In a move that was completely out of character for me, I agreed to skedaddle to Disneyland when Michael suggested a spontaneous trip. I guess technically it wasn’t spontaneous if you consider we made reservations and set our trip date a month ahead. But it felt spontaneous to me. It was a quick decision after our original vacation plans didn’t work out. It also felt spontaneous because he suggested it and the next day I agreed. I never agree to anything in a day. Expect buying and eating more ice cream.
Eva was overwhelmed with excitement when we told her where we were headed. She asked everyday if today was the day we were going to Disneyland. After multiple days of her prodding, I finally had the brilliant idea to make a paper chain so she could visualize how many days were left before our trip. It worked perfectly.
Everyday we took a loop off and everyday we talked about Disneyland. We watched videos of all the fun things to do and see, and Eva had her entire trip planned out before we left. She would recite her list, “I’m going to ride the colorful sea horse on the carousel, and the Ferris wheel, and Alice in Wonderland, and see fireworks, and ride a rollercoaster. It will go fast and swoosh around.”
Sounds like a good trip.
We had a memorable and fun time together. It was wicked hot, the crowds were nearly unbearable, and Michael developed multiple blisters and limped around like Igor; but we loved it. It was expensive, exhausting, electrifying, excruciating, and enjoyable. Definitely the best semi-spontaneous trip we’ve taken. There were a few miserable parts: Like getting up at 2:30 in the morning to catch our flight. Or when Eva pulled the sunshade from the stroller over her face and told me to stop talking to her. Or when I had terrible motion sickness from every ride. Or when we sweat enough to fill a moderately-sized lake. But it was fun to watch Eva’s joy. As we were walking up to the castle the first day she shouted, “Look, Mama! It’s Disneyland! It’s the happiest place on earth!” That statement made all the miserable parts worth it.
Eva wore her Snow White dress the entire time we were there and was so excited for everything that was happening. She met princesses, talked to the other little girls like they were old friends, smiled and laughed, watched parades and a water show, and rode almost every ride – including the scary ones. (Sidebar: Disneyland sets height requirements for their rides. Michael and I naively thought that if Disneyland says it’s ok for our 3-year-old to go on Space Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, and the Matterhorn, then surely it must be so. We didn’t consider that she’s taller than most 4-year-olds and probably shouldn't go on the scary rides. Eva was brave and went along with us but admitted the next day that the rides were scary. She made sure that we weren’t going to do them again. In fact, she’s still talking about how scary those rides were. Sorry, Eva.)
All said and done, Disneyland truly is magical for kids.
We took a lot of pictures so here goes:
Next up…our adventures at Knott’s Berry Farm!
