Blended. Shaken. And Stirred.: Disneyland 2012

For 18 months we saved every penny (literally!) we could for our big Disneyland trip. We love going to Disneyland in December. Christmas and the Happiest Place on Earth... what could be better? We go every other year and we all look forward to it so much. This year we were looking forward to seeing Cars Land, which did not dissapoint. But of course the best part is seeing the kids's faces when they experience all the magic of the castle, the rides, the characters, the parade, the fireworks, etc. 2012 has been a tough year on our family and it was so nice to escape reality for a couple of days and just be happy - it was an amazing vacation!

Before the trip Joey worked on signs to hopefully get picked for Jedi Training Academy in Tomorrow Land. He had seen the photos of his big brothers fighting Darth Vader years ago and that was his main goal for this trip. Thankfully he was chosen immediately (sign worked!) and I cried like he really became a Jedi!

We left Friday night so the kids could sleep in the car. Unfortunately we blew a fuse right before we left and the DVD players and the radio were not working. That made for a very looooonnnngggg car ride for the adults trying to stay awake and drive. But for the kids, it just made it easier to sleep!

We arrived at our hotel at 3 a.m. and of course the kids were ready to head to the park. We managed to get some sleep and headed to iHop for a huge breakfast...

When we got to the park the first ride we went on was the Jungle Cruise. The kids were amazed by what they saw everywhere they looked.

One of Logan's goals of the trip was to go in a canoe. He had seen a Max & Ruby episode about a canoe and was so excited when he found out Disneyland had canoes too.

Since Emmie is too small to ride most of the rides, she and I had some serious Mommy-Daughter bonding. This pic below is some bonding over a traditional banana split from Ghiradelli Chocolate Factory.

Face painting was also on our To Do list and Joey and Logan loved their dragons!

Of course we stopped by to say hello to characters whenever we could.

Me and my little man...

My little man became a bonafide Starbucks addict on this trip. No, not for lattes, but for chocolate milk and croissants. Here he is in his pajamas at the hotel Starbucks with Cheri.

One of the most magical experiences of the trip was the Bibbity Boppity Boutique for Emmie. Located in Sleeping Beauty's Castle, this boutique transforms little princesses with hair and makeup and even nail polish applied by fairy godmothers. Emmie loved it and I cried through the whole thing. It was like a movie montage played in my head of all we went through to have a daughter and it all lead up to this... her princess reveal. Okay, I know that sounds a little dramatic but you had to be there... it is emotional!

Speaking of had-to-be-there moments... this is our little princess asleep on the hotel hallway floor... there is no way for me to really explain why Cheri and I were laughing hysterically at this point. It involved being exhausted and carrying this little sack of potatoes for what seemed like miles, and then not being able to find our hotel room.... again, had to be there.