last year when sharlene booked me for her wedding in LA in september, we decided to take our kids on a trip to disneyland and surprise them.  sharlene booked me in february and we weren’t going to september. talk about a painful waiting period!  it felt like it would never come!  we had the perfect plan that we would wake them up and tell them we were going and then leave right then.  so i made some cute little maps to show them where we were going and we had mickey mouse shaped balloons. 

well this is the reaction we got

http://www.youtube.com/embed/4fEddbNEC0k 

  not quite what we were hoping for   any other time we have talked about disneyland or watched videos on tv we got screams and excitement.  especially from savana.  but when we tell them we are really going… NOTHING!  haha!  i don’t think we let them wake up enough.  silly girls!

so…. we got them ready and got in the car (we had everything packed the night before)  and took them to breakfast.  then straight to the airport!  by this time they actually were really excited!!  we got on the airplane and flew to long beach.  we went straight to our hotel and checked in and then right up to manhattan beach for an engagement shoot with sharlene and tonga   that night we went to chilis and walked around the pier in long beach. 

on saturday september 25th we drove up to the LA temple for sharlene and tonga’s wedding.  it was such an amazing and beautiful wedding!  it was also on mine and chris’ 7 year anniversary.  that night  when i came back to the hotel room chris had some sparkling cider for us for our anniversary.  he is so sweet and always so thoughtful!

sunday morning we woke up and drove to san diego to go to sea word.  i always love san diego.  if there was anywhere in the world that i could live, i think it would be san diego!

we had such a wonderful time in sea world despite the 110 degree heat!  jayde got an awesome opportunity while we were there too.  they picked her before the show to be the kid that got to go up and have shamu do some tricks.  check out this video.  it made me cry to see her up there and being such a big girl.  my little angels are growing up WAY too fast.  i am so proud of her.  she did such a  good job! and not to mention she was SO excited!  it is all she could talk about for the rest of the day!

we drove up to downtown disney that night and got checked into our hotel, the grand californian.  we decided the last time we were in disneyland that it was such a hassel to have to catch the shuttle to and from the park every time, so the next time we went we were going to stay in one of the disneyland hotels.  i think we are spoiled now, though!!  haha!  it would be so hard to go back and stay in a regular hotel again   and we were so glad we were so close when it was 110 degrees every day though.  we went back and swam every single day of the trip.  my kids loved it!  

sunday night after we ate and walked around downtown disney, we walked over in front of the park and watched the fireworks.  it was such a great way to start the week!! 

monday we got up, ate and went over to disneyland.  i absolutely love the magic of disneyland.  my kids were so excited and i just loved to see them light up everytime we saw a character or went on a ride.  it was such a special time for our family and i absolutely loved being there with them.  it helps you to relive your own childhood through their eyes.  we spent monday- friday between the 2 parks. 

on wednesday we went to huntington beach and let the kids play in the ocean and the sand.  i LOVE the beach.  there is just something about going to the beach and relaxing and of course taking pictures, that i just love.  and my husband would tell you, it was his favorite part of the whole trip   we went back to disneyland that night, but only for a few hours. 

 we got to see world of color, which was amazing, but our ”seats” we kind of terrible.  i would love to be able to see it again, just at a better angle.  and there were a couple of parades as well.  disneyland was completely decorated for halloween, which i LOVE!  fall and halloween time is my favorite time of the year!  it was not very crowded which was our one saving grace from the heat.  i kid you not, we were standing in line for pirates of the  carribean and a guy in from of us pulled out his phone and said it was 111 degrees.  it was miserably hot!  but since the lines weren’t bad, we would just run from one ride to another all day long.  

on friday when we were there, our last day , it was quite a bit more crowded.  they had a trick or treat thing that night, but since it was our last day and we had ridden everything 2, 3 or 4 times, we weren’t too worried about catching anyting else and took off kind of early.  of course me and the girls were sad and i don’t think i have ever left disneyland without crying.  in fact i know i haven’t. it is just such a magical and special place.  we have made so many wonderful memories there and i hope to make so many more.  it truely is the happiest place on earth! 

we came home on saturday and i literally went straight home, changed my clothes and left for another wedding.  it was really hard and i don’t think i will be doing that again   luckily i had a backup photographer there in case our flight was delayed or anything crazy.  it wasn’t, thank goodness, but i was just exhausted from our trip!  disneyland, is by no means, a relaxing vacation   haha!!  oh but it was so wonderful.  seriously, the best vacation ever!! and one we will NEVER, EVER forget!

check out the slideshow of the whole trip:

disneyland 2010.

all these pictures with the exception of the sea world ones, were taken with my nikon coolpix and zero editing, so don’t judge