Where do you go?

Where do you go when you find out that the cancer has been dealt with and that things are on the up and up?To DISNEYLAND!   (Which might have been a little presumptuous of my energy levels!)  We just got back from a very full week at Disneyland in California.  It was good to be with family and to escape the cold for a bit.   I had to post some of my favorite pics....be prepared to be bombarded!

My three favorite boys!

We stayed in "Andy's House" and it was fabulous.  

 The crew waiting for the parade

These two little rascals kept us all on our toes!  Good thing they're too cute to be frustrated with for too long.

 During one of my many rests I saw the cutest grandpa holding his little granddaughter and I just had to take a picture.  I want to be just like him, riding around Disneyland, holding the baby!

Good 'ol Splash Mountain.  Still terrifies me!

I love them so much!

Aren't they cute?!

We ended up walking about 6-8 miles a day.  Which was WAY more than I've done in months.  Needless to say I was overly exhausted most of the time.

 Unfortunately this little munchkin didn't like anything.  No rides for him.  Parades, yes, rides, no.

And he hates wearing pants.  The only reason the diaper is on is because he's in his onesie.  It's a must in keeping things where they're supposed to be!

And this little darlin' loves to meet people.  Not only does she love to meet new people she likes to make new friends instantly.  This was taken on the Ferry when I couldn't find her for a minute.  I turned around and there she was, sitting next to these fine ladies talking their ear off.  Notice how close she is?  Yep, no boundaries here.  Also notice her cute Anna dress?  Made that myself the night before we left.  That there is a bonafied Downeast special. 

The train ride around Disneyland.

Ever notice how there has to be some sort of terror on every ride? (minus Small World of course)  We hoped on the train and I was so excited to sit down for a bit.  Then we went into a dark tunnel, which was fine until the scary music started and then the big dinosaurs were attacking each other.  Another no-go for baby Mark.

Love playhouse Disney.  They always do such a great job.  I had to snag this picture of Elsa and Anna holding hands during the show.  Just because they love each other.

My own personal Jake.  

Me and Jake riding Mater's tractor round-up.  This is when I discovered that I had a queasy stomach before I had the radioactive iodine...now the queasiness is taken to a whole new level.  No more spinning rides for me.  Or roller coasters, or anything that moves.

Me and Mark, we'll save you seats for the parade! 

One thing that kept going through my mind as I sat and people watched was how many very different people frequent Disneyland.  So many cultures and languages represented.  Having just recently gone through a kind of traumatic experience and feeling very different on the inside I wondered at how many of the happy faces had some sort of trial going on.  I know that everyone goes through many different circumstances and each one experiences even similar circumstances differently.  I envisioned a kind of text bubble on top of each person.  Explaining the problems they were going through, like:  "difficult marriage", or "heart troubles", or "trying for a baby", or "family relation problems", or "financial problems".  As I did that I truly wished it were that easy.  That we could see and help those struggling around us, buoy them up with our encouragement like so many have done for me.   Other times I wished that I had that bubble when I was pushing the stroller, or had some less than friendly people in line around us.  I wanted them to know that I was struggling and didn't have the energy to put on my mask.   

This trip was very different from our other trips to Disneyland.  We used to live in Pasadena while Josh was attending USC.  We had the best ward and group of friends we would do park, pool, and Disneyland days. Most of us had Southern California annual passes so we would frequent the park often.  I have fond memories of my two little girls in their twinner Snow White dresses standing in lines to go on the rides, or getting a big bag of Kettle corn for my treat home as the little ones always fell asleep.  It was a very magical place then.  It was a world of princesses and fireworks and youthful energy.   This time the first thing I noticed was the noise level.  Naturally that's what I notice wherever I go now.  I gauge the level of noise to see how hard I have to strain to get my voice heard.  Disneyland definitely takes the cake.  By the end of the day my throat and neck hurt so bad!  But one of the greatest blessing in my life is that my kids have adapted so well.  I clap, I snap, and 3 heads turn.  They look for me and wait to see what I need to say.  It really  helped my crowd anxiety.  I knew they would listen, unfortunately the littlest one has yet to catch on to mommy's soft voice and thinks that running away is the greatest game ever.  Well, we'll take what we can get.