A Birthday Surprise...

The boys had been looking forward to Mark's birthday for quite some time. They had even planned a bowling party with pizza (and Gabe informed our friend Chad that he needed to bring a cake to the party...no candles, just the cake). They've been very excited about the party and were having fun keeping it a secret from Mark...little did they know, we were keeping a secret from them!

Because Disneyland has free admission on your birthday, we decided it would be a good time to take the boys. But, we decided to keep it a secret from them (a very difficult task with Gabe around...he questions everything out of the ordinary!).

The morning of the 12th (Mark's birthday) the boys were up early and excited to wish him a happy birthday and tell him about the party they had planned. It didn't take them long to figure out something was up...we hurriedly got them dressed, fed, and into the car. We told them we were going to Nana's to thank her for the Valentine's goodies. When we got to Nana's, I gathered up Sam and his stuff and told the boys that Sam was going to stay with Nana while we went on a little trip. Nana told them she had something that would help them find their way to a really fun place - then she handed them maps of Disneyland. Neither one said much, I think they were both a little confused for a while (after all, they had planned a bowling party...not a trip to Disneyland!). We said good-bye to Sam and Nana and were on our way!

It wasn't long before the talk of "I want to go on..." started (along with Gabe's long list of "I don't want to go on..."). We tried to get the boys to "rest" on the way down, but no luck. They were too excited! I was pretty excited too! Not only was this the first time since high school that I'd been to Disneyland without a baby or being pregnant, this was also the first time that everyone was tall enough for everything (well, except for Indiana Jones...)! Yippee! I get to ride the roller coasters, too!

Gabe was happy and content both days...

Will, no surprise, was constantly on the go...

We got down to Anaheim a little later than planned and decided to go to CA Adventures on the first day and Disneyland on the second day. Gabe was pretty hesitant to go on some of the rides, but Will was more than willing to try anything! He even went on the Tower of Terror with me. I carried him through most of the line with him asking me questions like, "Why is it so dark in here?". I had never been on the ride, so I really didn't know what I had gotten the two of us in to! We got into the elevator and strapped on our seat belts. The narrator said "die" at some point and Will turned and looked at me and said (well, kind of yelled...), "Hey, that's naughty to say 'die'!" - then we were off! Since it was dark most of the time, I couldn't see Will's reaction and I couldn't hear him. But, I was getting lifted out of my seat, so I could only imagine how much Will was "floating"! When the ride came to a stop and the lights came back on, I looked at Will...he had a huge grin on his face and yelled, "That wasn't so bad!" He was pretty excited to tell Gabe all about it and has been talking about it ever since!

Will was so excited after riding the Tower of Terror, that I couldn't get him to hold still for a picture!

I wish someone would have pushed me around in a stroller all day!


This picture is for Kiera (and also for our buddy Phil, a former East High yell leader!).

The Toy Story ride was a family favorite, and not just because of the cool glasses!

Cheese! - in 3D!



Gabe waiting to ride Mulhulland Madness with me.

Our day was full, we were constantly on the go, and by the end of the day there was no doubt that the boys were tired! We decided to get one more ride in, and somehow had managed to talk Gabe into going on Soaring Over California...so we got in line. Then the wait began, inching along (this was by far the longest line we had to wait in either day)...it wouldn't have been so bad, except Will was REALLY tired. He was whining, complaining, hungry, wanted to be held (just a reminder - he is NOT a light child), and even asked to go back to the hotel and go to bed (our children NEVER admit to being tired or ask to go to bed!). We were very glad when our turn finally came. We buckled the boys in and our "flight" began...everyone loved their "flight". Apparently, a trip over California was just what Will needed! When the ride was over, he was a completely different child (so much so, that I thought maybe we'd picked up a different Will somewhere over California!) With the change in attitude, we were able to fit three more rides in before the park closed and we all left the park happy and tired!

We went and got pizza for dinner. While we were waiting for our pizza, Gabe (unknowingly) entertained the other customers as he tried to copy a statue of a pizza maker. He entertained himself for quite awhile doing this...by the time we left, he had mastered the pose of the pizza maker - right down to the facial expression!

Will, with a little bed head action, excited for another day of fun!

Friday was another great day! We headed to Disneyland early, hoping to maximize our time there. We started our day by being the first on Thunder Mountain Railroad and then headed over to the Nemo ride, from there our day was a whirlwind of rides and rain!

After a few rides, I decided that I wanted to go on Space Mountain...the only way I could justify it was if Will went with me (I knew there was no way I'd be able to get Gabe to go with me - he likes the roller coasters that are outside...lots of light, no surprises!). So I grabbed Will and started telling him how wonderful Space Mountain is...about a third of the way through the line I started questioning whether I'd actually get to ride it. He was having some serious mood swings, wouldn't walk, cried, said he "didn't want to go on anything Gabe didn't go on", but I was determined (I know, I'm a mean mom!). Anyway, he continued to resist the idea of going on Space Mountain...until, we headed down the final ramp. At that point, he looked at me and asked, "Are you going to go with me?" (Um, no, I was thinking that sending a 3 year old on a roller coaster by himself is a good idea!). When I told him that I was in fact going to go with him, he jumped out of my arms, took my hand, and said, "Okay, I'll go!" (Did I mention the serious mood swings?). We got on the ride and were off! Again, it was a dark, noisy ride so I had no idea what his reaction was. As soon as the ride came to an end, I looked over at him and asked him what he thought...his reply, "That was AWESOME fun!!" And he was ready to ride it again! As you leave the ride, you can see your picture taken from the ride...Will and I were in the front, so you could actually see him - he had his eyes closed, like he was asleep, he looked totally relaxed. It was a pretty funny picture!

While Will and I were on Space Mountain, Mark and Gabe took on Buzz Lightyear and Star Tours. From what I understand, Mark had to do some pretty serious convincing to get Gabe on both of those...but, Gabe's new favorite ride? Star Tours!! We rode it three times. And Will is also a big fan!

Will, giving Gabe a tour of Toon Town.

After lunch, we took the boys to the bathroom. Will was very excited about the kid sized sinks, and was washing his hands when a little girl came over to wash her hands. The girls said something to her mom, but Will thought she was talking to him. When we left the bathroom, Will said, "That girl talked to me." Then he took a few steps, shrugged his shoulders and said, "I think I'm going to marry that girl."

The boys loved Autotopia!

Hmm, who do you think was the better driver?

A little while later, we went on the Jungle Cruise. We were the last ones to get on the boat and I was trying to get Will to scoot over closer to the man next to him. I said, "Don't worry Will, he won't bite." The man looked at me, laughed, and said, "I know he (Will) won't bite me, he's rubbing my back!" Will continued to rub the man's back the entire time. Thankfully, the man was very good natured about it. And yes, Will got a lecture about touching strangers!


The rest of our day was filled with rain. Nothing beats riding Dumbo in the rain! After a few hours of being wet, we decided to call it quits. We went on Star Tours one more time and headed to the van. We had put in a full day at both parks and neither boy complained about leaving a little early. We hadn't been on the road very long when Will had one more question, "Daddy, can your birthday be longer?", then he fell asleep.

This is a little glimpse of what the weather was like...very wet!