We had our first trip to Disneyland on Thanksgiving weekend! This has been a highly anticipated trip for us and we were so excited to be able to experience it with our whole family. On Thanksgiving day, we strolled through Downtown Disney and then my parents treated all 15 of us to a dinner at Goofy’s Kitchen. The kids got their first character interactions and got to meet Goofy and some other friends during our dinner. We had more than our fair share of delicious food and so many fun memories were made. The next day was our first day in the park and we had the most magical time! From Fantasyland rides, to character meet and greets, to giggles on the carousel, and taking in the beauty of the firework show up close. I have to say that a highlight for me on day one was watching Everly see Elsa for the first time in the Christmas Fantasy Parade. She had waited so long to meet her favorite Disney princess and seeing her excitement and anticipation was so precious. We were watching the Christmas Fantasy parade and the Frozen float came by. Everly was wearing her beanie and jacket and when she spotted the float she took off her jacket (on her own) so Elsa could see her dress. Both Anna and Elsa spotted her in the crowd and Elsa looked right at her, waved, and blew her a kiss. But the best part for me was the way Everly turned to me after the parade, wrapped her arms around me and looked at me right in the eyes, then gave me the sweetest kiss. The definition of Disney magic right there. The kids just about closed down the park and we squeezed in some fun big-kid rides while they slept in their strollers. The next day we started out in California Adventure with a visit to Santa. The kids explored the tree house, my dad met Doug the dog in his Carl outfit, we went to the Frozen meet and greet where Everly got to meet Anna and Elsa up close, danced in the Disney animation building, watched another parade, snuck in some more rollercoasters, and then headed back to Disneyland for some more rides for the kids, some sweet treats, and one more ride on Small World. And finally, at the very end of day two, Oliver got to meet Mickey and give him a hug. He squealed and pointed to him and I had to hold him back from cutting in line to see him. There were so many beautiful moments on this trip and some of the most precious ones looking back were all the things that happened in the in-between. Watching Ollie give Dan kisses while waiting in line for a ride, the smile on Everly’s face while getting a piggy back ride from her Nana, watching my Dad hold Ollie while he grins from ear to ear and claps, seeing Everly holding hands with her cousins, and seeing Oliver giggle while his Uncle holds him and tickles his belly. It was so special to be able to pull off this trip with the whole family. There were 9 adults, 3 kids, 2 toddlers, 1 baby, and a partridge in a pear tree, haha. I’m forever thankful for my family and I’m so grateful that we all have each other.
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