We left for our long awaited Disneyland trip on Monday September 17th. It was our first time pulling our kids out of school for a family vacation. We wanted to try going in September to avoid the crowds and summer heat. Addy was happy to work on homework on the way to CA.
We spent our first day in Disneyland on a Tuesday. The weather was really nice the whole time we were there.
We used our Magical Morning pass that day and got into the park an hour earlier. The girls looked so cute in their Minnie Ears.
Goofy was one of the first characters we saw upon entering the park. It was fun to see the characters dressed up in their Halloween attire.
We got a picture of all the kids with Pluto. It was one of my favorite pictures from our Disney Days.
We headed first to Fantasyland. The first ride we went on was Peter Pan. Addy loved it! She was not even two years old the last time we came. So she didn't remember anything. We rode Mr. Toads Wild Ride. Hayden was happy to have a chance to "drive."
We had a fast pass for Space Mountain. The ride malfunctioned and we had to wait awhile until it was working again.
Addy was brave and tried it for the first time. She was tall enough to ride most of the rides in the park this time. It was also our first time coming to Disneyland without a kid in a stroller. Kev brought a backpack and we kept food and supplies in there. They put Addy and I in the front of the roller coaster which is actually the best spot. I told Addy to keep her eyes closed if she was too scared.
We saw some of the Star Wars characters while we were in Tomorrowland. We got a glimpse of the new Star Wars Land while riding on Thunder Mountain Railroad. It looks incredible! We can't wait for it to open. We are big Star Wars fans in our family.
Addy wasn't tall enough to ride Indiana Jones. So we did the switchpass thing. Kev took most of the kids on the ride while Kenna and I waited with Addy. We walked through the Tarzan Treehouse and then went on the Pooh Bear ride.
Mckenna, Parker, and I walked right on the ride from the fast pass line. It was really nice. The Indian Jones ride is one of our favorites. Parker was lucky and got to ride it two times in a row. I told Parker about how I was there that Summer in 1995 when the ride opened. I still remember waiting a couple hours in line to ride it for the first time.
The kids loved stopping in every gift shop. Hayden loved all the stuffed animals.
My favorite treat at Disneyland is the Dole Whip. I was extra happy when I found out that they are dairy free and Hayden could have one. Thank you Disneyland for catering to people that have food allergies!
Our whole family enjoyed Splash Mountain and we rode it several times. I loved seeing all the big smiles from my kids!
Parker and Hadyen tried the giant turkey legs for dinner. The rest of us got soup in a bread bowl.
We didn't get a fast pass for The Haunted Mansion. It was our longest wait of the day. I took pictures while we waited. Halle looked cute in her new Disney t-shirt.
I loved seeing all the decorations for Halloween. It was a long walk back to our hotel that night. It was only a couple blocks away but it felt longer when we were walking back. Mckenna's app said that we walked around ten miles that day.
On Wednesday we went to California Adventure. Everyone was really looking forward to going on the Guardians of the Galaxy ride. The last time we had come it was the Tower of Terror. It was our first ride of the morning and we were able to walk right on.
I waited with Addy so she could see Mickey Mouse. We had bought her an autograph book her first day there.
She loved collecting signatures from all the characters. It was fun to see Mickey in his Halloween outfit.
Luigi's car ride was another ride that was new since the last time we were here.
Halle brought us these piston cups that said "Best Parents".
We tried some of the smaller rides in the park. They reminded me a lot of Lagoon.
We tried the Grizzly Rapids ride for the first time.
There were some big drops and we all got soaked.
Parker has always loved the movie Cars. The Radiator Springs Racers is one of his favorite rides there.
The kids saw Woody as we were waiting for the Toy Story ride.
I really enjoyed riding on the Incredicoaster. It is fun how they added in all the characters.
We took a classic family picture by the Mickey Ferris Wheel. I actually went on the ferris wheel for the first time. I'm not a big fan of heights and the rocking and sliding back and forth didn't help.
California Adventure puts on some great shows. We went to the Frozen musical earlier in the day. It was nice to sit down and cool off for awhile. The Electric Light Parade was a lot of fun. It was a great way to end our fun day at California Adventure.
Thursday was our last day in the Disney parks. Kev and I recreated a pic of us from seventeen years ago when we were newlyweds at Disneyland. I have to give my husband a huge shout out for taking us on this trip. He knows how much the kids and I enjoy Disney. It is not his favorite place but he did it for us.
Our little princess Addy by the castle.
I waited with her in line that morning so she could meet all the princesses. She saw Cinderella, Ariel, and her twin Snow White.
Her magical moment happened after she met Sleeping Beauty. It was time for the princess to get her "Beauty Sleep". Addy was the last in line and got to walk with her back to the castle. It really was magical for Addy. She enjoyed all the attention she got from the princesses.
Kev took the other kids on some rides and they came across the Mad Hatter. He took one look at Kenna's ripped jeans and said, "Did the Cheshire cat get your pants?" It was hilarious!
The girls waited to meet Minnie and get a picture.
Hayden had a lot of fun running around Toon Town.
We love the rides our whole family can go on together. I think we rode Pirates four times. Hayden had fun dressing up as a pirate in the gift shop.
This was our favorite family pic from riding Splash Mountain.
Kev took the girls for a ride on Dumbo.
That night instead of going to the parade we went to see Mickey. We had already seen the parade on Tuesday. It ended up being a really good choice. There was no wait at all. The kids also had some of their souvenirs with them. Hayden had his Pluto stuffed animal and Parker was wearing his Disney lanyard with pins.
Mckenna really got into the Disney pin trading thing this time. She brought some from home that her friend Abby had given her. She enjoyed stopping at the gift shops and trading pins. Mckenna was three years old on her first Disney trip and now she is 16!
Kev waited in a really long line so we could get a family picture with the Mickey Jack-o-Lantern. We drove that night to the Newport Beach Villa's.
The Marriott Villa we stayed in was so nice. There was plenty of room for our family of seven. I felt right at home from the moment we walked in the door. Addy fell asleep in the car on the way there. One night she even fell asleep sitting up at the dinner table.
The next day we drove a short distance from our villa to Crystal Cove State Park.
It was nice to spend a relaxing day at the beach after so many days of walking.
We found this dead crab as we were walking along.
The kids stayed entertained digging holes to make their own pools.
Their favorite thing to do is catch waves and ride them into shore.
The ocean is one of my happy places. It is so calm and peaceful. Since it was a Friday we mostly had the beach all to ourselves.
Later that day we did some exploring to see the tide pools. We found lots of anemones, hermit crabs, and small fish.
Addy had the greatest time running around and chasing seagulls.
We went back and swam at the pool that night. It was gorgeous as the sun set. There was even some live entertainment going on. A man played the guitar and sang "Hotel California".
The boys went back to the villa while us girls stayed a little longer. I even swam some laps in the pool. Swimming laps under the light of the moon is my kind of exercise.
The next morning I took Mckenna and Parker to do baptisms at the Newport Temple. It was only about five minutes away from where we were staying.
The temple was beautiful. I had never been to this one before. The walls almost have a pink look to them. Mckenna and Parker were both able to do baptisms for family names. I love my two teenagers!
Later that morning Kev and I went to a Marriott time share presentation. We got a great discount on staying there through Kev's Marriott rewards he uses for work travel. We both would love to have a timeshare someday but now was not the best time. This was the view of the pool from the main building at the resort.
We spent the rest of the day back at Crystal Cove State Park. The girls found this rock to stand on.
The kids enjoyed digging and even took turns burying each other in the sand.
Mckenna and I walked down the beach to see the house were they filmed the movie Beaches. It is actually a museum now and they have filmed many other movies there. We even saw a beach wedding taking place.
We decided to keep walking and see what was around the next cove. Then when we finally turned around it was miles to get back to Kev and the kids.
Halle and Hayden had fun running around with their towels. They looked like birds taking flight.
We stayed at the beach so we could watch the sun go down. It was beautiful but got cold really fast. We went back to the pool and hot tub to warm up. We ordered some appetizers to eat at the pool. We tried buffalo wings, chicken nachos, and fries. It was a fun way to spend our last night in California.
