For Spring Break this year we went to Disneyland to watch my daughter perform with her dance company. We knew going into it the trip that it was spring break so it was going to be crowded. We just hoped for the best, and luckily my parents went with us, which was a lot of help.
This time around we rented a condo that was within walking distance from the park. It was nothing fancy but it was great for us. It had 3 bedrooms and 1 and 1/2 bath. It even had a crib for us to use, and a stroller available as well. It was about a 7-10 min walk to Disneyland and it was perfect, after a long day at Disneyland though it felt like the longest walk ever, of course :). But I would definitely recommend renting a condo/house next time you go. You pay about as much as you would for a hotel room and you get way more room.
We decided to leave a day early and visit my grandma and her husband in Yuma on the way to California. I am so glad we did this. It is so nice to visit with my grandma as much as we can. We enjoy seeing her and my kids love her. So after spending some time with her we were off to Disneyland!
We arrived in California on Sunday and had originally planned to go to Disneyland on Monday. Unfortunately Kenz ended up being sick so we decided to give her Monday to completely rest up, we just did some exploring in Downtown Disney and we headed to the parks on Tuesday.
Kenny and I had already discussed that this trip would be more about the kids, we had prepared ourselves to be disappointed if we did not get to ride most of the "big kid" rides. And I am so glad we did, because truth told this trip was exhausting, in a different kind of way, but we still had so much fun!
The twins did NOT want to ride in the stroller. Which obviously made things difficult. We let them then walk as much as we could, like while going through Downtown Disney and walking from the condo. But once we got into the craziness of Disneyland it became much harder to keep track of them walking, But when we put them in the stroller they would scream and cry and toss and turn. So it was interesting to say the least. We tried to do an equal amount if crying and walking, I'm sure we looked like quite the circus act. In hindsight I should have prepared them more for being in the stroller. We just don't use the stroller much at home, so I can't blame them for not really wanting to be in it.
My mom suggested last minute that we do a character dining this time around and thankfully we found an opening at Goofy's Kitchen, and I am so glad we did! My kids had so much fun! The characters are great and the food was pretty good. They had so many options, literally something for everyone. I can't wait to try the other character dining options next time we are there.
Kenz really wanted to try to get as many characters to sign her autograph book as possible, and I think we did a pretty good job. We met lots of princesses and characters, it was so fun to see the excitement in her eyes from meeting and talking to them all. She was a lot braver than I thought she would be, I am so proud of how much she has grown in the past year.
On Thursday Kenz performed at California Adventure with her dance company. It was so cool to see her up there performing, an experience I am sure she will never forget. Her cousin is in her dance company as well, so she then got to ride a few rides with her. I wish we could have coordinated more time together, but I am grateful for the time that they did have.
Tate was SOOOOOO excited to ride the Incredicoaster. Last time we went, when it was still California Screaming, he was too short to ride it. I remember him going up to be measured, and the cast member told him he was not tall enough, to which he replied "But mom I'll sit really still, I promise." And it broke my heart. He was so sad he couldn't ride it. So you bet he jumped on it every chance he got! He rode it so many times and kept asking when he could go on it again. He is my thrill seeker, he loved Guardians of the Galaxy as well. He wanted to go on any roller coaster he could, I love his fierce, brave soul.
Overall it was an exhausting and great trip. I love seeing Disneyland through my kids eyes. I love to see what they are excited for. We got to catch one of the parades which the twins loved, they got to go on quite a few rides, note so self Rem is NOT a fan of Pirates of the Caribbean. Apparently the drop at the beginning is scary for some two year old, whoops, forgot about that. I can't wait until the next trip when they are a little older.
