Disneyland is a Happy Place

We just got back from Disneyland. Two days at the happiest place on earth. We had a lot of fun. And more importantly, we survived!!! Just me and Rinar and 5 kids...3 of them being 2 years-old and younger. It is a miracle, I tell you.

The first day was spent exclusively at Disneyland. Raef and Zach were old pros and did great, had lots of fun and never got tired...so their story is pretty boring. However, Eli is a more interesting topic of conversation.

Here he is in the morning. He was doing great. He got his picture taken with Pooh while his brothers rode Splash Mountain a couple of times.

He wasn't too fond of Pooh or Eeyore and would bury his head into his shoulder. Julia was ambivalent.
He loved the Dumbo ride...yes, so much that he wouldn't get off of the ride. No way, uh huh! Then he tried to run away from me, so I had to throw him over my shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
He settled (?) for a picture of Dumbo in the consolation cab. Can't you see how happy he is?

We did lots of the rides for him and he never really saw a need to wait in a line or get off the ride when it was done. It took a bit of convincing and pulling, grabbing, and tackling to get him to comply with the rules of the park.

The best experience with this was when I took him with Raef and Zach on Autopia and he had a complete meltdown. Complete...I mean complete meltdown. But somehow we muddled through. So day one was over and we headed back to the hotel for a BBQ and swimming. Eli loved the swimming part of our trip. The first night he had a hard time saying goodbye to the pool to go to bed. It was a violent and riveting goodbye. Needless to say, when we let him swim again we were fearful what his reaction would be, but he did loads better and walked out docilely when we were done.

On day two we went to California Adventures. We had never been there before and it was a lot of fun. The morning went perfectly for everyone. Eli was more used to the routine and did great getting on and off rides. I was greatly relieved.

Raef and Zach got asked to play musical chairs in a little street show and it was very funny. The guy asked Raef how he thought he would do and Raef responded, "I don't know. I might lose." That's the spirit Raef! I am so proud of that can-don't attitude.

By the way, he did lose in a nail biter in the end with some punk 10 year-old girl. Okay, punk might be a tad bit of an exaggeration.

Then we hit a couple more rides. The day was drawing to a close. Rinar took the boys on them as Eli was too small to go. So we just waited for them...

Eli was such a trooper, as was Harry.


You know they say that Disney is the happiest place on earth.

I totally agree.


It is so happy, it just makes Eli cry tears of joy.

Okay, well do you think it might be time to go? Yes, we bought them all HUGE lollipops to top off a sugar-filled day. It turned Eli's frown upside down real quick. I put him in the car with that lollipop. Then when we stopped in Barstow for gas, his face was so caked with sugar that even his eyelashes were plastered to his face. He slept to Barstow...and then he was awake all the way to Las Vegas!!!!


and then 8.8 miles from Las Vegas look what happened...

All I can say is...I survived Disneyland.