The "Spontaneous" Magic Kingdom

About a month ago, we decided to plan a trip to Disneyland with our kids for Spring Break.  We decided to keep it a secret until Tanner's birthday (just days before the break).  We told the boys Thursday morning, then as soon as they left for school, I got a call saying that G'ma Orton wasn't going well and would probably pass away in the next few days.  So after school we told the boys that trip may not happen after all because we maybe going to St. George for a funeral. Grandma passed away the next day. Luckily she was staying with Jim and Carolyn, so we were able to go see her before she passed away. We will miss her greatly, but we are so happy she is with her husband and others who have passed on before.

We called and cancelled airplane tickets, a car rental, and our resort reservation, then headed to St. George for the funeral.  We had a couple of fun days playing in the sun there, then went to the funeral on Tuesday.  Paul said on the way to the funeral, "Hey, lets leave after the funeral and drive to Disneyland for the rest of the week!"

I am not good with surprises and like to have everything planned in advanced.  I explained how this wouldn't work because I packed the wrong stroller and I didn't have the right shoes.  Paul said that he wished I could be more spontaneous and just go.  After mulling it over during the funeral, I decided I would be okay and we hurried and packed our bags and headed out.  The drive wasn't bad at all!  Especially with the DVD player and my "New Moon" book, it was easy!

The first night we stayed in a hotel right next to Disneyland where we could watch the fireworks from the park.  We got up early the next morning and played all day at Disneyland.  We had so much fun and were able to get in every ride we wanted at least 2 or 3 times.  I think everyone's favorite was Splash Mountain.  Logan was so good!  He was happy to sit in his stroller all day and just watch everyone.  The boys were exhausted at the end of the day.  

I decided I should write a book on how to take 5 boys to Disneyland.  I have learned a few things.  One is its easier to put all you kids in the same color of shirt - that way you can see them easily, without trying to remember what they are wearing.  I tried this out in California Adventures, it really helped.

The next tip is to be ready to answer lots of questions, like "Are all these boys yours? Are you going to try for a girl? How do you do it?"  I felt like we were being watched everywhere. Luckily the boys were good and we actually had a lots of compliments on having such well behaved boys.  My favorite comment was while we were sitting down eating lunch, a man walked up to me and said, "Mam,  I think you shouldn't have to pay to come here with 5 boys,  somebody should be paying you for trying!"
Tip #3:  Take 2 cell phones and a stroller.  This way you can divide up with big kids and little kids for awhile, then let the big kids get you a stroller pass so you can go again with them.  Also, bring lots and lots of water and treats, unless you want to pay $5 for a bottle of water.  Tip #4:  Most importantly,  don't let your 4 year old hold his arms out of the tram while riding into the park, its kind of embarrassing when the conductor stops the tram to come and tell your son not to do that anymore.  That is when you should look around trying to figure out who that kid belongs to and why his Mommy didn't teach him any better.