Off to Neverland!

Daniel and I got to live out a dream of ours this month... we took our children to Disneyland! We thought that maybe it would be something that we would get to enjoy later on in life... when our lives seemed more settled. After getting our tax refund we were looking into taking a weekend vacation... just the two of us... but Disney was a nagging option that kept trying to make its way to the front of my thoughts. So I looked into it... and got hooked! We HAD to do Disney! Even if Ana won't remember the trip... even if Eli is a little too young to fully enjoy it... Daniel and I will ALWAYS remember how excited he was!

Oh boy, Elijah was excited too! This kid has so much energy and enthusiasm! It was so much fun! Seeing his face when he got to meet "yee haw cowboy" (Woody) and "Uzz" (Buzz Lightyear)... I cried! Hearing him exclaim excitement after each ride, made my heart burst with joy. I have always loved Disneyland... but experiencing it with my kids is a new kind of fun!
Daniel had never been either! He tried to play it off like Disneyland was no big deal... but I kept catching these glimpses of awe and wonder. He totally enjoyed himself!
Being the frugal couponing gal I am, I looked into discount hotels and tickets... of course. We decided to buy our tickets and hotel package with Costco. We used my Moms membership to get the package deal. We stayed in the Disneyland Hotel... something I had always wanted to do! I am not sure we would stay there again. It was expensive... really expensive. It is a nice hotel, but really you are only paying for easy accesses into the park with the Monorail. The decor in the hotel was Disney themed, and that was fun... but there was make up stains in the bathroom from some girls cover-up exploding, the tub had a broken drain so we had to shower the kids instead of bathing them, the window was covered in hand prints... and other little things like that. I am not saying we had a terrible experience... I am just saying we probably wouldn't spend the money on staying there again. It did have perks... and was really really really REALLY cool though.

The coolest feature of staying the Disneyland hotel (other then the easy access into the park) was the Nanny. The hotel has a list of Nanny agencies that are available to come to your room and watch your children. I have never had to pay for a sitter before, so this was new to me... but the price was really decent! I charged more for babysitting when I was in high school. I asked a bazillion questions and did my research of course so I was totally at ease with the little old lady who came to watch my babies. SO... Daniel and I got to spend a few hours in Disneyland ALONE! Oh boy! It was really fun! We ran to all the "big kid" rides and literally walked right on... it was a blast! We walked through New Orleans Square hand in hand... got a Mint Julep and just enjoyed being together in the happiest place on Earth! Funny thing... Disneyland is really romantic!

Anamarie spent most of her Disneyland experience asleep in her sling. When carrying a really cute baby in a sling in Disneyland, you get LOTS of attention... and it is nearly impossible to hurry and get anywhere, people stop you to "gush" at your baby. She was getting over a really nasty flu bug (we all were really). She liked seeing all the people when she was awake, and enjoyed the rides (she really was able to go on MOST of the rides!)... she didn't really like the characters though. The only one she was interested in was Belle. We had TWO sets premium dinner tickets... we went to Goofys Kitchen AND Ariels Grotto. While at Ariels Grotto we got to meet many of the Princesses. Ana wasn't interested in any of them... then she met Belle! She cooed and smiled! She tried to slobber kiss Belles face and watched her the entire meal! It was so sweet! I am happy to know that Ana's favorite Princess is Belle... fun!

Our trip was a total success! Eli keeps asking "Disneyland tomorrow in the morning Mom?"... he wants to go back! I keep telling him "someday"... I hope that someday isn't too far away!