Disneyland 2009, Day 0
Back on the 20th, Jen took the girls to Kid's Park and Ike to his regular Forest Friday class. I stayed home and packed some more stuff leftover from the previous night (CPAPs, for instance). She returned with Gray, and we finished up the packing for a five-day trip. We'd arranged for a teen she knows through one of her mom's groups to come by to feed the animals and walk the dog. Off we set!
We retrieved the girls, then hit a McDonald's for lunch. Onward to the park to get Ike. He hadn't taken a jacket, just rain gear, so he had been very cold. Apparently one of the teachers rifled his backpack for additional clothing, but failed to put it back in the plastic bag. The backpack and his change of clothes were soaked. He sat in the car seat eating his cheeseburger in his underwear. An auspicious beginning!
Jen gave brand-new marker coloring books to each self-ambulatory child, and we allowed them to watch DVDs (normally not allowed for around town trips). We were past Morgan Hill or so before Elli thought to ask, "Where are we going?" "Down the road and around the corner," is Jen's standard reply. They gradually clued in that something was up, but we wouldn't tell them the destination.
We hit a Carl's Jr. for dinner about halfway down. The kids still need to work on their restaurant manners, but they did OK for this stop. We stopped 2-3 other times on the trip to Anaheim for bathroom breaks. Jen drove at the start because we picked up Ike from the park up a windy road. She doesn't do well on windy roads unless she's driving. Thus, I drove the second half.
We moved along the 5 at a good pace until we dropped into the greater L.A. basin. (I kept passing signs that indicated exits to Pasadena. Another time, perhaps.) Elli passed out at this point. We didn't make it to Anaheim until 9pm, so Ike and Gwen were exhausted. Ike was very impatient for us to get somewhere so he could find out where we were going. As we drove down Harbor Blvd, we finally passed the main gate. "Look, Ike, what's that?" asked Jen. "Hey, that looks like that sign says Disneyland. Are we going to Disneyland?" he realized. "Yes, Ike, we're going to Disneyland!" It is fair to say this received a positive response.
We got to the hotel, checked in, unbundled our Stuff, and figured out how to arrange everyone for sleep. We had a suite with two double beds, a sofa bed, and a crib. We didn't use the crib much, but it was good to have as a backup. We usually slept with Jen and Gray in one bed, me and Elli in another, and Ike and Gwen in the sofa bed. (Of course, the kids drifted more into our beds as the night passed.) One day down, four to go.
We retrieved the girls, then hit a McDonald's for lunch. Onward to the park to get Ike. He hadn't taken a jacket, just rain gear, so he had been very cold. Apparently one of the teachers rifled his backpack for additional clothing, but failed to put it back in the plastic bag. The backpack and his change of clothes were soaked. He sat in the car seat eating his cheeseburger in his underwear. An auspicious beginning!
Jen gave brand-new marker coloring books to each self-ambulatory child, and we allowed them to watch DVDs (normally not allowed for around town trips). We were past Morgan Hill or so before Elli thought to ask, "Where are we going?" "Down the road and around the corner," is Jen's standard reply. They gradually clued in that something was up, but we wouldn't tell them the destination.
We hit a Carl's Jr. for dinner about halfway down. The kids still need to work on their restaurant manners, but they did OK for this stop. We stopped 2-3 other times on the trip to Anaheim for bathroom breaks. Jen drove at the start because we picked up Ike from the park up a windy road. She doesn't do well on windy roads unless she's driving. Thus, I drove the second half.
We moved along the 5 at a good pace until we dropped into the greater L.A. basin. (I kept passing signs that indicated exits to Pasadena. Another time, perhaps.) Elli passed out at this point. We didn't make it to Anaheim until 9pm, so Ike and Gwen were exhausted. Ike was very impatient for us to get somewhere so he could find out where we were going. As we drove down Harbor Blvd, we finally passed the main gate. "Look, Ike, what's that?" asked Jen. "Hey, that looks like that sign says Disneyland. Are we going to Disneyland?" he realized. "Yes, Ike, we're going to Disneyland!" It is fair to say this received a positive response.
We got to the hotel, checked in, unbundled our Stuff, and figured out how to arrange everyone for sleep. We had a suite with two double beds, a sofa bed, and a crib. We didn't use the crib much, but it was good to have as a backup. We usually slept with Jen and Gray in one bed, me and Elli in another, and Ike and Gwen in the sofa bed. (Of course, the kids drifted more into our beds as the night passed.) One day down, four to go.