The Happiest Place on Earth

A few years ago Tara and I decided that it was time to start preparing for a major family vacation.  Usually, our trips last a couple of days and we travel within a couple hundred miles from home.  Not this time.  We were getting ready for the big one - we were prepping for a trip to the Happiest Place on Earth.

We set aside some money and started looking into the deals to see what we could find.  I shouldn't say we - Tara was the driving force behind the trip.  She went to several travel sites, made tons of phone calls, and weighed all the different options.  In the end we found a company to help make our dreams of Anaheim come true.

We scheduled our trip for the last week of September, as we hoped that it would be a time where school was just starting and less people would be willing to take a family vacation.  (Ok, so that wasn't the case - I don't think there is a time of the year where Disneyland isn't crowded, but the lines were bearable).  Our road trip to California took us a couple of days - we stopped in New Harmony the first night to spend some time with my parents.

Kennedy, Alex, and Dylan were so excited for the trip they could hardly stand it.  California is the furthest that we've ever gone from home with our little crew, so they didn't have any way to judge the amount of time it would take to get there.  Tara devised a fun way to help pass the time.  She created little travel trip bags with presents that could be opened at strategic locations on the drive.  Even though the presents were small, the kids loved the fact that they could look at the road signs to figure out when the next gift was coming.

We arrived in Anaheim on Sunday night, late enough that we only had time to settle in and get our bearings for the week ahead.  One of the nice things about the package trip was that we could ride the shuttle to and from the park each day (one less thing to worry about).   So early Monday we headed out to the park and we did it all (or tried to anyway).   All in all we spent four days in the two parks.  Wednesday was our marathon day as we stayed late to watch the World of Color and Thursday was our shortest (and last) day in the Magic Kingdom - we were done and just wanted to catch a few favorites one more time.

After four days of lines and rides we wanted to get out and see some wide open spaces, so we packed up and went down to the beach.  This was our first trip to see the Pacific Ocean with our little family and the kids were excited to play in the waves.  The waves were massive, as Dylan quickly learned when the first tide almost took him right out to sea.  Once the initial excitement was over we played around in the water and enjoyed our time in the sand.  The kids totally enjoyed beach time and I think Bear Lake may never hold the same mystique again.

We packed up the van as our time in California came to an end.  The drive home wasn't quite as exciting and the one out of town, but everyone was happy that we had been able to experience all the sights, sounds, and smells of the Happiest Place on Earth.

Highlights of the Trip -

Kennedy -  I think Dede's biggest thrill was collecting the autographs of the various characters in her book.  At first we didn't think she was going to get into meeting the different Disney friends, but once she had purchased her official Disney Autograph book - it was a done deal.  I think her favorite signatures came while we were at the character breakfast as she met several of the princesses.  I think Dede's favorite ride was the California Screamer, since it was the only ride she went on without her brothers.  If you ask her, she would say her favorite ride was the Matterhorn.


Alex - This kid was a ride junkie.  Alex has figured out that being tall enough to go on all the rides is awesome and he certainly didn't want to waste anytime standing around in lines.  I think Alex's favorite rides all came from Tomorrowland.  He loved going on the Buzz Lightyear ride and blasting Emperor Zurg and all the other bad guys.  Another favorite for Alex was Star Tours.  He has really taken to the Star Wars figures and story this year, so seeing many of his new found favorites was a highlight for him.  Another Alex favorite was the chocolate chip cookie sandwich with vanilla ice cream.  That kid must have put one of those away every day in the park.

Dylan -  Big D's only real experience with amusement park rides is the kiddie land at Lagoon, so Disneyland rocked his world.  The height requirement for most of the rides was 40 inches so Dylan went on pretty much everything.  He couldn't get enough.  As one of our true adventure seekers he had a total blast.  I think Dylan's favorite rides included Splash Mountain, Toy Story, and Tower of Terror - in fact Dylan was really our only child that wanted to go on Tower of Terror.  Kennedy went once and vowed 'Never Again' and Alex wouldn't even try it.  D went on it over and over again.  What a kid!  The other D favorite had to be the Redwood Creek Adventure Trail where the kids could run around on all the cool outdoor rope bridges, climbing toys, and more.  He loved it (so did we since it was a confined space to play - the only time we didn't chase D the entire week)!

Jared - Since it's been over 30 years since I last went to Disneyland I really didn't have any expectations.  The only memory I have from my trip before was seeing the Yeti as we went up in the Matterhorn (I was scared to death).  I think my favorite rides included:  Splash Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean (only place to cool off in the park),  California Soaring, and Space Mountain.

I think one of my highlights was watching the World of Color along the pier.  That was an amazing display of lights, water, and magic.  Even though we had to wait hours for that show, it was worth it.  My other favorite memory was looking at the kids faces each time we saw our pics after riding a 'scary one'.  Kennedy always closed her eyes, Alex buried his head, and Dylan grinned from ear to ear.  Classic!

Tara -  Like me Tara hadn't been to Disneyland in over 20 years, so the park was pretty new to her as well.  Some of her favorite rides included:  California Screamer, Star Tours, and Tower of Terror.  I know that running around the park wasn't her favorite thing, but I bet her lasting memory will be experiencing the park with our kids for the first time.  I think taking D on the Tower of Terror and watching his eyes grow large when the ride dropped was something she'll never forget.