Disneyland: Part 1

Last week we had the wonderful opportunity to go to Disneyland with my parents and sister. Sadly, my brother had to work so his family wasn't able to come with us. Hopefully next time! I was a little nervous taking three little kids to Disneyland but I figured we had enough adults to take care of all the kids and still enjoy the vacation. And we all really did have a great time!

We got to Anaheim Sunday night - after a 12 hour drive - and pretty much just went to bed! We stayed at Staybridge Suites which were really nice and only about 1.5 miles from Disneyland. We had two bedrooms, each with their own bathroom, which were connected by a living room/kitchen. The living room had a pull out couch that the boys slept on. The kitchen had a fridge, stove and microwave so we were able to do some of our own cooking and didn't have to live on take-out. It was pretty much a two bedroom apartment which was really convenient. They have a buffet breakfast every morning and snacks/dinner some weekday evenings.

Monday we went to Disneyland. We got there right when the park opened and got right on several rides in Tomorrowland. The favorite ride for the kids was the Buzz Lightyear Astro Blaster! Even Megan liked holding the blaster. I think Alex went on that ride 6 or 7 times over the course of our three days at Disney. I wasn't sure how many of the rides Alex or Megan could go on but there were quite a few the whole family could ride.

One of the very favorite things on that first day was that Jarom got to go to the Jedi Training Academy! He got picked to learn how to fight with a light saber. Then Darth Vader and Darth Maul came out with some storm troopers and the kids took turns fighting them! Jarom got to fight Darth Vader and it was very exciting. I think I loved watching him do it as much as Jarom loved actually doing it.

The kids also got to meet some of the Disney characters and they loved that. First they met Alice and the Mad Hatter. They were very silly. Then they got to meet Mickey Mouse and Alex was so cute with Mickey. He just snuggled right up and I think Mickey would have kept him!

In the afternoon we went back to the hotel for lunch and naptime. Then we played in the pool and had dinner before going back to the park.

Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Laura, and Jarom got in line for Indiana Jones. We got a baby swap pass so Matt and I could go on when they got done. There were some complications in line and it took them two hours to get on the ride! Matt and I took Alex and Megan to Tarzan's treehouse and the Jungle Cruise while we waited. When they were done it was time for the fireworks. Matt and I opted to use our baby swap pass instead. We got on the ride in 20 minutes! I feel bad they waited so long. And Jarom said the ride was too scary for him anyway. After the fireworks we went back to the hotel and the kids slept like the dead. I guess we wore them out!