Last year we all decided that a great Christmas present would be a family trip. It took us for ever to decided where we actually wanted to go. But we finally landed on Disneyland. I had only been there once in high school with some friends from our ward who took pity on me, Jessie and my parents had been there in May for Jessie's Senior Trip, Heath had only been there once with Amberlee's family, and Laura, Trevin and Libby had never been. We had never all been their together. So we decided to make it our family trip! We looked on the Disneyland website and it said the best time to go (when the crowds are the smallest) was the second week in September. So we took them at their word and they were right. We didn't have to wait long for anything! The weather was great and the crowds were small.
Day One
First Timers, getting ready for their first day, California Adventure!
We didn't know how many rides Libby could go on or how much she could do but we ended up working out a great system. She rode more rides than anyone. One group would hit up a scary fast ride while the others stayed with Libby and Mckay and rode the little kid rides. Then we would switch.
Mckay was so good! He loved to ride around the park in the stroller. He only got out every two hours to nurse and then he went right back into his shady place. The stroller was pretty big to pack in the car for the drive to California but it was great in the park. It had some many pockets for snacks and waters and to hold cameras phones and souvenirs. Plus it reclined for naps!
Trevin and Laura taking their turn with Libby in the spiny lady bugs.
Libby's favorite ride was The Little Mermaid. We went on it three times! Mckay even got to ride on it.
Waiting for the rest of the group to meet up and enjoying the beautiful landscaping.
The carousel in California Adventure.
Funny story. Dustin agreed to go on the Farris Wheel even though he already had a stomach ache. I insisted on a rocking car because it would be way to boring in a stationary car. One loop in a Dustin was not looking good. Trevin reached down and found this "motion sickness bag". He gave it to Dustin and my mom thought it was so funny she had to snap this picture. Two minutes later and it was full! Poor Dustin, we couldn't stop laughing. But his stomach felt better afterwords.
Trevin was a wild man! We hardly even saw him all day because he was off with the big kids riding all the scary rides! He loved Tower of Terror the most.
Libby loved Bugs Life Land. All of the rides were just her size.
Amberlee's hair was just too cute that day to get wet. So Heath kindly donated his hat as hair protection.
After a long day of walking around the park some of us just couldn't bear the thought of the walk back to our hotel.
Day Two
Getting ready for the Disneyland side of the park.
Because her hip was in a lot of pain Amberlee got a ride for day two. The wheel chair ended up being really handy. It was a great place to sit and relax when it wasn't your turn to ride.
I snapped a few shots while we were waiting for my parents and Heath and Amberlee to check out the wheel chair. Doesn't this picture look like Jessie and Dustin are married and have four kids? Ha!
While everyone else got fast passes for the day we stayed by the front gates and got pictures with all of our favorite Disney characters.
Libby died meeting all of the princesses. She wasn't afraid at all!
Ariel was the best! She is such a good actress. She is Libby's favorite too!
We were pretty tired by the time we got to Small World so we welcomed the long and calm boat ride. Everyone ended up saying it was their least favorite ride but I liked it and so did Mckay.
The Dumbo's are a classic that you can't miss.
Disneyland was way more crowded than California Adventure and we were tired from the day before too. So we mostly just took it slow and admired all of the incredible detail in the park.
Day Three
