My
husband and I have four children. That's his fault.
He waited
until our two daughters were three and four-and-a-half (a.k.a. walking, talking
and potty-trained) before suggesting we have more. Was he serious? He wanted us
both to endure the months of nausea, the sleepless nights, and endless diapers again?
I burst into tears.
Long
story shortened, he won me over. Five years after daughter #2 was born, we had
son #only. Sixteen months later, we had daughter #3.
We lived
for two decades on a single teacher's salary, while I finagled ways to give our
children as many fun experiences as possible. Of course with Disneyland only
six hours away from Phoenix, that experience was one we repeated as a family
whenever we could swing it. It was expensive and exhausting, but worth every
minute.
Well, the
kids grew up. Some went to college, some forged careers. The two older girls
got married, and we discovered that one of our sons-in-law had never been to
Disneyland.
Challenge
accepted.
Plans
were made for the eight of us to spend a day at Disneyland together one
December, when the park was festively adorned for the Christmas holidays, but
before schools let out for winter break. We all convened at our Anaheim hotel
and made plans for the next day.
To be
honest, this was the easiest Disney trip we ever had. If the adult children got
hungry, they bought their own food. If they saw something in a shop that they
wanted, they paid for it themselves. And if they got tired, they went back to
the hotel to take a nap.
Even
better, I have never had more fun at the park in my entire life. We laughed
uproariously at our Space Mountain photos--where each of us mimed doing
something you would never do on a roller coaster: put in a contact lens, pick your nose, file your nails, drink water, apply lipstick, or write on a pad of paper.
And when
the Indiana Jones ride shut down on our third time--and our car
was the culprit--our daughters and sons-in-law passed the crew's
futz-around-and-see-if-we-can-fix-it time "jowling" and taking
photos (see below). I laughed so hard, I nearly lost control of certain bodily functions before the car was
pronounced dead, and we were released from our restraints and escorted out through
a back door.
Best ride
ever.
We have
talked every year about doing that trip again. But daughter #3 teaches middle
school math now, and can't take the days off before winter break. Son #only has
been promoted to supervisor at the busiest Costco in the region, and the
pre-Christmas rush there is insane. Son-in-law #2 is the customer relations
manager at a popular Phoenix resort where "snowbirds" flock in to
escape the chill of wintery climes. He can't shake loose.
And yet,
we haven't given up. I'm sure we'll discuss it again this year. Here's hoping
we have another chance.
After
all, I'm sure there's another wonky Indiana Jones car just waiting for the eight of
us to climb aboard.
 |
| Waiting for the car to be fixed |
 |
| Jowling: relax your jaw and shake your head really fast while someone takes a picture. |
4 comments:
After reading your post, Kris, I can see there is something to be said for a trip to Disneyland as an adult. The only time I went, my seven year old son got lost. On vacation from my child protective service work, my mind went to all the worst places and I was terrified. Of course at Disneyland no child is ever lost - it is the parent who goes missing.
He disappeared in a nanosecond as we were watching the fireworks after the Electric Light Parade. When found, he in a shop looking at something he wanted.
To this day, I remember the terror and the profound relief. May have to plan an adult day at Disneyland to erase that particular visceral memory or at least give it some happier competition.
My husband keeps telling me we should go to Disneyland without kids. Maybe I'll take him up on it!
I think Disneyland with out munchkins would be a blast! Your family certainly had fun, and you've pictures to prove it.
We had such a great time. As you can see.
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