Disneyland Milestones

So... we went to Disneyland.

Again.

But I just want you to know that we didn't go in 2018! We totally took a break!

Well, 5 of the 6 of us took a break.

(Scotty has gone with his little group of man friends three years in a row, and they are going again soon).

Anyway, we've been to Disneyland a lot. Scotty and I were trying to figure out how many Disneyland trips we've taken our double stroller on. It's somewhere in the 10-12 range.

This is the stroller the day I took it out of the box:

 

Daisy was about three weeks old, and the stroller took its first journey to Disneyland two weeks later.

When I bought the stroller, I wasn't sure if it was a good investment. I didn't know if I really needed it. Nine years later, I can tell you it was ABSOLUTELY a good investment. I only wish it had an odometer on it! I'd love to see the mileage we've put on that thing! And we have always been waaaaay over the weight capacity, so it's really taken a beating, but it has served us so well!

This trip to Disneyland was one of many milestones, and one thing we're left wondering is... will this be the last trip for the double stroller?

Some milestones we met are:

First Disneyland trip without diapers

This was kind of a big deal for me. When I was packing, it dawned on me that all of my kids are potty trained for Disneyland. We've always had to pack a heavy supply of diapers and wipes, and there have even been times when I've had TWO kids in diapers at Disneyland, and I've laid them side by side on the changing table. Not only did we not need diapers, we also didn't need a diaper bag. Or formula.

First trip with all kids tall enough for the big rides.

In addition to all kids being out of diapers, all our kids are now tall enough to go on most of the rides. There are a lot of rides that we've been able to ride together, even with newborns, but there are those few bigger rides with height requirements. Eva is 41" tall, which means she can ride almost everything (most rides with a height requirement are set at 40", but there are a few they need to be taller for: Matterhorn and Grizzly River Run are 42", Indiana Jones is 46", and Incredicoaster is 48").

Eva's first "big kid ride" was Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. She loved it and went on it multiple times. She endured Splash Mountain but didn't want to go again. She went on Space Mountain and wasn't too thrilled about that. Scotty made her go on Guardians of the Galaxy, and she loved Rocket (the raccoon) but after the ride she said, "That was not fun." But two days later she asked to go on it again because she wanted to see the raccoon. She loved Radiator Springs Racers, as we expected she would!

Zoe is now tall enough to go on every ride! She went on Indredicoaster and Indiana Jones for the first time. She hated Indiana Jones but liked Incredicoaster and rode it a second time.

{all seven of us on Splash Mountain - Scotty's mom joined us}

First time I wore a poncho.

I've always been anti-rain poncho on water rides, even in the middle of winter. Maybe this is a feature of being 35 years old. I wore a rain poncho a couple of times on Splash Mountain.

WHO AM I???

Ugliest ride photo I've ever seen of myself.

I've had some bad ones, but this time, I got the worst one so far. It happened on Space Mountain. I know where all the photo spots are on the rides, but I got distracted, and when the flash went off, I was stunned. Nicky and I laughed so hard at how ugly it was.

Part of me is saying "Post it, post it!" The other part is saying, "Don't show that to anyone. Ever."

We met Peter Tu!

In all the times we've been to Disneyland, we've never seen Peter Tu. We were so excited when we saw him at Big Thunder Mountain Railroad early one morning, and then he was getting on Autopia as we were getting off.

We used the short kid ticket.

When Daisy was three and just starting to go on the "big kid" rights, she got turned away from the Jumping Jellyfish in California Adventure (that's okay - we just waited until the employees changed posts and the next guy let her on). The cast member who turned her away for being too short gave her this ticket to come back when she's tall enough and go to the front of the line (I've never seen anything like this for any other ride). We never used the ticket because there's never been much of a line for that ride when we've been there, but Scotty carried it in his wallet for six years.

This time, half the ride was closed for repairs, so we finally used the ticket!

First time trying the matching shirt thing.

In all the times we've gone to Disneyland, we've never worn matching shirts. This time we brought two sets of matching shirts. Half our group had jackets on at any given time, so matching shirts were kind of pointless. We didn't think it through.

But it was fun anyway.

Zoe lost a tooth.

Zoe had a tooth that was really loose. We tried to bribe her into letting us pull it out, but she wasn't having it! One night while Zoe and I were fetching the stroller from Tomorrowland, she asked for a sandwich and then got frustrated because she couldn't bite into it with her loose tooth. She told me she needed to pull it out right away... and she did! I put it in my purse, and the tooth fairy came that night!

We went to the Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique.

In the Boutique, children 12 and under can get makeovers by fairy godmothers. I've looked into it before, but we've never done it. My niece has been working in the Boutique and was able to get a discount, so we decided to go. Since Nicky is 12, we made him do a knight makeover - after all, it was his last chance!

It ended up being so much fun! Daisy didn't want to do it, but Eva and Zoe did. They got to pick their hairstyles, and then they got a sash and a drawstring backpack with some fun make-up and accessories in it. We let them get princess dresses, too! 

Gaston happened to stumble in while we were there, which made it even more fun! He was hilarious!

The Boutique was one of the highlights of the trip! I'm so glad we went. My only complaint is that the lighting is poor, so the pictures aren't great. 

We had such a wonderful time! There were lots of tantrums, we were exhausted the entire time, and someone puked in the van (as always - we never make it without a van puker!) but it was amazing. 

Winter is definitely my favorite time to go! We get a break from the cold of Utah, and it gets dark early, and there's something magical about Disneyland after dark. I love when the air at Disneyland is crisp and cool (but not freezing), and I get to wear a cozy sweatshirt and see all the lights. One of my favorite things to do is buy a hot chocolate and find somewhere to sit and just watch the people and enjoy being there.

But I didn't do that this time, so I guess I need to go again!