Disneyland, Part 1

Having never before been to Disneyland, Joe commented a few weeks before our trip that he wasn't sure that he would enjoy the trip but was glad to do it for the kids. This, he said would be a trip we would maybe make one more time in the future, but would probably not be one that he would enjoy much.

Whoever named Disneyland the happiest place on Earth though couldn't have been more correct. Joe, who was thoroughly unconvinced as I repeatedly told him that this was not just some random amusement park and that he would enjoy himself, was completely in love with the place almost as soon as we entered it's gates. In fact, we hadn't even finished our first day in the the park before Joe started talking about coming again next year, and making this a regular family vacation. I don't know how Disneyland does it, but they do it right, bringing out the magic of the place not only for the ever imaginative young, but also for the seen it all parents. I was lucky enough to enjoy Disneyland as a child, and still have fond memories, but coming as a parent and watching your kids experience it, might just have been better.

Adam was such a great trooper through the entire trip. He endured the drive better than I could have ever expected and even though most of the time he experienced our trip from here:

herehere some morehereand did a lot of thisreally seemed to enjoy everything there was to see and happily went on all the rides he could.

Here are some of the higlights the rest of us enjoyed.

Family picture as you enter Disneyland.Chloe was enthralled by the castle. She pretty much loved every part, but the castle was up on the top of her list. (Side note - you may notice her hair is not so perfectly done in most of these pictures. The thanks for that goes to me for forgetting to pack all her little ponytails and clips. I guess there are worse things to forget to pack...)One of Noah's favorite areas was Mickey's Toon Town. They loved exploring the housesand pretending to drive the cars.I forgot about the animals you can visit and pet. My kids will never forget getting to do that. They loved it.We all loved the train, getting to sit down for a few minutes was nice and Noah totally believed he was checking out real dinosaurs as we passed though the railway's cave.Even though there was so much to see and ride to entertain these two, there were moments when they still found themselves the most entertaining things in the park.Can't do a trip to Disneyland without a ride on these lovely teacups

At one point I thought Noah might lose it and Joe kept the cup spinning as much as it could. Lucky for him and the next people to ride, he survived in one piece.

Carousel ridingAutomobile driving

We enjoyed this trip so much and as we spent our last night in California Adventures waiting to watch the World of Color show (so cool) I couldn't help feeling like I never wanted to go home and return to real life. Thanks to Joe, there's always next year. Stay tuned for more Disneyland fun, including the character meetings and princess greetings that made Chloe's whole experience.