The Happiest Place On Earth

We just can't get enough Disney!  We had so much fun meeting Nate's sister and cousin there this year.  All our kids had a great time together too.  You'd have never guessed that it'd been years since they saw each other the way they joked and palled around with each other.  Made us all wish we lived closer.  Oh well, if you've got to pick a meeting place, may as well be the happiest place on earth.

Here are a ton of pictures from our three-day stay.  Look at all of us in our jackets in the morning!  Yeah, that Pacific morning breeze was a little chilly for us Texans.  But the days were just about as perfect as could be.

Getting on the Matterhorn for the first time ever.

I think they liked it.

The kids did lots of this - despite our lecturing and their occasional bonks.

The disney lake was full of baby ducks.  If I were a mother duck, I want to live there too.

Eliza and Lydia loved the Winnie the Pooh ride.  LOVED it.  We rode it over and over and over while waiting for the boys on Splash Mountain.  I think there's a reason there was never a line for that ride.

I even got over my lifelong Winnie the Pooh aversion enough to pose for this picture. (Can you see me saying under my breath, "don't touch me.  just don't touch me.")  Be proud of me.

Here are the kids on top of Tarzan's Treehouse, that used to be Swiss Family Robinson's treehouse.

Everywhere I looked the kids were climbing up something or another.

Aw, what nice sharing cousins!  Thanks for the cotton candy!

Splash Mountain.

soldier Brigham.  bored Clayton.  crybaby Isaac. And I'm about to fall out of my seat with excitement. Love this piccture.

Eliza's favorite ride. . .

Tom Sawyer's Island which is now "scary pirate island" or something. . .  The boys just disappeared into the rocks and caves.  This was their favorite attraction by far.

The girls just plopped down into the sand, which was really the walkway.  Their sand-playing became their signature pastime throughout the remainder of our entire trip.

Happy Lydia waiting in line for Pirates of the Caribbean.  Not so happy to actually be on the ride though. . .

Where e're there be a cannon, there be my boys also.  Turns out there are even cannons at Disneyland.

Living the dream. . .

Dumbo.

Our crew of wild animals.  Love Isaac here.

Driving Clayton

Driving Isaac

Driving Brigham

We realized that, because of his milk allergy, Brigham hadn't eaten anything in a few days.  He was happy to finally get a gigantic turkey leg for lunch.  He ate the whole thing.

One of the Disneyland workers offered to take a picture of our whole family.  Obviously the "It's a Small World" ride took precedent though because when it came down to it, she practically cut us out of the picture all together.

So I took another one myself.

A door Brigham's size.

This is what Lydia and Eliza did while waiting for the boys on Space Mountain.

Love the hair on the ball.  Eliza was soaked to the skin.

Isaac and Clayton got very brave - they kept their hands up the entire time.  Space Mountain still scares the tar out of me.

Buzz Lightyear.  Eliza got her courage up to do this ride again without crying.  Lydia's down there somewhere too.

This was my very favorite ride as a kid.  I'm glad everyone humored and waited in line for the Alice in Wonderland ride. And at least pretended to love it.

We ended our final day at Disneyland with the best ride of all.  The teacups.  I love these shots.

And just as we were leaving, we ended up by chance, with front row seats for the parade.  It was awesome.

Eliza got to see all her favorite princesses at last.

Goodbye Disneyland!

I'm sure we'll be back.