watched Disney movies the whole way. We stopped in St. George at IHOP for free pancakes in return for a donation to Primary Children's Hospital, and so we were more than happy to donate. After a quick stop at Old Navy to pick up a jacket for Marshall, we kept driving. We didn't have hotel reservations for that evening because we weren't sure how far we'd make it the first day, but the kids were doing so great that we decided to go all the way to Anaheim. We ended up staying at Portofino Inn which was actually fantastic and very inexpensive. When we called they said their cheapest room was $129 but then when I looked it up on travelocity on my iphone in the parking lot it was only $69. So I booked it through travelocity and saved $60! That night we went swimming and the kids loved their first night in a hotel with mom and dad!

"Helping" with the luggage

Day 2--DISNEYLAND!!

My favorite memory of this day was waking up to Myles at 5:30 AM in the morning saying: "(sigh) this is the longest night ever. . .just like the night before Christmas!" Marshall and I just about died laughing, but I totally know what he means. I was up every few hours and couldn't wait until morning. We had cereal in our room and were checked out and in the lobby of the Disneyland Hotel by 8 AM. They were so fantastic and, as the kids watched Mickey Mouse cartoons in the lobby we got checked in and our room was already ready for us. By the time we took a few pictures and got all our luggage into the room it was time to go to Disneyland--thank goodness because the kids were already bursting with excitement.

After a short walk through Downtown Disney we were there about 10 minutes before the park opened and Myles was already asleep. He ended up being asleep pretty much every time we entered the park the rest of the week.

As we entered the park and were on our way to Toontown to meet their favorite characters, we noticed there was no line for Dumbo so we hopped on board. This, and Its a Small World were Myles' favorite rides.

In Toontown we toured Mickey's house and met the boys' favorite characters.

I was a little paranoid about losing a kid, so I made them wear these cards around their necks.

Day 3--Happy Birthday Mason!

For Mason's Birthday we went to Goofy's Kitchen for their Character Breakfast. They were able to get personal visits from Pluto, Goofy, Baloo, Chip & Dale, Cinderella, Mulan, and maybe some others I'm forgetting. Baloo helped sing happy birthday to Mason and both Marshall and I teared up thinking about how great it was to be celebrating his birthday this way.

More pictures from the day at the park.

Mason got to join the dancing in the parade

For some reason the kids LOVED Cheetos while at Disneyland. After the first day we got sick of paying $3 for a small bag and went to a grocery store for a big bag.

Day 4--Last Day at Disneyland & The Beach to Vegas

Friday was a big day. We spent the morning at Disneyland then headed to the beach because Mason wanted to see it and dig in the sand. He LOVED the beach. We then drove to Circus Circus in Vegas (not as great as Marshall and I remember it as kids).

Saying good-bye to their best friends:

At the beach:

Day 5: Vegas to Delta to Provo

By Saturday morning Mason was feeling EXTREMELY homesick and kept saying that he missed his "brick house" and toys. Myles said he missed Max and Grandma Delta. So we made a quick stop by Delta on the way home to pick up Max who was thrilled to see us (and we were thrilled to see him) and then made it back to Provo. Thanks to grandma and grandpa Delta for taking such good care of Max while we were gone and even getting him through an ear infection!

All in all the trip was a blast and definitely something we will do again. The kids were a great age for it, were so well-behaved, and loved every second of it. Definitely some great memories.