That time we woke up and decided to go to Disneyland

My husband is a busy guy. Especially in May when he is wrapping up the school year and finishing the swim season, all the while planning for summer water polo and countless other things. Needless to say, I don't expect anything for Mother's Day. A steak on the grill and a bottle of Riesling has been the tradition.

So this Mother's Day started out like the previous three, waking up and getting ready for church. Then Aaron said, "Let's go to Disneyland today!" Uh, yah right. I plan things. Make lists about making lists. A trip to Disneyland would require several weeks of advanced notice. So asking me to pack up the kids and drive to Southern California that same day was absurd. 

Yet, for some reason I agreed. 

I know people who pack for Disneyland as if they are preparing to survive in the wilderness. Canteens, a backpack dedicated to snacks, several changes of cloths, a first-aid kit. I went for the essentials: sunscreen, water, socks and hats. And after a quick trip to Fresh and Easy, we were on our way.

We didn't tell Noelle where we were going until she woke up from her nap, saw the Goofy parking lot signs and said, "This isn't the beach! It's DISNEYLAND!" Aaron and I talked about taking her for her upcoming 4th birthday so this was it.
And she loved every second.

Noah also had a great time. He pointed at everything saying, "dah dah dah" which means "I want to touch that NOW and if I can't I'm going to scream." 

 

Their first ride (ever) was It's a Small World. 

I can remember going to Disneyland as a child and watching Noelle's excitement was like experiencing those memories all over, but better. 

 

The highlight of our 2 days at Disneyland for Noelle was meeting the princesses. She was vibrant and chatty while we waited in line and when it was her turn to shake hands with them and ask for their autographs she shyly twirled her pigtails and answered their questions with short whispered sentences.

Rapunzel was her favorite. It took an hour and 38 minutes in the sun to reach the front of the line but worth it for her prized autograph. 

Our tickets were 2-day park hoppers so we visited California Adventure a couple of times. Not enough to get the layout of the park down, but we found a few places the kids enjoyed - A Bug's Life and The Little Mermaid ride were big hits.

"Ariel's House" as Noelle called it, was where one of my favorite moments happened. I held my sleeping Noah while we swirled around in the clam shells. 

He also napped through Pirates of the Caribbean. 

Day 2 we found an empty area and sat down to watch the parade, not knowing that it was the very end of the parade and the floats/performers would come inches from us.

It was a blast. So much more than I expected from our spontaneous road trip. Sometimes I let my frugality get the best of me which takes away from certain experiences. Let's just say, lesson learned. 

 -Amanda