A dream is a wish your heart makes...

After Ben spent Isabelle's Spring Break in NYC we decided to enjoy a little Spring Break trip of our own, but a few weeks late on purpose to miss all of the crowds and other travelers. We thought about a trip to NYC again but then looked at our two small girls and thought where is the happiest place on earth for these two...and of course the answer is always DISNEY!

We had most recently enjoyed Disney World in Orlando so we decided to shake it up a bit and this time booked tickets to Orange County California for the end of April. We told the girls the exciting news on Isabelle's birthday and gave them new Disney nightgowns and a countdown to the big day so the enthusiasm and anticipation began 30 days before our flights took off.

Aunt Tara happened to be traveling from Miami to San Francisco that same week for work so we convinced her to book her flights a few days earlier and have fun with us at Disneyland. It was so fun to have her there to enjoy the magic with us and three adults to two children is pretty favorable odds in all circumstances.




Soon it was time to depart and I am not sure which one of us was more excited. The girls were both great travelers like usual and we quickly found our way to sunny California. We booked rooms at the magical Disneyland Hotel so the fun began right away when we boarded the Disneyland Bus at the airport and headed to our resort. The girls sat in giant Teacups while we checked in and admired a Disney map the size of a huge wall. The magic didn't end in the lobby however, our room was filled with Disney touches as well. Mickey was on our lamps, faucets, mirrors, etc, and when we turned off the lights at night, nightlight fireworks lit up our room and played When you wish upon a star... quietly and sang us to sleep. The Disneyland Hotel was definitely a highlight of our stay in California. It was just a quick walk to the park and had yummy restaurants right on site. It had a private entrance to the Monorail and they checked our tickets right there and dropped us off right in Tomorrow land. We all slept like a baby each night as we were more than exhausted from all of the fun and our hotel was beautiful and clean and a perfect ending to our magical days.

For 5 straight days we woke early and played as hard as we could. We enjoyed Magic Kingdom three times and California Adventure once. Another perk of being a guest at the Disney Hotel was that we were invited into the parks an hour before the gates actually opened, and naturally being on a later time zone, the early mornings were our happiest times. We walked straight to Fantasyland and rode every ride once or twice before the park opened with no wait whatsoever. We also toured the Mickey Mouse Gang's homes and got to visit and chat with Mickey and all of his pals with no one waiting behind us to rush us through. The Magic Morning Hours were truly special and with two little ones in tow made a big difference to our experience.







Both girls LOVED the Disney parade and we watched it not once, twice, but three different times and cheered and waved and clapped like mad. Isabelle was almost tall enough for all the rides and showed no fear when it came to roller coasters. Her favorite rides this trip were Space Mountain, Thunder Mountain, Splash Mountain and of course Dumbo. Olivia was so much fun at Disneyland this time because she was so in love with all of the characters. She loved getting her picture taken and would hug each one and was happy to see them again and again. She rode everything she was big enough for as well and especially enjoyed Small World, Winnie the Pooh, The Little Mermaid and the Merry-Go-Round. We ate yummy food each day like Jalapeño Stuffed Mickey Pretzels, Frozen Chocolate Covered Bananas and of course Churros. One afternoon we had an especially fancy lunch at Ariel's Grotto where we enjoyed steak and pasta and the company of Ariel, Jasmine, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty and Belle. The girls were so excited to see the princesses and one Disney employee put her foot in her mouth when she commented on how beautiful Isabelle was and asked her if she was planning to come back to Disney in 20 years and play a princess. Belle looked at her like "What do you mean?"

We were extremely lucky in the character department this trip. We saw most of our friends multiple times and even got to dance hip hop with Mickey on stage. We took pictures with Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, Goofy, Daisy, Donald, Cinderella, Ariel, Jasmine, Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, Belle, Jessie, Mary Poppins and Burt, Tinkerbelle, Rosetta and the list goes on. Two and six must be the perfect age for Disneyland because each time they saw a character they were beyond thrilled and couldn't wait to get their autograph and a hug.




Sadly 5 days is not long enough in the Happiest Place on Earth. Too soon it was time to board our plane and head back to hot and sweaty Texas. The California weather was almost "cold" to us in April and we spent most of the days in our hoodies, except for Ben who was finally cooled down to a normal body temperature. We loved every minute of our trip to Southern California and can't wait to return hopefully very soon. Since we've been home, the girls have rewatched all of the princess movies and are already starting a new Disney Jar to save up for their next trip. Olivia often tells us that We can go to Disneyland tomorrow and I'm just about ready to promise if she would wear panties 100% of the time I will buy us a return ticket! What a happy, joyful, magical little piece of the earth Mr. Walt Disney designed. And as the man himself said... Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world.