Disneyland - Part 3: First Impressions

I've been dreaming of taking my kids to Disneyland for as long as I can remember. Some girls dream about their weddings, some wish for ponies, but for me, having a family to take to Disneyland was the ultimate dream. As we were waiting for the gates to open on that first day, I couldn't believe we were actually here, that I was about to walk down Main Street and see the big castle with my own children. Of course, before I was a mother I always imagined this day would include a little girl who would share my love of Alice in Wonderland and squeal at the sight of a "real life" castle. But as I waited there with my boys, those things didn't matter. This was their trip and I couldn't wait to see it through their eyes.
They certainly didn't disappoint.
From the moment we walked through those gates it was pure joy and loads of excitement from both boys. Walking down Main Street with wide eyes and gaping mouths, they pointed out every detail and tried to soak in all that they were seeing.
It was magic.
A dream come true.

Disneyland - Part 2: Meeting Characters

Gus was so excited to encounter various Disney characters throughout the park. He would get so excited to meet them, but when it came to his turn, he'd always freeze and cling to one of us. The characters are so great with kids though and they always made him feel special and at ease. He got quite a few signatures in his autograph book and he sure is proud of them.

His favorite character, "Pluno" (as he calls him).



Pinocchio & Gepetto


Chip & Dale

Mickey Mouse!

Buzz Lightyear

Minnie Mouse

Disneyland - Part 1: Travel

Here are the excited boys, waiting patiently in the airport. We told them the theme of our trip was going to be "patience" and they really did a good job with it.

View out the plane window of another plane similar in size to ours. It was tiny!

Upon arrival, the boys were delighted to discover our hotel room had a special Cars themed area just for them. They orginally had us in a princess room but the sweet lady at the front desk quickly remedied that situation when she realized we only have boys! The Fairfield Inn is a great place to stay! Right across the street from the entrance, lots of restaurants, comfortable rooms and best of all, a view of the Disney fireworks!

We're Going to Disneyland!

While we're on the subject of crafting...

Here's what I made our dear friends, Brian & Amber, for Christmas. They moved to Ohio this summer and are so very missed. I embroidered our states with connected hearts for our cities.



Love to Columbus...

...from Seattle.



(You may notice that I accidentally put the heart over Olympia at first. Took me 2 days to realize it. Geography is not my strong suit.)

Getting Ready

Mark is out tonight, so I decided to make Mickey Mouse shirts for the boys in preparation for our top-secret trip to Disneyland next week. I cannot wait to tell the boys that we're going. I think their heads might explode.

This was my first time using freezer paper stencils and it worked really well. It was super easy. I used acrylic paint and I have no idea if it's machine washable. Next time I'd use fabric paint, but I didn't have any on hand.

Jr. Chef

Prepare yourselves for an extra-surgary dose of pure cuteness when looking at the photos below. I'm just sayin'.

My sister found this adorable chef's hat and scarf on clearance at Gymboree and knew it was a must-have for our budding chef, Gus. He immediately wanted to bake after receiving it, so we got to work crafting some of his famous "feel-you-better" cookies. This time he was making them for some dear friends of ours and word is they loved them.

All dressed up and ready to bake:



Working hard:

The proud chef:

Just a little taste: