Our Disney Vacation

Oh where do I even start?!?! I have sat down to write this entry over and over again and then become overwhelmed with HOW MANY PICTURES I took and then walk away. I decided that I would share a 'few' of my favorite pictures as well as highlights from our vacation, and then at the bottom I have a 6 minute video of a more in depth peek at our week @ Disneyland. Sound good????

I have to say that this was the best vacation EVER. WHY??? Because I LOVED every minute being with Matt and the kids in one of the FUNNEST places on earth. I am not sure if you have visited Disneyland in the last few years after their renovations/additions, but let me tell you it is FANTASTIC!! It was a perfect vacation. We enjoyed the perfect California weather too!! I have told others that I wish I could just bottle up every single bit of last week and keep it close...I just don't want to forget one moment.

The kids were so precious. They behaved wonderfully, and their joy was contagious. We hit it hard and did it all. We saw almost all of the characters that we wanted to see- did not see Captain Hook...there is always next time right?? :)

Here are a few of my favorite memories of the week:

• Our Disney hotel. Matt and I sure loved this place 3 years ago when we visited it but did we ever fall deeper in love with it this week. Our room had a view of the pool/park, and we definitely enjoyed it! It deserves MORE than the 5 star rating it has. I'd give it 10! The location is worth it all. Literally you can turn left and enter the park or turn right and be in Downtown Disney. We were right smack dab in the middle of everything. It was wonderful to be able to go back to the room and let the kids nap, go swimming, or when our day was finished just knowing we were steps away from our beds. Priceless!! Not to mention it is beautiful too. Hud's favorite was having the bunk beds in our room. He thought that was so cool and now he wants Santa to bring him bunk beds for Christmas...ha!! I HIGHLY recommend staying at the Disneyland Grand Californian Hotel.
  
  

The Pirates of the Caribbean ride. My sweet Huddy, oh his love for pirates...this child LOVED this ride. We did too. We rode it everyday...some times twice a day. He was adorable on it and by the end of the week was our tour guide for this ride. It was one of Harp's favorites too!!

Hudson decided to show us that he is in fact a DAREDEVIL!! Now that Hud is over 42 inches he can ride most everything. AND HE DID. He rode The Tower of Terror 4 times....that is the ride where you are on the elevator that drops from the top floor to the bottom (Steve and Chelsie I thought of ya'll and your HILARIOUS picture...ours did not turn out near as funny, but I still died laughing at the thought of yours)!! He also rode Splash Mountain 3 times, the Matterhorn twice, and many others. He LOVED them, and left each ride ready to go again! In fact he held his hands up the entire time he rode the rides. We were shocked at him riding all of these rides, but had so much fun riding them with him!

Sweet Harper and Pluto. This was one of the most precious moments with her. We were waiting for Matt and Hudson to get back from riding a ride and Pluto was right by us. Since it was not crowded she spent her time playing with Pluto. Pluto would hold out his arms and Harper would just run to him and he would catch her. She sat in his lap, gave him hug after hug, and just played with him. Watching her play and run around with Pluto was the cutest thing I have ever seen. Even Pluto's little guard was laughing with me while we watched them. I bet we spent 15 minutes just playing with Pluto. It was BEYOND adorable. I really wish I could have met the person inside that costume....best Pluto EVER!

Hudson and Harper had the same squeal of delight on day 5 as they did on day 1. They LOVED spotting each character and ran up to each of them with open arms. Never once were they nervous or scared. It was pure joy.

We did 2 character breakfasts. One was at Goofy's Kitchen and the other was at Storyteller's Cafe'. Both were FANTASTIC!! Some of the best food ever! It was a spread like you have never seen before. It was so much fun seeing so many of our Disney friends while enjoying breakfast. The kids loved the Mickey waffles and pancakes. Goofy's kitchen even had a dessert table. Where else in the world do you get cupcakes for dessert after breakfast??? Hudson and Harper loved it....Daddy did too. He enjoyed ice cream after breakfast.

Another true highlight was going at this time of year. School was back in session and it was not crowded. We walked on to many rides and at times we could just stay on and ride again. The weather was a bonus. It was cool in the mornings and evenings, but warm enough during the day that we could swim. It was so nice being there with no crowds. Definitely spoiled us! :) Also having a 5 day park hopper pass was great. We really took our time seeing and doing everything. We could have stayed longer...we loved it that much!!

Lastly we LOVED the parades, firework show, the Aladdin play, and The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse show. (see video for some of these great pics). Disney sure knows how to put on a show and entertain people of all ages. I don't care how old you are, it brings out the kid in everyone!! Last week with my family is a week I will forever treasure. It was a blast!

These are just a few BONUS pictures that I loved from the week!!

Here is a video for those that want a good glimpse into our week at Disneyland!!

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