If you know me well, you know that I choose to over-prepare for trips, parties, events, etc. With a child on the spectrum, you sort of have to anyway. But just over-preparing makes me feel better. I always plan weeks if not months in advance and I am always glad I do.
Before leaving, I got some fantastic ideas from Pinterest and tweaked them to work for our family. I purchased some cookie sheets from the dollar store, had Dave put slits on the sides, and fed elastic through them so the boys could take them on and off of the arms of their seats. This provided them a little desk to play and draw on. I gave them each a little bin that sat on the floor filled with activities: Gameboy, playdoh, drawing paper, new crayons, mazes, laminated games, coloring books and Wikki Stix.
I stocked up with snacks at Costco and compiled a bunch in a basket I hung from the hook on the ceiling of the car. That way the kids could easily pick out some snacks without having to dig around. The rest of the snacks we put in the trunk with the luggage. We had a cooler in the front seat next to the driver filled with Dr. Pepper, root beer, apple juice, water, V8, string cheese, and packages of little carrots. The one not driving sat in the back next to Miles and was in charge of keeping the peace.
I also set up a visual map: a ribbon tied from one end of the car to the other and on it a laminated car cut-out that slides along the ribbon. On the ribbon, I used paperclips to attach laminated pieces of paper with the names of cities along our route: Fillmore, Beaver, Cedar City, St. George, Las Vegas, Baker, Barstow, Victorville, and Anaheim. At the major stops (Beaver, Las Vegas, and Victorville) the boys received a special wrapped present. The first stop they got a small Bumblebee Transformer toy, the second they got two Imaginext action figures, and the last stop they got a copy of Frozen to get them through the last hour and a half of driving.
They all did super well, and Miles did surprisingly awesome! Jett had a little trouble at the end, but I just handed him a whiteboard marker and told him to draw on the windows. That kept him occupied for awhile.
We left Utah at 7am on Tuesday the 25th of March and got to Anaheim at about 5:30pm CA time that evening. We made great time! We checked into our hotel, The Hampton Inn, and then went to Red Lobster to stuff our faces since we were all so hungry!
Day 2: Disneyland
The next morning we woke up early, ate our complimentary breakfast at the hotel, and drove our car to Disneyland. Instead of parking us in the parking garage, they re-routed everyone to some random parking lot, made us pay the usual $16, and made us walk all the way to the park. Needless to say, I was not very happy about that. So we decided to just take the shuttle from the hotel for the next two days. On our walk from the parking lot, we walked past the Lego store and saw some really cool stuff! This was our favorite:
We decided to do Disneyland first, so once we got into the park, the boys wanted to get on the train to their first ride: The Haunted Mansion. Miles was getting hungry so I fed him while we waited and then he fell asleep. So Dave and the older two went on the ride without us.
Next was Splash Mountain,
and then the Winnie the Pooh ride.
Walking out of Critter Country, the boys spotted these bubble guns and had to get them. Dave, usually being the sensible one, didn't blink an eye and bought them each one to harass the rest of the park goers with. They loved them.
Dave took the older two to Tomorrow Land and Miles and I hung out. Miles, during the entire week, had bronchiolitis and was not feeling 100%. So he would cry every time we put him in the stroller. But I tried to keep the poor kid happy. I took him on the Carousel, which he seemed to enjoy.
Then Dave & I switched and I took the kids to the Matterhorn where we found out Jett couldn't ride because he was 1/4 of an inch too short. Totally lame.
We waited in the line and ate treats. Mickey treats taste the best.
Then we got to take the boys on Star Tours, which they absolutely LOVED! They loved it from the robots in the line to the ride itself!
Then Space Mountain,
And in the evening, the Jungle Cruise, or as Cruise thought it was called, Jungle.
On our way out, we got to watch the parade:
And that completes Day 2.
The boys rode a whole bunch of other rides we didn't get pictures of, but they absolutely LOVED Thunder Mountain Railroad and the Haunted Mansion. We also went on Pirates of the Caribbean with Miles and they thought it was pretty good.
Poor Cruise didn't make it to the potty in time at one point and peed himself, but the good news is that I over-prepare, so he had a clean set of clothes and a plastic bag to put the soiled ones in. The weather was just beautiful which helped with waiting in the lines.
The next day started a bit later. Like 10am. Dave & I were still exhausted from the day before. We decided to do California Adventure this day and were shocked to find that just the line to get Fast Pass tickets for the Radiator Racers went about a half mile. We ended up not getting to go on that ride that day because as Dave was waiting in line, they ran out of Fast Pass tickets for the entire day! At 11am!
Anyway, our day started in A Bugs Land:
It got pretty warm and so we let the boys play on the splash pad. Cruise wandered off thinking we had left him and found someone who worked there to tell them he was lost. They walked past me as I was feeding Miles, and Cruise was relieved that we hadn't forgotten about him. The employee had given him a special badge that stated they he was an Honorary Citizen of Disneyland. Cruise wore that for the rest of the week with pride.
Then we quickly moved to Cars Land, which was so awesome! It was exactly like the movie, even all the little details!
I had gotten Fast Passes for the Tower of Terror, so we waited around until it was our turn.
Cruise was not too happy I let him go on that one. He came out in tears and didn't trust me for the rest of the vacation. Jett got pretty scared too, but bravely said it was his favorite. However, he wouldn't go on it again. I went on it after they got off and I will have to admit, it scared the crap out of me too.
We decided the poor boys needed a change of pace, so we walked over to the Toy Story ride and waited in line for an hour. But it was worth it; it was such a cute ride and the boys loved it!
We then stopped for a snack and potty break. Jett got lost momentarily but found his way back before everyone started freaking out. I told the boys they got their one free "get lost" pass. No no more getting lost!
We then headed to Flying Over California and the boys loved that ride as well, especially Jett! He went on it later with me with the stroller pass and told me all about it. He even showed me how to buckle my seat. While I waited for the guys to go on it, I did a little shopping since Miles passed out. Because the boys got toys and gifts, I thought I'd get Miles something too. I couldn't pass this up:
We then went on Grizzly Rapids, which was Cruise's favorite. Jett was, again, 1/4 inch too short and couldn't go on it. Even after we stuffed his shoes with burp rags to make him taller.
Then we finished the day off at Cars Land again and Dave riding Tower of Terror one more time.
The boys were so tired, Cruise actually started falling asleep while we waited for Dave. The kid who NEVER falls asleep without Melatonin. We were exhausted and I ended up with two blisters on my toes.
Our last day at the parks started out much earlier. Which also meant we were all cranky. Cruise refused to wear shorts, but we had put all his pants in the wash and they were all wet...that, and it was going to be a hot day! So the day started out with Cruise in meltdown mode and Dave & I were already tired by the time we got to the parks.
We got there early since we wanted to do our Magic Morning and get on the Radiator Racers ride. At 8am, the boys all ran to Cars Land and got in line while I waited for the Fast Pass line to open at 9am. The people were vultures waiting around for the line to open. I sat across the way and sat on the bench while I fed Miles and chatted it up with another lady waiting. I finally got in the line and was able to get Fast Pass tickets for the Radiator Racers ride. Once I got those, I met up with my dad at the front of the park and we headed back to Cars Land to find the rest of the group. We sent Grandpa with the boys to go on the Racers ride again with the stroller pass, and then Dave, myself and the boys went on it again with the Fast Pass tickets. It was such a great ride! Everyone loved it!
We then walked over to the California Screamin' Ride where we got Fast Pass tickets for the adults for later. Grandpa, the boys & I rode on the carousel while Dave got the fast pass tickets. Jett wanted to ride a whale, Cruise a dolphin, and it looks like Grandpa got the otter...and I have no recollection of what the heck I was riding.
We then stopped for some lunch of Mexican food, which was so delicious! We even were serenaded by a Mariachi band. Then Grandpa took the boys to ride the Little Mermaid ride while Dave stayed with Miles and I rode California Screamin'. I returned and swapped Dave. My Dad then showed up with the boys and said that the Little Mermaid ride wasn't operating, so he took them to a shop where they got these awesome jets that they still love to play with. Then Grandpa rode California Screamin' and then we all separated with a kid. Grandpa took Jett, Dave took Cruise, and I took Miles.
Miles had not been eating very well that day and was coughing horribly. So I decided to take him back to the hotel, give him a breathing treatment, a bottle, and a nap, and then return for dinner.
The day ended kind of crazy. The park was being overrun with people. There were people wall-to-wall and Cruise was starting to meltdown. We decided to leave after dinner. On our way out, I wanted to show the boys the Magic shop, since that had been my favorite when I was a kid. They were astounded by the tricks and so we bought 3 tricks for them (but really they were for Dave).
That night after the kids were asleep, Dave took a bath to soothe his muscles and I was getting ready for bed when an earthquake hit! It was relatively big and splashed Dave around the tub. We felt a couple small ones afterwards and Dave was intrigued. He had never been in an earthquake before.
Day 5: Family Day
After three days at Disney, we were all ready for some relaxation. We met Dad at Seal Beach at 10:30 and the boys were immediately infatuated with it. Jett started building a sandcastle and finding shells, and Cruise quickly ran into the water. He got his shorts and underwear all wet, so we had to bring out the swimming suits. I couldn't believe he wanted to get wet! The water was freezing and the wind was blowing! By the end, Cruise was completely drenched and shivering.
After drying them off and running to Target for some dry underwear for Cruise (the one thing we forgot), we met up with family in Leisure World at the "park" for some lunch and chatting. They call it a park, but there really is nothing "park" about it other than grass and trees. My Aunt Carol was in love with Miles and held him the whole time. He slept a good portion of the afternoon.
Cruise and Jett got to play with their cousins Gabe and Sammie (Ruth's boys) and my cousin Chloe. Cruise was having a rough day and was having a really tough time losing games.
So Dave made him a bow and arrow out of thin air. He does that.
After the get together, we went and saw my parents' new house there in Leisure World and then headed back to the hotel to swim with the cousins. I wish I had gotten pictures, but I was feeding Miles and had left my camera in the hotel room. But the kids all had a blast swimming in the heated pool and I had fun catching up with Ruth and Fernando.
Day 6: Driving Home
The drive home took us a little longer since we got a later start and were exhausted. As we got past Beaver, we hit a snow storm! So that delayed us even more, so we ended up eating dinner in Springville since it was about 6:30 then. The boys didn't do as well, especially since Cruise had been off his routine for so long and was tired. I was pretty happy when we got home.
And, as usual, Dave and I need a vacation now.
Thank you to my parents for taking care of the hotel! It was such a treat. And thank you, Dad, for hanging out with us Friday and treating us to lunch and dinner! The boys had so much fun hanging out with Papa!
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