Disneyland + Halloween = Great Time

This past week we had our first ever fall break at school.  What better way to spend time off than at Disneyland?  Since we bought the annual passes in January, we figured, the more trips the better.  This time we went with another family that have boys the exact ages as Colton and Dawson, so they had a blast!

Our first day there, it was pretty crowded, but each day got better.  We were able to get on all the rides within 60 minutes and thankfully our kids are pretty patient and can entertain themselves in the lines.  I do always laugh at Disney's motto though about being the "Happiest Place on Earth" because most parents, including James and I, are stressed out of their minds and at any given time, you are walking by a kid in tears.  My theory is that the kids are going 110% and just exhausted and the parents know the sacrifice they are making to be there so they want their kids to be appreciative and on their best behavior.

We did see some great t-shirts this time around that made me laugh.
-"I'm not mad, I am just a parent"
-"Stay calm and punch people in the face"

The best part about Disneyland this time of year is that it is all decorated for Halloween, which just happens to be Dawson's favorite holiday.  He LOVES it.  He even had the balloon guy at dinner make him a Jack Skellington, which actually turned out pretty cute.

 

This year for the first time we tried the Grizzly River Rapids ride.  Every time we have considered it, it has been too cold or we have seen the people coming off SOAKED and convince ourselves otherwise.  This year we had ponchos and we had friends, so it seemed like a great time to try it.  We loved it!  We went on it 6 times in 3 days and that is by far the kids new favorite ride. 

 

 

The other new ride this year was the Radiator Springs Racers that opened with Cars Land.  It is basically like driving in a convertible and the last 30 seconds or so, you race another car around sharp turns going 50+ mph.  Colton and I both took something so we wouldn't get too motion sick.  Both of us still were a little queasy at the end, but it was a super fun ride, so we would do it again.  As you can see in the picture, Colton and I were clearly more "thrilled" with the ride than James and Dawson were....hahaha!  The guy sitting next to James was riding for his 11th time in 2 days.  The average wait was 110 minutes for groups and about 30 minutes for single riders.  I am going to assume he enjoyed it just a little.

I am so thankful for our family trips.  A lot of people comment about how much we vacation and my response is that everyone has something they spend money on...clothes, alcohol, concerts, outdoor activities, etc.  James and I both love to vacation and decided long ago that it would be a major part of our family.  At the end of the day, I will never have to wish I had gone somewhere.