The latest and greatest from the Bailey family adventures.

Monday, June 2, 2008

Disneyland!

Sometimes when you time things out in advance, the timing is not so convenient.  We planned our second family trip to the Happiest Place on Earth a couple months beforehand.  We were sure to find the right hotel, get the best tickets available, decide which attractions we wanted to see... We were totally on top of it.

Then Greg got sick.  For nearly a week before the trip, Greg was working through a horrible bout of a flu-like virus.  Running a fever and dealing with all the aches and pains associated with the flu, we continued to prepare for our trip.

Then Millie got sick.  Since Greg is one of her favorite people, she would not stay away from him even at his sickest moments.  A couple days before the trip, the fever hit her as well.

We had to decide whether it was prudent to go ahead with our trip with half the family largely out of commission.  Let me tell you what we learned from the experience...

We learned that Greg will never be too sick to enjoy a trip to Disneyland with the kids.  Greg's fever was mostly gone by the time of trip, but he still had a horribly sore throat and the worst chest congestion he has ever known, which made restful sleep nearly impossible.  Still, he made it through the trip without a hitch and even had a blast.

But more important than that...

We learned that Millie is seriously hardcore when it comes to all things Disney.  She was running a fever that would sometimes spike above 103!  She was having trouble sleeping due to waking up sweating every night.  Her "talk" (throat) was bothering her for days.  And yet she never complained.  She never cried about being sick.  She got through the trip like a trooper.  By the end of the second day, she was totally exhausted, but through her sickness she and Greg were able to take advantage of her newly acquired height, and she went on two very serious Disney rides, Splash Mountain and Space Mountain.  She's three!!!  Neither ride went perfectly.  She was fine all the way through Splash Mountain until she got drenched after the drop, which made her call for her mommy.  She had no problem with Space Mountain either, except that it was too dark and "a little scary."  But she rode them both.  She did great!

Darla and Gio also had a blast, but they had the advantage of being in good health.  While waiting for Greg and Millie to finish up a tall person ride, Darla and Gio happened upon Buzz Lightyear.  Gio could not have been more excited.  After taking his turn for a picture with Buzz, Gio continued to approach his huge hero.  Many other families now have pictures of Gio too!

 Gio surprised us when he was more excited to meet the princesses at Ariel's Grotto than Millie was.  He could not stay in his chair and had to run and hug each one as they approached the table.  Millie handled that experience with more grace than last year, managing not to poop herself at the first sight of a princess approaching the table.

Darla also made huge strides this year, facing her debilitating fear of heights and riding the ferris wheel at California Adventure after nearly crying while on the ride last year.

The kids were able to walk for themselves the entire time as we passed by 10 year olds sleeping in strollers.  (No Joke)  We considered renting a double stroller, but wanted to see if they could do it on their own.  Neither one had a breakdown the entire trip.  We were so proud.

The highlight of the trip for the whole family had to be the Pixar parade at California Adventure.  The whole thing was led off by Lightning McQueen!!!  The kids were talking about it for days.

All in all, the trip was awesome.  I hope next time we will not be battling health problems, but even if we do, we know that we will still have a great time.

1 comment:

Cicely said...

Love it! Greg...your in charge of updating the blog while you leisurly (sp?) lay around eating bon bons and being fanned by Millie and Gio for the next year, OK? By the way, be forwarned: Dan is ALREADY discussing the GREAT AMERICAN roadtrip to Detriot. Yes, its true.

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