Four Under Five: Our Vacation to The Merriest Place on Earth

The kids and I just returned from a four day, three night vacation to Disneyland. We had an absolutely fabulous, magical time. And yep, I'm sure you already guessed it, but it has taken me about this long to edit, crop and upload all of the amazing pictures. Luckily for all you casual viewers, I only uploaded 63 of the over 300 photos I took on this trip! As a side note, please don't feel you have to look at every single one; these long pictorial focused blogs are mainly created for the family to enjoy.

The annual Disneyland passes given to the four kiddos by my mom and dad for Christmas last year have been the most awesome gifts. This was our third and final trip to Disneyland this year, and it was definitely the most magical and memorable, at least for me. The whole park was decorated up for the upcoming Christmas season, and it couldn't have been more beautiful or festive. The enormous Christmas tree decorated with huge ornaments and ribbon welcomed guests upon entering the park. Main Street was decked out with fresh garlands of greenery, ribbon and bows. Even the characters were all wearing their Christmas outfits!

The entire trip was full of magical moments. The holiday parade was a highlight, for sure. The sparkling floats and happy characters, the jolly music that filled the air along with the joy on the kids' faces at seeing the amazing sights was a truly moving moment for me! I will also never forget taking that first stroll down Main Street with my mom beside me with the four kids. I was holding the big girls' hands, and my mom was pushing the twins in the stroller. I seriously couldn't get the lump out of my throat. It was too beautiful, too perfect, I felt too blessed all at once. To be at this happy, gorgeous place with my four young children who are just the right age to still believe in the magic of a place like Disneyland was enough to put me over the edge. My mom and I looked at each other and we were at a loss for words....believe it or not!

Anyway, the entire trip was full of moments like those. I've got to share some more sweet memories: I watched as my dad and J.D. boarded Dumbo and I could see J.D.'s little arm sticking out of the elephant flying his airplane. I saw Gigi and her cousin Ellie sitting together eating a cookie, while haphazardly feeding the ducks. Cubby and I screamed and laughed our way up and down her first ride on the Matterhorn. The first night of our stay, my mom and the kids and I dined on fabulous filet mignon and red velvet cake at a New Orleans restaurant at Downtown Disney. My big sister, Ayron, always showed up every morning with an adorable Disney-ish outfit, complete with matching Minnie ears. Emma met Sleeping Beauty and my sweet girl couldn't stop ringing her hands with nervous energy at actually coming face to face with a REAL princess! Oh my, I could go on and on.... but I'll just let you enjoy the view with pictures:

Hello Disneyland!

Everything is so grand in Disneyland! The huge tree with huge, shiny ornaments, surrounded by huge presents welcomed us.

I love my little monkeys!

Yup, they belong in a cage, for sure.

Lovin' this self-portrait with me and Gigi.

Yay! We finally caught up with cousin Ellie mid-day just in time for Small World.

Ellie always has the coolest accessories.

Good times on the Small World boats. My bro-in-law and I had some quality catching-up time in the back of the boat.

"Disneyland!"

If I ask J.D. to smile, this is what I get.

Time for some souvenirs! The girls each picked out their own Mickey hats. Love their choices. Emma's actually has a little "glass" slipper on top. She got a ton of comments on that hat!

I had to get some ears, too.

Time to head back to the park for the parade, y'all! Gigi loves to help me push the cart.

Grandma D gave lots of piggy back rides to tired kiddos...God love her!

This is at the flag lowering ceremony, complete with the National Anthem and a military salute. It was awesome.

Silly picture! Somebody isn't feeling so silly though. Gigi was silently refusing to participate. Tired little monkey.

Main Street Disney pre-parade. What a beautiful sight!

Sleeping Beauty's castle became gorgeous as it was lit-up and ice-covered in a grand ceremony.

Then it started snowing! Why not?! We're at Disneyland! You better believe it's going to snow!! It's at this very moment when I saw Cubby's sweet face looking up at the icy flakes that I started to cry. Again.

Pretty castle.

The girls and I cruised around Disneyland at night and we got to see the tail end of the fireworks show.

Day 2. See? What did I tell you about my big sister's outfits and Minnie ears? That girl is all about Disneyland.

See all those teeth? We are REALLY excited.

"Disneyland!"

J.D. picked up this hat and squeezed it onto his head. And I didn't take it off...no way! He's all about Goofy!

Minnie's biggest fans!

Now this is only 1/3 of the original cookie. When I said everything is bigger in Disneyland, I meant it! That cookie started out as big as Emma's head! She ate every bite, by the way.

Yay! The whole crew lined up for a family shot. Woo-hoo!

We love Lightening McQueen!

I bought J.D. this little airplane early on our second day. He took it on a bunch of rides, so believe me, that plane had the trip of a lifetime!

Fun times, but cousin Ellie is getting tired...

....but not Gigi! She's still going full steam ahead!

The girls love window shopping.

Finally, Grandpa D showed up on the last night of our stay. Let the jokes and fooling around begin!

Now that's some precious cargo!

Again, what did I tell you about Auntie A? Quite the Disney fan, dontcha think?! That shirt is not store bought. She made it. Just kidding, I think.

Fun times with Grandpa on the antique fire wagon.

Here's my adorable parents, yucking it up on Main Street. So glad I caught this shot.

Five sweethearts....

...having the best vacation ever!

And then look who we bumped into!

And then Princess Ariel, too!

Grandpa attempted to teach J.D. how to shoot a gun. Good times.

All aboard!

And another trip on the train...

....J.D. wasn't sure about the Thunder Mountain Railroad at first....

....but then it got fun....

.....and then even more fun! He loved that roller coaster!!!!

We ate beignets in New Orleans. That powdered sugar is sooooo delicious on a warm and toasty donut. Don't tell my trainer, but I enjoyed every last bite!