A Surprise Disneyland Trip!

We really weren't planning on going anywhere over Fall Break! We were just going to hang out at home and do some organizing of the house. But three weeks is a long time to sit at home and do nothing... So I asked Matt in the first week of break, "What are we going to do to entertain the kids during break?" He responded, "How about we go to Disneyland." What?! He couldn't be serious. But he said that they are only 4 and 2 once so why not go. Of course I want to take Lucas and Macie to Disneyland. Truth be told, I think Matt wanted to take the family to Disneyland because I have had a couple of health scares right before break and we wouldn't be getting the results until we returned from Disneyland. I think he wanted to get us out of town as a family and why not go to the Happiest Place on Earth! I couldn't have agreed more. It was nice to escape reality and have a great time as a family. Plus, Macie kept saying, "I never get to go to Disneyland." 

As soon as we booked the hotel and purchased the tickets, I set off to create shirts for Lucas and Macie to wear on our first day of Disneyland. I love Pinterest. It has so many ideas so I looked at a couple and made shirts for the kids. Super easy and no sew! Here is how you make them in case you want to make shirts similar to this the next time you go... You can read about how to make them here: Mickey & Minnie Shirt Tutorial

We decided to keep the trip a surprise for the kids. They really had no idea where we were going. All they knew is that we were going on a long road trip as a family and Grandma Johnson was coming with us. They were great travelers. Always are... for the most part. Eight hours in a car with no idea where we were headed can be kind of hard on kids. They plugged away on their iPads and ate enough snacks to keep them full for days.

As we got closer to the hotel, Matt turned on his gps on the phone so that it could tell us how to get to the hotel. Lucas had made a couple of guesses earlier about where we were headed: Colorado, New York, Chicago, San Diego... All of these are programmed into my weather app on my phone so I think he was just guessing places from my weather app. As we were making the last few turns to the hotel, the gps lady said, "Make a right on Katella toward Disneyland." At that point, mid sentence, Lucas paused and said, "Did she say Disneyland?" We all started laughing and then he asked, "Are we going to Disneyland?" Then for a little bit he tried to talk himself out of it. He said it must be some place else. It wasn't our turn to go there. But I think deep down he knew where we were headed. You could see it in his eyes.

Once we arrived at the hotel, we unpacked the car and decided to go to Downtown Disney for dinner. The kids still didn't really have an idea of where we were until we started walking to Downtown Disney. Once Lucas spotted the Disneyland Way, he knew where we were and was so excited! So was Macie. Her dreams of going to Disneyland came true! Even though we have been there for the past three years during Fall Break! That night we just walked around Downtown, ate dinner and then headed back to the hotel so we could rest up for our adventures the following day.

Lucas is pointing out that we are at Disneyland!

You can tell by the smiles on their faces, they were so happy!

After a good night of sleep Macie was up bright and early with the sun. Literally. As soon as she saw the sun, she announced to the room that the sun was awake! So that was our cue to get moving. That day the parks opened early and didn't close until late so we were ready to make the most of our day. We decided that we would start out at California Adventures and get fast passes to Radiator Racers. It is one of Lucas' favorite rides. 

Waiting at California Adventures for the park to open.
They were so excited!

After Matt got our fast passes, we made our way to the Tow Mater ride. Thinking Macie would enjoy it! She was finally tall enough to go on it and she loves Mater. We were a little wrong... She didn't like it. Not at all. It was too fast and loud for her. Which I really don't get because she is so loud and a daredevil at home. 

Macie is so excited to get on the ride...

Now you can see that she is covering her ears and there is a little fear in her face.

Lucas and I taking a selfie while we were on the ride!
I just love his smile!

After Mater we headed to Lucas' other favorite ride: Toy Story Mania. We knew from a past experience that Macie wasn't a fan of Toy Story Mania, she cried the whole time last year when she went on it with Matt... But we thought this year we could really play up looking for the characters that she knows: Jesse, Bullseye, Woody, Buzz, etc... She loves the movie so we were in high hopes. We were a little wrong, I got to go on the ride with her and she literally tried to claw her way out of the ride. She cried and cried. After she told everyone she hated it! 

Then it was time for our fast passes for Radiator Racers. Matt and I took Lucas on the ride. I got the rider switch pass so that Grandma Johnson could go on the ride with Lucas and Matt. I love the rider switch pass. It allows someone to stay with Macie, but not miss out on getting to ride with Lucas. The rider switch pass allows the one who gets the pass to take two people with them, but not have to wait in the standby line. Clever and family friendly.

Radiator Racers selfie!

What would be the first day at Disneyland if we didn't get to see some characters. Last year Macie was a little timid when it came to the characters. Not this time. She ran right up to Donald (and all of the other ones) with open arms! 

We hit one more ride before heading back to the hotel for a quick lunch break and rest. We were able to talk Lucas into going on Grizzly Rapid Ride. This is one of my favorite rides at Disneyland. I may have even snuck onto it when I was 9 weeks pregnant with Lucas (which is not recommended) so that I could go on it. Lucas loved the ride so much he wanted to go on it again... It was at this point that we knew Lucas was growing up and was ready to go on the Big Kid rides at Disneyland.

So happy because he knew people were going to get soaked.
Luckily for us... It was the other people in our raft.
We only got a little wet.

 

After a quick lunch at the hotel and some resting time we made our way to Disneyland. We were going to spend the rest of our day at Disneyland. Our first ride there was the Buzz Lightyear ride. Macie did much better on that ride. She rode with Matt and Grandma Johnson. She kept saying, "Not today Zurg!"

Lucas and I with our game faces on. 

There were two rides I knew Macie was tall enough for and I wanted to make sure she had the chance to ride them. One was the Tow Mater ride and the other one was Autopia. Plus I knew we had to ride Autopia the first day because the following day they were going to close it for repairs. So after the Buzz Lightyear ride we make our way to Autopia. She had a blast the first two minutes of the ride. She was steering like crazy. Then she hit a bump and she was all done steering. She loved riding and racing the boys, she just didn't want to steer anymore. 

Crazy driver at the wheel!

After Autopia we headed to Macie's all time favorite ride: It's a Small World! It is truly her favorite ride!  She loves it and really enjoys singing the whole time! At the top of her lungs! If she could stay on the boat and ride it over and over, she totally would. I love her smile and her enthusiasm for the simple things in life. Looking at all of the characters and pointing them out to us. 

She is so happy!

Like I mentioned before, after we got Lucas on the Grizzly River ride, we knew he was ready to hit some of the Big Kid rides. So we talked him into the Matterhorn. Last year we tried to get him to ride it and he wouldn't. This year, he was all about it. He wanted to find the Abominable Snowman. We were a little weary because he would have to sit by himself on the ride so we had Matt sit behind him in case he had to hold onto Lucas. But we didn't have to worry at all. Lucas loved the ride!

Matterhorn selfie!

We went on a few more rides and then made our way back to the hotel for dinner and another rest so we could make the final push to stay up for fireworks. We made a quick stop back at California Adventures to ride a couple of rides before heading over to Disneyland. We tried to make another attempt for Macie to face her Toy Story Mania fear, but she started crying halfway through the line and Grandma Johnson took her for a little walk while the three of us went on it. I am going to throw this out there... I beat Matt! I have never beat him and I finally took the Toy Story Mania championship from him.

We got back to Disneyland just a little before the fireworks show. Enough time to greet a few characters and prepare for the show!

Macie waiting to see Goofy.

I just love their happy faces!

A family selfie before the fireworks show!

For the fireworks we planted ourselves on Main Street knowing that we couldn't be too close for Macie. She isn't quite the fan of fireworks, yet... They are a little too loud for her. After a little while Matt had to take Macie to the Town Hall to watch the fireworks with Macie. They were a litte quieter there. Lucas loved watching them... Until he fell asleep in the stroller near the finale. He was so tired from all of his adventures he passed out. He didn't even wake up when we got the the hotel. The fireworks were beautiful and a great way to end our first day!

Our last day at Disneyland we decided to head straight for the Disneyland Park because I wanted Macie to meet Anna and Elsa. The word on the street is that these ladies are hard to see. Luckily I have a nephew who will one day be the president of Disneyland and told me how to get fast pass tickets to see them. Yes, you have to have tickets to see the Anna and Elsa. So we got to the park before it opened and waited in line. Once they opened the gates, I headed straight for the fast pass ticket line. If you don't get there right away, the fast pass tickets sell out for the day within an hour. There were dads and moms who were running to the ticket line. Yes, running. I didn't run, just walked fast. I waited in line for about 30 minutes to get the tickets. When you get the fast pass tickets, they attach them to your park ticket. That way you can't sell them. Yes, people were selling the tickets. Also, they give you an assigned 20 minute window in which you can return to see them. During that time, you have to bring your fast pass tickets and your park tickets. They scan both in order for you to see the. Very high security to see these ladies. But worth it. 

While I was in line Matt, Grandma Johnson and the kids hit a few rides. They attempted to get Macie on Dumbo, but that didn't happen. They also tried to get her on the carousel, again didn't happen. But Lucas had a great time getting some special Grandma Johnson ride time! 

Such a happy boy!

After we got our tickets, we headed for another Big Boy ride. We took Lucas on Splash Mountain. Again, last year we tried to get him on it and it was a no go. This year, he wanted to ride every single big kid ride. He had a great time and loved it when he got a little wet. But loved it when other people got wetter. 

Splash Mountain selfie.

Here is our Splash Mountain photo. His face cracks me up.
You can tell the drop was big and a little scary, but after he said, "I loved it!"

After our ride, we were able to meet Tigger, Eeyore and Pooh Bear. Lucas had a great time jumping like Tigger.

Lucas showing Tigger his jumping skills.

So sweet. 

On our way to meet Mickey, we made a quick stop at Macie's favorite ride. Like I said earlier, if she could just stay on the boat and go round and round, she would. She was singing so loud this time that the ladies in front of us could hear her. One lady said the sound of Macie's voice made her day. I was thinking is she tone deaf. Macie loves to sing, but isn't very good at it. But we love her anyway.

After, we made our way to see Mickey. We made our way through Mickey's house. Matt enjoys Mickey's house because it is inside with air conditioning. On a hot day, we couldn't agree more.

Happy Kids!

Huge hug!

Before our assigned time to see Anna and Elsa, we headed to one of my favorite restaurants for a little lunch. It is my favorite because they have a BLT pizza. Delicious! It is right by Anna and Elsa's house. We had our lunch and then headed for a quick ride on the Tea Cups. I was able to convince Macie to go on it. We were having a tea party. She wasn't sure at first, but did have a good time and loved waving to her Daddy who refused to ride on the Tea Cups.

Tea Cup selfie!
Oh Lucas...

Then it was the moment we had been waiting for. I knew meeting Anna and Elsa would make Macie's day. Again, thank you Noah for the fast pass ticket tip. If it wasn't for you, we may not have gotten to meet them. We got there a few minutes before our assigned time, which I am glad we did. It made us third in line for our assigned time. So we only waited in line for about 10 minutes. You get personal time with Anna and Elsa. Only your family is allowed in their house during your meet & greet. So Lucas and Macie got to spend time with the ladies. I think we were in the house talking with them for about 3 minutes. Which is a long time to be with the characters. Anna and Elsa talked with Macie and Lucas about being good siblings, how Anna used to have pigtails like Macie has, they really took their time with each kid. So sweet!

I love how they included Olaf!
He even talks which Macie loved!

I love how the get down on the kids' level to talk with them.

Macie getting a big hug from Elsa.
You can tell she is excited.

Big hug from her favorite Frozen character, Anna!

Lucas is such a ladies man!

Huge hug from Elsa!

Meeting Anna and Elsa made Macie's day.
She still talks about meeting them and getting hugs from them. 

After meeting the ladies, it was time for a break. So we headed back to the hotel for a rest. I have forgotten to mention that Matt does a great job of researching hotels. The hotel he booked was less than a five minute walk from the park. So going back and forth was perfect. Especially when you have little ones who need a break from all of the excitement. We took a break as a family while Grandma Johnson stayed behind to do a little shopping. Hard to shop with a 2 and 4 year old. 

After our break we headed for California Adventures for the remainder of the day. Our first stop was to take Macie and Lucas on the Monsters Inc ride. She had a great time on that ride. Finally Macie was getting used to going on rides and truly enjoying them. During the ride if she saw Randall she would say boo and blow raspberries at him. Too funny!

Then Matt and I wanted to go on Tower of Terror and asked Lucas if he wanted to go with us. He was not one to pass up a ride and said yes. We were a little surprised. We told him the ride goes up and down really fast. He said he was fine and wanted to go. Not going to lie, I was a little nervous about taking him and thought I was going to lose World's Greatest Parents by taking him. I even told a dad in line that we might be losing our status. Lucas did great though. I think the only thing that truly freaked him out was the little movie that you see right before the elevator drops up and down. He talks about that part being a little scary even though he knows it is "just pretend" The actual ride he said he loved. 

Tower of Terror selfie.

You can tell how Matt and I are holding on to him during the drops.
We are trying to keep our Title. 

While we took Lucas on Tower of Terror, Macie got to meet Sully with Grandma Johnson. Macie loved meeting him. Again, I love it when they get down on their level. I also love how he is this huge Monster and he wraps her up in his big arms. She looks so little in his huge arms. After her picture time with Sully she started to walk away and then turned back to say goodbye. When she turned to say bye, Sully waved for her to come back to get one more hug. When she went back she gave Sully a kiss on the nose. Seriously! How cute is that?!

Kissing Sully on the nose. 

When we met up with Macie and Grandma Johnson it was time for the Pixar Play Parade. This was perfect timing and Macie and Lucas enjoyed seeing all of their favorite Pixar characters. I love watching the parade, but I love seeing the looks and smiles on Lucas and Macie's faces more. It is just pure awe and excitement. Again, truly magical!

Huge smiles!

Just pure awe.
His hair is messed up because during the parade they squirt you with water.
He had just been squirted and was trying to dry it off. 

After the parade we decided to attempt Toy Story Mania one more time with Macie. We had promised Lucas to take him on the ride again since he did such a great job on Tower of Terror. We waited in line and Macie did great. She did try to bail once, but I was able to convince her that she could do this ride. I also agreed that she could bring her blankie with her on the ride for comfort. That was the trick. She did great and didn't try to claw her way out. Not even once.

Toy Story Mania selfie.

She even participated in the ride!

We tried to stay for the World of Color show, but the kids weren't really into it. Macie fell asleep in my arms while we waited for the show to start, Lucas was tired and couldn't really see it from where we were sitting. So we decided to call an end to our adventures and headed back to the hotel.

The surprise trip to Disneyland was a success in many ways. Lucas and Macie were absolutely great! There were no tantrums so it lived up to its name as the Happiest Place on Earth. Lucas went on all of the Big Kid rides that he was tall enough to go on. Macie greeted every character with open arms which is a big deal for her. We were really lucky to have Grandma Johnson to go with us so that Matt and I could experience going on the Big Kid rides with Lucas for the first time. I know you are thinking "Why so many selfies?" and I must admit I wanted to make sure I captured every moment. Like I mentioned before, with the health scares I just wasn't sure if we would make it back as a family... I know it seems silly and a little extreme, but I wanted to make sure I was present for every single happy moment.

Thank you Matt for making this happen for our family. Like you said, they are only 2 and 4 once. And we are only 34 and 36 once. Now that all of my tests came back clear, I can't wait to go again next year!