In January, after all of the chaos from Christmas, New Year's Eve, and Jackson's birthday has settled down, I usually find myself wanting a vacation of some sort. Our boys talk about Disneyland on an almost daily basis and we typically plan a trip there every other year. This was our off year, and having Davis, we didn't really think much about going. We decided to bless Davis the first week in March, and Sean's mom was going to fly in a week early to spend some time with us. After thinking about it, we realized Disneyland might actually be possible with her help. We decided to keep the trip a secret from the boys and we told them just about an hour before we got in the car to head to California!
They were really excited when we told them, but became even more so as time passed and we talked about all of the different rides.
On the road!
How Davis spent the majority of his time
We drove to Vegas the first day and stayed the night. We figured that would be better than driving the entire way in one day and starting Disneyland off tired. We took the boys swimming that night at the hotel. I always remember swimming being one of my favorite things about a vacation as a kid.
Bode woke up the next morning ready to go with his Mickey ears :)
A little pre-Disney yoga for Sean! ;) Not sure what he was attempting here!
That night we grabbed take-out and ate dinner on the beach. The boys had a great time playing in the surf. Both eventually soaked their clothes, so we just changed them into their suits!
The sunset was so beautiful!
The next morning it was on to the main event! Jackson chose Indiana Jones as the first ride since it would be his first time ever riding it.
We were really lucky with the weather. During the day it was warm and sunny, but not too hot. The greenery, flowers and sun were such a welcome sight.
And so were the Dole whips! Still one of the best parts of Disneyland!
One of the reasons we really wanted to make this trip was because Bode is OBSESSED with Cars and Lightning McQueen right now. He has been watching the movie on a daily basis for the past several months. I knew if we waited until next year to go, he would have moved on to something else, and though Cars Land would still be fun, it wouldn't be quite as magic as it would be now. Plus, he turns 3 in April and wouldn't be free anymore :)
All I can say is seeing him in Cars Land did not disappoint. It is so fun as a parent to get to experience these things. I recorded Bode seeing Lighting for the first time:
He kept screaming, "Lightning!" When it was our turn to meet him, he ran right up and gave him a kiss :) He was literally in awe. Watching him was so fun and actually got me a little choked up. In my mind, seeing his happiness and excitement made the entire trip worth it (even though we endured SEVERAL tantrums each day!)
We also met Mater, who is a close second in popularity with Bo.
Before leaving for our trip, we knew Bode was a bit short for some of the rides. Mostly, we just wanted him to be able to ride Radiator Springs Racers because we knew he would be in heaven. Sean's mom came up with the brilliant plan to buy him some cowboy boots! The heel on them just barely got him to the required 40".
I'll tell you what, Bode loves his boots. I was worried they'd hurt his feet, but he wore them all day for two of the three days we were in the parks! I swear they gave him a little more sass, too.
When we made it on to Radiator Springs Racers, I was almost giddy (and so relieved!). Bode was sort of excited too :)
He LOVED the ride and it was another parenting moment I hope to always remember. He actually got to ride it three times. When he went back for a fourth, they actually wouldn't let him on the ride. I was off in the mother's area nursing Davis at the time, but I heard Bode made quite the scene when he got denied for being too short! Nana came to the rescue by buying him a toy and he ended up getting over it without being too emotionally scarred. I figure making it on to the ride 3 times out of 4 isn't bad :)
Jackson thought his hat was hilarious
And Sean always enjoys taking selfies with strange hats :)
Jackson was pretty excited to see all of the Iron Man suits in TomorrowLand
Luckily for us, the lines for most rides were not too bad. We got to ride mostly everything we wanted at least once (except for the ones that were closed). Bode was even able to ride Space Mountain. I love how you can just see the top of his head in the picture!
Take note of my score on Astro Blasters (top right). It shows it as Jackson's score for some reason, but I am quite proud of it. Also, I love Davis's face in the bottom right picture. He and I rode Midway Mania together one of the times and I actually got a better score with him on my lap!
Jackson was brave and ended up riding Tower of Terror with Sean. In return, Sean had to promise to not be a "sissy" and ride Star Tours with Jackson (even though it makes him nauseous). They both held up their part of the bargain-- though both vow to never ride either ride again!
A few of the characters we met
I wasn't sure what to expect taking a 3-month-old baby to Disneyland, but I'll tell you what, Davis was a rockstar. I can't even recall a time where he cried. He just sat and smiled and acted happy to be there. He was the best behaved of the three boys, and the easiest to manage by far! I am still in disbelief when I think about how good he was. I was surprised how many rides he could go on with us. And the mother's areas in Disneyland and California Adventure rocked-- made nursing and changing diapers so much easier.
After three days of Disneyland and California Adventure, we were pretty exhausted. We ended the trip with the Disney parade on Main Street and headed home the next morning. It was such a fun trip and so much fun having Sylvia with us. Until next time, Disney!
