January 2011 Disneyland!

Now that Miki was home from Iraq, he got some time off of work and we decided to take the girls to Disneyland. We left a day later than planned because Lanie was not feeling well. We hoped that the extra day resting at home would help her a little on this trip.

We decided to drive over to San Diego, visit with friends and family and then head up to Disneyland.

The drive over was interesting. We left El Paso with pretty nice weather, around 50 degrees, but halfway through New Mexico we were attacked by a vicious wind storm that threw tumbleweed after tumbleweed at our car. The front of our car was covered in them as they got stuck in our front grill. Then immediately after the wind storm ended, the temperature dropped 40 degrees and we were greeted by a snow storm. It was slow going and we were not prepared for that type of weather. But we made it past the storms and stayed the night in Casa Grande, AZ.

That night, Lanie actually slept pretty good, which surprised me with how she had been feeling, but Sadie was up half of the night with an ear infection. I was walking the halls and lobby with her part of the night and Miki took her to Walmart for ear drops the other part. We were happy for the sun to rise and loaded up the kids to drive the last stretch to San Diego.

We got to the Da Valle's home in time to celebrate New Year's Eve with them.

It is always fun to visit with them and see their beautiful kids grow. Our girls call them their pretend cousins. That night Lanie started crying uncontrollably, shaking and her lips and hands turned blue. We were all concerned that she wasn't breathing well and hoped that she hadn't inhaled something. So, Miki and Brandon took her to the ER. That is actually the first time that we have had to take any of our kids to the ER. They came back a couple of hours later with a very sleepy baby. X-rays had been taken and she was fine. She just had had a very high fever from an upper respiratory infection. Poor thing was still trying to recover from being so sick and we decided to drag her all over the country for a fun family vacation. Probably not so fun for her. She just wanted her bed. But the trip wasn't even half way over.

We met up with the Cains at Moya's new apartment. We had a nice time meeting her husband Paul. And the girls were excited that they had a new uncle. Martin and Mimosa were also there. Moya and Mimosa came with us in our car and we drove up to Disneyland. The hotel was very nice and within walking distance of the park, which ended up being important since Moya and Mimosa spent most of the time there with a very sick Lanie.

They were so wonderful to help out with Lanie so that Miki and I could both go to the park with Kylie and Sadie. We are very grateful to you! I know that Lanie also enjoyed the time she spent with Grandma and Moya. They were up with her every night as she just cried and cried. Poor thing, we didn't know what to do for her to help her find comfort.

As you will see in most of these pictures Miki and I had a completely different Disney trip with Kylie and Sadie then Lanie had (I will post pictures of Lanie's adventures at Disneyland next). I am glad that Moya and Mimosa were able to take her around a little so that she can see these pictures later and know about her first visit to Disneyland.

The first day there, it rained and rained. It got pretty cold, but that also meant that no one was at the park. We didn't have to wait in line for any ride. Miki and I were in shock as we raced through Splash Mountain straight to the front of the line. We had never experienced that before. We got soaked and after about two hours the kids were done. Our feet were soaked and frozen and Sadie just couldn't take one more ride with wind and rain blowing straight into her face. We went to a restaurant for hot cocoa, took off the kids socks and shoes and tried to air dry the best we could. I felt so bad having to put wet socks and shoes back onto the girls feet for the return trip to the hotel. Mimosa and Moya met us at the restaurant with Lanie in the stroller. They sat there holding a very wet and tired Sadie as Kylie and I went to see Rapunzel. Sadie did get a little nap in and was carried the entire way home.

The next day was warmer, and after a nice long bath and a good nights rest we were ready to brave the rain. Luckily it only rained lightly and stopped after about 10 am. The crowds were still light, and we went on almost every ride at Disneyland that day. Lanie did join us briefly but was still not feeling well. We loved It's a Small World and went on that a couple of times. Miki and Kylie went on Splash Mountain again, but Sadie was not loving the roller coasters very much.

Sadie was afraid of the Submarine ride. She thought that we would be under the water the entire time. I tried to reassure her that it actually doesn't even go under the water, but she was also afraid that it would be dark the entire time. So, we opted to sit that one out. I nice lady that worked there, was concerned that Sadie was nervous about the ride. After I explained to her Sadie's fears, the nice lady said that we could go into a special building were the lights would be on and get to see the entire ride there. Sadie still wasn't sure, but I told her it would be exciting to do something that no one else gets to do and that she could tell Miki and Kylie all about it afterwards. She said "Yes" and the lady took us to a side building that was designed to look like the inside of a submarine. It is the building that they use for those in wheelchairs or others unable to climb onto the ride. Sadie and I sat in this little room and enjoyed the entire ride without her feeling afraid. I was so glad that Disneyland has made accommodations for situations like ours so that Sadie could enjoy the park and rides too. And I am grateful for the nice employee who noticed our situation and made it a good experience for us.

We spent the next day (no rain, nice and warm and lots of crowds) riding the last couple of rides at Disneyland and then headed over to California Adventure. Moya and Mimosa joined us again with Lanie, but this time Lanie was doing better and they got to spend most of the day with us. We didn't have enough time for everything there was to do there. We did see the Aladdin show and went on the huge roller coaster, California Screamin. Kylie was just barely big enough to go on it and was excited to try it out with us. This was her first big roller coaster and she had no idea what she was getting herself into. It was such a fun ride, but I know Kylie will think twice before jumping onto a roller coaster again. She was a little terrified, but still so brave.

We stayed for the light and water show that night. We didn't have the best view because no on had told us to get tickets earlier in the day to reserve the good seats. Oh well, we will know that for next time. But the girls still loved the lights and colors. I thought the fire parts of the show were pretty impressive. We headed back to the hotel for another night of Lanie crying all night long.

The next day we got up, and took Moya and Mimosa back to San Diego and then headed home to El Paso. We were going to stay in Casa Grande again, but we were ready to get Lanie into her own bed and home and couldn't handle another night in a hotel with our crazy kids. Lanie cried for awhile in the car, but when she finally settled down and fell asleep, Miki decided to just drive and drive until we got home. It was a long 14 hour drive, but the kids actually did very well and I am glad that we did it.

We made such wonderful memories and spent time with friends and family that we love. Thanks to everyone for a fun vacation. I can't wait for our next Disney adventure. We might have to wait a couple more years though until Lanie is a little older and can enjoy it more with the family.