Disneyland. Can there ever be enough said about the subject? I wish I could move into one of those hidden little rooms above the shops in Mainstreet.
We just recently returned from a trip there for our Williams Family Reunion (sans our Elder Williams, we love you Peter!), and we had the time of our lives! We all had 5-Day Park Hopper passes, and lived each day to the fullest. I think on that very first day, Chris was in Disneyland from open to close, just going non-stop! Chris and I were especially excited to introduce James to Disneyland. James was such a trooper, especially considering he still had to wear his arm restraints from his eye surgery. He reluctantly accepted the insufferable amounts of sunscreen, and even consented to wearing his hat and sunglasses most of the time. It was so much fun seeing Disneyland through his eyes, and watching him dance with excitement during Pirates of the Carribean, Haunted Mansion, and the Teacups. We took him on all of the storybook rides, where all he did was point in awe. He shocked us all by even taking naps in his stroller so we could be out all day (for him, that is HUGE). By far, his favorite attractions were all the rides in A Bug's Land in California Adventure, and we took him there often.
We of course spent as much time as possible with the family. We had my parents, Chris's family (Mal, Ella, Eli, Rhys), Marc's family (Britni, Malia, Ami, Holden), and Cassandra and Sam. James LOVED spending time with his cousins, something he rarely gets to do! I just wish we all had more time to spend together. That trip went by too quickly.
My parents were so generous and babysat James for us a few times so Chris and I could go on the "big" kid rides. I love how Disneyland makes you forget about your outside life and just puts you inside this big, magical, carefree bubble. I felt like a little kid running over both parks and eating entirely WAY too much food. I'm sure my mom and I both ate our weight in beignets.
Disneyland has updated the Star Tours ride, and it was my favorite ride of the trip. It was just so creative and the 3D was the best I've ever seen! In California Adventure, the new rides are Toy Story and The Little Mermaid. I LOVE Ariel, so of course I was obsessed with that ride. We were in line for the Toy Story ride, but it broke down and they gave us all Ultimate Passes for any ride in either park, for up to 6 people. The following day, Chris and I returned with 7 people (oops! They let us through...) and we went on the Toy Story ride, which was SO much fun. I like it much better than the Buzz Lightyear ride. The funny thing is, is that they forgot to take our Ultimate Pass, so we were able to do the same thing on Splash Mountain. :) I don't think there was a ride we didn't go on!
It was so great being there with my parents, and we are so thankful for their generosity. They even took us all out to lunch at Ariel's Grotto (where we got to meet all of the princesses). They said it was for the grandchildren...but who are we kidding? It was great. We also had the great adventure of piling 17 people into a Honda Pilot so we didn't have to walk to The Cheesecake Factory for dinner. We all felt like clowns getting out of a VW Bug when we arrived there.
We are so blessed to have such a great family, and we were sad to see the trip end. I'm sure, however, the highlight of the trip for my Dad was being asked by a random little kid if he was a Jedi Master from Star Wars. That was definitely a memory we'll keep for a long time! Here are some of my other favorites!
