Disneyland surprise trip!

I woke Addisyn up at 2am and told her to get in the car we’re going to Disneyland. In her sleepy confusion, she laid back down. I said

WERE GOING TO DISNEYLAND, GET IN THE CAR!!

As she reluctantly got in the car, she was like “are we really going to Disneyland?” Ohhh you betcha little girl.

And we drive off into the darkness of the night in our rented fancy red Camaro blasting some Taylor Swift look what you made me do.

Scene.

Disneyland is probably my favorite place in the world. It holds a special place in my heart and is full of memories from my childhood. Being able to wake up my daughter in the middle of the night and spontaneously (who are we kidding, I planned it for MONTHS) take her there for her birthday makes my heart so stinking happy.

We got to our hotel, checked in, changed our clothes, put our ears on and ran (ok, speed walked) to CA Adventure to get there as it opened and to get fast passes for Radiator Springs, and Guardians of the Galaxy (which I was first super sad about Tower of Terror going away, but Omigosh. Guardians is THE BEST ride)

I have to say. Disney MaxPass is the best thing Disney has come out with! Fast passes straight to your phone, no running around trying to get them all. And AND it downloads ALL the ride and photo op pictures straight to your app. Serious. GAME CHANGER!

Cars land or Radiator Springs is probably my favorite place in all of California Adventure. Cars has a special place in my heart because of my boys and because the stories are just amazing. Such good lessons. Anywhoosers…. we stopped in at Flos for some delicious breakfast and it did not disappoint. I mean Mater waffles… come on. Who could be mad about that??!

After spending the good part of our Morning at DCA it started to get crowded so we headed over to DISNEYLAND.

I highly recommend (on park hopper days) to start over at California Adventure “DCA” the big rides over there seem to max out of fast passes pretty quick. And the lines easily get to 2 hours long super fast.

Ain’t nobody got time for that!

We hit all our favorite rides that had under a 30 minute wait and got fast passes for the rest. Seriously. Again. The MaxPass was amazing. We were able to book our fast passes instantly from my phone and were able to have quite a few at a time. At one point we were getting off rides and having to run to get to the our next fast pass time. So nice! Not the running. But the no line part.

Addisyn and I share a love of C H U R R O S. especially Disneyland churros. Everything about them is just magical. <Costco’s are pretty good too. But just not the same.> Even the lines for those were insane. BUT when we found one without a line we couldn’t pass it up. We were really hoping to try all the fancy ones. But we are way too impatient for lines for food. 😅

We also love Mickey shaped foods! Any and all of them. We basically lived off carbs. Just carbs. But it’s okay, by the end of the night we had walked 15 MILES!!

I don’t have much tips or suggestions on food. Because we were so busy running around we only stopped for churros and pretzels. Not even joking. I’m like a child and so set in my old school Disney ways. Next time I’m binge eating all the special foods! All. Of. Them.

Churros and pretzels. Highly recommend. 10/10. Best food Disney has to offer. Also corn dogs. I eat like a toddler. 😅

I’m super bummed we missed our favorite parade at DCA and also the Pixar fireworks at Disneyland. I do watch them on everyone’s instastories though. Basically the same thing, right?! Indiana Jones and Splash Mountain we’re calling us.

We were so close to doing an open to close Disney day. But at 11:15 I told Addisyn, I wasn’t going to make it. That’s a long day for some one of my age. You know. 30 and old. Especially on 2 hours of asleep. I ain’t as young as I once was. But I’m as young once as I ever was.

Tips and tricks

• Have fun. Don’t have a game plan. Just go with it.

• Be a kid again.

• Spend all your money

• Disney Candy apples are freaking the best thing ever. Get one.

• Disney MaxPass is life changing

• Bring a portable power bank

• Wear broken in comfy shoes.

• Don’t ride the grizzly rapid ride when it’s 60 degrees. You will get soaked and you will be cold.

• More than one day is ideal to do it all. But it can almost be done in one day if you’re dedicated.

• Bring extra clothes

• Stay in walking distance. I recommend the Fairfield inn. Hojo Anaheim. Or the Grand legacy.

• Prepare for at least 3 meltdowns. At least.

• Don’t go without your 8 month old nursing baby. It hurts.

It was the best time ever! If you ever get the chance to kinda spontaneously take your child for some one on one time. Do it. Although, you’ll both wish the rest of the family is there to enjoy it with you, it’s 100% worth it. And 66% cheaper. I can’t wait to go back. Hopefully this fall around Halloween time. With everyone this time.

I have the coolest mom ever. She makes Disneyland birthday dreams come true. -Addisyn, probably

Enjoy these ugly face ride pictures lol

A RE introduction

Hi!!! I’m Ali. Pronounced Alley. Like a cat. Not like Prince Ali from Aladdin. (Trust me people say it like that when they see it)

I started this little blog about over 2 years ago. It quickly became another thing I started and then stopped. I think all my posts are roughly 6-9 months apart…. what?? This time though, I’m going to do it. Really do it. I’ve said that before. But I mean it. Really mean it.

With that said, here I am. Blogging. Trying to be a blogger.

A little about me. Some fun facts, if you will.

• I’m 30 years old. Eeeeek. I know. I don’t look it. Hashtag forever young.
• I have 4 kids. 10, 9, 3 and almost 1. 3 boys and uno girl.
• I love my husband so much, I married him twice. (I’ll save that story for a different post)
• My favorite animal is a shark. And with persistence, my kids live for SHARK WEEK with me. I mean, we live every week like it’s shark week. But actual shark week is a holiday in these parts.
• I LOVE love loooooove Disneyland. I’d have a season pass if my husband was also a Disney enthusiast but he is not.
• I am obsessed with The Office. My dedication is unreal. I watch it at night when we’re going to bed. It’s become my husband and i’s thing. (I feel like that grammar isn’t right?) and it’s rubbed off on my very serious father in law. I don’t think that was my doing. But I’m taking the credit anyways.
• I’m not very crafty. But I do try. My daughter and I love to try things on Pinterest. So much so that my husband has even started building us furniture. We have a bed he built, a bench. And her currently working on a table. I didn’t know he was a wood worker. Either did he. (pictures and a separate blog? to come when it’s all finished)
• I am a Mormon. I’m a convert. I was baptized almost 9 years ago. My husband and I became active again when our kids took interest in the church and wanted to be baptized themselves. I’ve learned a lot this last year or so and it’s become a huge part of who I am. If you have any questions feel free to ask.
• I DO NOT like seafood of any kind.
• I’m a day dreamer. And most of the things I fantasize or dream about never go or turn out as I plan. That’s just life with kids.
• I dabble in photography. I’m not as good as my sister in law. Maybe some day.
• Arizona is and will always be home. I love this state and try to leave it. But we always come back. And I mean always.

I can write so much more about myself, but I won’t. Haha just kidding. I was running out of random facts about me.

This is going to be MySpace for activities I do with the kids, clothes we like, toys that actually keep my kids entertained, vacations, and just basically life. If there’s anything in particular you’d like me to write about, lemme know. Maybe I’ll update my 30 before 30 list and make it a before I die list. 😅

So that’s that. Here’s to a new start of a season of blogging.

-Ali