Disneyland...

Getting to experience Disneyland with a first-time six year old is a treat. It's a whole new world they've never experienced and everything is new and exciting.


The first ride out of the gate was Star Tours and Hunter was in heaven. After we got off he said, "That was my favorite ride". At that point it was the only ride - but at the end of the day, it still ranked as the favorite. We took him to Space Mountain next...not a good idea. This was Hallie's all time favorite ride and Hunter was so excited to go on it. But by the end he was scared and not loving it. We felt awful. But that helped us determine what rides to avoid the rest of the day. He didn't need to ride the fast/intense rides. He was happy at a slower pace. This gave us time to meet Mickey and Goofy.



He was so excited to drive the cars at Autopia. As close to a real car as he's going to get anytime soon. He did claim that I was a poor gas pedal operator and that I messed him up a lot...it couldn't have been that he was new to driving!


He did enjoy Splash Mountain and went on a it a couple times. Luckily the Haunted Mansion wasn't too scary and he liked Pirates of Caribbean. He definitely had a different interest than Hallie but it was fun all the same.

Being able to spend one-on-one time with him was valuable. There was no one to tease or fight with, or steal the attention from. It was 100% him and he soaked it up, as did we. He's not our chatty kid, but when he wanted to talk he did and we listened. He chose lunch. He chose rides. He made the big decisions and we could see that he enjoyed that.







It was tiring. Having fun is hard work, especially when you're six with shorter legs. Towards the end of the day, we were all dragging - and we still had the 5 1/2 hour drive home. But it was worth it. I'd do it again tomorrow if we could. I look forward to taking each kid on this trip.

I felt a little bad leaving Hallie behind because I knew she would love it all over again. Before we left, I had asked if she was sad that she wasn't coming with us. She offered the most selfless love for her brother when she said, "No, I'm not sad. I'm really happy for Hunter because I just know he's going to love it." And he totally did.

Best Birthday Gift...

We decided a couple years ago that while our kids were young, we wanted to give them the gift of a special trip with just mom and dad to Disneyland. Hallie's trip was a huge success and we decided Hunter was ready for his trip; he was a year younger than Hallie, but he was in need of some one-on-one time.

We told him two days before leaving and I was nervous he might not be ready. He asked if he could trade a lego set for the trip which made me even more nervous. We threw the best sales pitch at him and he seemed convinced it would be a good trip. I had to keep telling myself he had no idea the fun that was just around the corner and it would be ten times better than any lego set you build once and then destroy and throw in a bin.

By the next morning, his excitement was growing and the morning after, when we left, he was ready. Hallie told him all the best rides and prepped him for the fun he'd have.


Just like Hallie's trip, this was a short/quick trip. Arrive in the evening, attend Disneyland the next day and then drive home that same night.

The hotel was the hottest talking point on the way over - we never stay in hotels and we realized Hunter had never stayed in a hotel. A queen bed and his very own key- we could've ended the trip right there and he would've been happy.

We made sure to walk around Downtown Disney to add to the fun and excitement. They have a huge lego store and Hunter was beyond excited. This is when he first saw it:

And then he marveled and stood in awe at all the amazing creations. It was heaven for a kid with his interest in legos.




He chose Rainforest Cafe for dinner (shocking - since that's where his sister said to eat!).


Hunter doesn't show a lot of emotion - so we're always questioning, "Are you happy? Are you having fun?" Towards the end of the night he started showing his excitement and the fun that he was having, although he was completely exhausted.


Just before bed he said, "I can't sleep." Two minutes later he was sprawled across the bed snoring. For Steve and I it was like Christmas Eve. We were so excited to take him we could hardly stand it.