Surprise!

Wednesday kicked off a different flavor for our trip. We traveled from Las Vegas to Anaheim. We decided to stop along the way at an In-n-Out burger for the first time. Oh my, let me just say, they live up to the hype. I'm not sure which is better, the burgers, the fresh cut fries, the simplicity of the menu, or the cheap prices, but they're yummy. Ryan looked at me about 1/2 way through and said, "This is definitely a do-over." So, I guess we'll be eating them again before heading back east.

When we arrived in Anaheim, the kids had no idea we were headed to Disneyland. They had asked early in our trip planning, because we were reading a biography on Disney as part of our 20th century history studies. Anyway, I assumed we wouldn't come, and that'a what I told them. Then Ryan and I decided to check it out. We found a good deal, which made it more affordable than I had imagined, and well, we decided to go for it. We rolled into the parking lot on Weds. about 3 o'clock and Isaac tried to tell Ryan we'd made a wrong turn. We explained that we were in fact headed into Disneyland and there were lots of shouts!

We have had a great (and exhausting) few days. We managed to ride all of the rides we wanted to (which was most all of them,) see lots of shows (Aladdin was our favorite,) and watch all of the nighttime spectacles (which were amazing!) We even made it back to the hotel one afternoon for a nap. It's been so fun.

Here's our first glimpse inside the gates!

Pluto was the first character we stopped to see. Abe loved the characters and always gave them extra hugs. We had a hard time getting him to look at the camera because he wanted to stare at the characters.

Captivated by the Jungle Cruise.

Exploring Tom Sawyer's Island.

Exploring Toon Town
This has been my favorite Disney ride since I first went in the second grade! When they are all singing in their own language, I always think of Philippians 2:10 that tells us that one day every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess that Jesus Christ is Lord.

The kids all loved Autopia because the got their own license and got to drive their own cars.

Isaac used part of his allowance money that he's been saving to buy himself a Goofy hat, which he loves. So much so, that he has fallen asleep with it on the last two nights!

We all agree that both the Land and the World have their own flavor and charm. If I had to choose a favorite, mine would probably be FL, but Ryan likes CA. This one was much more compact and much more "classic." They have definitely stuck to the story/imagination theme a little more. But, it's not as "resorty." It's located in the dead center of city stuff, you are in the city as soon as you step out the front gate. Even to ride the shuttle back to your car, you definitely know you're not on Disney property. So, there's not that feeling of getting away from the world that you get when you are on Disneyworld property. The best part of this one to me is that it is doable. When we went to FL a few years ago, we stayed for 7 days, went as hard as we could, and still didn't do it all. We've covered this one pretty thoroughly in 2.5 days. So, it wasn't as stressful in that way.