I grew up in Southern California.
Eight miles from Disneyland.
Going there multiple times per year.
And yet, it doesn’t matter how many times I’ve been…I turn into a five year old little girl the second I step through those expensive gates.
Say what you will about Disney, but they have a way of truly creating magic and wonder in a way that I have yet to experience anywhere else.
It’s pretty expensive to go, so we hadn’t taken Henry yet. But he’s been watching some of the older classic Disney movies and thought he’d be old enough to make it worth our investment. (And yes, it is an investment!)
The park was busy on a Sunday in December, but somehow, we rarely waited more than 20 minutes for any ride. And we were able to get on everything we wanted to.
And um, it was EIGHTY SIX degrees!!! Um, hello Middle of December in California…
One of the longest waits was to see Mickey Mouse.
After half an hour of waiting, it was finally our turn, and….Henry threw a fit.
Terrified.
Soooo weird.
Did I mention that he RODE THE MATTERHORN!!!! (for those of you who don’t know, it’s a roller coaster type ride) I thought that for sure he was going to freak out during the ride, but he just sat there.
When we got off I asked if he liked it and if it was fast.
“It was kinda fast. But we need a flashlight. I couldn’t see anything. Let’s go buy a flashlight and then go again!”
“Were you scared of the monster?”
“No mama. That’s just pretend! It’s not real! It’s like a big doll!”
Right. Duh. What was I thinking?
So the kid is marginally bored by roller coasters, yet afraid of Mickey. Who knew?!
Mickey was obviously a very short girl. I had to snap this pic so fast, there was no time for composition. Henry was ready to have a heart attack. What a weirdo.
Here is my goofball waiting in line for the rollercoaster in Toon Town. Again, not afraid. Again, almost bored by it.
We tried getting him on Space Mountain (a real roller coaster) because he said he wanted to go on a SUPER DUPER FAST ROCKET SHIP!…but alas, he was about 1/4 inch too short and they wouldn’t let it slide. Boo.
He was sooo tired. Look at that little zombie of a face.
At the very end of the day I asked if he liked having a day with just mommy and daddy: “No mommy! You should not leave the sisters at grandma’s house! That’s not very nice! Can they come next time? LuLu and Jilly need to go on the rides with me!”
Melted my heart. My kids love eachother. And that makes me so so so happy.
And there you have it. All of my pictures from Disneyland. No, not kidding.
So, here’s what I’m learning about having a DSLR (for me, anyway).
It’s big, it’s bulky, and it’s expensive.
It lived in the backpack.
I tried wearing it around my neck, but I was terrified one of the other million park guests were going to knock their strollers or whatever into it.
I was convinced I was going to whack my lens against a metal gate.
And I’m still trying to shoot manually, so I’m not quick enough with my settings to get a shot in an instant. Especially since we were always on the move.
I had grand visions of capturing some pretty shots of Disneyland’s incredible holiday decorations.
The gigantic tree with ornaments bigger than your head.
The twinkling lights.
Weird tourists.
Nope. None of it.
We were too busy zipping from one ride to the next…and too busy having fun.
So, next time, I’m gonna take my tiny credit card sized point and shoot camera. (Now where is it…?)
It won’t get the fabulous pictures in my mind…but um…I’ll have pictures to show for. ;)
And on a completely different and much more sober note: another blogger mama needs some prayers right now. Her 2 year old boy was killed a couple of days ago by a falling dresser. I know, right?! I can.not imagine. Please lift her and her family up in your prayers as they navigate this unfathomable event. You can bet I cuddled my boy that much longer and Andy and I had a big discussion about which furniture needed bolted to the wall right after we read it. Sadly, I think this is the second of these types of stories I’ve read about in the last six months. :(
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Oh Disneyland. We love that place. And Disney at Christmas is magic sprinkled with extra magic. Although Halloween is pretty great too! :)
I read the story about the boy & the falling dresser last night. It broke my heart. So sad.
I can’t wait till Ian is old enough for adventures like that. I hope that he will have the same love in his heart for his soon to be here little sibling.
Crying over the last part of the post…absolutely devestating…and a sad sad reminder that we can’t take a single minute for granted…thanks for the reminder.
Smiling at your post because our husbands kind of freekishly look alike. I don’t know if I have any good pictures of Jason on my facebook…but since the two boys have aged, have the same facial hair thing going on, and the same spikey dirty blonde hair…even Jason was a little freeked when I showed him a pic of Andy. Weird…but funny.
Have a great Christmas with your beautiful family if I don’t comment again before then!! <3