We took our first vacation as a family of three this past week! Last fall, Amanda and I started talking about taking a Disneyland trip and it quickly turned into a whole family trip! It was so fun to take a trip with Brian's whole family before we take off for the other side of the country for the next few years. We started out on Tuesday, May 2 and headed to Las Vegas. Tatum did so good in the car and we only stopped once on the way there to feed her and change her diaper. We grabbed some food also and were on our way again! Once we got to Vegas we hung out and swam in Kevin and Amanda's pool, had a yummy dinner, and relaxed before the bigger part of the trip!
Wednesday morning, we got up early and headed to LA to hit Universal Studios. It was so much fun finally getting to ride all the rides now that I'm not pregnant (I was last time we went and wasn't able to go on much). I'm definitely getting to be more of a pansy the older I get because those virtual reality and 3D rides totally made me sick if I wasn't careful and took a break in between. We rode both Harry Potter rides (Dylan insisted I ride the Hippogriff ride with him), Transformers, Revenge of the Mummy, Jurassic Park, and Minion Mayhem to name the best ones. We grabbed dinner at Universal's City Walk and then headed to Anaheim to check into the hotel. We stayed at Kevin & Amanda's timeshare at Worldmark by Wyndham and it was so nice. We were right off Katella so we were close enough that Brian and I walked to the park one evening.
Thursday, we spent the whole day in Disneyland and it was probably my favorite day. Coincidentally it was May the 4th (Star Wars Day) and it was a little busier but not too bad. This was totally the best time to go because it wasn't peak season yet pre-summer and the wait times weren't bad at all either day. We got fast passes for Hyperspace Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and Splash Mountain. We also hit up Haunted Mansion, Matterhorn, Star Tours, and some of the smaller rides for the kids. Tatum rode her first rides, Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters, Pirates of the Caribbean, and It's A Small World. We were going to take her on Jungle Cruise but she and I went to get dole whip while everyone else went on that. I basically ate my way through the park being sure to grab my faves: dole whip, churros, jalapeno and cheese stuffed pretzels, and frozen lemonade. The best part about going with all the nieces and nephews was the leftover cotton candy, slushies, and treats! (Ok not the best part but a definite perk haha).
Friday, we spent most of the day in California Adventure and wisely used our fast passes for Radiator Springs Racers and Soarin' Around the World. We had a great system of sending one person to grab FastPasses while the rest of us ran to another ride. When we first got in, Kevin went straight to Radiator Springs Racers to grab the passes while the rest of us basically walked on to California Screamin'. We worked our way around the park riding pretty much everything. It was fun being in Disneyland and California Adventure because there was a lot more rides for Ella and Dylan to ride, so we spent a lot of time in A Bug's Life Land for them. Cars Land was a big hit with Luigi's and Mater's rides, but Toy Story Midway Mania was probably a bigger hit. That one is always fun and Brian and I were in close competition with that! But Amanda kicked both our butts haha. The kids were getting tired so we grabbed some dinner and headed back to the hotel to swim in the pool and hot tub. Brian, Kirk, Lindy, Tatum and I went back that evening to see the World of Color show and I'm so glad we did because Brian had never seen it. Also, we got to see the fireworks in Disneyland which was great since they weren't able to have them Saturday night because of the windy conditions.
Saturday, we headed to Huntington Beach for a bit and the US Volleyball Open was going on so that was fun to see. It was really windy and a little chilly so we didn't stay long with Tatum. That evening we went out to the Cheesecake Factory which was right next to our hotel and then Brian and I went back to Disneyland to see the Main Street Electrical Parade and grab some more dole whip (you can never get enough!). It was nice to have some time just the two of us and it was nice of Kirk and Lindy to watch Tatum so we could bob and weave throughout the park and to rides without a stroller! It was a great end to a great trip.
Sunday, we made the long trip back to Utah. With Tatum, we had to stop a few times but for the most part it lined up with either meal times or a need to stop for gas and she did so good. Overall travel time with the stops wound up being about 12 hours so it was a great trial run for the looming Florida trip!
We are so lucky to have such a happy little girl that's so easy to please! I sat in the back with her for a little bit of the drive home Sunday but she was so happy most of the ride and either slept or just looked around. I'm happy we have a baby that likes her carseat and doesn't just scream for 12 hours hahaha. Anyway, it was a fabulous trip, and I'm adding some photos below!
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