Hello, my friends!  I hope that Monday was kind to you and that your Tuesday is even better.  Today seems like a good day share some of the happy, exciting and fun things that kept me away from this lovely blog from my beloved blog.  First there was snow that didn’t want to stop, which was not so good.  But our trip to the happiest place on earth, Disneyland, was more than good.  It was amazing!

Our family is no stranger to this magical place.  We LOVE it!  Eugene and I still vividly remember our very first trip as a family.  Ben just turned 2 and Caleb was all of 9 months old.  We still remember the look on Ben’s face when we pulled up the drive to the Disneyland Hotel and he saw the giant Mickey Mouse statue.  It was a look full of joy and delight.  It is also hard to forget because he had the most amazing cheeks when he was 2, so chubby and so cute.  We hadn’t even gotten off the shuttle but, and we both knew that we would never forget this trip.

That was in 2003.  That was almost 10 years ago and 5 trips later.  Each time gets better.  The trip we took in January was Eleanor’s third time, but this is the first time she is old/big ride on more than just the carousel.    This was the first time she will be able to remember the fun that we had.  And speaking of firsts, this is the first time we went with pre-teens. (omg, I can’t believe I just typed that!) The boys weren’t really into waiting in line to meet the Princesses and to go on the ‘little kid’ rides.  My boys were all the about the Mountains – Space Mountain and Splash Mountain.  That was a little difficult in the beginning, but once we figured out a good ride schedule things went back to fun.  We did the ‘Eleanor’ things first.  She had so much fun that she actually napped later on in the day – she NEVER naps!  Disneyland is magic!  That left plenty of time to do more of the big kid things roller coasters, roller coasters and roller coasters.

The girls at the Magical Princess Fun Faire.

We breakfasted with Ariel and her Princess Friends.

Eleanor LOVED Ariel’s Grotto.  Especially meeting her favorite princesses.

The boys weren’t into taking pictures this trip, but they wouldn’t pass up a chance to pose with Goofy.

Caleb and Goofy.

The girls with the Chipmunks.

The girls looking into Minnie Mouse’s vanity.

I can honestly say that I love this place more now than I ever did when I was my kids’ age.  We often hear that there is a certain type of magic when you see the world through your children’s eyes.  Over the years, I’ve experienced this and know it to be true.  But it takes on a whole new level at Disney.  I didn’t take nearly as many pictures as I wanted to this trip.  But because of that magic, the memories are still there.  And we will never forget them.

xo,

Andrea