Disneyland at Christmas Time!

At the beginning of the year, we registered and completed our service for the "Disney Give a Day" program. We each had a free Disneyland ticket to be used throughout the year! Come December, I started thinking, we ought to go. Wrong choice on all accounts: we are building a home, it is Christmas time and I am 34 weeks pregnant. BUT, then I rationalized: "Life is about making memories. And this is a memory my kids will remember." At least that's how I rationalized myself right down to southern California!! :) And that's how I ended up spending a few hundred dollars to save myself $60 a day times four people!! Disney and markting. They are perfect together, aren't they?

So, I surprised the chidlren one morning and put them in the car with my mother, Daren and his friend Mark. I told them we were going to Las Vegas to go Christmas shopping. Once in Vegas, I informed them we had good news and bad news: the bad news was we still had four hours to go. The good news we were going to Disneyland!! Ya Ya started crying, "I wanted to go shopping!" Hmm. Could have saved myself a few dollars and just stayed, had I known!

We started our first day on Thursday. The PERFECT Disney day: no lines, perfect weather and plenty of characters.



We met up with our good friends. It was so much fun spending the day with them! We just love them!
It was I that spent the 45 minutes in line to meet the Princesses. And well worth my time...
Just look at these grins!

My favorite time to visit Disneyland is during the Christmas season. It is just so magical!



Friday and Saturday were the not-so-perfect-Disney-day. In fact, I was ready to call it quits on Friday - there were SO MANY PEOPLE! At least we had Thursday to enjoy!

The longest line was at Toy Story Mania. But what a FUN ride! I have a great story about this one: I was really, really hurting (I went on a few rides that a pregnant person probably shouldn't!) and I didn't want to wait in line. (Ok - what I REALLY wanted was for a worker to take pity on me and let me on with my group so we didn't have to wait in line!) So I approached, what I thought, was a sympathetic worker and asked if there was somewhere I could go instead of waiting in this long, long line - I was pregnant, of course! She informed me that I could wait at the entrance on a bench for my party. Then she proceeds to open the HANDICAPPED gate and says, "Do you think you could FIT THROUGH HERE?" Seriously! I'm large - but NOT THAT large! Apparently, I was wearing a sign that says, "wide load!" Daren and I got a good laugh over that!

The kids loved the jumping Jellyfish ride. Of course it makes Mimi and Daren sick - so guess who took them? ME! And it totally makes me sick. Dropping is not for pregnant people, that's for sure.

Adalyn was a ride-junky. That girl LOVED every single ride. Her favorite was Space Mountain (don't worry - I didn't do that one.) She laughed and laughed then cried and cried when it was over. She loved anything fast, high and twirly. Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain, Goofy's roller coaster, you name it - she loved it.

Juliana, on the other hand, wanted to visit every gift shop in the entire park. Geesh - should have left her in Vegas! Her favorite ride was the Haunted Mansion. Seriously. She continually surprises me!
Sure, it was probably not the smartest thing to go to Disneyland - but we had a total blast. I'd like to think it was worth it! At least based on these smiles: (Thanks Buzz - you helped my cause!)