Last night after the kids fell asleep, Shawn and I stayed up and drank vodka sodas and ate cheese and crackers in the dark like damn adults (adults who are terrified the kids will wake up). We weren't bright-eyed and bushy-tailed this morning when Grady woke up at seven is what I'm saying. I finally pried my eyes open at 7:30 to see Grady fully dressed, shoes and all, waiting to head to Disneyland.
Hours later (threeeeeee hourrrrrrs according to Grady) the four of us headed to the park. We didn't make too strict of a plan today on purpose. We had no idea how Poppy would react to the crowds or hours in the stroller. We were worried for nothing. She was a bit fussy from time to time (she is Penelope after all) but overall she handled her first trip to Disney like a pro.
Shawn and I traded off going on rides with Grady and we hit a few rides as a family. The Jungle Cruise was excellent but the Finding Nemo Submarine was too intense for Poppy. Grady's turned into a bit of a daredevil and can't get enough of the roller coasters.
The highlight of today is a draw between introducing Grady to churros ("this stick doughnut tastes like salmon*!") and tonight's Main Street Electrical Parade. *salmon = cinnamon and no one better correct him!
We stayed in the park until closing and the rain didn't start until we left. It was a perfect day. There were hangry meltdowns (from all of us at different points in the day) and five-year-old attitude (it's SO HARD to be surrounded by so much cool stuff that you want SO BADLY but can't have because your parents aren't millionaires) but it was exactly what I needed. I'm exhausted, my feet are aching, but my heart is full. My little family can be frustrating at times but today reminded me that it's also a lot of fun.
Grady crawled into bed tonight, naked but for his underoos because then he "can get dressed even faster in the morning." Shawn's going to have his hands full tomorrow.