Surprise! We are going to...

We have had a surprise trip to Disneyland planned for the kids from back when we first bought our passes.  As we approached the actual trip, I wasn't sure that we would be able to keep it a secret.  I was having to let Sadie and Drew's teachers know they wouldn't be at school for 3 days.  I had to pack for everyone without them noticing.  I had to get the cooler full of food ready before anyone noticed.  At the last minute, Brad and I decided to tell the kids the night before we left rather than at 5:30 in the morning when we woke them up to go.  Brad told them we needed to have a family meeting about something important.  I think they were scared that they were in trouble.  He told them they wouldn't be going to school the next day because we were going to Disneyland!!!  There was quite a bit of hooting and hollering coming from our house.  They kept asking if we were kidding or if it was for real.  We finally convinced them that we were serious and that they needed to get right to bed so we could wake up really early the next morning and get on the road.  We had such a fun trip this time.  It is so nice to have the luxury of going for half days because of our passes.  We pulled into our hotel around noon on Wednesday, checked in, and then we were off to the park.  We walked them all over Disneyland and California Adventure until they closed at 8:00.  We were hoping this would cause everyone to sleep well at the hotel, but no such luck.  Drew had an obnoxious hacking cough that woke everybody up at different times of the night.  By 6:00am everyone was up and ready to go for another day.  We went strong again all day Thursday.  Drew has become fearless and will go on any ride.  Brad sure loved having a buddy to take with him on all the roller coasters.  I got really good at getting the three other kids on and off rides by myself.  We met back up after a couple of rides apart and did something that everybody could go on.  We were able to enjoy Cars Land a little bit better this time because it was less crowded.  Sadie was brave and tried the Mater ride even though she knew she probably wouldn't like it.  Poor girl was about in tears right before it started but she survived. We went for a fancy dinner on Thursday night to a buffet in the Grand Californian Hotel.  It was a great time to work on our manners and yummy food too.  Friday morning we were at the gates as soon as Disneyland opened.  Around 11:00 we got some lunch and then headed back to the car for our drive home.  It was a quick trip this time, but so fun to surprise the kids.  I hope we can do one more surprise trip before our passes expire.  We really are a Disney Family!!!