For months we've been planning a trip to Disney Land with our friends Doug and Megan. Dawson saved up all the money for his own ticket too! He saved every penny and dime until he had enough to get a ticket to go. That was the deal we made with him, he had to pay his way in. I'm not suprised he did it in 2 months either... lol!
Megan's family lives in California still, so we were graciously hooked up by being able to stay there. Also, Megan has a friend who was able to get us into Disney Land for really cheap. We owe our lives to them for making this dream come true for our little Dawson, so Thank you Thank you Doug and Megan.
We got to California kind of late, but that didn't stop us from having a blast. Saturday we went to the movie Planes! Dawson LOVED it! I don't know who loved it more out of all of us..... it's a toss up.
Doug, Dawson, Me, and Megan flying away like Dusty the crop duster.
Megan's dad cooked for us 2 nights in a row! It was divine! We swam in the backyard which was so awesome! Dawson and J.D. couldn't get enough of this. It even had a diving board!
Dawson loving that his phone is waterproof so he can video under water.
Here's Dawson swimming all by himself with no life jacket! Good job buddy!
Peace is what J.D. was feeling.
Sunday we went to Huntington Beach! It was such a beautiful day to go to the beach. We even saw tons of dolphins swimming close to beach! It was unreal crazy cool!
Here's Dawson with his shades, J.D., Megan, and Doug. The water was pretty cold!
Dawson had so much fun with Doug and Megan. Megan helped Dawson jump the waves!
Can you tell how cold it was? Dawson was freezing, but it was so worth it to swim in the ocean.
J.D. and Doug swam clear out and rode the waves as they came rolling in.
Then they decided Dawson needed this thrill seeking ride as well!
Dawson and his dad in the Pacific Ocean!
Not only can you swim at the beach, but you can get as dirty as you want. Dawson wanted to be buried of course. He loved how cozy and warm it was.
You can barely see it, but there is a dolphin right out there in the middle of the picture. My lens didn't get a good close up, but we know they were there.
We had awesome snacks and they tasted so good with a little sand mixed in.
Here's our awesome friends Doug and Megan about to get plowed by a wave that they had no idea was coming.
Our little family in the ocean.
Me and my handsome hunners
I was a little nervous about waves hitting me too hard (I was being overly cautious), so I made some beds in the sand. Dawson loved it too! In the end, J.D. took my spot and couldn't stop commenting on how comfy it really was. We had lots of sunscreen, so no we didn't get burnt at all!!!
We ate at Jack in the box afterwards and poor J.D. had to drive home while we all slept, except Megan was a trooper and stayed awake to help keep J.D. awake.
Finally, DISNEY LAND! The most magical place on earth! It truly is!
We had the most perfect guides in Disney Land. Going with California residents who know the way around and an employee who can get you into all the rides without lines.... it couldn't have been more perfect.
Here we are, J.D., Dawson, Me, and the baby in the womb. I am 20 weeks along here and we'd just found out it was a boy.
We arrived at the perfect time to see the morning welcoming show. Dawson was ecstatic! He even touched Donald Duck's tail!
MICKEY!
After seeing the morning show, Dawson didn't care much for the characters so we rode rides mainly. However, we did see this crazy mad hatter! Here's Dawson and the Mad Hatter. The first thing we got when we were at Disney Land was a hat from the Mad Hatter's store.... Dawson chose the wizard Mickey hat...which was even more perfect that night as you'll see below.
We rode a train!
Here we are in the Dumbo Train! Dawson chose the Lion's cart to ride in!
Dawson was thankfully tall enough for every ride except Indiana Jones and the Matterhorn. Space Mountain and Splash Mountain were his favorite! Doug and J.D. in the back, and Dawson is with Megan in the front! Dawson said, "I was brave mom! I didn't scream." I couldn't go on the big fast rides because of the little one in the womb, which gave me time to find some shade. It wasn't very long to wait for them to get off the rides because they didn't have to wait in any lines since we had an employee getting us to the front of every line and had fast passes all day.
Here's mister Dawson with his wizard hat and Megan's Minnie ears. Also, notice his '1st time at Disney Land' pin?
Here is Splash Mountain! Can you tell Dawson's a little scared? He got SOAKED from head to toe! And he LOVED it! Since Dawson was so little and couldn't block the splash, Megan got pretty wet too! lol!
That night was the big show on the water.... Dawson's face explains it all, need I say more? We thought about sending Disney this picture.
By midnight.... Dawson was out! We couldn't get him to wake up for anything! So we got him a prize at the store outside the park. He loved it and plays every day with it. We also got him a book with the Disney characters, and I got a sweater jacket that I love and can't wait to wear it more when it's more chilly outside.
Again, Thank you so much to the Petersen's. Literally without them it wouldn't have been possible and near as much fun. We went on SOO many rides, and it was so relaxing to be able to stay at their home in Cali. Dawson is already saving up to go again in 4 more years when this baby can go and is tall enough to ride the big rides too. It was a magical weekend!
